On my honda Dirtbike. There's a oil tank under the seat which says motor oil on it? What is it exactly?

On my honda Dirtbike. There's a oil tank under the seat which says motor oil on it? What is it exactly?

Hi it needs rot be filled with oil so is the machine a 2 stroke if so this would be an autolube system which gets mixed with the gasoline. On the other hand it might be the oil which is used to lubricate the gearbox.

This is a system for two stroke engines. A two stroke engine is much simpler than a four stroke engine and for a small motor cycle like a dirt bike it has some advantages.

However, it also has some problems, one of which is lubrication. A four stroke engine uses an oil sump, which is essentially a pool of oil at the bottom of the engine. During operation, a film of oil gets thrown around and the moving parts all get nicely lubricated. However, for a two stroke, this won't work so an alternative must be used. The traditional alternative is to mix oil with the gasoline in a 40:1 ratio - this is called two stroke premix - and put this in the bike's gas tank. Of course, this is awkward because you have to buy premixed fuel and you can never use standard gas on its own. Some bike manufacturers get round this by having separate engine oil and gas tanks, so you don't have to buy premix. As long as you keep the oil tank topped up, you can buy standard gasoline.

It is VITALLY IMPORTANT you never allow the oil tank to get empty. If you run out of gas, the bike stops but can be restarted. If you run out of oil, the bike seizes and may never run again. Don't even think of starting the engine unless you're sure there's oil in the tank. Check it and top it off at least once a week, or better still, make it the first thing you check every day you're going to ride.

You need to check the manufacturer's handbook to make sure you've got the right oil for the bike - you shouldn't just pour in any old 20w:50 you've got lying around, because the oil injection system will be calibrated for a particular oil grade.