Oil Guide

Motorcycles, classic and air-cooled (Honda CB / CG / XL, Yamaha XT / SR / RD, Suzuki GS / GN / DR, Kawasaki KLR / Z, BMW R airhead, Royal Enfield Bullet / Classic / Himalayan) engine oil guide

7 engines listed. Each entry shows the grade and specification the manufacturer publishes, the Greyhound product that meets it and, where different, the common South African workshop choice. The finder above adds the budget option and what not to use.

Air-cooled singles 125 to 650 (Honda CG / XL / XR, Yamaha XT / SR / TW, Suzuki GN / DR, Kawasaki KLR)

• Air-cooled single 125 to 400, wet clutch (CG125, XL185, XT250, GN250, DR350, TW200): 10W-40 or 20W-50, API SG or higher, JASO MA, capacity approx. 1.2 to 1.8 L. By the book: Greyhound G-Ride 10W-40 4T MA 1L. Alternative: Greyhound G-Ride Pro 20W-50 4T MA2 1L.
• Air-cooled single 500 to 650 (XT500, XT600, DR650, KLR650, SR500), wet clutch: 20W-50 or 10W-40, API SG or higher, JASO MA, capacity approx. 2.0 to 2.5 L. By the book: Greyhound G-Ride Pro 20W-50 4T MA2 1L. Alternative: Greyhound G-Ride 10W-40 4T MA 1L. Workshop choice: Greyhound G-Ride 10W-40 4T MA 1L.

Air-cooled twins and fours 400 to 1100 (Honda CB400 / CB750, Suzuki GS550 / GS1000, Kawasaki Z650 / Z900 / Z1000, Yamaha XS650 / XJ)

• Air-cooled twin or inline four, wet clutch, 1970 to 1995: 20W-50, API SF / SG, JASO MA, capacity approx. 3.0 to 3.5 L. By the book: Greyhound G-Ride Pro 20W-50 4T MA2 1L. Alternative: Greyhound G-Ride 10W-40 4T MA 1L. Workshop choice: Greyhound G-Ride 10W-40 4T MA 1L.

BMW airhead boxer R45 to R100 (R65, R80, R100 GS / RS / RT), 1970 to 1996

• Air-cooled boxer twin, dry clutch, separate gearbox and final drive: 20W-50, API SF / SG (BMW: 20W-50 above 10 degrees), capacity approx. 2.25 L engine, 0.8 L gearbox. By the book: Greyhound 20W50 5L. Alternative: Greyhound G-Ride Pro 20W-50 4T MA2 1L. Workshop choice: Greyhound 20W50 Engine Oil CI4 5L.

Royal Enfield (Classic 350 / 500, Bullet, Himalayan 411, Meteor, Interceptor 650), 2009 to today

• UCE single 350 / 500, Himalayan 411, Meteor 350 (J-series), wet clutch: 15W-50, API SL, JASO MA2, capacity approx. 2.5 to 2.8 L. By the book: Greyhound G-Ride Pro 15W-50 4T MA2 1L. Alternative: Greyhound G-Ride 10W-40 4T MA 1L. Workshop choice: Greyhound G-Ride 10W-40 4T MA 1L.
• Interceptor / Continental GT 650 parallel twin, wet clutch: 15W-50, API SL, JASO MA2, capacity approx. 3.1 L. By the book: Greyhound G-Ride Pro 15W-50 4T MA2 1L. Alternative: Greyhound G-Ride 10W-40 4T MA 1L. Workshop choice: Greyhound G-Ride 10W-40 4T MA 1L.

Two-stroke road classics (Yamaha RD250 / RD350 / RZ, Suzuki GT / X7, Kawasaki KH / H2), 1970 to 1990

• 2-stroke twin or triple, oil injection (Autolube / CCI) or premix 25:1 to 32:1: 2-stroke oil, injection tank or premix, JASO FC / FD, API TC, capacity oil tank approx. 1.2 L. By the book: Greyhound G-Ride Pro 20 2T 1L. Alternative: Greyhound G-Ride 40 2T 1L. Workshop choice: Greyhound G-Ride 40 2T 1L.

Common problems and fixes

• Clutch slips after an oil change
• Gearbox notchy, false neutrals, hard to find neutral at the lights
• Two-stroke smokes heavily, fouls plugs, or the exhaust drips oil
• Air-cooled bike overheating in traffic, oil goes black fast
• Scooter loses power, belt squeals, or the variator judders
• Quad or side-by-side: wet clutch, front and rear diffs, and the CVT
• Bike stored for months, hard to start, gummy carburettor
• Which two-stroke oil for an outboard or jet ski
• Four-stroke outboard: which oil and how often
• Gearcase oil milky or the lower unit whines
• Trailer bearings hot, noisy or rusted after launching
• Sterndrive and inboard: which engine oil

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