Oil and Water

 Its wrenching season!    Im working up my checklist and buying all the fluids and parts I need.  I made the horrible mistake of looking at a forum to see what Oil  I should use.   This is a BAD idea!  People are so divided on the subject of which oil to use that it makes democrats and republicans look united.   For each brand, style, or viscosity of oil, there is a sycophantic group of devotees that will shun you if you have the audacity to choose any oil but their favorite.   Heaven forbid that you ride a different style of motorcycle that requires a completely different standard. 

I have found that my only recourse is to do the unthinkable and consult my manual.  For a 2001 Kawasaki Concours, I need 10w-40 JASO rated oil.   That is what is required.    Now, if you ask the Kawasaki dealer,  you absolutely have to buy Kawasaki Brand oil.   This I have found is not true.  Kawasaki oil is made by Motul.  Motul as most may know do make a good enough product, however they charge a premium price.   After all, their oils are run in the MotoGp bikes and at very high RPM.  I do not ride a MotoGP bike!   My lil ole Concours rarely gets above 5k RPM.   So paying the price for a race bred oil makes no sense.   Castrol is what I tend to use.  and I am partial the Actevo X-tra(partial synthetic).  It is JASO rated and it makes my bike purr like a kitten. 
I have tried a few from the forum,  The Shell Rotella T6 Full synth was supposedly a good inexpensive alternative for my bike.  Rotella is made for Diesel Engines and is JASO rated, so I figured if the forum dudes like it, it's worth a try.  After running it,  I found that it really made for hard shifting, and the oil burned rather quickly.  It worked ok, and when I changed the oil there were no shavings and it didn't break down at all, so it protected as it should. 
For this last season's oil change I tried the "Dino" motorcycle oil.  The Castrol GO(4T mineral based oil) and it worked really well.  Shifting was smooth and the engine really loved it.   However, the oil burned super fast and the oil got really dirty really quick.  Im confident that there won't be any shavings.  It was an ok oil, however, I think I'm going back to the semi synthetic.   So far, it has been the best for my bike.   Actevo X-tra is on sale at Amazon as well, so win-win.    If the Castrol Power 1 ever goes on sale, I may just go to the Full synth version, but as of now it makes for one expensive oil change.
So to sum up.   If you want to know what oil to use,  look at the owners manual to your bike.   If you keep it within the specifications then you should be fine.   Read the oil data sheets, read the forum if you dare, but ultimately, find the oil that makes your bike happy and keeps your pocketbook from hemorrhaging cash.   And for goodness sake, do NOT become an oil Nazi.   Let people do what they want.  Let them find whats best.  Now, lets talk tires...... uh.. nevermind. 

Trip to Enterprise Oregon Part 9 THE FINAL CHAPTER

Aww, the ride is ending!   We finish it off just before Colfax, WA.   You remember Colfax?

It was the place with the Codger Pole.   What?  You mean you don't remember that one?

You need to watch the first video again...   here,  Click THIS to watch the whole thing again!

and you really should hit the like button, and maybe even subscribe. 

 (don't forget to follow this blog too!)

Trip to Enterprise Oregon Part 8

We ride through South East Washington.    Palouse and a few small towns.  Almost back home!

Trip to Enterprise Oregon Part 7

We leave Pendleton and start heading home!    Great start to the day and we even get buzzed by a hawk carrying his breakfast!

Trip to Enterprise Oregon Part 6

We head to Pendleton!

Exciting stuff on Sunday!  I say exciting, but really it was a lot of highways.
Worth the ride for sure!

Ride to Enterprise Oregon Part 5

Wallowa National Forrest to Enterprise, OR   None to shabby!  It was a very nice portion of the ride.
See for yourself!

We stopped at the Joseph canyon lookout and it was spectacular. 

Enterprise Ride Part 3

Here is the 3rd Installment.  Heading through Lewiston on to Asotin and up and around some hills.  Almost... I say Almost to the Rattlesnake grade!

Enterprise Ride Part 2

Here is the 2nd leg of the ride.

This is from Colfax, WA to just above Lewiston, ID

Movie Time! Enterprise Ride Part 1

We're back!   What a trip!   I will probably write something about it,  but as they say, a picture is worth 1000 words.    What about a video?

There, that is the first leg of the trip!   There are more videos too!   Like and Subscribe to the channel to see more!  Aww heck, what am I saying.  Ill post more of them.. you know I will.  

This portion is from Spokane to Colfax, WA.   Not much to see but green.  Well, green and a couple little towns!    

Spring Ride to Enterprise Anyone?

It's almost time to ride!   The snow is nearly all gone and the sweepers are out.  The weather is almost warm enough for a good long ride.  And there is definitely one in the works.   A few of us are planning to ride the Rattlesnake Grade at the end of May.   To be totally fair, I haven't gone yet.  (well, at least not the whole road).  I'm kind of exited to go.  From piecing all the different reviews of this road together I have, what I think to be, a reasonable preview of the ride.

    The road from Asotin Washington to Enterprise Oregon is a pure slice of motorcycle heaven.  Right off the bat it has several excellent sweeping curves, including 3 that will swing you around nearly 180 degrees.  For a while after that, you have smooth sailing until you reach Field Springs state park.  That is the point where the road really starts to twist in all sorts of directions.  Depending on your speed, it can either be ten miles of the most scenic, or the most adrenaline filled travel that you have ever experienced.  The scenery is breathtaking for sure.  You are essentially riding through a rather large canyon system carved into the earth by prehistoric glaciers and raging rivers that has amazing views in all directions.  But here is where the adrenaline comes in.  If you should choose to push the speed a bit, the mix of the fast curves and the possibility of losing control and crashing in to the wall (or going off the edge and getting to see the canyon floor in the fastest means possible), will absolutely give you the biggest rush of your life.   By the time you cross the Grande Ronde river, at the halfway mark, you are ready for a break and possibly need a place to change your skivvies or maybe to get a bite to eat. Boggan's Oasis is a perfect place to stop.  Boggan's is a comfort food mecca! I doubt that you could leave that place hungry.  The location is also quite nice.  If you keep your eyes out, you may see some goats as well as other wildlife.  

At this point,  if you should choose to keep going,  you get much more of the same type of beautiful twisty roads.   From Boggan's  its quite the smooth and simple ride... until you get to the Oregon border.   At that point, the road turns back on itself, twice!  This is a good time to let you know, that from this point on, until you reach the end of the canyon it is a good idea to watch out for rock slides and other debris in the road.   It isn't unheard of to have a boulder just appear out of nowhere.   That being said, this stretch of road is well worth slowing down on anyway.  The views are amazing and there are a lot of little animals and birds that may just come in to view.   

By the time you pass Paradise Ridge Ln, the bulk of the twisties are done.  Don't fret however, because you will pass through the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.  While it pales in comparison to what you just experienced,  the forest is still quite pretty.   So you've arrived at Enterprise, OR.  This may be a good place to stop, have dinner, get a motel and get some rest.  Or, if you are camping, there are several places to look at.   You may even want to go South, on to Wallowa Lake and pitch your tent at one of the prettiest lakes in the Northwest.  It's all up to you.    Just make sure you have some rest before turning around and doing it all again, but in reverse.