BR Oil

[olivecrossbones]

I previously ran a Honda Foreman 400 for 14 years and used Mobil 1 synthetic oil in whatever weight was recommended by Honda. The machine idled more smoothly and shifted much more smoothly immediately upon making the switch from Honda oil. The guys I ride with all did the same and all had the same result. There were no problems whatsoever, nor did we expect any, other than the rather steep price per quart.
I intend to do the same with my BR, but now my dealer says that synthetic oil is fine for BR but that it has to be Honda synthetic oil because of graphite or some other unclear ingredient or reason. Again, I did not use nor would I use the graphite oil that is available as I know from first hand experience how it can leak out of seals on autos and trucks.
Has anyone used regular Mobil 1 synthetic (or any other synthetic brand) on their BR? Is this just a sales ploy like with my Harley Davidson dealer does with oil and my Harleys. Mobil 1 is not cheap by any account so it is not a matter of saving money, but Honda Oil is not readily available to me without a 2 hour trip to my dealer. If need be, I can just buy extra quarts of the Honda synthetic oil and keep them around my workshop but just wonder about the necessity.
Between the oil change engineering design of the BR and the alleged oil requirements of the BR, the whole oil change scene with the BR has become a bit of a hassle. Who would'a thunk it?????.........

[Cenflrider]

My concern is warranty, the removal of it mostly. Also, how many changes will it take to get Mobil 1 fully into every component? Sorry I don't have the book but as I recall full capacity is around 5.5 quarts (engine/converter/trans/cooler). So when you change the oil just think what is left in there. Past threads I was taking a ribbing for sticking to stock on everything so I expect it again. Hey, I haven't had an engine failure yet so it seems to be working.
Mobil 1 is a great product however I just keep a few extra Honda gallons around (with filters) so when its oil change time its not a problem. As you can tell from some of my posts I mostly do things by the book. Why spend extra $$$ when the Honda stuff is cheaper. Hey they designed it with that oil. I do cut the down on the oil change interval hours (10, 50, 80, and so on)
The distance from the dealer, yea I see your point and I am 1 hour away from my Honda and my Harley dealer. I fell for the Harley Synthetic trick one time, not any more. I went back to standard Harley oil.
It's just a pain to keep all the stuff however it's there when you need it. I have this cabinet at my house with Lucas oil for My Dixie Chopper, Harley oil for the bike, Honda oil for the Foreman and BR, Suzuki oil for the wife's wheeler and a 15-20 quarts for the 2 Chevy's I have. Get it on sale, stock up and be prepared

Weird?? guilty as charged

[olivecrossbones]

Thanks - very helpful. I am much the same myself and usually follow the book. I too have generally followed your scheme of storing and using nearly every specific brand of lubricant required for my machines from Husqvarna chainsaw to Lawnboy mowers to Yamaha boat motor... At some point in time, I expect that a machine I buy will require a bottle of pure eagle tears

I am having the dealer do the service (check things over once) and first oil change on my BR so that I can see how they do it. I will try to post what I observe. I will probably just stick with the regular Honda oil and stock up on oil and filters while at my dealer.
Thanks for your advice...

[olivecrossbones]

How often (mileage interval) is everyone changing their oil and filter? The dealer gave me a bit of a grey answer in the form of something around every 600-700 miles. I had dealer change at 100 miles and did my first personal change at 600 miles and am now at nearly 1000.
Everything running great although I have some sort of suspension related squeak when going over a bumpy trail. Pushing BR side to side or shoving up and down on front and rear bumpers however doesn't produce the squeak...

Anyone else experience this? Did a 270 mile trip last weekend that included driving through a day of 6 inches of rain in 5 hours! Was great fun but picked up the squeak the following day. I know squeaks can be hard to locate but this is annoying. Something needs lubricated somewhere...

[sfrankland]

My guess is the latches on the rear bed. I smeared a little grease on mine and problem solved.

[olivecrossbones]

Thanks for squeak tip. That sounds like a very likely candidate. I will try that this weekend.
Do you change oil by hours or miles and how many?
After completing a detailing of my HIPPO (named with affection) after our 270 mile trip, noticed that the camoflouge decal applied to the cargo box side is beginning to peal back. Have glued it back down but suspect that at somepoint in the future I will end up with an all tan box...

[Cenflrider]

Off the cuff here but as i recall in the owners manual the service outline is provided in hours.
Since I'm the resident wacko I cut my intervals in 1/2. Yea, I'm nuts but driving in this heat takes its toll so I give my BR a treat .

[sfrankland]

Originally Posted by olivecrossbones

Thanks for squeak tip. That sounds like a very likely candidate. I will try that this weekend.
Do you change oil by hours or miles and how many?
After completing a detailing of my HIPPO (named with affection) after our 270 mile trip, noticed that the camoflouge decal applied to the cargo box side is beginning to peal back. Have glued it back down but suspect that at somepoint in the future I will end up with an all tan box...

I have the digital dash and usually change the oil when the oil change appears in the screen.

I have the red Big Red and my decal on the rear box is also starting to lift but I have a lot more kilometers on mine by the sounds of it.

[Z15]

I intend to do the same with my BR, but now my dealer says that synthetic oil is fine for BR but that it has to be Honda synthetic oil because of graphite or some other unclear ingredient or reason.

That reminds me of the old saying, if you can dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with BS.

This is one of my pet peeves. It seems Honda must tell their dealers to push Honda oil because more than one dealer has slammed any synthetic oil they don't sell. I know why do it, they make a lot of money off oil and changing it. They get the customer in the shop and they sell them 100's of $$ in worthless (IMO) services.

See, the Power sports dealers rarely can make it selling the machines, people travel 100's of miles to save $100. They make money in the service and parts depts and they try very hard to get you to come back.

[BigLakeBR]

I run Honda oil, not much more money than any other oil and dealer is only 4 miles from me. Also the dealer here gives you money back for every dollar spent there. I change my oil twice a year just because I use 5w30 in the winter due to the machine sitting on the lake at -30 degrees below zero next to my fish house.

[Rincon34]

I know someone that put synthetic oil in a Rincon and the tranny slipped, because the same oil lubes both the engine and tranny. There must be something in the oil that would effect the clutch plates so I would do my homework before putting it in my BR.

Also, has anyone cut the hole larger under there BR to change the oil from underneath to avoid the dismantlng process? I could change the filter from the bottom but the hole is a bit too small for the filter. Next oil change there may be some mods.

[Z15]

If his trans really slipped it was because he chose to use the wrong oil for the application, not just because it was a synthetic oil. My Rincon has over 2,000 miles and 4 yrs of use on synthetic ATV oil and my trans does not slip. Problem is many owners not aware they need to use a special oil, they are of the mind set that all oil is the same.

As a matter of fact, Honda even has a 100% synthetic 4-stoke oil for use in Motorcycles and ATV so the myth that properly formulated synthetic oil cannot be used in wet clutches is just that, a myth.

Pro Honda HP4S
New Pro Honda HP4S is Honda’s first fully synthetic 4-stroke motorcycle
oil and was quite literally years in the making. HP4S is compatible
with synthetic blends such as HP4, as well as regular petroleum
oils like GN4. There is no need to flush the crankcases before
switching to HP4S.
HP4S offers lower friction than conventional oils, better oxidation
resistance for better high heat performance, higher film strength
and quicker flow to vital engine parts at low temperatures, especially
during start up. And best of all, HP4S provides maximum power
due to less frictional drag. HP4S is recommended for use in all 2006
or newer motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters and PWC. It is quite simply
put… our very finest four-stroke oil.

APPLICATIONS
AMSOIL Synthetic 10W-30 Motorcycle Oil is recommended for liquid- or air-cooled 4-stroke motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and UTVs requiring an SAE 10W-30 fluid. It meets SAE 80, API GL-1 gear oil requirements and is recommended for transmissions on both 4- and 2-stroke motorcycles. AMSOIL MCT is recommended for Honda®, Yamaha®, Suzuki® and Kawasaki® motorcycles and scooters, as well as Arctic Cat®, Can-Am®, Honda®, Kawasaki® and Suzuki® ATVs and UTVs. Not recommended where an API GL-4 or GL-5 gear oil is required.