Maintenance & Technical > KX500 Original
The Great Gear Oil Controversy....
mikesmith:
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:
I was just reading my own post and I spelled Husqvarna wrong,never took typingWhoops!
beastrider500:
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:
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:
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
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