Amsoil Super Sabre 100:1 pre-mix

[83 CR480R]

Greetings all,

I wanted to get some feedback on using Amsoil in our "older" bikes.  I use the Amsoil Super Sabre 100:1 in my 95 CR250 at 80:1 with great results.  No fouled plugs along with a marked increase in performance has been typical since we started using it a couple of years ago in my son's 00 YZ125.  Will Kasson of Kasson's Yamaha uses the stuff in his race ready YZ 250, so that was good enough for us to start.....here's the question..

My buddy has a 1984 YZ 490 (I know..it's HIS problem) and started using the Amsoil at 80:1.   He was riding the other weekend when his motor siezed-up.  He did confess that he was really "dogging" it for about 30 minutes when it siezed.  That 490 is air cooled, just like my 80 CR480 and prone to over-heating if you are not careful.  I have just rebuilt my 480's motor and feel hesitant using it now that my buddy's 490 siezed.  Paranoia I guess.....just wanted to see if any one else has had any similar issues of heard anything negative about the Amsoil.

[SachsGS]

If you look through the various discussions in the forum you will find one about "favorite mixer oils". Some of the guys who responded really know their stuff.

The only comment I will make is that two failures I can think of in freind's bikes (Gas Gas crank bearing failure and Husky WR250 piston siezure) were both Amsoil lubricated.

[JohnN]

Project Two 50 is sponsored by and uses Amsoil... this is fantastic stuff!!

A few things to consider when changing fuel/oil mixtures is to ensure that the jetting is set up correctly for that mixture. This is probably the most important aspect of running lean mixtures.

When they used the new fuel/oil mixture using Amsoil, did they completely drain out the old fuel/oil mix? Many time leaving older mixtures in your tank/carb can cause this kind of problem as well.

The other thing to consider is the current state of the engine. Is it fresh? Was it rebuilt in the 1990's? What kind of riding do you do? As you can see, lot's and lot's of questions.

Currently in the Project Two 50 machine we are running Amsoil Dominator at 100:1... but know that we have had some special coating applied to all the engine internals.

The bike in this video is running at 100:1
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=125358884150676#&comments=

So far we have over 3 hours of ride time on this machine at 100:1

Will an older air-cooled machine run at these fuel/oil ratios? It's unknown, but before I would mix fuel that lean, I would make sure the bike was fresh and the jetting was spot on.

[JETZcorp]

I think the YZ490 seized simply because it's a YZ490.  They were the epileptics of the bike world.

Yamaha introduced the YZ 490 in 1982, after a solid run with the YZ465. Sadly, the 490 was heavier than the 465, nowhere near as reliable, horribly difficult to start (hot or cold), came with a grim suspension, vibrated enough to bring blisters to your hands and was impossible to jet.

If you jetted it rich enough to keep this dog from seizing, it would blubber, puke, foul plugs and produce no power. If you jetted it to run strong, it would invariably seize. It came with air leaks, a wandering ignition, gimpy motor mounts and the worst case of Yamahop at high speeds since the original DT-1. Yamaha issued a mountain of service bulletins to try to fix the problems. None of them worked.

[riffraff]

I think the YZ490 seized simply because it's a YZ490.  They were the epileptics of the bike world.

Dunno 'bout that Jetz, got me an '89 YZ490W and it's never disappointed me yet

[grumpy]

The YZ490's were prone to problems, but they are fixable. A simple head mod with some time spent correcting air leaks and properly jetting it then you have a great bike.

[DangisMX]

100:1  wow you guys are hardcore .

[83 CR480R]

Today I managed to speak with an rep. with Amsoil who recommend utilizing the Interceptor at 50:1 to 80:1 for normal trail riding and the Dominator oil for extreme conditions/use.  I have received alot of feedback and feel that the Amsoil product was not the culprit, but my buddy's over zealous riding that day with a top-end of uncertain stability.

In response to the "typical" YZ490 abuse all I can say is:

....when it was running, I never saw Jay get lapped or passed.  The only other bike that I know of that can take his 490 in an all-out drag was my 83 CR480....and it was still by just a couple of bike lengths.