KDXRIDER.NET

Yeah we have the same oils you guys have. Our main fuel companies are;

Mobil
Shell
Caltex
BP

Main oil suppliers are;
Castrol
Mobil1
Valvoline
plus others I can't think of right now.

We also have Belray, Motul, Silkoline etc etc...

RB, that's interesting....

I use Motul Transoil (specifically labeled synthetic 2-cycle gearbox oil).

Woodscrasher, do you buy that at a bike shop? I wasn't sure if you should use any old 10-W40 off the shelf or if the oil really needs to be gear box specific.

Steve:

Well, what I know (which should be taken as-is) is your typical motor oil, 10w-40, etc., is designed to lubricate engine components - cranks, pistons, etc., whereas autos, std & automatic, use tranny oil in the tranny. On a bike that uses different oils to lube different parts, you should use those specific oils (in my opinion - YVMV). I wouldn't use crank/piston oils (typical motor oil), to lube my transmission, but transmission-specific oils. Some here have good results with AT. Why? I have no idea, but for AT cars, it must work, so therefore it should work in our bikes. I use the gear-oil specific stuff because A) it came highly recommended from someone I trust who has 23+ years on a KDX, and B) What he said made sense: Bel-Ray has spent Mil$ on developing an oil to withstand the stresses placed on a 2-stroke gearbox. Valvolene 10W-40 has not. That right there tells me I'm going to spend $5 more on an oil created specifically for MY purpose, not ALL-purpose. It boils down to oil viscosity and breakdown due to heat. As I said before, your oil choice is strictly your choice. It's odd that what oil works for one, might not work for another. That's due to all of our bikes being slightly different, tho' they could be the same year/displacement, etc. In a gearbox, there's a LOT of moving parts, so no one of us is going to have the exact same 'box. Make sense yet, Steve? It shouldn't, because reams of articles have been written on oils, all of them different. So, what should you use? It's up to you. Price no object? Go for top-shelf gearbox oils, I use the 80w Gear-Saver (Bel-Ray, $7.50/L), I don't have to change oil as often because it doesn't break down as fast. Want cheap? Go get a bottle of WallyWorld 10w-40 or 5w-30 for $0.99, but change it often. To answer your question, finally (sorry for the lesson), yes, Gear-Saver is found at bike shops (prolly why it's so expensive), or, get a case online from any of the online stores. You can get off-the-shelf oils as well that will work. Realistically, any oil will protect those tiny parts in your gearbox. When placed under extreme duress, I would rather have my guts protected as best they can possibly be, hence my affection for 2-stroke gear-box-specific oils, because I can afford it, and I never want to be broken down 100 miles from civilization because I wanted to save $5.

--C.J.

I have been known for not being wordy and this is no exception. Ma Kaw doesn't recommend 80W gear oil for the tranny... she recommends SE, SF, or SG class 10W-30 or 10W-40 oil, and I would venture to guess that she would not recommend anything that would be detrimental to her bikes because when it comes down to it, she supports the bike and not the oil companies like Bel-Ray.

Inda:

Exactly my point, we all use whatever. Does Ma Kaw recommend AT fluid? No. It recommends what the Japanese designed her for, and the engineers who designed her. They recommend whatever they need to cover their butts due to their design of the tranny. Over the years, rebels like us Americans have figured out what works better than what is recommended. It's in our nature. I just don't believe that a $0.99 bottle of dino will protect my gearbox as well as gear-specific others. My opinion, my bike. FWIW, I do NOT own any stock whatsoever in Bel-Ray, it's just what I use, and it's always in stock at the shop

Wudscrasher wrote: and it's always in stock at the shop

Hmmm, I wonder why?

Do you use their 2 smoke oil as well?

<snicker> Wibbins....It's because they're a well-stocked shop.
I started out with the KawiChem, but switched to Silkolene -
again, at the recommendation of a long-time user of KDXs.
Dewd, you just voted in my poll!

JHCOPS, is the snow ever going to melt? Moab in 6 weeks!

--C.J.

Castrol 20W-50, just because...

Just a question I have. Is maxima a major brand everywhere? I live a half mile from the factory so im wondering if it is as big everywhere cause most of the shops where I live carry maxima almost exclusively

80w Torco
Old habits die hard

I use Pro Honda HP Trans Oil 80W; the local mechanic (2nd place GNCC Senior B class) said it is the same stuff as Bel-Ray Gear Saver, but it is in a bottle that is very convenient for pouring. Just dump the whole container in and I'm good to go. Of course, I haven't torn into my tranny yet so I don't know what excitement is in store...

I used Gear Saver before that.

i run amsoil synthetic 10W-40. seems to work well for me and is at a decent price...

Wudscrasher, yup, it makes sense. Thanks for the feedback. I too generally use higher end oil in my autos and I don't mind spending a little on the bike as well. I went with a Kawa. 10W-40 oil. Didn't have Bel-Ray where I was looking, but I agree. A little extra $5 here and there to maybe add a little life to your bike is worth it to me. And if it doesn't add life, it adds a little piece of mind for what most people drop on a burger and fries at lunch.

With that mentality.... 120W MUST be better than 80W if 80W is better than 10W-40!

All I ever had with Bel-ray Gearsaver is missed shifts....

OK, I'll fess up. I have had problems with missed shifts (1st-2nd or 2nd-1st) ever since I've had the bike. I have used Bel-Ray Gear Saver/Pro Honda every single change except for the very first change, when I used automotive Castrol synthetic 10W-40. Are you suggesting that a differenty tranny oil could alleviate this? Suggestions??

Yes... that is what I am suggesting.

My DR650 definately does not like Mobil1 (Syn) but shifts great with Mobil Clean 5ooo (Dino)

Indawoods wrote:Yes... that is what I am suggesting.

I'll second that...the KDX and the KX did not like the 80W (Maxima or Gear Saver). 10-40 + ATF, as RBD suggested is smooth. I'm sure the strait 10-40's work well too.

I became leery of 10W-40 after my initial experience with the Castrol synthetic. However, I didn't check the back of the bottle to see if it followed "Ma Kaw" suggestion of SE/SG/whatever; I figured "it's 10W-40 synthetic so it MUST be good".

Looks like I need to pay more attention. In the meantime, I think I'll try Ron's idea of 2 parts ATF + 1 part 10W-40 GTX. I should really send him my carb too...