Synthetic

Everything you want to know about oil but were "afraid to ask"!

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fregado
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Synthetic

Post by fregado »

I am probably opening a can of worms here, almost hope so to get some good conversation going. I found here at our local bike shop that they sell full synthetic 2 cycle oil. This is the first time that I have seen this. What are your thoughts about synthetic, blend, or traditional?
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H2RICK
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Re: Synthetic

Post by H2RICK »

A LOT of guys on this board run full-synthetic injector oils and have done so for years with success. Synthetics have a lot to recommend them because they offer better all-round protection for moving parts than mineral oils can. If you ride on the ragged edge a lot, then synthetics are the way to go, IMO. However.......
I ride my 550 in a more restrained fashion than that (I have other bikes I can rev the t!ts off if I want) and have always used mineral based
injector oil in it for over 20 years with no adverse results. Modern mineral based injector oils are faaaarrrr better than they were when these bikes were new so are perfectly acceptable for day-to-day non-competition-type use, IMO.
My .02 worth....
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TLRam1
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Re: Synthetic

Post by TLRam1 »

H2RICK wrote:A LOT of guys on this board run full-synthetic injector oils and have done so for years with success. Synthetics have a lot to recommend them because they offer better all-round protection for moving parts than mineral oils can. If you ride on the ragged edge a lot, then synthetics are the way to go, IMO. However.......
I ride my 550 in a more restrained fashion than that (I have other bikes I can rev the t!ts off if I want) and have always used mineral based
injector oil in it for over 20 years with no adverse results. Modern mineral based injector oils are faaaarrrr better than they were when these bikes were new so are perfectly acceptable for day-to-day non-competition-type use, IMO.
My .02 worth....
Let the fun begin..... :D
You summed it up well Rick. :up:
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fregado
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Re: Synthetic

Post by fregado »

Thanks guys, I was just curious. Another addition to the question, what about adding a little dura-lube to the injector oil?
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tz375
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Re: Synthetic

Post by tz375 »

Opinions are like a$$es, we all have one, sp here's mine - opinion that is

Oil is fine as it is. Leave the Duralube and other additives on the shelf. They are not needed.
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H2RICK
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Re: Synthetic

Post by H2RICK »

what about adding a little dura-lube to the injector oil?
Dura-Lube, IIRC, is one of those snake oil additives sold at many auto parts stores.
I, personally, would NOT use ANY additives whatsoever in my injector oil. Remember, you're dealing with a 30 year old two stroke motorcycle engine here and not some big cast iron lump of a four stroke V8 cage engine.
The elastomers in the seals of the oil pump, crankshaft and the oil lines just might not like some of the ingredients in the Dura Lube, never mind how the rest of the engine components might react......or how the injector oil might react to/with the snake oil.
Modern injector oils, whether synthetic or mineral-based, have all the additives required already built into them. Anything extra is just a waste of money......and may cause problems as outlined above.
If you think that Dura Lube is some kind of miracle engine friction reducer and/or gas mileage increaser then I recommend you use a full synthetic injector oil which will do those jobs at no extra cost....
and WITHOUT worries about elastomeric and/or injector oil compatibility.
My .02 worth....
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Suzukidave
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Re: Synthetic

Post by Suzukidave »

http://www.epinions.com/content_2969477252" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
the older i get the faster i was
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H2RICK
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Re: Synthetic

Post by H2RICK »

Interesting reading in your link, Dave. Thanks for that.
Soooo.....IMO, additives are totally out of the question.
Great stuff in the Reply section about the FTC sueing/fining some of those companies for lying. :clap: :lol:
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tz375
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Re: Synthetic

Post by tz375 »

It's probably true but it's still just an opinion from a med student. It would have been nice if he had included references or at least quoted the source material. As a student, he should know how to prepare a paper. That's the problem with the internet - it's full of opinions and lacking in data or facts. :shock: :cry:

I like it it because it matches my own opinion, but it's still just an opinion. :wink:
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busa1300
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Re: Synthetic

Post by busa1300 »

I was running full synthetic in my GT750J when I first got the thing running after sitting for untold years. The bike barely smoked at all, and the plugs looked great after 200 miles. When it was time for more oil, I decided that I wanted to try some castor oil, since this bike has no power valves to get sticky. I picked up some Blendzall Ultra 455, and drained the remaining oil from the tank...and poured it in. After several miles of riding, I came to a stop light.....and I could smell that castor oil's sweet smell..........I love that smell. I started to notice the bike seemed to feel smoother, it just felt better somehow. Now, after 400 miles, I pulled the plugs today...and they looked much darker and a little oily.
My question/concern is the crank seals.....will castor oil eat away at the old rubber more than a synthetic. Should I give up that great smell for synthetic to save my crank....
I don't ride this very hard, I have other bikes to scare me when I want to do that. I just don't want to end up pulling the crank out for seals, for only and extra horsepower or so...

Or am I totally off base on the whole concept? The last two stroke I ran weekly was a RZ350 from 84 to 86....times I'm sure have changed a little.
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tz375
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Re: Synthetic

Post by tz375 »

Caster oil has the highest load capacity of any oil but the bad news is that it tends to stick rings and leave the motor coated in an oily mess that takes a while to clean off. Newer caster blends are supposedly better in that regard.

I agree that the smell is great but you can get that smell by adding a few drops to your fuel - not enough to clog jets or cause other problems but that's also tempting fate :wink:
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busa1300
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Re: Synthetic

Post by busa1300 »

tz375 wrote:Caster oil has the highest load capacity of any oil but the bad news is that it tends to stick rings and leave the motor coated in an oily mess that takes a while to clean off. Newer caster blends are supposedly better in that regard.

I agree that the smell is great but you can get that smell by adding a few drops to your fuel - not enough to clog jets or cause other problems but that's also tempting fate :wink:
Do you know which of these types of oil is healthier for the crank seals?
MY TWO STROKE ADDICTION
TZR250SP 3XV2...
RS 250 Cup bike
RGV VJ21 L
RGV VJ22 FL
RGV VJ23 T
RZ 350
GT 750 J....sold.....
SX-R 800
KD 80
JR 50
RZV 500 R
https://www.youtube.com/@wedgehorsepower9869/videos
bill in okc
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Re: Synthetic

Post by bill in okc »

I had looked for an injector friendly castor oil but didn't find the Blendzall 455. Thank you for the post. I just bought some to try out. There does not seem to be a lot if good technical information about it on the Blendzall website but it does say injector/premix on the bottle. I ran Castrol R in my '69 350 Rebel injection system way back when. I didn't know it was for premix at the time -I don't think they distinguished between oils back then- but never had an injection problem. What I found was a rock hard varnish-like coating on the piston domes. I have read about de-gummed castor oil. I hope the Blendzall 455 does not create that kind of coating but I am going to find out.
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