KLR650 syntetic/standar oil

[travelHK]

Hi guys , I use syntetic oil in my KLR but I am worry that I may not found full syntetic oil in Central or South America , is it safe for the engine to switch back to regular oil if I change oil filter during the oil change.

Hendi

[AndyT]

I changed my oil in Mexico and Costa Rica and found that most motorcycle shops carry Silkolene or Motul synthetic.

[lecap]

To receive the current engine oil certifications (DOT and / or API) an oil must be mixable with any other certified engine oil.
Means you can happily pour API SF semisynthetic together with SJ synthetic. Don't be shy to mix 10W40 with 15W50 or 10W50.
It's not recommended to mix multigrade with single grade oil (i.e. 10W50 with 30W) but it does not mean you can. It's just that you should not expect the mixture to be any better than the worse of the mixture partners. (This is a general rule for mixing different engine oils)
You can mix single grades to get to other viscosities: 1l 10W + 1l 30W = 2l 20W. (Not just engine oils. This is very important for people who love to fiddle with their forks!!!)
Even if you just change the oil and not the filter it's fine.
If you change back to synthetic oil you should change the oil filter, see above about oil mixtures.
Always change the filter together with the oil if you can afford it or drain old oil from the filter before filling.

[ekaphoto]

No problem changing back and forth between synthetic and dino oil. 20 years ago, that was not the case, the two were not compatable so many people think it should not be done to this day.

As for mixing grades is 10-40 and 20-50, I wouldnt do it unless I had no other chioce.

[Paul Thoreson]

You shouldn't have any trouble finding either type of oil in Central and South America. Motorcycles are the cheapest form of transportation, so they're highly popular in poorer countries, i.e. Latin America. Which also means that there's lots of motorcycle engine oil available. I never had any problem finding synthetic oil for my KLR anywhere from Mexico to Argentina.

On a side note, I've always used a reusable stainless steel oil filter on my KLR. Highly superior to a paper filter for various reasons, it also has the added advantage of never having to look for an oil filter agian. Athough finding oil isn't a problem, finding the right filter can be. Dual-Star sells them for $65, but it's well worth the investment.

Here's the link: http://www.dual-star.com/index2/Bran...l%20Filter.htm

While you're there, I also can't recommend too highly the sub-frame upgrade kit and the monster tubes. Please do yourself a huge favor and at least order these last two products. I personally wouldn't leave home without them, especially if I were travelling south of the border.