The demise of the two-stroke motorcycle has been a heartbreaking process to witness. Each model year another manufacturer announces that they are dropping another model from their lineup. And while some of the die-hard racing OEMs have talked up their commitment to the development of two-strokes we know the time will come when two-stroke motorcycles will all be gone. The bright side is that that there are tons of crazy two-stroke fans out there that know these bikes are getting scarce and are treating them as such. A simple method of caring for a two-stroke engine is to make sure it has proper lubrication.
If you are reading this you are probably lucky enough to own or have owned a two-stroke motorcycle or ATV. You know that both the top and bottom end of your engine are lubricated by the oil that is mixed into the fuel. Making sure you have fresh fuel mixed with the proper ratio of oil is crucial to the life and performance of your two-stroke engine.
Things to consider when mixing two-stroke oil:
- Always follow the manufacturers recommended fuel type
- Always follow the manufacturers recommended oil type
- Always follow the manufacturers recommended fuel/oil ratio
- Always use fresh gas when making a batch of premix
- Never run stale premix through your engine
The following quick reference chart illustrates common premix ratios. For example, if you are going to run a ratio of 32:1 and you will be mixing 1 gallon of fuel you will need to add 4 ounces of oil to the batch. Shake it well and pour the fuel into your gas tank.
| Gallons of Fuel to Ounces of Oil | ||||||||||
| Fuel:Oil |
1 gal |
2 gal | 3 gal | 4 gal | 5 gal | 6 gal | 7 gal | 8 gal | 9 gal | 10 gal |
| 17:1 | 7.5 oz | 15.1 oz | 22.6 oz | 30.1 oz | 37.6 oz | 45.2 oz | 52.7 oz | 60.2 oz | 67.8 oz | 75.3 oz |
| 20:1 | 6.4 oz | 12.8 oz | 19.2 oz | 25.6 oz | 32.0 oz | 38.4 oz | 44.8 oz | 51.2 oz | 57.6 oz | 64.0 oz |
| 25:1 | 5.1 oz | 10.2 oz | 15.4 oz | 20.5 oz | 25.6 oz | 30.7 oz | 35.8 oz | 41.0 oz | 46.1 oz | 51.2 oz |
| 32:1 | 4.0 oz | 8.0 oz | 12.0 oz | 16.0 oz | 20.0 oz | 24.0 oz | 28.0 oz | 32.0 oz | 36.0 oz | 40.0 oz |
| 50:1 | 2.6 oz | 5.1 oz | 7.7 oz | 10.2 oz | 12.8 oz | 15.4 oz | 17.9 oz | 20.5 oz | 23.0 oz | 25.6 oz |
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