[Caper666]

Hello, I am doing my first oil change on my atv and I am wondering what oil I should be using. Its a 2002 honda 450 es. I live in nova scotia canada where we can get a very cold winter. I don't know if that is information that will help in choosing the right oil for my bike.

I am also changing my plug.

Should I get the iridium plug or the standard one that fits my bike?

What would the benefits of the iridium plug?

Thanks
Brian

 

[xdescrubx]

either use genuine honda oil for atv's or another brand. it is important that you use oil made for the bike (atv's).....it not only lubricates the engine, it also cools the transmission....if you use automotive oil your bike will run like crap and you could damage the tranny. the oil has special additive for this. spark plug i suggest a stock replacement unless you modify the motor.

 

[little_ceo]

amsoil oil check your local honda store or NAPA...

 

[Yooperforeman]

I second that....Amsoil ATV oil. I live in Michigan.I've ridden when the temp. is below zero,I also bought it at NAPA.

 

[Caper666]

I have found Amsoil oil.

Should I run the amsoil 0w 40 oil? I thought i heard atv's should run 10w 40. I could be wrong.

Brian

 

[rockclimber]

I run honda Atv 10w40 not one problem yet so i'm not going to change.Alot of guys here run amsoil Atv 10w40 with no problems i guess it's up to you.

 

[Yooperforeman]

The Amsoil ATV oil that I use is 0W40.

 

[Caper666]

Thanks for the info.

How much oil will my bike hold? 02 450 es

Thanks for all the help
Brian

 

[big4fifty4man]

dont mind me asking but how does automotive oil hurt a fourwheeler, and if that is true nobody i know of is hurt by it

 

[rockclimber]

I believe there is an additive in the oil for a wet clutch system.

 

[big4fifty4man]

mines got some abused mileage on it and popping the clutch all the time and riding wheelies and near about anything you can do to hurt it has been done and it has all been with the same oil i put in my truck, only the trucks is synthetic, i also run an oil additive called (power up) it is so slick it makes it idle 600 rpms higher, thats with 3 ounces. (3$ an ounce)

 

[xdescrubx]

automotive oil is not for a machine that uses oil for both the engine and transmission, atv oil is specially made for this application....automotive oil is not good for an atv....i used to use it and thats why i am replacing my clutch now....my friend always used atv oil (mostly honda brand)....his bike has more miles...and the clutch works perfect still. if you put atv oil in ur bike and ride it for an hour or so and then put auto oil in you will be amazed how it degrades performance. and for syn oil.....its to thin....eventually you will fry the plates in your clutch.

 

[bbforce]

amsoil

I swear by Amsoil...I was riding my 400ex in the dunes in idaho when it was 90 degrees out and i boiled the oil and it never hurt my motor. Ive ran it in my foreman 450S since brand new and have not had a single problem even after 2000 miles.
Amsoil does have a friction modifier in it for wet bath clutches and i do agree it is a bad idea to run automotive oil in your atv.

 

[big4fifty4man]

xdscrubx how many miles do you have on your bike, ive got 2500 miles of popping the clutch and running it hard and ive got the stock clutch

 

[xdescrubx]

ive got a little over 3000,alot of it was from one week of riding, i went to ocala, went in the woods for a week with 50 gal drum of gas and a couple friends.....probably did close to 500 miles. im not sure, but i think this is when i started haveing problems with my clutch, i was using automotive oil. my friends all had noo problems(except the polaris).....4 of us.....2 were using auto oil other 2 atv oil. the guys with the atv oil had no problems, the other guy that used auto oil had a polaris and would have had problems no matter what oil he was using....lol. im just saying from my expireance is does pay to use atv oil....maybe i have had bad luck, but it is made for a reason and i believe it does work better with our bikes. i just wish i used it before, maybe i wouldnt have to fix my bike like this now....in the last 2 weeks i have had to: rebuild top end of motor, new clutch plates and friction discs, new carb, and bearings in the tranny....forgot what there called. none of my friends have had to do this( 2 of them have the exact same bikes as me just different tires.

 

[big4fifty4man]

if amsoil is syntheric then why can you run it in a fourwheeler, the manual says not to

 

[stray]

i've been using shell rotella t synthetic in both of my atv's without any problems for several years. conventional motor oil has friction modifiers that are designed to prevent friction in automotive engines. with a wet cluth (in your atv), a certain amount of friction is necessary for the clutch to engage. if you have a high mileage engine, i wouldn't advise you to swith to a synthetic because it has additives that keep the crankcase clean. conventional oils build up sludge that eventually erodes the gasket material, but the sludge prevents the oil from seeping out. if you change to a syn, it will clean up the sludge & cause leaks in high mileage engines. i used to work for mobil oil and had this complaint often. it is a good idea to start using synthetics when the engine is still within the first quarter of it's estimated life. i've found that my foreman's cooling fan runs alot less frequently than it did with conventional oil. remember to check the oil level with the dipstick sitting atop the threads, not screwed in. i know that doesn't make sense, but if you check the shop manual, you'll see that's the way honda designed it to be checked.

 

[bbforce]

amsoil

my manual doesnt say anything about not running synthetic oil. The Amsoil that i use is made specially for atvs...there wouldnt be any reason not to run it unless you dont like your atv engine lasting longer between rebuilds.

 

[big4fifty4man]

then it is probably not a full synthetic and the whole conversation isnt that important. Some oil is better than no oil and thats all there is to it

 

[bbforce]

If amsoil isnt a full synthetic then all there advertising is a lie. I know a full synthetic when i see one. Amsoil is a full synthetic. A friction modifier has nothing to do wiith being a conventional oil or a synthetic oil