ATF oil everywhere

[dirtbike]

Here I go. I mix ATF oil with about 15% slick syntetic motor oil. I have found this to work excellent in all gearboxes. I have also used it as fork oil with success lately. Here comes the funny part. I have recently rebuilt 2 pair of Ohlins shocks. 1 Pair for the maico 1980-1981 with a hose and gas canister. And 1 pair that is supposed to have a hose but it just wasn't there when I got it. Just a hole. I have plugged the hole with a grease nipple and rebuilt them for use without the hose and the canister (gas chamber). Anyway, I have used the same oil after having discovered that the viscosity is very much the same as Ohlins shock oil. The result is amazingly good.

I have since googled around and found that many people use ATF in both their engines as well as their forks. The news to me where that many people also seem to use it for their shocks and I have read that they are happy with that.

It seem nice to have just one oil for everything except the premix and air filter of course. Does anybody here have experience, good or bad from using ATF oil in your bike?

[Tahitian_Red]

ATF may be the miracle oil.  I do not use it in my engines or suspension, but I always carry  a quart or two to the track with me to loan or use in an emergency situation (trans or forks).


Racing the "FaltaNator" in 2009

[brian kirby]

I have used it for trans and fork fluid for 25+ years with good results. I would not use it for a shock oil, might as well get real shock fluid for as rarely as you will need it.

Brian

'73 Berkshire

[dirtbike]

I have a bunch of pictures from messing with my shocks here:
http://www.tinyurl.com/shockrebuild

Here is a picture from today showing my fixed seat, new side panel, new rear fender and rebuilt Öhlins shock. I'm starting to get the idéa!

[dirtbike]

While I was at it!

[tomale]

Not so sure about using it in shocks but only because I think it is too thick but I have used it in my forks for years and it has worked very well, I have old KTM manuals that recommend the use of ATF and I have used it that way and it seems to work good, but I tell ya, I have a friend that was a KTM dealer and he was at a Dealer convention a few years back and someone asked about the use of ATF in transmissions and the fact that they once recommended it, and they said well yes they had but since then have shy'd away from it since then.  and I have another friend of mine, who works for a big time oil company and has access to all the testing equipment and He will not use it in his Vintage bikes... Some have suggested that it is hard on cluth plates but that has not been my experience. So do I use it, no I will in a pinch but as soon as I can change it out I will.

Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)74'
250 hare scrambler (project bike)
72'sixday (project bike)