Upon recommendation of a friend I have put in a.m. oil which is quite costly here in Indonesia.
I was running the Kawasaki oil sold here which is, acc to the label, a semi synthetic 10W40 which exceeds jaso ma and api sl. If this was true this would have been a very high quality oil. This oils is manufactured here in Indonesia and they can print anything they want on the label.

The first difference I noted was that the engine runs a bit quiter which is nice. Also gear shifting is quite a bit smoother. This is more than enough proof to me that a high quality fully synthetic oil does indeed do a better lubrication job.
Planning to ride the klx for at least 100.000

When back home in Germany this summer I'll put that stuff into my ZZR as well

 

Nice. I was thinking about doing the same thing, as well. I've been using Castrol 4 stroke 10W40 moto oil.

Any particular kind of Mobil 1 synthetic? Does it have to be labed, "motorcycle" or can regular synthetic 10W40 work just as well?

 

If it's not labelled motorcycle you have to make sure it doesn't have any antifriction additive otherwise it will ruin your clutch.

 

It's the standard mobil1 car oil. They have a special one for motorcycles as well. This is not available in my area.
That motorcycle oils are very different from car oils is a myth. Have read the analysis of an american chemical institute who analyzed the top oils from different brands, both car and bike versions. Very little difference!

My clutch is working just fine!

Did not want to start another oil thread. Just wanted to share my findings. Maybe they are of use to some members.

 

Thanks guys.

I found the Mobil 1 4T racing oil locally. I think next time I'll spring for the large container of synthetic 10W40, knowing that it'll work just fine.

 

What I know is that if it has "energy conserving" on the container, don't use it.. My kids CRF150RB's manual explicitly says that..
An example below:


You will not find this label on any motorcycle formulated oil. You won't find it on synthetic oils formulated for high mileage/older autos and diesels..

 

JASO-MA is what to look for. It shows the oil meets the Japanese automobile standards organization's requirements for motorcycles that share oil with gear box and clutch. No question it is right if that is on the label. I know Rotella has JASO-MA rating among others.

 

BUT... there is a difference. Fact is there are additives used in both diesel and motorcycle oils that are not legal for car oils.

Regardless though, there isn't much excuse not to use a JASO-MA oil in a bike unless you are trying to run the cheapest oil you can find. As I said in my last post, Shell Rotella meets JASO-MA both in regular petroleum and synthetic blends. It can be had at fairly low pricing too. So the question is why would one not run oil that meets standards for the needs of a wet clutch and gear box in a motorcycle engine just because - because it might just have a bit more value? Seems people will run significantly more expensive synthetics, so what is a tiny amount more for the MA oil?

By the way, I ran synthetic in my 650 for a few changes, then went back to petroleum based, but always did MA oil. Last few have been Rotella petroleum based. Presently at 47,000+ miles and going strong...

 

klx678, I'd have bought the bike versions of the mobil1 oil if available in my area.
Anyway, a friends runs this car mobil1 in his scooter for more than 60.000 km without problems. In fact at 60.000 km he had the engine opened. The mechanic who opened could not believe how clean the engine was at this milage and called his boss to have a look. That is important for me as I plan to run the KLX for at least 100.000 Km.

Also with the car mobil1 the gear shifting is a lot smoother than with the additives containing original Kawasaki JASO MA oil. What does that tell you???

 

I have run Mobil 1 automotive oil in my Zrx1200 and noticed that when run normally it worked fine. But when I hammered it, I did notice slight slipping on the clutch. I guess it depends how hard you push things until you notice the difference. If you are easy on your bike you may not notice. Since then I make sure I run non energy conserving oils. Rotella and Delvac are good priced alternatives.