Type F ATF

I have read about people using it in two stroke engines. They claim that it helps the clutch work smoother and shifts better.
 
Myself, I have been running 75wt in the son’s bikes from 65’s up to 125 now. It has been working well with no problems.
 
In my yz days I ran Valvoline 10w30.

In my 15 ktm, per Dowds mechanic (actually got info from his mechanics good friend who had him do his bikes up), I ran 50/50 atf/cheap oil. Supposedly that's what Dowd preferred, even in his factory bikes.
 
Meister said:
I ran 50/50 atf/cheap oil. Supposedly that's what Dowd preferred, even in his factory bikes.
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My RM has this grabby clutch issue that as soon as the oil breaks down after the first day of riding, its a pain to take off smoothly. I was too cheap at the time to redo the entire clutch setup, so I played around with different brands and ratio variations, I ended up with 50/50 ATF with straight 30W oil. It worked good, cost almost nothing (compared to brand name gear oils), and you could change it as often as you would clean your air filter. I did try the redline shockproof... looks like a shamrock shake :) It was really smooth and instantly noticeable in engagement, but still didn't last past the first ride for my problem. I also couldn't get over the thickness of it, it bothered me thinking that it would never fully drain out and I would be over filling it each time.

Long story short, yes, I tried the ATF and liked it. If you're a full-time 2-stroker, it will pay off in the end. No, I never fixed the clutch.... bought a new 450 instead :p
 
Never ran ATF in a fart bike. But always used it in the smokers. Never had a problem and never replaced clutches
 
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jfalat said:
i still run it with no issues.. rotella T-4 15W40 is conventional oil.. you maybe thinking of the new t-5 and t-6.. they semi and full synthetic oils.
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They changed the formula when they updated the bottle. Hinson and Rekluse both stop suggesting use several years ago. I use to use it and shortly after the change I had some clutch issues.
 
weasel49 said:
They changed the formula when they updated the bottle. Hinson and Rekluse both stop suggesting use several years ago. I use to use it and shortly after the change I had some clutch issues.
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Interesting..I have been running it in all 3 of my yz smokers with no issues. wonder what they added to the oil to cause issues. the usually don’t add tons of friction modifiers to conventional oils. May have to keep a eye on this..
 
jfalat said:
Interesting..I have been running it in all 3 of my yz smokers with no issues. wonder what they added to the oil to cause issues. the usually don’t add tons of friction modifiers to conventional oils. May have to keep a eye on this..
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I too run Rotella T4 15w-40. I use it in a Beta 250rr, KTM 150 xc, YFZ450 and a Grizzly 660. I have used it in every two stroke bike I have had. (many) They definitely use a new formula. It says it meets the JASO MA/MA2 requirements, but it sure doesn't act like the older formula. It seems that it breaks down quicker, or the friction modifiers don't break down while the other materials do(?). With the new formulation, I get clutch plate noise, and some squeals after about 4 hours. It is cheap, so I change it at that point, but I never experienced this with the old formulation.

As for using ATF in a two stroke transmission, I did that a few times on a '99 KX250 I had. No issues, good shifting qualities.
 
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