Oil

[Yager200i]

Below is a link to a page talking about the Kymco scooter manual stating that a SG-rated 15W-40 oil must be used. Turns out, the SG rating for oil is OLD (I think it's now up to SM rating), and the Kymco rep states that a regular 10W-40 automobile oil should be just fine.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1692715

Now that we've established that we CAN use either 10W-40 or 15W-40 oil in our scooter engines, which is the best one? Well, that's a tough thing to figure out.

As for me, because it's a high-revving engine, I want to be sure that there's no foaming, and little viscosity breakdown over the life of the oil.

So, after engine break-in (in which I'll be using a conventional 15W-40 oil and changing the oil and filter very frequently (ie.: after ~25 miles, then ~50, then ~100, then ~200, then ~400, then ~800, then ~1600), I'll be using a diesel-rated synthetic 10W-40. Oil and filter change interval after break-in will be every 1000 miles.

The diesel-rated synthetic oils not only have more detergent in them to keep the engine clean, but they've got anti-foaming agents, and stand up to extreme use better, so there's less viscosity breakdown.

Keep in mind that motorcycle oils don't have the friction modifiers that automotive and diesel oils have, because those friction modifiers can cause the motorcycle clutch to slip. So they're less 'slippery' than other oils. If you have metal-to-metal contact (piston scuffing, etc.), you won't have as much protection as with an automotive or diesel oil.

[CapnJ]

Yager,
           Your planning on doing a lot of oil changes. It can't hurt anything but with the quality control behind our Kymco's I don't think your approach is necessary. I had the dealer do the first oil change with Dino oil at 600 miles, I sitting at 1500 miles now and am getting ready to change the oil and filter. Hopefully I'm fully broken in because I'm planning on using Synthetic Turbo Diesel Oil. I found filters at a decent price here: http://www.cheapcycleparts.com/products/14630-hiflofiltro-hf562-oil-filters-hiflo-hf562-filter .

[Yager200i]

I'm also planning on adding an AMSOIL bypass oil filter that will take a bit of the oil pump's supply and send it through a 2 micron oil filter, then dump it back into the sump.

And there's a sleeve you can put around the AMSOIL filter that has fins on it so it acts as an oil cooler, as well.

I'm planning on making a new oil filter cover (the one that bolts to the crankcase) that's thicker. I'll drill and tap a hole so that the oil coming out of the AMSOIL bypass filter will go back into the crankcase there. That way, the internal oil filter will pick up that freshly filtered oil immediately.

I'll have to find a location to hang the whole filter assembly, but that should be easy enough.

Since our oil pump is so small, I might have to go with a slightly smaller restricting orifice (or a couple of restricting orifices in series) to keep the oil pressure up when the engine is idling, but that shouldn't be too hard to do.

By doing this, I ensure that the oil is well filtered, which will go a long way toward ensuring engine longevity.

[axy]

So, after engine break-in (in which I'll be using a conventional 15W-40 oil and changing the oil and filter very frequently (ie.: after ~25 miles, then ~50, then ~100, then ~200, then ~400, then ~800, then ~1600), I'll be using a diesel-rated synthetic 10W-40. Oil and filter change interval after break-in will be every 1000 miles.

I think that people on this forum are too polite to tell you that you are losing it (a little bit).
Change oil first time after 300 miles and then after every 2-3.000 miles, put in semi-synthetic oil and that's it.
You can spend saved time with your family, friends and pets.

p.s. You do not drive Space Shuttle, but basic single cylinder thumper.

[Yager200i]

I think that people on this forum are too polite to tell you that you are losing it (a little bit).
Change oil first time after 300 miles and then after every 2-3.000 miles, put in semi-synthetic oil and that's it.
You can spend saved time with your family, friends and pets. :)

p.s. You do not drive Space Shuttle, but basic single cylinder thumper.

If I was driving the Space Shuttle, I'd be less worried about it failing, because literally billions of dollars were put into making its systems reliable and redundant.

I changed the oil, oil filter and gear oil at just about 50 miles (I decided to forego the 25 mile change, as the oil looked good, and I wanted to ride (which I haven't been able to do due to my foot surgery)) and there was a noticeable amount of metal wear material in the oil and a significant amount of metal wear material in the gear oil.

Getting that material out of the engine and gear train is what ensures longevity, so frequent oil changes during breakin takes care of that.

I did the same with my last car. After more than 250,000 miles, the engine was inspected and looked practically new. Well, frequent oil and filter changes during breakin, a bypass oil filter and a pre-oiler, and a transmission oil cooler is what did it. But keeping clean oil flowing to the engine at all times keeps it young.

[axy]

If I was driving the Space Shuttle, I'd be less worried about it failing, because literally billions of dollars were put into making its systems reliable and redundant.

I changed the oil, oil filter and gear oil at just about 50 miles (I decided to forego the 25 mile change, as the oil looked good, and I wanted to ride (which I haven't been able to do due to my foot surgery)) and there was a noticeable amount of metal wear material in the oil and a significant amount of metal wear material in the gear oil.

Getting that material out of the engine and gear train is what ensures longevity, so frequent oil changes during breakin takes care of that.

I did the same with my last car. After more than 250,000 miles, the engine was inspected and looked practically new. Well, frequent oil and filter changes during breakin, a bypass oil filter and a pre-oiler, and a transmission oil cooler is what did it. But keeping clean oil flowing to the engine at all times keeps it young.

I am quite confident that your car would do the same 250.000 miles with regular oil changes every 10.000 miles too.
But, if it makes you happy overdoing it, no problem. There is no harm in it, anyway.

[Agent Bob]

Most people keep their ride for a limited amount of time and replace it with something else, usually newer. Any extreme, over the top care given to the bike only benefits the next owner.

[Yager200i]

Not me. I ride it until the wheels fall off, the maintenance costs outweigh the costs of getting a new vehicle (in which case, the wheels may as well have fallen off), or it gets totalled in an accident.

I wonder what the maximum mileage is that anyone has gotten out of a scooter?

I'm old school. I learned from my grandfather who still owned his very first car (a factory-stock black 1946 Ford Super Deluxe four-door sedan) when he died a couple years ago. I think he rolled the odometer on that car four times if I remember correctly. He knew how to keep them running well (although it helped that the car was extremely well built). He still drove it regularly (although he had a 4WD Subaru for longer trips).