This analysis is of the oil that was in the motorcycle when I bought it. The previous owner didn't know much about it. He thought it had been in the engine for almost two years and for about 3,500 miles. (The dealer had done the work for him.)
The analysis shows that there was no antifreeze, fuel, or water contamination—all very good signs that the engine and cooling system are in good shape. These were the primary results I was interested in.
Because I don't have any idea what kind of oil was used its hard to draw many other results from the sample. As Mark (the analyst) notes, the copper and aluminum levels are pretty high, but this could be normal for the break-in of this kind of engine. I hope that these levels drop in the next UOA.
The high level of silicon is probably attributable to the standard foam air filter. Paper filters would do a better job keeping the silicon from dirt and sand out, but if a paper element gets wet the media will usually tear. Since getting wet is a pretty common event during an off-road ride, foam filters are used instead. Note that silicon can also be present in newer engines as residual from the casting process. We'll see if silicon drops in the next UOA, too.
The TBN of 9.5 is pretty good; anything below about 2.6 means all the oil's additives have been completely expended and the oil is no longer protecting your engine from acidic combustion by-products.
I've put in Shell Rotella 15W-40 conventional heavy duty engine oil (HDEO).
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