Found this interesting article on Blackstone Labs site.

https://www.blackstone-labs.com/wp-c...Aug-17-ENG.pdf

Thanks for the Blackstone report, which confirmed what I thought. The oil level rather than the oil brand is by far the most important element with respect to engine wear.

One aspect that I would like to see a comparison on is high temperature's affect on the different oils. Synthetic oils are supposedly superior with respect to resisting high temps, but is one brand a clear standout? And what is the maximum operating temperature for synthetic oil?

Best,

Jason

The only TRACEABLE lubricant-related maintenance issues or malfunctions/failures I know of were a consequence of the lack thereof (of lubricant).

EXCEPTION: Some have reported devastating, heartbreaking horror of clutch failure of the otherwise robust KLR clutch from using the dread, "energy-conserving," or "friction-modifying" motor oils. Verifiable data supporting such issues' existence remains elusive.



(Just remembered; must give a drink of MOTOREX (Swiss; $ l9/liter) to my Austrian princesses!)

Agreed; I've been saying the same thing for years; by far the most important thing (by several orders of magnitude) is the oil level, followed by the oil change interval and lastly viscosity. Brand of oil is basically irrelevant.

Dave

Wrong, absolutely wrong.

Kawasaki 10W-40 is the best oil for the KLR.

What fool would put diesel oil in a gas motor, anyway?

Sheer madness.

SMFH.

Here we go "again"!

Have you been over to Toms Souperdoo site recently, I noticed he has a new Oil Temperature write-up that I haven't had time to read. But if one can over-heat the KLR650 engine oil, one has probably done something else severely Wrong.
https://www.souperdoo.com/stuff%20th...il-temperature

I have been patiently waiting to see a newer oil report in the Oil Analysis Thread for sometime. Regardless of the oil flavor used. Or by who used?

Dave had even suggested that he Might supply an Oil Analysis with higher priced Canadian Kawasaki Synthetic or Semi-Synthetic oil as the Test Subject.

I'd still like to see some Cheaper oil at-least Equal the Outstanding Results shown in these two BSL Reports.
https://www.klrforum.com/klr-other-m...is-thread.html
The 30+ samples that used to make up the BSL UA, 'Universal Averages' at a mere 1900-2100 miles suggests to me that it won't happen.

So far only Mobil 1 15W50 Automotive oil has sufficiently exceeded the Kawasaki OEM petroleum oil of my usage.
https://www.klrforum.com/623481-post71.html



Many of you have probably Not found this on FB KLR Technical 'Files' section, started by Norm Keller.

Which oil to use group statement:
Norm Keller·Saturday, March 18, 2017
KLR Technical group’s position on “which oil is the best” questions:
*Note: basic “which oil should I use” questions are a major irritant to technical groups because the answer is in the owner’s manual and there are no magic results from using one or another of the oils which suits the service category for the vehicle in question.

Here is a statement by Paul Westman on the subject:
<begin quote> “The manufacturer of the KLR650 engine may have the "Best recipe" for the oil to be used in it.
But many KLR engines are now achieving over 100,000 miles, some over 150,000 miles and at least one over 200,000 miles on apparently just about any 5W40 / 10W40 / 15W40 / 10W50 / 15W50 / 20W50 which may be readily available. Preferably with the JASO MA / MA1 / MA2 endorsement on the thinner grades.
The 3 laboratory oil analysis which have been performed on my chosen Kawasaki petroleum 10W40 oil seems to show that a higher quality oil may possibly run longer between changes and reduce overall average wear.
I can only hope and guess that Kawasaki would supply the same "recipe specs" to their chosen oil refineries in other countries.” <end quote>

Rotella and a number of other oils are also popular for use in the KLR, and well supported by oil analysis. It is recommended that oils having the “Energy Conserving” label be avoided because some of these have been shown to cause clutch slippage. The slippage is resolved by going back to a recommended, not “Energy Conserving” labeled oil. As Paul advised, look for the correct SAE grade (for example; 10W-40) and JASO, if in doubt.

Oil hilarity often comes from BMW. Back when I bought my RT they had a deal with Castrol. Castrol provided all the oil for factory fills and BMW recommended, in the owners manual, that the owners use Castrol oils.

That deal went away a couple of years later and was replaced by a similar deal with Shell. Nothing had changed with teh motorcycles, but now Shell oils were recommended.

I figured that meant that I ought to use Rotella in the RT, so I do.

AHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!

Oil, schmoil. Honey colored and slippery will do in most cases.

But, really, we are seeing better oil analyses with Kawasaki oil than we have seen with Rotella.

Well, I currently have a sample of Motul 7100 10w40 at Blackstone awaiting testing. Just filled Black Betty with T6 15W40 and will sample that too when I change it over to Kawasaki 10w40. I figure the Motul will probably show the most wear metal of the 3 as I dumped the factory fill at 500 miles to get rid of the break in oil and noticed lots of silver in that so I'm sure some of that will carry over in the Motul fill along with the rest of the parts finally wearing in. High hopes for the T6 15W40 as it is super inexpensive @ $19 per gallon down the street at WalMart. At that price who needs extended drain intervals? I do believe the Kawasaki oil probably carries the better additive package of the 3 , but if the Rotella turns out to be even slightly above average I'll probably continue with it if only because at under $20 per gallon I can afford to dump it every 1,500 -2,000 miles or so. I think my owners manual called for a 7,500 mile interval, but to me that's a lot of use for 2.2 qts of oil in a motorcycle. I'll let you all know how the Motul tests when I get the report back, but I won't be spending $45 per gallon again on oil. I just can't force myself to leave it in long enough to make it cost effective.