Hallo all KX500 Riders,
I'm new on your site and have read up on some basic stuff to get me going. This is a typical newbie topic, because I know sweet FA about KX500s. It’s just so you can get to know me really. Some threads are a little controversial but at least they provoke debate, and although of course some people don't just have opinions, but are opinionated, they're interesting. The more polemical and contentious a subject, such as the one below, the more people will wade in with their tuppence-ha'penny worth. I shan't argue with anyone, but would like to hear what you have to say because although 2 strokes are not new to me, KX500s very much are. I read the following topic, Re: ATF as Gear Lube – and I commented because it answered someone's question. It also gave me an idea for a new topic. Here's what I had to say in answer to, Re: ATF as Gear Lube: This thread runs back years and more than a few people have asked "What is it that Kawasaki recommends for the transmission?" Well, on page 11 dieselbeef has put up a link to
www.bobistheoilman.com. Bob’s paper is very informative and comprehensive and here's your answer. Under Hydrocracking (Predominately Group II) he writes the following: "Chevron commercialized this technology for fuels production in the late 1950’s. In 1969 the first hydrocracker for Base Oil Manufacturing was commercialized in Idemitsu Kosan Company’s Chiba Refinery using technology licensed by Gulf." So, Idemitsu is the oil that Kawasaki recommended.
I've taken a photo of my '87 KX500 airbox, and it still has the original sticker on it recommending Idemitsu oil. The KX hasn’t been used for burros’ years, and has spent its life in Mexico; where we live it’s a semi-desert environment. The bike has suffered what Foxx4Beaver calls "Mexican Modifications" - I would also call it "Mexican Malpractice" - but one thing it hasn't suffered from is corrosion, it still has nearly all the original stickers on it.
Of course Idemitsu oil isn't available everywhere. If you live in the UK, New Zealand or Australia, or on the Indian Subcontinent, Castrol is often the oil of choice, in part for historical reasons. Castrol also make some of, if not
the best oil available and getting hold of castor based oil in the UK is a doddle, because historically it's been popular. (If I were still there I’d choose R40 or a more modern castor based equivalent.) Similarly people in America often choose Amsoil because it's American and available. I'm sure you can buy Amsoil in the UK, but I never saw it sold locally to where I lived.
I see so much written by people on this subject, but very little of it is subjective; many just repeat what they've read or heard - a lot of it simply old wives' tales. I've used it in all my 2 strokes, though not exclusively (and also mixed it with other 2T oils) for well over 30 years. I’ve read that castor oil gets under the rings, causes gumminess (especially in the KIPS valves), and leaves deposits. In my experience it’s true that surfaces get an even, sooty-coloured deposit (castor varnish that keeps on lubricating), but that’ll just wipe off with pure petrol or white spirits with a bit of elbow grease – it doesn’t harm anything and shouldn’t be a problem in motocross bikes that are regularly serviced. Castor oil also mixes with modern synthetics. I never mixed it with mineral oils or semi synthetics, because put simply, it doesn’t mix.
Going back to the ATF topic, I read through the whole thread and I decided that I'm going to use an ATF oil in the transmission the first time, not just to try it out, but also to help flush out whatever it used before and the years of neglect. After that I shall switch to a gearbox/clutch saver type oil. The premix will be Shell Racing M - a castor/synthetic combination, followed by (for comparison), Silkolene PRO Castor/Ester Synthetic 2T. Both are castor oils I've not used before. Jonnie
