KDXRIDER.NET

Reading the Online Repair Manual, it says
"Fill the transmission with .65 L of 10W-30 or 10W-40 engine oil."

I'm mildly shocked because I use Motorex 15W-50 in my other 2-stroke trans. I like the fact that 10W-30 is about 1/3 of the cost of the Motorex stuff.

Anyone have any brand/weight recommendations for an '05 KDX220?

Thanks,
Steve

What do we get? Like one of these every week or what?

Mr. Wibbens wrote:What do we get? Like one of these every week or what?

alright then, show me a link that answers my question.

I searched: "gear oil", "trans oil", "transmission oil", and did not find an answer to my question.

In the time it took you to write your complaint, you could have answered with "nope, any 10W30/40 will do"

Next time, don't reply.

Steve

But that's not the answer....

Oil is so different then when any KDX oil guide was written that you cannot go by the recommendations. The problem is that even 10/30 oil that does not say Friction Modifiers ...have it.

Anymore you should buy oil specifically for wet clutches. Allot of people use Rotella.... it is a diesel motor oil that does not have friction modifiers in it.... but use at you own risk. Everyone is looking for the cheap way out and it is getting harder and harder to do....

True. I really don't care about saving any money when it comes to oil. I'll use whatever is generally accepted as the best.

I just raised the flag because I tend to believe owner's manual.

Thanks for the info.
Steve

Mr. Wibbens wrote:What do we get? Like one of these every week or what?

Sorry, didn't read your disclaimer before I responded.
My bad.

Steve

Some use ATF type F trans fluid. I used it for my last oil change but not sure if I will continue. I noticed O'rielley auto parts carried Lucas Oil 2 stroke trans oil and bought it for my son's KTM 50. It was cheaper than the oil from the moto shop too.

I don't think I'll ever switch from type f in my KDX. The clutch simply works better with type F in there than anything else I've run, and I've put damn near everything I can get my hands on in there.

For some of my other bikes they don't like the type F so much. My old F-11 prefers honda HP oil for whatever reason. Even though it looks/smells/feels like ATF, there must be something else in there. That old clutch will slip a bit with type F in it, but grabs just fine with the HP. With the KDX anything other than type F and the shifts feel notchy and the clutch feels grabby. Back to ATF and me and the bike are a happy couple again.

At any rate, type F will not hurt it, so you can run it for an oil change or two and see what you think of the clutch and shifting action. If you don't like, switch. No big deal. As long as you don't have the energy conserving additives in there damn near anything will work. Like Inda mentioned though, its' getting harder and harder to determine what does or does not have friction modifiers in it. It's a shame we can't trust labels these days. With a wet clutch specific transmission oil, you KNOW you're getting what u need and nothing you don't need. You're just paying two or three times as much for it!

juliend, what brand ATF type f do you use? Does it matter?

Doesn't seem to make any difference as far as brand. The cheap stuff works fine.

I'm really anal about changing oil anyway. Even using expensive stuff I won't use it more than a couple long rides. Wet clutches dump a lot of contaminates into the oil, so IMO it's not wise to run it for very long regardless of what oil you use.

It may be important to note that the condition of my clutch is considerably less than perfect. Both the basket and hub are notched. I'm sure my clutch behaves quite a bit different than a clutch in proper condition. The ATF definitely feels better to me in this particular bike. You may or may not have the same results with it.

After trying some of the more expensive gear box oils I also switched to Type F. It doesn't seem to matter what brand and I use whatever I can find on the shelf. IMO it really smoothes out the shifting and the clutch engagement feels more solid.

Where I differ from Juliend is that I don't change it nearly as often. I normally ride two to four times a week. I just can't see my use is anywhere near as tough on the fluid as 50k miles in an old Ford auto tranny being powered by a V8 engine in a 3500+ pound car. For that reason, I will change it out every two to four weeks depending on weather and riding conditions and I haven't noticed any drop off in performance. I'm sure I could even go longer with no problems but the Type F is cheap. You can double the number of oil changes compared to normal gear box oil and still come out ahead $$$ wise. This really appeals to my cheap side!

Ofcourse, this is all IMO and YMMV.

Two of the reasons I chose to ride a KDX was this site (KDXrider.net) and Jeff Fredette. The manual says .65 liters of 10W-40, Jeff says put a full quart of Golden Spectro 80W gear oil (80 W gear oil is not the same as SAE 80 W motor oil). That's what I do, and I like it. Maybe ATF lube works well for some. I think racers like it for reducing friction and such, but they probably change it after every ride. I change the gear box fluid twice a year. I have had no problems in the last 3 years. Is it the best? I doubt it, but it is good enough for me. Just find something you like and is easy to find. If you are going to use a 10W-40 oil, then by all means get one specifically for motorcylces. If I ever change, I would probably use the same oil I use in my street bike. i.e. Motul mineral/ synthetic blend.

I use the cheapest 10-40 motorcycle oil on the shop shelf (used to be Lucas, now Castrol). Going to try the Type F on the next change though.

Anyone having trouble finding neutral when using ATF?

frankenschwinn wrote:Anyone having trouble finding neutral when using ATF?

Quite the opposite in my experience. I seem to be able to hit it a lot easier now for some reason. I don't know why there would be a difference but there is.

Tomorrow, I'm going to try equal parts ATF, 80 wt gear oil, Mobil 1 synth and cooking oil and see how that works out.

frankenschwinn wrote:Anyone having trouble finding neutral when using ATF?

Will soon find out.
Bout the only reliable way I can find neutral now, is to desperatly need first while going up a really steep hill.

me too, I seem to hit neutral while downshifting at the worst time. I also get some false neutrals shifting from 1st to 2nd, but t's usually later in the day when I get tired, so I'm sure it's mostly me. I use honda hp trans oil, and I considering giving the ATF type F a try.

I've tried it. A couple different times

It's ok for a couple rides then it seems to get real notchy

I've only ridden this bike once since i bought it over the winter and it was about 36 degrees out. I haven't even jetted the bike. The shop i bought it from said they changed the oil so I didn't. The one thing I noticed was I had trouble hitting neutral. In fact it felt like i was having trouble getting through most of the gears compared to my Honda XR.

I think i'll start with the ATF for now and change it between rides to see if it helps.