2022 KLR650 Recomendations for best synthetic oil to use.

14406 Views 82 Replies 32 Participants Last post by Hawkerjet, 2 mo ago

Pele Traveling

Discussion Starter · Oct 20, 2021 (Edited)

Thanks for all the good input. Great stuff!! 👍

Looking for some input as to a good synthetic oil to start my bike life longevity off right. I've looked at Schafer oils, and Mobils. What are you all using that is not Kawasaki branded oil.

After talking with a super knowledge oil & motorcycle guy yesterday, and a bit more research I'm finding "Brand" oils are made by an oil manufature to meet a MINIMUM spec. This min spec allows for built in damages being allowed to help bring money back to the manufature of equipment for repairs. From John Deer to Kawasaki....their own oils meet MINIMUM protections.

I'm looking for top quality protections.

Thanks for any input!!

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Bigjaype

· #2 · Oct 20, 2021

Pele Traveling said:
Looking for some input as to a good synthetic oil to start my bike life longevity off right. I've looked at Schafer oils, and Mobils. What are you all using that is not Kawasaki branded oil.

After talking with a super knowledge oil & motorcycle guy yesterday, and a bit more research I'm finding "Brand" oils are made by an oil manufature to meet a MINIMUM spec. This min spec allows for built in damages being allowed to help bring money back to the manufature of equipment for repairs. From John Deer to Kawasaki....their own oils meet MINIMUM protections.

I'm looking for top quality protections.

Thanks for any input!!

I’m surprised your guy didn’t give you any recommendations, seeing as he is “the super knowledge oil & motorcycle guy”.
I find that the oils that manufacturers recommend or use are good enough. They wouldn’t want to repair an engine under warranty.

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Pele Traveling

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 20, 2021

Bigjaype said:
I’m surprised your guy didn’t give you any recommendations, seeing as he is “the super knowledge oil & motorcycle guy”.
I find that the oils that manufacturers recommend or use are good enough. They wouldn’t want to repair an engine under warranty.

He is a top rep for oil company. He had some recomendations. His own brand does not have one that fits the required specs from Kawasaki at this time. He said there are a few guys running their oils...but he could not really recommend it as a rep. Its do to the clutch. He said it may cause slipping. He gave me a few recomendations to look at as to what he runs in his bikes. Im doing that. But the more info i can get from those using something other than Kawasaki oil...the better my odds of finding a better oil.

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C model

· #4 · Oct 20, 2021

Change it regulary with any semisynthetic motorcycle oil, if you live in colder climate lower viscosity, in warmer higher viscosity, eg. 10w40 vs 15w50, its a big single, it will turn any oil in piss after few k miles

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pdwestman

· #5 · Oct 20, 2021

Pele Traveling said:
After talking with a super knowledge oil & motorcycle guy yesterday, and a bit more research I'm finding "Brand" oils are made by an oil manufature to meet a MINIMUM spec. This min spec allows for built in damages being allowed to help bring money back to the manufature of equipment for repairs. From John Deer to Kawasaki....their own oils meet MINIMUM protections.

I'll suggest that you should read the BSL paragraph from my 1st ever oil report.
Better yet, read the whole thread. There is only 1 oil report in there that significantly surpasses my chosen Kawasaki 10W40 petroleum oil at 1.5 times my ridden miles!

www.klrforum.com

Laboratory Oil Analysis Thread!

Tom Schmitz, A while back in "Oil Pressure, How Much Ya' Got?", you suggested that you would/did send in a sample! I have not seen it. I'd like to see it. So, I'd like to go first. I will suggest, it looks Excellent considering I have 3000 miles or 1.5 times the Average (1900miles) on this...

www.klrforum.com

www.klrforum.com

One needs to divide the thousands of miles, like 5.061mi into the ppm of wear metals (22 Alum) = 4.346 per 1k to accurately compare. UA 1.9mi into (33 Alum) = 17.367 per 1k.

The report I'm referring to is about half way thru. You will know it, when you see it.

pdwestman

· #6 · Oct 20, 2021 (Edited)

C model said:
Change it regulary with any semisynthetic motorcycle oil, if you live in colder climate lower viscosity, in warmer higher viscosity, eg. 10w40 vs 15w50, its a big single, it will turn any oil in piss after few k miles

I beg to differ.

Oh, and one other motorcycle companies standard Petroleum engine oil basically TIED my chosen oils performance.

Kawasakis in-house publication, K-Tech News used to suggest that people would be better off to use Kawasaki motorcycle oil in their automobiles, (rather than) automobile oil in their motorcycles!
I believe it & I think that my KLR engine may be proving it.

Tom Schmitz

· #7 · Oct 20, 2021 (Edited)

Everything in the world is made to meet a "minimum spec". That's what a spec is - it defines the minimum requirement. Kawasaki has provided specifications to an oil manufacturer so that they can sell oil that will work in all of the vehicles/motorcycles that they make and do an adequate job of protecting the engine. The Kawasaki oil will work as well in the KLR as it does in an H2 turning a boosted 12K RPM and making 300HP.

Stop using "meet a MINUMUM spec" as a pejorative. Choose an oil that meets the spec that Kawasaki lays out in your user manual or simply buy Kawasaki oil. I don't understand why you are buying a Kawasaki and are looking for an oil that is specifically not the embodiment of what Kawasaki recommends to "start my bike life longevity off right."

If that isn't good enough for you, shop around for the most expensive real full synthetic oil that meets the MA2 oil spec and buy some. You might start by looking at Motul 7100 Synthetic Oil 4T - 10W40. It's about $50 a gallon. That ought to be good enough for a KLR.

Oil threads. There oughta be a law...

"super knowledge oil & motorcycle guy" that works for a mystery oil company. Sheesh. Probably got his Canadian Gubmint Certificate from the Wally Thor School of Trucking and Tribology.

See less See more

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C model

· #8 · Oct 20, 2021

I just wrote motorcycle oil because some additives in car oil could make the clutch slip but did not have personaly that expirience. Where I live I can not obtain kawasaki oil but motul semisynth 5100(15w50) is solid choice for me, dont make a lot of miles yearly, do not have to think about clutch slipping, and did not have any problems with it before. It uses it more after first 1000km but that is another story.

zenren

· #9 · Oct 20, 2021

How picky are you? Pull a 10w40 synthetic off the shelf and look for jaso ma on the back. If you don't like cheap oil changes then grab whatever motorcycle oil is there. At my local auto parts store Lucas and Castrol motorcycle oil are both $10/qt, I'd be fine with that (but I personally refuse to buy oil by the quart and get ripped off), I would not pay the extra money for M1 or RP, uoas concerning them haven't been good enough from what I have seen to warrant paying for.

11x

· #10 · Oct 20, 2021

I use rotella t5 with fantastic success. Ymmv

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ymracing

· #11 · Oct 20, 2021

Rotella T6. Ducati rep recommended it to me for use in my race Ducs. Figure if it's good enough for my race bikes it's good enough for my street bikes. YMMV.

klr4evr

· #12 · Oct 21, 2021

Ditto what @Tom Schmitz said.

Tom Schmitz said:
You might start by looking at Motul 7100 Synthetic Oil 4T - 10W40. It's about $50 a gallon.

That stuff must be made from unicorn tears. $78 a jug in Canada.

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KLR Kool-Aid!

· #13 · Oct 21, 2021

I'll jump in with the Kawasaki oil team - it comes fairly cheap and you know it meets the manufacturer's specifications. FWIW, I've used it pretty much exclusively for 81,000 miles and counting with no issues.

For the longevity of the motor, I think it's more important that you've always got enough oil than the particular brand of motor juice. Mmmm...motor juice!

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JoeExotic

· #14 · Oct 21, 2021

I like Motul 10w40 5100. Start easily when near freezing temp, that's enough for me. I use it year round. I do one oil change a year, the price and performance is just right. That's the oil my local Kawasaki dealer put it the KLR when they do an oil change.

pdwestman

· #15 · Oct 22, 2021

JoeExotic said:
I like Motul 10w40 5100.

I'd love to read a BSL oil report (or other analysis company) from your KLR with 3000miles run time on that Motul 10W40 5100 oil, posted into my Oil Analysis Thread.

Snowmoer

· #16 · Oct 23, 2021

11x said:
I use rotella t5 with fantastic success. Ymmv

T5 does not meet JASO MA2 specs. Only the T4 (dino oil) and the T6 synthetic do. Look at the back of the oil jug.

Another Rotella T6 user here on all my bikes and quads. $20.00 bucks a gallon at Wal Mart.

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MVMike

· #17 · Oct 24, 2021

LOL - Wally Thor School of Trucking. I haven’t heard of or made jokes about him for 35 yrs.
Agree with KLR Kool Aid - Oil Level is #1 (and the most common cause for engine failure reported in this forum) Any JASO/MA2 changed regularly and kept full will likely allow your KLR to outlast you

Busy

· #18 · Oct 24, 2021

I use Valvoline synthetic Motorcycle 4-Stroke oil. Oil has long been as controversial topic, I've seen people as heated over oil as I have politics. With no clear Victor I decided to be biased to where I'm from. Valvoline says "Kentucky" on the bottle just like my birth certificate lol.

It is cheaper and smoother when operating the clutch and shifter than Kawa Dino, otherwise I don't know but I'll keep using it.

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eholcroft

· #19 · Oct 27, 2021

It's a KLR. Use what's cheapest on the shelf.

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RichBuenaVista

· #20 · Oct 27, 2021

I’m changing mine for the first time and thinking of using the Mobil 1 fully synthetic Racing 4T 10W40. I use Mobil 1 synthetic in my vehicles.

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