Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
General Discussion => Campfire Talk => Topic started by: scoTTy on October 15, 2009, 03:13:36 am
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too thick in this low to high temps.. trying to kick start feels like I' m going through cold Molasses.. going to change to AVL in the primary.. too.. gotta be easier on the engine
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you mean ATF in the primary? Oh and I run half/half 10-40 and 5-30. It doesn't really matter on these bikes, but I learned from cars that a split of 5-40 or more (I've seen 10-50, and even 5-50) has reduced prolonged lubrication as they're full of polymers and MAGIC to achieve those ratings instead of pure lubricating stuff. On motorcycles that get their oil changed every 1,500 miles or so this doesn't matter, but on 5 and 10k cars the oil breakdown is too much.
I do agree with the thinner recommendation for winter, though. Kickstarting in the morning has been a bitch recently in sub-freezing temps.
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Thinner oil in the winter is a good idea.
If it's hard to kick, just imagine how hard it is for the pumps to push that peanut-butter thru the little oil passages.
And the bike doesn't get as hot during the winter anyway, because the air that's cooling it is so much colder. So, the need for any hi-viscosity oil to combat thinning at high temps is not really any factor in the winter.
The big issue in the winter is getting quick lubrication to the bearings on cold starts, and the thin weight multi-vis oils will help that very much.
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If it is that cold here is one method to help. Put a loose cover on the bike. Put a 100 watt lamp under the engine, away from the cover so there is no fire hazard. Leave it on over night. It will start much easier.