Oil/Fuel/Coolant Additives for Bikes

[Chester]

Alright, so I have restored a ZXR 250 that has been stuffed in the back of my parents shed by my oldest brother, gotten the rusted tank repaired, carbs all overhauled (all 4 carbies completely full of a mix of tank repair resin and 3 year old fuel (Thanks Causeway Yam for the carby work and retuning!!)).

The engine itself hasnt been stripped and overhauled beyond having a run of oil put through it, then swapped out and new oil, coolant and filters being fitted.

Now the bike does run really well, aside from a noticeable power dip around 7k RPM, which is probably a trait of the bike itself, however the dip seems more pronounced than would normally expect.

What I want to know is, beyond having been adding a carby cleaner and octane booster (nulon gear, added to fuel tank before filling, which has made a bit of difference so far), are there any other additives like oil conditioners and lubricant additives that are suitable for a bike that is probably a little filthy on the inside?

I only consider the additives as pulling the bike apart is not really an option, and I know from past use on cars that adding a good quality oil conditioner, running it per spec, then fully draining the oil and putting in a new load of oil will quite often remove a lot of crap from the engine, and help clean up, especially if a rebuild isn't on the cards.

Are the additives and solutions that are used for cars suitable for a bike engine that redlines at 19k? Is there anything to look out for, besides the different capacity between a 2L car engine and a 250cc bike engine (So only add a fraction of the additive)?

[Rob]

I haven't used it on a bike yet, but I know the "oil flush" stuff you are talking about as I use it on the car. This is the stuff you let it idle for 15-20 minutes before draining. I would check with the manufacturer of those products or a good bike mechanic, to see what he reckons.
Otherwise, do a oil and filter change at like 500 kms, then at 1000, then 2000 etc.
I think products like water wetter, smoke stopper, and all those repair in a can type products are a bit of a wank.

[Chester]

Well I have had a win today with the bike!

Yesterday I picked up a couple of bottles of Nulon product, one of performance engine additive for oil, and one of complete fuel system cleaner.

My big problem with my bike was a massive power drop at approx 6-7k rpm, in some gears you could not ride through it, even though there was a good amount of power on either side of that rev range.

Added both of the above additives, and went for a ride. Bike rode like shit as usual for about 40km (about? correct me if wrong Bulbous TLR), then when I cracked open the throttle exiting a bend, the bike just jumped up right thru that bad rev range, and the useable power went up noticeably!

Bulbous was behind me, rekons each time I opened the bike up I got a small puff of smoke, and when I cranked it on that corner there was a bigger puff of smoke, and nothing since.

Bike feels F**KING SWEET now, so damn fun to ride now!! hahah

Looks like the fuel additive managed to clean out the last of the bad fuel that was in the carbies when the bike was originally stored (3 year old fuel sitting in the carbies = bad running bike!!), and the oil additive has made gear changes a little smoother and quicker, and the engine noise has dropped.

[WAXX]

You must be carefull of useing oil additives in bikes, as they have a wet clutch (same oil for gearbox and motor) and the friction modifiers can cause clutch slippage.
I would'nt recommend using it, in a small bike like a 250 it may not be a problem but on a mid to large horspower bike you may encounter some slippage.
That is why bike specific oil is best, no additives.

[Chester]

Before I put the oil additive in I checked the pack, and it says its suitable for wet clutches, and had application rates for bikes on the packaging.

The nulon additives are just PTFE particles in suspension, I don't think they change the setup of the oil, just add a fine layer of the PTFE to moving parts (which possibly would make the clutch slip a little).

Would be interesting to see if there is any net result on the clutch on my bike, I'll update if anything feels different.

Now I just need to finish stopping the tank from leaking.......bloody rust

[WAXX]

If the container say's it O.K for wet clutches then you should be fine.
Though the best thing to do now is regular oil changes, with a 250 I would be changing oil and filter at every 1500-2000 kms being that they are hard working and always in a high rev range.

[Bulbous]

yeah, when he gassed it hard from corners, there would be some small amounts of crappy smoke come out of the pipe. then on one corner, there was a large amount of shit just blast out of the pipe, and from then on it has been bloody beautiful and clean. maybe it was the last of the spiders that used to live up the pipe......

[Chester]

I think that large blast of smoke was the queen

*Images of HER from Lord of The Rings shoving itself out of the pipe* :twisted: