transmission oil

[minidog]

I have a 2002 kdx 200 and need to know what is the best type of oil to use in crankcase. Bike was setup from dealer with a brown looking oil like it was motor oil and bike ran fine(could find nuteral good with bike idling). Manual calls for 10w40 motor oil. Was time to change oil, talked to racers and they said not to run this but instead run Bel Ray 75w transmission oil, now bike absolutely will not find nuteral while engine is idling which is kind of annoying, acts as though clutch is not disengaging all the way, slight pull on bike with clutch pulled all the way in. Is this a result of too light a weight oil making clutch grab too much like I think it is? Should I try 70w Bel Ray (heavier weight oil?)or go back to 10w40 motor oil because it is time to change it . Also what brands are popular. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[KTA]

10w40 is what you want. . . always go by the manual. .. unless you have a good reason not too. . . . i've tried a few different brands in mine and acually like havoline.. . .but many like then mobil 1 . (it's pricey, but if you can afford bel ray you can afford mobil1)

 

[kdxme]

KTA is right......go by the manual when it comes to gearbox oil. I prefer valvoline but I really dont think it matters too much

 

[prk03]

I use 10w40 castrol and change after each enduro.About 50 to 70 miles each. The cost is about 1.50 quart. I very rarely have trouble finding neutral . Shifting is never a problem. I always re cycle oil at auto parts store.kdx200 01

 

[MDA]

If you do a search on this topic you will find a couple of threads on this very issue. Being new to the dirt bike scene and having just bought a 2002 KDX220 I wondered about this very question. The manual says 10W40. I even called the mechanic at my Kawasaki dealership and he specifically said to use a good quality 10W40. That's what I've been using and so far no problem finding neutral, or any other gear for that matter.

I love my KDX....

 

[canucklehead]

Type F ATF fluid. Run just a little less than a full quart. Lots of guys around here run that stuff, and it works great. Cheap! Replace every two rides or so. The 70-75w oils make my clutch work like crap, and pretty much turns it into an on-off switch... :)

 

[rvguy]

Silkolene CompGear works great for me.

 

[davidg]

I run the Bel Ray 80 wt with out any problems, the Kawasaki dealership here told me to run the 80 or 85 wt.

 

[minidog]

Thanks for the great advice. Will try these suggestions out and let you know the results soon. This is a very helpful site!