What Oil & How Much ?
One of the most contentious questions on Dnepr/Ural forums is what oil to use. Here is the quick, correct answer for a stock Dnepr motorcycle :
- Engine : 2.2 Litres of 20W50, Example (link)
- Gearbox : 1.5 Litres of 80W90 GL4 Gear Oil, Example (link)
- Final Drive : 110 mL of 85W140 GL5 Gear Oil, Example (link)
- Front Forks : 130 mL of 5W30 Fork Oil, Example (link)
- Shock Absorbers : 105 mL of 5W30 Fork Oil, Example (link)
Some notes on oil choice :
- Many owners modify their oil sump. Check all oil levels with
their dip-sticks.
Make a habbit of checking the oil levels (especially engine) before every ride. - Dnepr gearboxes have bronze bushings, use GL4 as GL5 additives will try to eat the metal.
- Don't be up-sold on expensive fully synthetic oil for Soviet bikes. All modern oils are better than the original Soviet versions.
- Watch out for suspiciously cheap oil, counterfeit oil, where visible particles are filtered out and oil is re-sold is common in countries with low regulations. Quick article on spotting this (link)
- Don't worry too much about the oil for your bike. A better oil will not "prolong the life of the engine". The engine, and other components, will break for other reasons long before you can start comparing wear and tear from cheap/expensive oils.
- The most important thing is that oil is present and for
Dnepr that the pressure is high.
Article on why oil pressure will start treducing over time (link)