Castrol R in a Mirage

Don't think its recommended, unless you intend dumping the oil after each ride.
You could put a teaspoon in the tank for the 'smell affect'  ;)
 
Castor gums things up but is an excelent lubricant.
Quite recommended for engines that are regularly stipped and cleaned.
Ciao
Paul
 
Steam,
If you want to use Castrol R or a similar product you'd need to thoroughly clean all traces of the old oil out of your engine. Ideally you'd start with a freshly rebuilt motor. I use Rock Oil castor oil in my bike and I've found it to be excellent. The main caveat with castor based products is that once they've been up to working temperature they start to degrade and coagulate, which is the gumming up Paul refers to. If it comes into contact with mineral oil it clots immediately into a gooey snot which can be catastrophic, hence the need to clean everything out before converting.

As RCGBob says, it's not really suitable for a road bike. A major downside is that if you're away on the bike and need to top up or replace the oil for some reason you've got bugger all chance of finding any! I've also got a sneaking suspicion that starter clutches don't like castor oil.



 
Not to mention you have to enlarge all the oilways.

Generally agree with all comments but it does make a wonderful 2 stroke mix :D :D :D
 
I ran it in a Triumph when I was younger. Nice company near Dunstable rebuild the motor
tweaked the oil pump and in their words "enlarged oil ways".

Allegedly forcing R through pumps  etc rapidly degraded it, perhaps I was conned but the motor
ran beautifully and the smell was worth the considerable sum I spent.

I seem to remember I kept having to check the level in the tank but over the course of 2 years
I ran up the old A1 from Barnet to St Neots every weekend. The only part that did not like R
were the phosphor bronze bushed which needed changing every month.

Andy
 
bob said:
it clots immediately into a gooey snot 
Click to expand...

Bob, your descriptive powers are without equal on this forum  :D

'R' is probably the oil of choice for air-cooled four stroke competition engines that spend a lot of time at or near their rev limit. My racing pals swear by it, and as Andy says it also makes a good two-stroke mix. It's a complete waste to use it in a road bike but I know certain people who pop a capful into the petrol tank occasionally. And I have to confess I do the same in my mower, makes doing the lawns less of a chore somehow.
 
A mate used to use R in a GT Bevel,he was constanty rebuilding it,spannerman by trade and fun.It tends to weep past gassgets was well as the gumming up of rings,loved to follow behind,mainly for the smell but also because he was a complete nutcase of a rider
 
It definitely makes a good two stroke mix, putting some in the lawnmower  :D reminds me of the local VSCC chapter who used to meet in an old pub nearby. During their meetings in the room above the pub they used to heat up some R on a primus whilst they were having a pint!
I've not come across enlarged oilways before, perhaps it's necessary on a Trumpet to get a decent flow during a cold start up. I don't think forcing the oil through a pump is going to degrade it any more than mashing it between the teeth in a gearbox
 
I was young and gullible with hard earned cash.

Now old but still gullible and broke :D :D :D :D :D

Seriously tho the motor ran sweet, perhaps the R back then
had a different make up. My mates were regularly having to rebuild
motors whist I just did regular bush changes. There were also several
viscosities of R available from treacle to almost normal stuff.

Andy

PS A little drop of mums veggie cooking oil did the same job with the smell :D :D :D :D :D
 
Back in the 70's we used Castrol "R" in our racing Duc singles. Ahhh..the sweet smell of castor beans!

Never had a problem with the clutch and the oil was drained once the day/race was over. We could leave it in between practice sessions..never overnight.

Had to have a case of 24 quarts on hand. It would not mix with conventional dino oil.

Very slippery stuff and it had the reputation of turning into Jell-O if not changed..we never had a problem.
 
It won't do any harm Tetley, and may even do some good as an upper cylinder lubricant. It burns cleanly and smells good. I often put a splash in the tank. Only problem is that it's you can't enjoy the smell as you're riding because the exhaust is behind you. If it's the smell you're after, you need to put some in a mate's tank and follow him  :D

Cheers,
Cam
 
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