Best Engine Oil and Gear Oil for buddy 125

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PistolPete7390
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Best Engine Oil and Gear Oil for buddy 125

Post by PistolPete7390 »

Quick question,

Recently bought a 07 Buddy 125 with 2,200 miles on it.

I want to change the engine oil and Gear Oil this weekend so I know I start out everything fresh with it and can track the maintence from there.

What is the best Engine Oil and Gear oil that people find best work for them?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Happy Riding!
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giddyup98
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Post by giddyup98 »

I use Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 motor oil and BEL-RAY 85W-140 Hypoid Gear Oil.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

This is one of those questions where if you ask ten people their opinion, you'll get ten different answers. My opinion? Use anything except Penzoil. Even vegetable cooking oil is better.
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Syd
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Post by Syd »

babblefish wrote:This is one of those questions where if you ask ten people their opinion, you'll get ten different answers. My opinion? Use anything except Penzoil. Even vegetable cooking oil is better.
That's the truth. In general, use an oil that meets or exceeds the specs in the Owner's Manual.
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ucandoit
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Post by ucandoit »

I've used Yamalube 10w-40 (for motorcycles, atv, scooters), for quite a while but would like to change as I have to drive too far to get it and it's a little pricey, but not as pricey as Amsoil.
I get confused when I begin reading labels: about motorcycle wet clutches, etc. as my scooter doesn't have a wet clutch.
And many people use the much cheaper Shell Rotella oil from Walmart. Is it for diesel engines? I cannot recall.
I have to ask Babblefish: why run from Penzoil? I used it in my car for years thinking it was a good oil.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

ucandoit wrote:I've used Yamalube 10w-40 (for motorcycles, atv, scooters), for quite a while but would like to change as I have to drive too far to get it and it's a little pricey, but not as pricey as Amsoil.
I get confused when I begin reading labels: about motorcycle wet clutches, etc. as my scooter doesn't have a wet clutch.
And many people use the much cheaper Shell Rotella oil from Walmart. Is it for diesel engines? I cannot recall.
I have to ask Babblefish: why run from Penzoil? I used it in my car for years thinking it was a good oil.
OK, you asked for it :):
My experience with Penzoil started years ago, so they may have changed the formulation such that it might be OK now, but I still won't trust it.

When I first used it many years ago in my 750cc motorcycle which had around 8K miles on it, it was fine for about 50 miles then the engine started making a loud knocking sound. I talked to a friend about the knocking and before I even told him what brand oil I was using, he asked "are you using Penzoil?". I immediately drained the oil and started using Castro and the knocking went away with the oil change.

Seems one of my friend's neighbors lost two engines in his Mercedes before the shop determined it was the oil he was using that was the root cause of the problem. I'll give you one guess what that oil was. This threw my friend into a panic because guess what oil he just started using in his car? When he got home, he took the valve cover off his engine to check the condition of the valve train and found a very heavy build-up of sludge that required a putty knife to remove. This was only after using Penzoil for a couple of thousand miles. He knows it was the Penzoil because he had checked under the valve cover before using it and it was clean. I've heard similar horror stories from various sources though out the years.

Then there is another friend who worked at a large multi-brand auto dealership as a mechanic. They had an unwritten rule that if a customer insisted on using Penzoil in their car, any warranties on engine work would be void.

Lastly, a monthly Hotrod magazine had an article comparing different oils and how they might affect engine performance and longevity. I was gratified to know that my favorite oil brands got the thumbs up; Castro, Valvoline, and Quaker State. There was only one brand that got the thumbs down and they warned readers to use at their own risk. They wouldn't directly say which brand it was (I guess for fear of libel suits), but did say "that oil in the yellow can". I'll give you one guess as to what brand they were referring to.

So there you be, that's my story on my aversion for Penzoil. YMMV.

And, you can use automotive oil in your scooter because as you say, it doesn't have a wet clutch. I've done this with no harm to my engines. It's the motorcycles with a wet clutch which require special motorcycle oils for the added friction modifiers to prevent the clutch plates from slipping too much thereby causing overheating and premature wear.
Oil labelled for diesel engines are OK, too. Diesel engines generally run hotter and operate at much higher internal pressures than gasoline engines so the oils created for them are formulated to handle these kinds of loads/conditions. It's really overkill for our little scooter engines, but it couldn't hurt.
Oh, and I've recently been seeing Rotella oil stocked at my local Autozone auto parts store.
Some people can break a crowbar in a sandbox.
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Wertles
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Post by Wertles »

As stated with all the above posters, just about anything will work. Walmart, Autozone, Advance, Pep Boys etc... will all carry Mobile 1 products which will be more than adequate for the Buddy. Since you asked which was the BEST, I will add my .02 with Amsoil 10W-40 Scooter oil for the motor and their Severe Gear 75-140 gear oil for the rear. I have used Amsoil products in all my engines for a long long time and have had no oil related failure eve, even on my track cars. I never had one failure with Mobile 1 either.
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ucandoit
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Post by ucandoit »

Thank you, Babblefish, for explaining the Penzoil issue.
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