The OIL thread. All oil related questions here.

[mnmax]

So rotella is no good?

I wouldnt say that, I think just about any oil is is good enough.

For every day street riding any motorcycle oil will work fine as long as you change it, in my opinion, which dont mean shit, every 3000 miles, i think 8000 mi is too long.

Based on test results for equal money I would go with the mobil 1, it out performed the rotella.

Also read in another test report dino oils actually stick to your engines metal internals better than syn oils do.

as stated by evild, the more I read about oils the less i believe, i kinda feel the same way.

and as lankee mentioned he saw an increase in MPG with RP, this is definitely possible with syn oils and i think this is really the only difference any of us will ever notice in our daily use, you may see a HP increase in syn oils over dino, but you would need a dyno to prove it and even then there are too many variables.

Rp cycle oil had a significant drop in viscosity once heated and therfore have a low shear strength, creating much concern.

 

[113s&s]

i agree 8000 is a bit much...reg oil is such a high quality now..its all good....stoped by my dealers today killing time looking at oil mobil 10/40 syn motorcycle was $14 a quart lol there nuts...if i thought it was better id by it...a castrol syn for $5 ill bet is just as good i used rotella 15 /40 a few times in my max and liked it














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[WESLICH]

Did the oil & filter change today. Ended up going with 20-50 Amsoil. The Royal Purple was 17.95 a quart which I thought was too steep. Not very easy to find either. Ed at Global Motorsports hooked me up with the Amsoil for 11.85 so that's what I went with. Man, what a difference! The engine is smoother and more responsive, the transmission shifts so much easier and the transmission racket is much quieter now. Glad I did it. Much better.

 

[gamorg02]

question on OILS....

is motorcycle oil different then car oil? Like is yamalube 10w-40 different than valvoline conventional stuff for cars (10w-40)?

 

[one2dmax]

it is a little different but no so much that it matters if the oil is changed regularly. This has been tested time and time again by places like motorcycle consumer news.

Sean

 

[satariel666]

http://www.syntheticlubes.com/pdf/g2156.pdf

 

[4gasem]

question on OILS....

is motorcycle oil different then car oil? Like is yamalube 10w-40 different than valvoline conventional stuff for cars (10w-40)?

Motorcycle oils will usually contain more zinc and anti-foaming agents. Think of your trans as a whisk and the oil as egg whites. Car engines don't "whisk" the oil like a M/C does.

The nice thing is diesel oil has a lot of the same stuff in it that M/C oil does. I use Shell Rotella 5W40 in my bikes with no adverse affect. I've used the super expensive oils in the past but saw no real benefits. Just change it often and you're golden.

Chris

 

[gamorg02]

Motorcycle oils will usually contain more zinc and anti-foaming agents. Think of your trans as a whisk and the oil as egg whites. Car engines don't "whisk" the oil like a M/C does.

The nice thing is diesel oil has a lot of the same stuff in it that M/C oil does. I use Shell Rotella 5W40 in my bikes with no adverse affect. I've used the super expensive oils in the past but saw no real benefits. Just change it often and you're golden.

Chris

thnx for the info. that was the only explanation I ever heard, was that motorcycle oil oils everything (engine/trans/clutch), where as car oil is just for the engine

i think me doing mine every 2k miles keeps the oil fresh. i'm not paranoid like danny every 1k miles! haha...

i went with a stock oil filter, but i'm going to K&N next time (simply for the nut built in) and goign to install one of COO oil pressure gauges...

 

[Jayhawk]

I use Mobil 1 and change it every 1k. Kind of a bonding, Tim Taylorish thing to do instead of having to talk to the wife in the evening.

 

[gamorg02]

I use Mobil 1 and change it every 1k. Kind of a bonding, Tim Taylorish thing to do instead of having to talk to the wife in the evening.

on the bking? let me ask u this, do u just use normal car oil mobil 1? what weight?

i think i'm gonna do 20w40 or 50 next oil change, but in early spring late fall i may go back with 10w30

 

[Jayhawk]

on the bking? let me ask u this, do u just use normal car oil mobil 1? what weight?

i think i'm gonna do 20w40 or 50 next oil change, but in early spring late fall i may go back with 10w30

No, I'm bending over and using the 10-40 Motorcycle version. After a chat with the service guy where I bought my bike, it was a preferred oil at their shop for the Hayabusa...so I took his advice.

 

[gamorg02]

No, I'm bending over and using the 10-40 Motorcycle version. After a chat with the service guy where I bought my bike, it was a preferred oil at their shop for the Hayabusa...so I took his advice.

gotcha... yea that is pricey, looks like $12 ish a quart so like $50 at least for just oil per oil change...

if it makes the bike run well tho.. gotta do what ya gotta do... its cheaper than an engine rebuild eh!

 

[click-it]

Anybody in the warm areas just run 10-40 year round? I keep getting told you want a thinner oil due to cold startups.

 

[4gasem]

Anybody in the warm areas just run 10-40 year round? I keep getting told you want a thinner oil due to cold startups.

The 10 is the cold viscosity rating and the 40 is the hot. I like to go no higher than 15 for the first and 40 for the second. In WI the Rotella 5W40 synthetic like I run will work great.

 

[mr.maxx]

i can honestly say that i have never witnessed ANY engine actually run better with any diff type of oil.
but.....my truck does seem to run a little smoother after a fresh oil change.....maybe its all in my head:ummm:
the things that i like about synthetics are,

they flow faster at colder temps.

they keep the engine nice n clean.

in the past ...some of the bikes i have had made more mechanical noises..such as valve ticking when running synthetics.

 

[naughtyG]

I'm using Shell Rotella T 15W-40 here in Florida, and changing it about every 3-4000 miles.

Running great - no probs to report.

 

[WVxNitemare]

I'm using Yamalube. 20 w 40 I think. I just use what Yamaha tells me. $42 for an oil change, but hey, I prefer to use what they recommend.

 

[gamorg02]

I'm using Yamalube. 20 w 40 I think. I just use what Yamaha tells me. $42 for an oil change, but hey, I prefer to use what they recommend.

afaik they stopped making 20w40, 20w50 it is now. you pay $42 or thats how much oil/filter is?

i pay about $20 for oil, $8 i think for a K&N and $1.00 for the crush washer.

 

[mr.maxx]

i gave my max a fresh dose of rotella t 5-40.

and a wix #51358 filter. trans shifting is noticeably smoother and its easier to find neutral.unk:

oil was on sale a wallyworld 4 20 bux a gallon.

rumor has it that shell is trying for a jasco rating for the rotella oil.

 

[4gasem]

I'm running the 5/40 as well. I did 90 miles on a tank yesterday, filled it up before putting it away and put in 2.17 gallons. Which equates to 41.45 mpg... Not bad IMO.

That means I should be able to safely get 150 miles out of a tank...

Sweet!

Not sure the oil has anything to do with it but it doesn't hurt.