(The second article I wrote to explain what is between the lines, hopefully it can educate some riders and allow them to make more informed purchases)
" Attached are 3 data sheets (not for this post) of their primary 2-T products that is an English translation from French that is grammatically poor so as you read it it wont read properly. Sort of like when you get your 7 year old to write a description of something.
Again with the specifications contained in these data sheets I can dispel any myths that riders may have had on why one product is better than the other. I suggest they save themselves some money next time they go buy their oils, especially if they are using the product in their VMXer's.
One myth, before I discuss oil ratios using these products, is the the case of "Anti-Smoke". Todays 2T oils will smoke, but no where near as bad as the technology flogged to riders from the 40's to the 70's in mineral oil formulations that contained Bright Stock, a heavy by product of oil refining that gave great lubricity and film strength but when subjected to the flame front inside a 2 stroke engine on its way out the exhaust it made very thick bad smoke and created hard crystalike deposits of carbon in their combustion chambers and exhaust systems..
I have said that oil marketers may percieve the riding public as uneducated fools of consumers (I have admitted that this may hold some water) so easy to spin a story on a label or advert and sell tanker loads of oil to them. Dont you just hate buying a 2T oil, mixing it up and running it in your bike and it still smokes??? I recall when I used Mobil Extra 2T semi synthetic when it first came out back in 1995 and it still smoked!! I thought who are they trying to fool here?
Mobil sunsequently changed the claim to "Low Smoke" and "this product will create less smoke than our mineral formulations".
Now that is a more accurate claim. On the Motul data sheet it says "Anti Smoke" that is an odious claim. Oils contain "Anti-Wear" additives such as Zinc, Molybdenum, Phosphorus etc that reduce wear, it does not stop wear, it slows down the wear rate that is all. In the buyers mind when he is looking at the bottle before he wanders to the checkout he thinks Oh great no more smoke!
Ok so with all the specifications of their major 2T oils, I can conclude that riders who use Motul 800 are wasting their money mixing it @ 20:1 or ratios less than say 40:1 as the maker states. This is because like Bel-Ray MC-1 that is much heavier still than 800 to mix it at rich ratios will create an amalgum of oil/fuel that will not ignite to its optimum level. At that ratio it will simply quench the flame.
Using heavy 2T oils at rich ratios will not alow the bike to operate properly by restricting the proper flow and atomisation of the fuel/oil mix to pass through the engine. This may neccesitate the use of larger pilot jets (as some riders have found).
Motul 800 would be ideal in later model bikes with powervalves and chrome or Nikasil type bores at ratios around 40:1 or leaner to 50:1. (Ideal oil to use in later model KTM 2 strokes etc) I would still run as much oil as I can get away with if I had a late model 2 stroker perhaps starting at 32:1 and work down towards 25:1).
For VMX's now running Motul 800 @ 20:1 save yourself some money in purchase price first off and switch to Motul 710 (or even 510 semi synthetic that is more than enough) at 20:1 and then experience your bike running better all round with better throttle response, cleaner spark plug, less oil hang up in the exhaust and crankcase, perhaps less thicker smoke. It should also lead to a greater wear reduction as the oil will migrate to the sliding surfaces better.
800 is 135 Cst and 710 is 50Cst, (remember dont run 710 at lean ratios......bye bye motor) much lighter by almost 2.5 times and better for rich ratios allowing the oil to lubricate the engine better, mix more thoroughly with fuel, with no hangup inside the engine. With 800 @ 20:1 the rider may face starting difficulties on a cold engine, or with old fuel (oil separation happens more with thicker oil falling out of suspension) or in cold weather.
I looked at the Motrex and ELF websites (Both make 1st class 2T oils) and only Motrex list a viscosity grade in SAE (SAE 20 or SAE 30) on their website. But if the rider doesn't know what this means or the implications of it (which 99.9% of them wouldnt know) then he cannot make an informed decision on what the best oil is for his bike. He relies on his mates advice while drinking around the campfire.
I believe in looking back at desert racing especially since the early 80's many of the engine failures and blow ups at wide open throttle running has been caused by lean oil ratios using both heavy and light grade 2T oils. I recall Jim Ellis's KTM MC500 in particular blowing up in the 1986 Alice to Finke race. It was blamed on metal fatigue (which is correct) but most probably caused by not enough oil in the fuel mix to lubricate the metal surfaces, keeping the temperatures low and metals from not expanding leading to parts contact resulting in metal fatigue in a nanosecond at 100MPH cracking & lifting his engine barrel of the cases putting an end to his ride. It is like saying someone died of cancer, but the cause was through excessive smoking.
So to summarise here, dont waste your hard earned on top shelf oils for your Pre 90 bikes or even later bikes (including 4 strokes), use mid tier synthetics of the lighter viscosity type or semi synthetics that are more than enough. Use more oil like 20:1 (like I use in my PE400 that runs crisp, hard and has clean carbon free internals) or 25:1 and see the difference in your bikes performance and engine life.
