KDXRIDER.NET

I have a 99 KDX200 and I keep hearing mixed oppinions on how often I should change my oil. Im a little strapped for cash so cant do it every ride, but how about every 5-10 rides?

Depends on the ride... if you mean an all day ride..... no. How strapped are you to spend $2 for a quart of 10-40w?

I change mine every couple of rides... by that I mean full day rides.

i do it about every 20 hours of riding but i use golden specro, i really like that oil and it seems to work very well.

I use spectro too. Every few rides.

I tend to look at it by number of hours rather than number of rides. Many of my rides are only two hours or so and changing the oil every 2 to 4 hours is a bit overkill IMO. The every 15 to 20 hours estimate is probably pretty good. And you don't need to use the fancy $9/qt stuff either. Regular 10W-40 will work just fine if you're strapped for cash.

The other thing to consider is clutch abuse. If your riding really rocky technical 1st gear knarly stuff and running the bike hot you should change it more often. If your running open country and just shifting and cruising then less often. I don't want the oil to be totally gray when I drop it but I also don't like it to be perfectly clear like it just left the bottle. (call me cheap/thrifty or lazy if you must)

Bottom line - for me is what the oil typically looks like after 4-5 tanks of fuel based upon our typical use. If I feel I've really abused the transmission or clutch on a particular ride I do not hesitate to change out the oil. (This is my Feel Good approach)

FWIW - I think our KDX can go further between gearbox oil changes than converted MX bikes primarily because of the lower gearing and less frequent clutch abuse for similar type terrian. Steel clutch plates help also.

I do the open country thing and rarely abuse the clutch on the KDX. Oil is pretty cheap, and I change mine every 3-4 tanks of gas, regardless. I just use regular ol' Trop-Artic 10-30 'cause that's what I run in the ranch trucks and there's always 2-3 cases of it sitting around.

i mix 50% 10W-40 and 50% ATF Ford type F for the tranny. It works good, smooth shifts, and good clutch action. I change it every 3 rides, or about 8 hours of running time. Whenever I drain it, it is noticeably darker and contaminated with fine metal, almost like metal metallic paint. I am not a clutch abuser.

Indawoods wrote:Depends on the ride... if you mean an all day ride..... no. How strapped are you to spend $2 for a quart of 10-40w?

I change mine every couple of rides... by that I mean full day rides.

yea, i have been using the expensive $12 a quart bel-rey gear saver

There's your problem!

Was that Bel-Rey Wallet Waster?

Whosever problem it IS, I know whose it AIN'T...mine!

Change it every couple rides (that's 3-4 tanks for me). Use 150ml out of the qwart to 'flush' the twanny before you cap it up and pour in the wemaining 800ml.