Oil Question

[smokinp]

Ive got a 1983 honda atc200 and i am going to be changing the oil in a few days and i got some Quaker state peak performance for it,I was wondering if i should use some syntheque(spelling?) oil?because i thought someone said that it is not good to use it in trikes?

[bbechtel16]

Yeah if you use synthetics make sure they don't have friction modifiers and/or say "Safe for motorcycle wet clutches" or something like that. Like Amsoil synthetic 0w-40 motorcycle oil.

[TimSr]

I usually stay out of these oil posts, after the last incident that turned into WWIII, but just for the record, you'll find most of you manuals for these old machines indicate to use 10w30 or 10w40 and dont get much more specific than that. At the time these were made synthetics were not used nearly as widely as they are today. The vast majority of these ATVs and motorcycles were probably being fed Valvoline and Quaker State even though the manuals usually stated to use Honda or Yamaha brand oil.
Most of the high-dollar "high performance" motorcycle/ATV specific oils and gear lubes for 2 stroke or 4 stroke ARE in fact synthetic, and were devloped with the assumption that a wet clutch would likely be in play. If you have any fears or concerns about "friction modifiers" and other terms being tossed around, but want the improvements of synthetics, then use a good sythetic that says its made specifically for motorcycles or ATVs.
I personally run Mobile 1 synthetic (for cars) in whatever 4 stroke I happen to won at the time. TimJrs Raptor 80 happens to have Mobile 1 synthetic 4 stroke motorcycle oil in it.
In my 2 strokes Im a lot less picky, because it only serves to lubricate the clutch. I usually run the cheaper $1.29 stuff, but I like Synthec. I have no problem using Mobile 1 either, other than its an awful expensive clutch lube.
Ive never had slippage problems, though I have had some that didnt lubricate well enough when they got hot. My first TriZ clutch lasted about 9 years. My 250R ate clutches with any oil, (and the high dollar gear oils performed the worst) until I got a good clutch basket.
Most slippage is caused by excessive heat, which comes from goofballs worrying so much about "top speed" that they gear for the highway, and then have to drive around all day with the clutch pulled halfway in to keep from stalling. Autoclutches that have run Quaker State all their life seem to have a clutch that lasts forever because the clutch is not normally slipped all the time like a manual clutch is. If your clutch is slipping, its a lot more likley its due to manually slipping it, or that its worn out, than because you are running synthetic oil. Some additive "Oil Treatment" products, however, are not compatible with wet clutchs.
This is a minority opinion, but its mine: Id recommend a good synthetic oil for any 4 stroke, which gives you added motor protection, retains its viscosity better, and does not break down from combustion by products nearly so quickly. I have no qualms running car synthetics either. I also add some RevErUp Oil treatment made by the fine folks at BlueMarble to extend bearing life. (It also noticeably quieted the counterbalancer on my R.) For 2 strokes, you can run any of the same products, but most are expensive overkill, and not necessary. As I said, I like the semi synthetic automotive oils for 2 stroke gearboxes. I tried Maxima and BellRay 2 cycle gear oils, in my Z and R, and was not impressed at all. For my apllication they proved inferior to my Synthec.
As I said, mine would seem to be a minority opinion, so follow at your own risk!

[bbechtel16]

Great technical post as usual Tim!!!