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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 likelihood 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.

Oil type recommendations
Most Reccomended:
Non Synthetic, Non Harley Davidson type 20W50 oils available from these Motorcycle-Specific oil manufacturers.
Honda (GN4 20W50) Yamaha (Yamalube Performance All Purpose 20W50) , Kawasaki (Kawasaki Performance 20W50 oil). Also Torco, Golden Spectro & Maxima make several varieties of oil that would be recommended, but please be sure they are all non synthetic & 20W50 grade.

The above companies specialize in manufacturing high quality oil that is specifically made for wet clutch applications like the ones in your bike, which is an important detail.  They’re available on-line or at better motorcycle shops. I use Honda 20W50 “GN4” non synthetic motorcycle oil in my own bikes.
It’s nothing fancy & it’s reasonably priced. I make sure to change it often, which is key.  The correct basic oil is better than the wrong fancy oil.

NEXT:
Non Synthetic, Non Harley Davidson 20W50 grade Motorcycle Specific oil, from any outlet. Many times, they are available in larger auto parts stores like Auto Zone, but beware; if you check the Auto Zone web site, it shows motorcycle specific oils available in the store local to me, but when i get there, the oil never is. Call your local store & ask before visiting.

* 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.

*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.

Do not use anything that has a lower # than a “20” winter designation. The winter designation is the first number you see on the bottle, followed by the “W”. 10W40 is a 10 winter designation.
Using the above warning as an example, you would want to avoid using 10W30,10W40,15W50 etc. Use 20W50, always! 20W50 is a 50 weight when hot & can only break down to a 20 & no lower, even when totally worn out. Very important!
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.
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 😉
I used to outline a few synthetics that i approve of, but in my quest to keep things simple, i no longer do. It’s a vast subject; one that is just easier to avoid rather than have someone half educated on it & get the wrong oil.
Just use one of the many available non synthetic motorcycle-specific  20W50 oils outlined above. It’s far better than using the wrong synthetic.

Avoid anything intended for Harley Davidson or “Big American V-twin” motorcycles. Yes, these are motorcycles, but (most of) those bikes have a separate transmission & can run the re-labeled super slippery car oil with the friction modifiers. Rev-Tec oil, etc., all that stuff is not for you.
If you are interested in using a particular oil & are not sure, send me an email with a link to the particular oil & ask if I can recommend it.

I have the motorcycle manufacturers oil pictured above because it’s probably accessible to a lot of folks that have one of those manufacturers dealers near them. These oils are also available in various online stores & an internet search will net many choices.

Regardless of what you use, make sure:

1) It’s MOTORCYCLE-SPECIFIC.

2) It’s 20w50 grade.

Note: You can use an inexpensive 20W50 multi-weight car oil to run your motor for the first hour/first two oil changes. It will do no harm for the first hour, just don’t keep it in there long-term.

* 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.