MOPED ARMY

The consensus here is that lead is not necessary. The original instructions on older peds to use leaded only was because of the poor quality of unleaded at the time and a lack of knowledge as to the necessity of lead.

Only 4 cycle engines ever needed lead, to protect the valves. 2 cycles have no valves.

Ron

I highly recommend that you don't use lead additive for two main reasons. One....as many people have said on this forum before, modern oils are nothing like they used to be. Lead was used because it is a excellent lubricant for your cylinder which maintains most of it's lubricating properties even after going through the combustion process. Modern two stroke oils are much purer. This literally "smaller particle" or "more pure" oil can work itself into the micro-constituants of the cylinder wall better than less pure oils can (This is why the oil work on two metal parts moving together - the oil actually works itself into the metal - that's why the Castrol Oil comercial can work when they drain the oil out of the engine and it doesn't seize). Not to mention, the low ash content of modern oils makes it so they burn more completely and don't gum stuff up. This is why older bikes used lead additive. The two stroke oil wasn't an entirely adequate lubricant (because of the above reason) and you couldn't just increase the amount of oil used because it burnt dirty and gummed stuff up. So if you also added lead, it did the trick. Secondly, lead is a very very dangerous material that causes many awful diseases/birth defects/health problems/and general environmental nightmares (I even think lead is responsible for Rick James, teenage pregnancy, and the yellow color of Mountain Dew but that's a side topic). If you are burning it in you gas, you're probably sucking in some of the fumes and are getting it into your system. Not good.

If you are really worried about lubricating you engine more, there are a lot of synthetic oils that you can use that lubricate and dissipate heat better than mineral oils. Only one warning...don't ever mix the two. I wouldn't even run the tank dry and switch. I'd wait until you rebore the engine 'cause the two oils don't mix together and you get two layers of oil that will seperate out of mixture in the tank. So you will end up running with no oil basically and seize (and yes, I have done it. The oil that's on the cylinder and piston rings may have the same effect when mixed together.

Blah, blah, blah Mr. Smarty Pants. I AM THE LURKER! BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID. I READ ALL.

That would be under Secondly.....err...ump?!

Thanks guys... I almost spent four times what I needed to on some unecessary lead-added oil. Cheers!