So what is the deal with 80W oil in the tranny side??????

[supervokes]

Well I have been using Honda HP tranny oil and noticed the viscosity is 80/85. What's the deal?? The manual recommends oil between 10W40?? This is WAY out of the manuals recommended viscosity specs??

Anyway I have a Rekluse in my bike, and I am thinking of switching from the Honda HP for 3 reasons

1) Its way cheaper

2) Its what Rekluse recommends

3) Its within the manuals viscosity specs

Seems logical, or is there a very good reason that I should continue to run the Honda RED 80/85W???

[FORMA MOTO]

Well I have been using Honda HP tranny oil and noticed the viscosity is 80/85. What's the deal?? The manual recommends oil between 10W40?? This is WAY out of the manuals recommended viscosity specs??

Anyway I have a Rekluse in my bike, and I am thinking of switching from the Honda HP for 3 reasons

1) Its way cheaper

2) Its what Rekluse recommends

3) Its within the manuals viscosity specs

Seems logical, or is there a very good reason that I should continue to run the Honda RED 80/85W???

As I understand it, "gear" oil is catagorized differently than "engine" oil, and essentially, 80w gear is the same as 40w engine.

[SoylentGreen]

Well I have been using Honda HP tranny oil and noticed the viscosity is 80/85. What's the deal?? The manual recommends oil between 10W40?? This is WAY out of the manuals recommended viscosity specs??

Anyway I have a Rekluse in my bike, and I am thinking of switching from the Honda HP for 3 reasons

1) Its way cheaper

2) Its what Rekluse recommends

3) Its within the manuals viscosity specs

Seems logical, or is there a very good reason that I should continue to run the Honda RED 80/85W???

Rekluse used to recomend Rotella 10-40 non-synth, I have tried both Rotella and Honda Red with my Rekluse and I like the Honda Red the best, it seems to shift smoother than the Rotella.

[reconranger]

http://www.maximausa.com/technical/lubenews/spring98.pdf

This is one of the most common misunderstandings we run into! Engine oil and gear oil viscosities are measured under two different systems....and hydraulic oils (fork oils) have yet another different one from the other two.

An 80W/85W gear oil has about the same viscosity as a 30W engine oil! Just because the number is bigger, does not mean it is "thicker".

[reconranger]

I have no idea what Rekluse recommends for its particular clutch. As for your gears that are meshing under high pressure, you can run an API SG/JASO MA motorcycle engine oil, or one of the transmission specific lubes like Honda's own HP Trans Oil, Maxima MTL, or Redline 80W ShockProof gear oil.

Motorcycle transmission bearings have tolerances that are designed to run optimally with an oil that is around 30W on the engine oil scale. One advantage of running one of the transmission specific lubes is that you are assured of getting a very robust additive package....

Some oil wisdom: http://www.thumperfaq.com/oil.htm

[Zendog]

what does the "w" stand for when talking about oil?

[kanyonkritter]

Its wet ? so it would be 80 wet.

[Zendog]

try again

[kanyonkritter]

try again

? Ha you got me. Im not sure but it could be "weight" not sure though maybe someone else could chime in on this.

[supervokes]

Rekluse used to recomend Rotella 10-40 non-synth, I have tried both Rotella and Honda Red with my Rekluse and I like the Honda Red the best, it seems to shift smoother than the Rotella.

Just got back from my first ride, and actually I found the Rotella to shift better??? Not sure why. Even if it did not, I find it hard to justify 4 times the cost for Honda Red (in Canada Honda +$17/L ...rotella $4.00)

So unless there is a fundamental reason to use the gear oil, I am going to stick with the Rotella and save some serious $$$$$.

[reconranger]

I'm not a big Rotella fan, particularly not in a transmission. Being a "heavy 40" it has a more robust additive package than a "car" oil, but not as much as a full on API SG motorcycle oil or a trans specific lube.

Again, the trans lubes are going to insure that it contains additive that protect gears under high pressure.....

[Zendog]

? Ha you got me. Im not sure but it could be "weight" not sure though maybe someone else could chime in on this.

wrong it isnt weight

[SoylentGreen]

wrong it isnt weight

How about this:

In simple language, the first part of the viscosity designation (W grade) is an indication of the product's ability to help an engine crank and start and for the engine to pump the lubricant. The lower the number (0W is the lowest), the lower the temperature the product can be used. So the W grade is related to the lowest temperature your engine sees when you start the engine on the coldest morning of the year. But also keep in mind that a lower W grade pumps and helps an engine to start better than a higher W grade. The second part the viscosity grade is related to the viscosity your engine sees at operating temperature. In this case, a higher number is a higher viscosity grade and provides more viscous oil at operating temperature than lower viscosity grade oil. It is not safe to assume that a higher viscosity oil is always better for your engine because other factors, such as engine design, fuel economy and power, are also related to operating viscosity. You should always consult your owner's manual for the right oil to use for your particular engine. For more information on the viscosity grade specifications, a quick search of the Internet will identify several Web sites where information about SAE J300 (Viscosity Properties Test) can be found.

[supervokes]

I guess what I am really trying to say is:

Is is worth 4 times the price to use Honda Trans Red??

Is there something the will justify paying quadruple the cost that I am missing?? I change the tranny oil every 100km regardless of what I am using. I guess what I am looking for is somebody who has experience trouble using Rotella, and these are the reasons why (a)(© .....

I have yet to find anybody with any evidence of why its bad, yet thousands who swear by it????

[DRZ400Dub]

the w stands for winter viscosity in other words the viscosity that the oil is when it is cold.... right?

[kanyonkritter]

Here ya go zendog. Multigrade oils typically begin as base oils, such as 10W. Then viscosity-index modifiers (polymers) are added in an effort to stabilize the viscosity. This allows a 10W40 oil to flow like a 10W at cold temperatures and a 40W at higher temperatures. In other words, multigrade oils are formulated to pass viscosity tests across a range of "weights". For example, 10W30 meets the requirements for 10-"weight" at cold temperatures and 30-"weight" at high temps. I will present some statements taken directly from the relevant SAE and ASTM publications. '' When oils are identified by more than one SAE viscosity number, the ''W'' number designates the viscosity at 0F and the higher number without additional symbol, designates the viscosity at 210F.''

[reconranger]

A bottle of HP Trans Oil is like $5. You bike is worth thousands and you are whining about spending $5????

[Zendog]

the w stands for winter viscosity in other words the viscosity that the oil is when it is cold.... right?

Correct!!!!!!! The w stands for winter, not cold weather, not weight

[supervokes]

A bottle of HP Trans Oil is like $5. You bike is worth thousands and you are whining about spending $5????

Maybe in your neck of the woods .... $15 where I am. Rotella is just under $4. Thats a lot of money over the course of a summer (especially since I change it every 80-100km), so what I am looking for is advantages of one over the other ... in other words, advantages that justify the substantially higher cost.

I am not slagging the Honda product, I am just asking somebody to clarify why I should be using it over Rotella??

Cost is not an issue for me as I run Maxima Synthetic on my engine side. But in that instance, there is justification to spend the extra money. In the case of the tranny side, I can't see it???

[SoylentGreen]

Maybe in your neck of the woods .... $15 where I am. Rotella is just under $4. Thats a lot of money over the course of a summer (especially since I change it every 80-100km), so what I am looking for is advantages of one over the other ... in other words, advantages that justify the substantially higher cost.

I am not slagging the Honda product, I am just asking somebody to clarify why I should be using it over Rotella??

Cost is not an issue for me as I run Maxima Synthetic on my engine side. But in that instance, there is justification to spend the extra money. In the case of the tranny side, I can't see it???

Just wondering why you change it so often? Engine oil I understand, but not the tranny.