My friend says he heard that motorcycle oil should be used in Atomic Four engines. What is he talking about?
Some modern “SJ” and “SL” rated automotive oils also marked “energy conserving” have extra friction reducing additives to help reduce fuel consumption. These additives may cause wet clutches like those used in motorcycles and Atomic Four Paragon gearboxes to slip under full power. Most 4 stroke motorcycle oils are rated “SG equivalent”, because they don’t have the extra additives of SJ / SL – energy conserving oils in order to ensure they won’t cause clutch slip. SG rated oil is OK for Atomic Four engines, so your friend is right… if an Atomic Four forward clutch slips even after it’s been adjusted as tight as possible, try switching to a 4 stroke motorcycle oil or a SG rated automotive oil (hard to find though, it’s an old rating) and see if the clutch stops slipping. For example, note the following excerpts from motorcycle oil technical literature: Castrol Grand Prix 4 Stroke Motorcycle Oil: “…SG equivalent…” Shell Advance SX4 Motorcycle Oil… “…
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