Good question. I have read and have been told that any 2 stroke (2 cycle) U.S. TC-W3® certified oil should work fine. I have also heard a synethic or semi-synetic oil will improve your Honda Express ped performance. I have used Lucas Semi-Synthetic 2-Cycle Racing Oil with very good results. It has the following description:
It comes in a variety of sizes and can be purchase at your local Auto-Zone or PepBoys.
"Lucas Semi-Synthetic 2-Cycle Racing Oil's high performance, low ash formulation is made especially to meet the needs of high performance racing engines. It's suitable for use in air-cooled or water-cooled or water-cooled two-stroke engines. It's clean burning "smokeless" and helps to reduce carbon build-up. Prevents piston burning, spark plug fouling, ring sticking and corrosion caused by combustion residues."
It comes in a variety of sizes and can be purchase at your local Auto-Zone or PepBoys.
12 noped comments:
Howdy! I need to change the gear oil in my 1981 NC50. What type do I use? I have been told SAE 30, 5-30, 5W-30, and 10W-40... but who do i believe? What do I do?
Synthetic burns much cleaner than conventional oils. I highly recommend synthetic.
Jason,
Use Royal Purple 10W-40. Please see following post:
http://www.hondaexpressmoped.com/2010/05/honda-express-nc-50-transmission-oil.html
Good luck!
I just had my '81 Express fixed up and they combined my fuel and oil tank. Any idea what the recommended mix ratio of gas to oil is? (25:1; 40:1; 50:1)
Thanks
John, the 1978 Honda Express NC50 moped has two different chambers - one for fuel and one for oil. It mixes the fuel/oil in correct ratio by itself.
SOME people bypass the oil chamber and premix the fuel/oil. I have heard all those ranges acceptable (depending on oil your using). I would say 30:1 or 40:1 to be safe.
You can premix the same as you would for a Honda Hobbit moped.
John I have been looking for a way to combine my fuel and oil tank as I pre-mix now. I use a 32:1 ratio with regular honda 2 cycle oil. I have been thinking about switching to the synthetics. If you could get back I would appreciate it alot.
Thanks
Josh
Synthetic is the way to go!
Hey jfk do you really get much of a performance gain switching to syn?
Short-term, not really. Long term, I would have to say YES. Because you will get less carbon and residue buildup on your piston. Less buildup will give you a better firing of the engine and thus yield cleaner performance. There are some synthetics that are GREEN and are better for environment... in case you care. Like: G-OIL® 2-Cycle Bio-Based Synthetic GREEN Engine Oil meets and exceeds JASO-FD/ISO L-EDG and API service category TC for 2 cycle air-cooled outdoor engines and ULTIMATE BIODEGRADABLE, the highest biodegradability ranking as determined by ASTM Standards.
http://www.getg.com/engineOil/2cycle.php
OK... I'm a newbie here. Loving this site and learning a TON! But I'm confused here. Another blog says specifically to NOT use 2-cycle, but to use 10W-40 Royal Purple. This blog recommends Lucas 2-cycle oil, but then in the comments recommends the Royal Purple again. Any guidance on this?
Thanks so much!
Hey Nickerachi,
Sorry about the confusion. The post above was what type of oil to use (that will mix with gasoline and go into engine for lubrication). The Royal Purple reference was for the "Transfer Case" oil. That is where the chain and gears are that transfer force to the rear wheel, etc.
Here is the latest post that I believe is BEST oil to use that will mix with gasoline and fire in engine:
http://www.hondaexpressmoped.com/2010/05/honda-express-moped-poor-performance.html
"AMSOIL DOMINATOR® Synthetic 2-Cycle Racing Oil (TDR)" - Great Oil... and smells nice too after the engine fires. Smells sweet or something.
Thanks for asking... please send me any material on your upgrades (video, pictures, write-ups, etc) and I will post for others to read!
Hope that helps,
-=JFK=-
how much oil should the 78 express be going though?