Oil type recommendations

Recommended oil & oil related info:

Your classic Honda Minitrail was originally produced by Honda Motor Co. many years ago. Since that time, the world has experienced vast improvements in metallurgy & motor oil quality. With regard to motor oil, no other change has affected us motorcyclists more than the recent government mandates regarding automotive motor oil.
 
In the mid 1990's, scientists came up with some very slippery substances that they could add to motor oil. We now refer to those additives as "friction modifiers". It's just a fancy way of saying “VERY VERY slippery". Those friction modifiers were quite expensive to produce & consequently, only a couple of motor oil companies stepped up to offer the friction modifiers in their oil & only offered them in the oils at the top of their product line. On the label of those oils containing friction modifiers, there was a star burst that read "Energy Saving". It was easy for us motorcyclists to see that big star burst on the label & it was known in the industry that if you rode a motorcycle that had a wet multi-plate clutch (like the one in your minitrail) that the "Energy Saving" type oil was to be avoided because the friction modifiers it contained actually made the oil TOO slippery for the wet clutch in our bikes. Most motorcycles (Harleys & BMW's excluded) have their clutch in the same engine oil as the power producing part of the engine. It's what's known as a "shared oil". Cars have their transmissions separate (like a Harley/BMW) & can run the very slippery oil that contains friction modifiers. It's not a concern for those vehicles because the power transmitting portion of the vehicle is in its own separate section & contains a different fluid altogether.
Around 2005, the U.S. government put 2 and 2 together & realized that if every car on the road had more slippery oil in it's engine, cars would get better fuel mileage & therefore the U.S. (as a nation) would use less gasoline. Not long after that, the U.S. government mandated the inclusion of the friction modifier in ALL automotive motor oil sold in the U.S.. That being the case, there was no need to note "Energy Saving" on the bottle any longer because now, ALL AUTOMOTIVE motor oil is equally as slippery,which is TOO slippery, for us riders of motorcycle with wet, multi-plate clutches. Just about all motorcycles on the road have a wet clutch, (again, save for BMW's & Harley Davidson). This is a bit of a tricky situation for us motorcycle guys, as we can't use that super slippery automotive motor oil because it increases the liklihood of making our wet, multi-plate clutches slip, not to mention that it will get broken down faster by the shearing effect of the transmission gears which it was not designed to work in conjunction with, as well as the air cooling, which it was also not designed to work with. The big oil companies have realized that they have left us motorcycle people hanging a bit & have addressed the issue, if only a slightly. What I mean is, you can still buy oil for your classic minitrail at big box stores like Wal Mart & Auto Zone, but it is a lot harder to find. You CAN'T just use any old motor oil, like you used to be able to. You MUST use Motorcycle Specific oil & sometimes the big box stores will have it, sometimes they won't. In those big box stores, you will find the Motorcycle Specific oil is in it's own, separate section in that department of the store & it will usually have an image of a motorcycle or ATV on the bottle. This oil is safe to use, as it won't contain the friction modifiers.
If you haven't figured it out yet, the government changes have made it a real pain getting the right oil for your minitrail. It used to be so simple, but not anymore.
That being the case, I've outlined some oil recommendations & where you can get it, to make it a lot easier on you.
Keep in mind that the government changes have effectively nullified the oil recommendations that you see embossed on the side of the engine case & in the owners & workshop manuals. That simple information is no longer valid, so you must read on & make a determination on what you want to spend & where you want to get it. Please read below.

The Powroll brand motor oil that you see above is the best oil you can use for your air cooled, wet clutch equipped Honda Minitrail & therefore, it's at the top of the list. It has a high zinc content (good for old motors) & keeps it's viscosity very well. Powroll recommends the straight 40 weight oil for temps above 30 degrees F. & the 20W50 for temps below 30 degrees F. Since i have been recommending this oil to my customers via my web site & in the literature that comes with the engine when you get it back from me, Powroll has had a hard time keeping this oil in stock from the manufacturer that specially blends it for them. My recommendation is if you can't get the Powroll oil at the time that you are assembling your bike, it is not necessary to hold off on getting your bike running because you can't get the Powroll oil. There are plenty of other high quality oils that you can use in your engine in the mean time that are much more commonly avail via motorcycle shops or on line. I have contemplated taking down the info on this oil because i have found that a few folks have been a little frustrated in obtaining the oil & think that they HAVE to use it. This is not true. If you want to order the oil, whether Powroll can deliver it on time or not, that is fine, but please don't delay installing your engine & enjoying the bike because Powroll is taking some time to get the oil to you. After reading all of the oil recommendation information, feel free to use the Powroll oil or, ANY of the recommended oils on the page. Any oil that i recommend to use is ok to use. It's just that the ones at the top are more ok than the ones at the bottom. No need to delay or hold off riding your bike because you can't get the best stuff right away.

You can get it by clicking this link Powroll Oil or calling Powroll at * 541-923-1290* (tell them Enzo sent you)

Motorcycle Specific, non-synthetic motor oil from motorcycle manufacturers is also safe to use. I have the 20W50 Pro Honda GN4 & the Yamalube 20W50 pictured because it's probably accessible to a lot of folks that have a Yamaha or Honda dealer near them. These oils are also available in various online stores & an internet search will net many choices. Any oil that has a 'W' in the middle is considered a multi grade oil & in the case of your minitrail, any time you use a multi weight oil, you'll need to make sure it is a 20W50 grade. I stress this because 20W50 grade oil can't break down any lower than a 20 weight oil.
Conversely, a 10W40 a grade can break down to a 10 weight, & that's way too light an oil for your minitrail. It's imperative that the viscosity stay as high as possible & the Powroll oil is the best available for this concern. However, don't just run down to the auto parts store & get straight 30 weight motor oil. No matter how you slice it, it needs to be MOTORCYCLE SPECIFIC oil & you're just not going to find straight 30 weight motorcycle specific oil at the auto parts store. (If you DO, email me ;) )

If you read below, you will find that there are many other oils to choose from that you can buy at your local motorcycle shop, or if you don't live near a motorcycle shop, you can shop at one of the various on line stores & get any oil product shipped to you without ever leaving home. There are many more oils that are compatible than the ones i show the photos of, but quite frankly, it would take up a ton of room If i listed them all, so i just wanted to lay the info out & let you as the customer figure out what the best route for your particular circumstance would be. So, the only other oil i am picturing is the Castrol Actevo & it's because i get a fair amount of people that are looking to use synthetics. The Castrol Actevo is the ONLY synthetic oil i recommend. It's actually only PART synthetic & it's made specifically for use in air cooled motorcycle engines with wet clutches. You may or not be able to find another synthetic/part synthetic oil designed for use in air cooled engines with wet clutches, but i have no test information regarding any of them, so i simply cannot recommend any other synthetic besides the Castrol Actevo. If you are someone who likes synthetics, the 20W50 Castrol Actevo  is good stuff. Just make sure that BEFORE use the Castrol Actevo, you break the engine in for at least 10 hours on regular petroleum, non synthetic, motorcycle specific oil, changing it at the recommended intervals. Also, make sure that you use the 20W50 grade Castrol Actevo & NOT the 10W40 for the same reason outlined above.
You can get Castrol Actevo at better motorcycle shops that carry Parts Unlimited & various on line motorcycle parts suppliers, among them, Dennis Kirk.
 Click Here for the on line Dennis Kirk Catalog  DennisKirk.com

Here is the oil recommendation & caution info in it's condensed form.

1. MOST RECOMMENDED
   
   
2. Powroll 20W50 grade Micron Moly Racing Oil is recommended. Available by clicking this link Powroll Oil or call * 541-923-1290* (tell them Enzo sent you)
   
   
3. NEXT: Non Synthetic, Non Harley Davidson type 20W50 oils available from these Motorcycle Specific oil manufacturers or Motorcycle manufacturers themselves:
   
   Torco
   Golden Spectro
   Maxima.
   Honda
   Yamaha
   Kawasaki
   
   
4. These companies specialize in manufacturing high quality Motorcycle Specific oil, engineered for wet clutch applications. Available on line or at better motorcycle dealers or motorcycle shops.
   
   
5. NEXT: Non Synthetic, Non Harley Davidson 20W50 grade Motorcycle Specific oil, from any outlet. Many times, this oil can be found in larger chain auto parts stores like Auto Zone, Advanced Auto, Pep Boys, Napa or at better,local auto parts stores. It can also be found at big box stores like WalMart, but beware, these stores will show that they sell this type of oil on their web site & their site indicates that it is available at my local store, but when i get there, the oil never is. It's hit or miss as far as the likelihood of it's availability to you & that's why it's at the bottom of the category. Call your local store & ask before taking the time to actually go there. Having said all that, i know that i have seen in person Advanced auto stores selling motorcycle specific oil. If you have one near you & it's closer than the bike shop, it's likely that you will be in luck.
   
6. OK TO USE, BUT NOT HIGHLY RECCOMENDED: Synthetics.
   Synthetics are ok to use, but they MUST be motorcycle specific synthetics. As well, the bike MUST be broken in with plain old petroleum based motorcycle specific oil for 10 hours before switching to synthetics.
   The issue that I have with synthetics in this air-cooled engine application is that any synthetic is going to cost as much or more than the Powroll oil. If money was no object & if I had the choice, I would choose the Powroll oil. The regular petroleum based multi weight oil that I recommend above is only because it is a lot less expensive than the Powroll oil, it is available at the local bike shop or big box stores, & you don't have to order it on line. Once you start spending the kind of money that synthetics command, you are talking the same money as the Powroll oil.. So, why spend the money on synthetic motor oil that is designed for a water cooled engine when for the same money, you can have the best oil in the the Powroll product?
   Go ahead & use synthetic if you want, but MAKE SURE:
   1) It's MOTORCYCLE-SPECIFIC.
   2) It's 20w50 grade.
   3) You break in, & continue to run the motor for 10 hours on petroleum based motorcycle specific oil, changing it at the recommended intervals until you have the 10 hours on it.

* The oils outlined below are NOT RECOMMENDED AT ALL! STAY AWAY FROM THEM!

*Car oils in general: The main reason you can no longer use the car oil is because of the friction modifiers. Also, multi weight car oils always break down to the lower grade on the label & do so faster in an air cooled engine. Those oils are designed for water cooled engines  which are much easier on the oil due to the fact that they run cooler, unlike your minitrail which is basically an oven with some fins on it . Couple that with the fact that all of those oils contain friction modifiers which were simply not designed for use with your wet clutch & it quickly becomes apparent that car oils are simply a big no-no for your minitrail, for more than one reason.

*Anything intended for Harley Davidson or “Big American V-twin” motorcycles. Those bikes have a separate transmission & can run car oils that contain the friction modifier, without issues. Rev Tec oil. All that stuff is simply re-marketed car oil. Avoid it at all costs.

Powroll has very good information regarding motorcycle oil and engine break in procedure on their site here Powroll

* Oil capacity & oil level checking method: To check the oil level on the bike, hold the bike upright, remove the dipstick, wipe it clean and re-insert the dipstick without screwing it in. Just place the dipstick in the hole & pull it back out. At that point, the stick will display the level. The exact capacity is going to be between .80-.85 of a US quart, but a full quart will not hurt.