TT250: What is the Best oil for break in / long term lubrication

blksheep · 03-25-2019, 08:59 PM

Im curious about what China Riders members recommends for oil!? Break in and long term. CSC recommends using Lucas Oil top end lubricant but I would like to know what type of oil others are using as well as any additives. Should I change the oil as soon as i get the bike? It is arriving on 4/2/2019

elkhunter338 · 03-26-2019, 12:46 AM

Not sure if CSC puts oil in these or if they come with china oil. I ran mine about 20 miles and when it turned a little dark, I changed it. I am a fan of diesel grade oil, running shell t-4 15/40. Most motorcycle blogs recommend this oil. Delo 400 is not recommended for wet clutches. I wanted to avoid the expensive motor cycle branded oil. I plan on running rotella long term unless they change their formula and it becomes not compatible with wet clutch.

So far oil looks clean with another 75 miles on the bike. Screen was spotless clean on first oil change.

Megadan · 03-26-2019, 09:30 AM

I will second the Rotella T4 15w40. That's all I ran in my last Hawk for the 4000 miles I had it before some dick helped themselves to it, and it is currently what I am running in my new Hawk. Rotella T4 is actually a great oil for these engines. It has a high ZDDP content which is good for the solid tappet camshaft in the motor, a good detergent package, meets all specifications for these engines, and it's easy to find and affordable.

I stuck to 500-800 mile oil change intervals once break in was over. It sounds excessive, but the small quantity of oil in these engines use takes a lot of abuse from heat and gearbox duty, and it's not an unusual interval for most small engines like this.

If you want to spend the extra money and run synthetic there are a ton of good options out there. Want to run Lucas, go for it. Motul is my favorite go to for synthetic 4T oils.

The best wisdom I can give you about what the best oil is for an engine... clean oil. Change the oil regularly and it really doesn't matter what you run. Especially not in a motor based off of a design intended for a life of neglect and abuse in third world countries.

OneLeggedRider · 03-26-2019, 10:57 AM

I run the Rotella t4 in all my bikes. Good oil for a good price and you can find it anywhere, even the Dollar store carries it and it's JASO rated for wet clutches.

elkhunter338 · 03-26-2019, 11:57 AM

Oh no, shell is not china oil these bikes won't like.

Red Hawk · 03-26-2019, 12:21 PM

I have run synthetic Mobile 1 15w-40 it's the not energy conservation it's the thick stuff for over 20 years in 4 bikes. The engines run very noticibly cooler even on slow hilly woods trails 105 days, air cooled or liquid. The transitions always shifted soother to the point I could tell by feel what was in the case. Ya I know it's not wet clutch rated with a motorcycle on a race track on the packaging. But I have beat them bikes like they were rented. Never had a clutch slip, on 250cc bikes there's not that much HP.

On the bikes that had liquid cooled with a radiator fan on thermostat. Once you changed to mobile 1 the fan never tripped on after that.

Remember oil is so cheap it's disposable it's the parts and labor that are expensive in the end.

BitcoinDood · 03-26-2019, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blksheep

Im curious about what China Riders members recommends for oil!? Break in and long term. CSC recommends using Lucas Oil top end lubricant but I would like to know what type of oil others are using as well as any additives. Should I change the oil as soon as i get the bike? It is arriving on 4/2/2019

I used the stock oil for the first 300 miles. If I recall, it think it was suggested in the paperwork that came with the bike. I also bought the Lucas fuel additive, and ran that in each tank of gas for the first thousand miles.

After the initial 300 mile break in I switched to Honda GN-4 just because that's what I run in my Shadow and had the extra bottles laying around. Expensive oil, but the stuff works great.

I do regular oil changes at least every 1000 miles.

Good luck with the new TT250. You're going to have a blast. I absolutely love mine!

roundhouse · 03-26-2019, 01:42 PM

I ran rotella T4 to start now T6 (synthetic) only because I got the 2 jugs cheap.

blksheep · 03-26-2019, 02:17 PM

Thank you all for the input. I will be using the Rotella T4 15W-40. This a great community and I look forward to posting about my new TT250.

Megadan · 03-26-2019, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Hawk

Remember oil is so cheap it's disposable it's the parts and labor that are expensive in the end.

Well, the labor is at least. The parts on these bikes are pretty cheap lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blksheep

Thank you all for the input. I will be using the Rotella T4 15W-40. This a great community and I look forward to posting about my new TT250.

Not a problem. Don't feel like you have to stick to just the T4 if you feel like exerimenting a bit. The Rotella T4 is appealing because it gets the job done and it's wallet friendly. T4 can at least be a good break in oil for the first 1000 miles, and then you could switch it up If you get the desire to run a synthetic, they do have advantages.

patrickjohn · 03-27-2019, 11:06 AM

Im running cheap motor tech 10w 40 from walmart in most of my engines, now im wondering if its a problem for any of the clutches. So far everything runs exactly the same as when i used expenive oil. No clutch slipping on anything

2LZ · 03-27-2019, 11:41 AM

I run the Rotella T4 15w/40. Works fine.
I'd love to run the Supertech. Keep us posted patrickjohn.
When I was a kid, I ran whatever was on my dad's shelf. Never had a problem but I don't think a Yamaha 80 had enough gusto to spin a clutch, regardless of oil. ;-)

Megadan · 03-27-2019, 03:41 PM

A gallon of Rotella T4 is only like 1 buck more than Supertech oil. I am all for saving money but even I will spend the extra buck on the JASO MA2 rating onthe bottle of Rotella.

Sochin · 03-27-2019, 08:43 PM

My Chonda 250 Hawk gets Rotella 15W40, my Kawasaki's gets Motul 300V 15W50

schleppy · 03-28-2019, 12:40 PM

I changed the oil in my TT250 before I started it the first time. The factory stuff in there looked kinda gross. I have been running 10w40 Valvoline motorcycle specific standard oil in there. I did a change a 2 miles (before the first start, when I took it out of the crate), 100 miles, and 500 miles. The bike runs and shifts incredibly well. I'll probably stick with the non-synthetic Valvoline stuff for a while.

03-25-2019, 08:59 PM	#1
blksheep Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: New England Posts: 25	TT250: What is the Best oil for break in / long term lubrication Im curious about what China Riders members recommends for oil!? Break in and long term. CSC recommends using Lucas Oil top end lubricant but I would like to know what type of oil others are using as well as any additives. Should I change the oil as soon as i get the bike? It is arriving on 4/2/2019
	1

03-26-2019, 09:30 AM	#3
Megadan Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 7,976	I will second the Rotella T4 15w40. That's all I ran in my last Hawk for the 4000 miles I had it before some dick helped themselves to it, and it is currently what I am running in my new Hawk. Rotella T4 is actually a great oil for these engines. It has a high ZDDP content which is good for the solid tappet camshaft in the motor, a good detergent package, meets all specifications for these engines, and it's easy to find and affordable. I stuck to 500-800 mile oil change intervals once break in was over. It sounds excessive, but the small quantity of oil in these engines use takes a lot of abuse from heat and gearbox duty, and it's not an unusual interval for most small engines like this. If you want to spend the extra money and run synthetic there are a ton of good options out there. Want to run Lucas, go for it. Motul is my favorite go to for synthetic 4T oils. The best wisdom I can give you about what the best oil is for an engine... clean oil. Change the oil regularly and it really doesn't matter what you run. Especially not in a motor based off of a design intended for a life of neglect and abuse in third world countries. __________________ Hawk Information and Resource guide: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=20331 2018 Hawk 250 - Full Mod list here. http://www.chinariders.net/showpost....62&postcount=1 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 https://chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=34124
	4

03-26-2019, 12:21 PM	#6
Red Hawk Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: NEPA Posts: 273	I have run synthetic Mobile 1 15w-40 it's the not energy conservation it's the thick stuff for over 20 years in 4 bikes. The engines run very noticibly cooler even on slow hilly woods trails 105 days, air cooled or liquid. The transitions always shifted soother to the point I could tell by feel what was in the case. Ya I know it's not wet clutch rated with a motorcycle on a race track on the packaging. But I have beat them bikes like they were rented. Never had a clutch slip, on 250cc bikes there's not that much HP. On the bikes that had liquid cooled with a radiator fan on thermostat. Once you changed to mobile 1 the fan never tripped on after that. Remember oil is so cheap it's disposable it's the parts and labor that are expensive in the end. __________________ 2018 Hawk P&P Decked .040 off the head. 17/43 D.I.D. 428, NGK Iridium plug, DeCat, Wrapped pipe, Custom S.S. Muffler core, Nibbi PE30 115/35, L.E.D. Lights, Digital Cluster, USB port, Cutting Bord skid plate, Oil cooler w/ custom CRF oil filter inline, 5Wt fork oil, Rear Shock, CNC Back Rack, 30mm FAT bars, Bark Busters, ProGrips, Adjustable levers, Shinko 700’s lots of Loctite!
	1

03-27-2019, 11:41 AM	#12
2LZ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Volcano, Ca Posts: 7,078	I run the Rotella T4 15w/40. Works fine. I'd love to run the Supertech. Keep us posted patrickjohn. When I was a kid, I ran whatever was on my dad's shelf. Never had a problem but I don't think a Yamaha 80 had enough gusto to spin a clutch, regardless of oil. ;-) __________________ "Light a fire for a man, and you heat him for a day. Light a man on fire, and you heat him for the rest of his life." 2007 Suzuki DRZ400S (SM convert) 2009 Q Link XP 200 1967 BSA B25 250cc Starfire 2022 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411 1948 Royal Enfield Model G 350
	0

03-27-2019, 03:41 PM	#13
Megadan Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 7,976	A gallon of Rotella T4 is only like 1 buck more than Supertech oil. I am all for saving money but even I will spend the extra buck on the JASO MA2 rating onthe bottle of Rotella. __________________ Hawk Information and Resource guide: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=20331 2018 Hawk 250 - Full Mod list here. http://www.chinariders.net/showpost....62&postcount=1 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 https://chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=34124
	1

03-26-2019, 12:46 AM	#2
elkhunter338 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Oregon Posts: 81	Not sure if CSC puts oil in these or if they come with china oil. I ran mine about 20 miles and when it turned a little dark, I changed it. I am a fan of diesel grade oil, running shell t-4 15/40. Most motorcycle blogs recommend this oil. Delo 400 is not recommended for wet clutches. I wanted to avoid the expensive motor cycle branded oil. I plan on running rotella long term unless they change their formula and it becomes not compatible with wet clutch. So far oil looks clean with another 75 miles on the bike. Screen was spotless clean on first oil change.
	1

03-26-2019, 10:57 AM	#4
OneLeggedRider Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Stockport, Oh. Posts: 1,442	I run the Rotella t4 in all my bikes. Good oil for a good price and you can find it anywhere, even the Dollar store carries it and it's JASO rated for wet clutches.
	1

03-26-2019, 11:57 AM	#5
elkhunter338 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Oregon Posts: 81	Oh no, shell is not china oil these bikes won't like.
	0

03-26-2019, 01:42 PM	#8
roundhouse Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: N Texas Posts: 706	I ran rotella T4 to start now T6 (synthetic) only because I got the 2 jugs cheap.
	0

03-26-2019, 02:17 PM	#9
blksheep Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: New England Posts: 25	Thank you all for the input. I will be using the Rotella T4 15W-40. This a great community and I look forward to posting about my new TT250.
	1

03-27-2019, 11:06 AM	#11
patrickjohn Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: South Jersey Posts: 28	Im running cheap motor tech 10w 40 from walmart in most of my engines, now im wondering if its a problem for any of the clutches. So far everything runs exactly the same as when i used expenive oil. No clutch slipping on anything
	1

03-27-2019, 08:43 PM	#14
Sochin Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Montucky Posts: 209	My Chonda 250 Hawk gets Rotella 15W40, my Kawasaki's gets Motul 300V 15W50 __________________ 1991 Kawasaki KLR250
	1

03-28-2019, 12:40 PM	#15
schleppy Join Date: Jan 2019 Posts: 27	I changed the oil in my TT250 before I started it the first time. The factory stuff in there looked kinda gross. I have been running 10w40 Valvoline motorcycle specific standard oil in there. I did a change a 2 miles (before the first start, when I took it out of the crate), 100 miles, and 500 miles. The bike runs and shifts incredibly well. I'll probably stick with the non-synthetic Valvoline stuff for a while.
	1