Author Topic: The Great Gear Oil Controversy.... (Read 7011 times)

Sharc · « **on:** September 18, 2003, 05:57:08 AM »

Wassup with gear oil...? I use Spectro 85wt and change about every 100 miles. What are you guys using...? And what about the old wives tale of using ATF (Auto Trans Fluid)....

Twist the right side...!!

Sharc

Paul · « **Reply #1 on:** September 18, 2003, 10:15:02 AM »

I've used Maxima MTL 85 since the bike was brand new and have yet to have a problem of any kind.

DrMojo · « **Reply #2 on:** September 19, 2003, 05:06:42 AM »

I have used Maxima MTL 85 and the tranny has been flawless......

mikesmith · « **Reply #3 on:** September 22, 2003, 07:02:47 AM »

Ive always use Bel Ray gear oil,changed around 120-150miles on wide open riding and sooner when I ride in the tight stuff with a lot of clutch abuse.Shifts fine,no problems in 8 years.

rhinogrrrl · « **Reply #4 on:** September 29, 2003, 09:44:51 AM »

I use Maxima MTL in the 2-fiddy as well...

Biggreenmonster · « **Reply #5 on:** September 30, 2003, 03:09:00 PM »

I am a Motul fan for years..love the stuff,never had a problem.I think any quality oil will do just fine!
As far as ATF...works good for clutches but bad for gears that have a hell of alot of torque going through them..viscosity of atf is questionable in a Dirtbike tranny...some people will feel different...i dont trust atf but know of people who swear by it!
A good quality oil is alot cheaper than a tranny grenade,hehehe.its anybody's call on what they want to use...

teamgreen500 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 30, 2003, 04:24:39 PM »

I'm going to be at Kawasaki in a week or so and I'll ask this question. I think it's got a lot to do with "loads" and "pressure".

BTW, I just "Blew" a tranny and I'm still awaiting "Final Analysis".

I wonder if it was the "Lighter" oils I used?

I'll report back when I get the answers.

Manny

Paul · « **Reply #7 on:** September 30, 2003, 04:27:32 PM »

Manny, what you are looking for has little to do with viscosity adn everything to do with shear strength - the ability for an oil molecule to stay together under stress. The higher the better.

Manhattan Oil's Power Plus makes a crank case fluid that is at 40 wt but has the shear strength of a 90wt gear oil. Good stuff just hard to find.

Rick · « **Reply #8 on:** October 01, 2003, 10:55:47 AM »

Two weeks ago, I didn't have anyone to ride with (the boy was at a birthday party or something, and it was too hot in the dez for normal folks), so I threw in a thousand rounds of ammo, a selection of pistols and rifles, the big 500, and headed for the desert with lunch and a cooler. After three hours of shooting, I unloaded the beast for a ride. Since it was lunch time, I sat in the back of the van eating lunch, and decided to actually read an owners manual while I chomped. To my surprise, the KX500 manual recomends 10/40 motor oil

. Can't say I've ever used motor oil in any tranny except an XR400, but that's a Honda, so you know it's going to break anyway. But in a KX?

Rick

teamgreen500 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 01, 2003, 12:46:51 PM »

Rick,

"Back in the Day....", Ya, I know...here he goes again...

At the '82 Am. Nat. Qualifier at Saddleback, a kid by the name of Todd Campbell and myself did everything we could to ruin Danny Bentley's day at that race (The Team Green mechanic). We both went thru clutches like Hondas at a hillclimb!

As Danny was changing ANOTHER clutch, I noticed he was filling the cases with 5W-30. He said that ATF was also good for keeping the clutch clean and operating and that a car tranny put loads on the internals to a degree that a motorcycle couldn't match. So, it's fine for the scooters...

But, I still wonder what the scoop's gonna be when I pick-up my motor?

Manny

mikesmith · « **Reply #10 on:** October 01, 2003, 05:20:07 PM »

Ive worked as a mechanic on Hondas(car),Fords and Dodges.At the Honda dealership we used 10/40 in all the manual trans with no problems and some of the Ford manual trans used ATF, also no problems.But I still run M/C trans fluid in my bike,I guess because I used to have a Husky Automatic that I ran ATF in and the tranny let go.I know those Husky AE's werent to reliable but I always wonder if I should have run the special Husquavarna trans fluid(Ohlins suspension fluid).

mikesmith · « **Reply #11 on:** October 01, 2003, 08:54:28 PM »

I was just reading my own post and I spelled Husqvarna wrong,never took typingWhoops!

beastrider500 · « **Reply #12 on:** October 01, 2003, 09:34:35 PM »

My choice is Castrol GTX 10W40. It's inexpensive and seems to work quite well. What really sold me on it was when my riding buddy decided to change his oil while imbibing in some of Augustus Busch's sweet nectar. Seems he went riding the next day for several hours and as he was putting the bike away, he noticed the oil plug and a quart of oil sitting on the work bench. Further investigation revealed that in his altered state he had neglected to refill the transmission with the vital fluid. According to his report, however, the bike showed no ill effects from his indescretion. Mind you, this was not the beast of a bike that we know and love but a 1991 Yamaha WR250, so it didn't involve quite as much abuse to the trans and clutch, but still pretty impressive for an oil that is available at Wal-Mart.

Just my humble opinion.

Jim

PS: I told him he should write to Castrol and tell them how well their oil performed. Maybe they would send him a free case or something, but he was too embarassed.

Sharc · « **Reply #13 on:** October 02, 2003, 05:02:54 AM »

I used to run 30wt Castrol for years in my Huskys and never had any tranny or clutch problems....It was a dealer that said I should use the pricey stuff about 5-6 years ago. Tough to say if it's worth the risk to save $3/change vs blown gears. I bet 30 wt.'s fine, but I 'll most likely keep buying the expensive stuff ...

da sharc

Rick · « **Reply #14 on:** October 06, 2003, 09:14:27 AM »

A couple of years ago, my oldest raced the second loop of a Utah National Hare & Hound without any oil. The crank was being changed on his KX125, and it wasn't ready when time to leave, so I sent him ahead with friends with my KX250 and his KX125, less motor and tranny. The motor was finished by midnight, so I drove all night, slipped the motor in the frame while it was still dark, but forgot to check the tightness of the drain plug, AND forgot to wire the oil plug in place. Sometime during the first loop the plug came out, followed by the oil. After the race, we refilled with oil, and finished the National series with no problems. Imagine my delight at the end of the last event, and no tranny work!

The following year, the same thing happened to a friend with his KX250 (they now wire the oil plug as well), with no ill effects.

These KX's are made to take a licking and keep on ticking. The moral of the story, wire your oil plug in place!

Rick