What kind of oil?

[CEET400ex]

Can I use regular 10W-30 oil in my 400EX?

[steve400ex]

DO NOT USE REGULAR OIL. make sure you usea non detergent oil that also is for high compression and does not foam...stick with honda oil. it may be more$ but you will be safe...

[TravEX]

use Mobil 1 15w50, i do and that's what most guys on here run, no problems,,,and remember to change your oil and filter OFTEN,,later

[yamaha1470]

Originally posted by CEET400ex
Can I use regular 10W-30 oil in my 400EX?

thats seems a little light unless where you ride is real cold. I also use 15w50 and its a great oil. Only use a regular oil for break in after that i like synthetics.

[CEET400ex]

will it be ok with 10W-30 for just one day?
what about 20W-50 cuz i have some of that too?

[yamaha1470]

20w50 is good. make sure it doesnt say energy conserving on the back

[SGA]

Originally posted by yamaha1470
20w50 is good. make sure it doesnt say energy conserving on the back
I read up on all of this awhile back. When I was at discount auto, all the oils that are 10-30 say energy conserving on the back...and from what I read, you do not want to run that. They contain low drag modifiers, bad for your clutch. Run 10-40 or 20-50. I read where one of the top builders likes to run straight 40 in his engines. Lately i've been running Mobil 15-50 with no problems.
Piles of people run car oil in their quads/ motorcycles for years with no problems. If it worrys you, run the honda GN4 and let it rip.

[twisted threads]

Originally posted by mrtunes
use Mobil 1 15w50, i do and that's what most guys on here run, no problems,,,and remember to change your oil and filter OFTEN,,later

Thats what I run and have had No problems at all.:cool:

[ridefastrgetoff]

Are you guys talking about "Friction Modified Lubes"? If you are, these are great for auto combustion engines, not good for wet-clutch applications. Reduction of "drag" is a good thing in racing and you can still do that but you need to use a top quality synthetic oil to achieve that; petroleum oils introduce drag, naturally, into your bike; that's the nature of the beast. Think of it this way, if it takes a petro to break an engine in that means it has to be abrasive by nature to accomplish that, why wouldn't continue to wear or break it in over time and the truth is it will ! The wear will slow down after initial break-in but it could be "almost stopped" with synthetics; not completely stopped. Mobil 1 is a good oil but there are synthetic oils on the market now that are 0w-40, designed for quads and they are darn good oils. I would not recommend a 20w-50 in a new engine, even for break-in purposes; these newer engines have clearances that are much closer than those of yesteryear and perform much better with the lighter weight oils. If your engine is already worn out or you've been using the 20w-50 for a lengthy period of time then don't go to the lighter weight oils now; you might start using oil now that you've already established a wear pattern.

www.SyntheticsExcel.com

[QuadTrix6]

I use Mobil 1.. 15w50... for hot weather its the one with the red cap, in the last issue of dirt wheels, one of the pro riders talked about using it in his quad so if he uses it its gotta be good :) ..

[ridefastrgetoff]

More viscous oils cling to internal components longer thus causing even higher temps; you only want to use a lubricant designed for the application and these heavier lubes may or may not be formulated for them, that's something you will want to check your engine specs on and compare the lube specs on to be sure. If your car's oil refill cap says 5w-30 and for most all cars since 1992 they will have this on them; some have 10w-30, it would be a mistake to put 20w-50 in them. It causes premature wear, higher normal operating temps, premature oil breakdown from the higher temps and ultimately these same things will happen to your quad.

www.SyntheticsExcel.com

[bermbanger400]

the only oil i have ran in my 400 is kendall no problems at all.

duncan racing recommends kendall in the 400.i'd think they should know a lil about motors.

[ridefastrgetoff]

That's great ! One of the things I've learned over the years about engine builders, some of them are good at building engines ! Another thing I've learned, Synthetic oils reduce engine wear by at least 20%, up to 50% depending on the oils being compared. If you're having good luck with the petroleums that's great. If you want even better protection, try the synthetics.

www.SyntheticsExcel.com

[yamaha1470]

ridefastrgetoff you know a lot about oils and i have a question. I see the ATV oils that are like 0w30 or 0w40. Why would you wanna run that? Wouldnt you overheat and stuff? Isnt lighter oil for colder weather and heavier for hotter? correct me if im wrong.

[ridefastrgetoff]

Not really, the lighter weight oils are for specifically designed engines (tighter tolerances) and the quads are not the only engines that are being built this way; most all engines, gas or diesel, nowadays are coming from the factory with much tighter tolerances and thus the increased H.P. coming from these smaller engines but also the reason for these engines to run at much hotter "normal" operating temps. If you use an oil that is more viscous or thicker, it will actually be a detriment to performance because you will be forcing oil into places that engine was not designed for causing the following ( premature wear, hotter normal operating temps., reduced performance because of efficiency being wasted in compensating for the heavier oil, etc. ). This is one of the cases where more is NOT better. Oil has several purposes but in these newer engines, carrying heat away from internal engine components is just as important as providing protective film strength; synthetic's film strength is 4 to 5 times greater than that of the petros. Sorry for being so long.

www.SyntheticsExcel.com

[400EXManiac]

Is it ok to run Honda HP4M oil in my 400EX? My local shop was out of GN4, and they told me that the HP4M would be fine.

However, they were wrong once before in regards to oil for my wife's Blaster, so I no longer trust them.

[dhines]

Ok guys, after reading this and many other posts regarding oils I finally decided to take the plunge and try a synthetic. I have been running good ole Castrol 20w50 for probably two years in my various machines without any problems but several posts here have convinced me to try something different.

So Saturday I went out and bought 2 quarts of the Mobile 1 15w50 and finally got around to changing the oil just before a practice ride with my old man yesterday. Now here's where things get really fishy. On the first ride out after changing the oil I noticed a very significant increase in power.

Now before you all start calling B.S. - I'm having a hard time with this myself. No other mods were done to the machine and the temperature/humidity yesterday were just about the same as it has been for weeks around here - HOT. I had just raced the machine last weekend and then only washed it off and put some WD-40 on it. But, I'm not kidding here - the machine felt completely different with this oil in it. I even let my dad take it for a spin and he could tell a big difference over his machine (we are currently running the exact same engine configuration).

So I need someone to back me up here. Heck, somebody else out there who has been running a normal 20w50 try putting in the synthetic and tell me what you feel. Am I nuts?

Dennis

By the way, I am running a fairly simple engine configuration - JE 10.8-1 416 piston, Sparks pipe, Uni air filter. Stock valves, intake, carb, and cam.

[ridefastrgetoff]

Reduce drag - Increase H.P. Synthetics are the best !

www.SyntheticsExcel.com

[AtvMxRider]

I plan on changing my oil today to Mobil 1 15W50 I'll let you know.

[zephead400ex]

So what did you find out with the Mobil 1 oil? I think this question has been answered before...is this oil regular motor oil or is there some indication on the quart of oil that it is intended for a 4-stroke, atv, etc??? Thanks!!! I am changing my oil Wednesday so I need to know asap! Thanks!!

[TravEX]

yes, it's the same red cap, automotive Mobil 1 15-50, it's $4.77 a quart at my local Wal-Marks,,,

[dhines]

Yeah - just the standard stuff - I actually got mine at Target. I'm thinking I'm going to do some more research on the Amsoil stuff now... I'm a little scared going to 0w40, but heck, I'm still a little scared just to be running a synthetic and the results have me pretty excited so far!

You guys who are changing your oil - definitlely let us know if you see any difference.

Dennis

[zephead400ex]

Alright, well, it looks like I will be returning the Valvoline that my friend got me so I can have some $ to go pick up some Mobil 1 10w50!!
Thanks Guys!

[eldoexrider01]

i use honda oil. in my 400ex. my friend i work wit is a 4wheeler mechanic and does lots of engine work on the side. uses it in his old 300ex cbr 600, and z400. go figure. its good shiznit.!!!!!!

[REC]

10w-40 is the best all around weight oil to use.
Try 20w-50 for very hot conditions.
You can switch to a full synthetic after the motor is broken in if you want to.
If you have a built motor a straight 40w synthetic is the way to go.
Make sure you use motorcycle grade oil, not automotive oil.
The person above talking about friction modifiers is exactly right. They are not needed in a ATV engine:D

[MOUSE]

ive started using mobil 1 15w50 and i really like it. seems to run a little bit smoother and cooler (or maybe its just me). but ive had no problems with the clutch slipping or anything else. so it works for me.

[Depalma]

i have been using Honda 10 / 40 what is the mobil is it synthetic or just plain oil? The honda book recomends this oil because it covers a wide range the 10 / 40 thanks for the help

Originally posted by Depalma
i have been using Honda 10 / 40 what is the mobil is it synthetic or just plain oil? The honda book recomends this oil because it covers a wide range the 10 / 40 thanks for the help


The Mobil 1 15w50 is a synthetic car oil. It doesnt slip you clutch because it is not "Energy Conserving" like other regular car oils.

Can someone help me out. I need to change the oil on my 400ex I want to go with a synthetic but I am not sure what one to use. I have a 2001 400ex and the motor is all stock. Can someone help me choose an oil I live in New Jersey and the temp right now is ranging in the high 60's low 70's. Thanks alot

[Depalma]

i live in nj to i just put in the red cap mobil 1 my bike runs great with it.

[ChadEXer]

Tom tells me to run 20w-50 in my 505. He says DO NOT run synthetic! he said Honda, Kendall, or Maxima oils are good!! I will run Honda 20w-50 in mine!!

[ridefastrgetoff]

Most oils will give you good service for a while but most petros only last a short period; they certainly are much more abrasive, even when they are brand new ! Synthetics are great once the engine is broken in; this topic has been discussed repeatedly so I won't expound here.

www.SyntheticsExcel.com