What Engine Oil

[tuchodi]

I want to change oil in my LT185. Can you use synthetic oil or because it also lubes the tranny and clutch do you have to stick with reg oil?

[KingQuad87]

10W40 motorcycle oil should be fine since the clutch uses the same oil you need the additive that’s in the motorcycle oil.

[tuchodi]

I don't have a Suzuki dealer near me but the Yamaha dealer say's they use synthetic in there machines that have the proper additives but was not sure if the old Suzuki would work. Has anyone tried synthetic in an older Suzuki. This would be 10/40 synthetic motor oil.

[ajl719]

I would stick with the regular 10W40 motorcyle oil. Unless your planning on rebuilding the engine it's not really worth it.

[Dangerouspower]

I am having the motor rebuilt in my ltz 400 what oil should I use ?

[ajl719]

I would recommend a synthetic motorcycle oil or a regular motorcycle oil with a viscosity of at least 10w40 or higher. If your ambient temperatures drop below freezing (-0), use a sae 5W30 oil instead. And I'm not sure but there may be a break in period oil too. Hope this helps.

[Dangerouspower]

My tempature doesnt really ever drop 32 degrees that much. But if it does it will be in the garage keepin warm ! I will look into the break in period oil. I have never heard of it, but idk. Would synthetic be better than regular ?

[ajl719]

Yes, synthetic oil is better then conventional oil but it is also a bit pricier. I would recommend using the synthetic since it is a better oil but if you do stay with it. But like i said it's up to you. Also try and use a motorcycle oil if at all possible too, but i have also been told that you can use regular oil like what you would use in your car or truck but the motorcycle oil is more recommended because of the wet clutch additives that are in it. As for the break in oil, I'm not even sure there is such a thing either but i would just call your local dealer or automotive store and see if there is any such thing, but IDK either.

[Bojib]

I think when people talk about break in oil, they are just talking about regular oil, not synthetic.

Supposedly it allows a little more friction in the beginning to help all the parts seat. Plus, you'll have to change the oil pretty quickly too, and no need wasting money on synthetic for oil you'll only use for a little while.

After the initial break in, some people will run regular oil a second time, and others will switch right over to synthetic. They state the reason for the second run of regular is just to make sure you get all the break in stuff out.

I've been running the Suzuki oil in my KQ since I got it. No real reason though other than personal preference.

I've had several ATVs prior, as well as dirt bikes, and I always used regular Valvoline 10w40 in them. You just have to look on the bottle and make sure that it does NOT say energy conserving. The energy conserving oil has additives that can cause the clutches to slip. I never had a problem in the tens of thousands of miles I put on my other ATVs and Bikes using regular oil instead of motorcycle oil.

Here is a picture of the API ratings you find on motor oil. You see how some have "energy conserving" around the bottom of the circle, and how others don't. You want to make sure that you get the ones that are NOT energy conserving, and also the right weight and rating as recommended by the ATV manufacturer:

[Dangerouspower]

Thanks bojib and ajl. What should i do about break in though ? What would you do first run regular or synthetic and then run synthetic after break in ?