12-02-2020, 03:51 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: A small country with a funny name
Posts: 164
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15W40 4T engine oil -unobtainium?
Sooo.... an oil thread
Jokes apart, the service manual for my ZongShen Sierra/ZS200-GY2/LZX200-GY2 (depending on your market), despite using a close copy of the Yamaha TW200 engine, recommends just "15W40 SF" oil. That's it. No outside temp ranges, no driving conditions differentiation, no JASO MA/MA2 certification, nothing. The thing is, that weight of oil is nearly impossible to come by in "motorcycle grade" 4T formulations (with at least a JASO MA endorsement), at least in Greece. The most common commercially available grades seem to be:
Can one really pour in such a basic mineral oil in a motorcycle crankcase and expect it to perform? I've heard stories of delivery guys just using the cheapest 20W50 motor oil they can find for their (4-stroke, wet-clutch) underbone motorcycles (Honda Cub, Yamaha Townmate and similar, with a semi-auto transmission), not even caring about whether it's suitable for wet clutch applications, but those motorcycles are obviously designed for that kind of abuse, and their wet clutch is not actuated in the same manner as a fully manual motorcycle. I guess that such basic/general purpose oils won't have much in the way of specialized friction modifiers/energy conserving additives, exactly in order to be compatible with a broad array of engines (e.g. some "Agricultural" oils claim suitability with wet clutch or even hydraulic applications), but are theyt really safe to use without a JASO MA/MA2 endorsement? Or are those chinabikes built to cope with even the lowest grade of commercially available oil, if necessary? |
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