The OIL thread. All oil related questions here.

[4gasem]

+1 on that RC. There was mobile 1 in my Max when I bought it ,12,000 miles on the clock. Clutch slipped under load. Changed the fibers, which weren't bad , and bead blasted the steel plates, which weren't burnt. I did do the extra fiber disk, but used 15w 40 Rotella and have had great clutch ever since.
Steve

They probably ran energy conserving oil in it. They (syn or dino) have friction modifiers in them that cause wet clutches to slip.

Chris

 

[VMAX NV]

Went to Wally's to get Rotella. They only had 15-40. I don't ride in sub-zero weather, should this be ok?

 

[RaWarrior]

It'll be fine....15-40 is by far the most common "heavy duty" oil grade and often times all that's offered.

I ran 15-40 rotella in my old quad. When it was really cold, like maybe 10 F or less, the autoclutch would drag until it warmed up, it would creep around even at idle speed and stall itself. Going by the chart, that would be the extreme low end of temps for a 15-40. So I let it run in neutral for like 5 minutes.

Temp chart....unless you ride in temps above 120 degrees, or below -10 F, the stock recommended 10-40 will do you just fine. Just let the motor warm up before riding and don't race the motor immediately after starting.

 

[4gasem]

Went to Wally's to get Rotella. They only had 15-40. I don't ride in sub-zero weather, should this be ok?

Yep!

I run the Rotella 5W40 which is the syn version which is nothing more than Dino oil with a ton of synthetic stabilizers in it. Most syn you buy at the big box stores are nothing but that. Real syn like Redline and others cost more.

It works this way... The first number corresponds to the viscosity at cold temps and the 2nd at hot temps. IMO 5W40 offers the best of both worlds. The higher the first number, the thicker it is when you first start it. Most of the wear on an engine is when you first start it as it takes a couple of seconds for the oil to start flowing. The thicker the oil, the longer it takes. Hence the reason I use 5W40 in my bikes.

Chris

 

[bigrubbers4x4]

which motor oil do you use?

i'm getting ready to change to oil in my max one of these days and i plan on using royal purple. which oil do you use? anything better out there?

how many quarts does the max take?

 

[tmosel]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

I use Amsoil synthetic motorcycle oil.

 

[The Beekeeper]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

I use 20-50 standard motorcycle oil, I put in 4qts...................

 

[andyrpsmith]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

No doubt about it the best oil for the V-Max is semi synthetic 10-40 best balance between fast lubrication of the top end and consumption.

The engine was designed in the 1980's and is not ideally suited to fully synthetic so it is a wast of money and some have found the consumption increases.

20-50 is also not ideally suited as 10-40.

Change the oil & Filter every 2000 miles and the engine will last forever.

Just my view.

 

[tugla]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

lots of guys here are running rotella T 15w40, seems to work well plus the added zinc which is not in modern oils anymore unless you are buying racing stuff, so thats always a plus. you can get zddp additive also to help. another good oil i know of is rotella T 5w40 0w40 full syn but havent tried it in the bike yet.

 

[vmax2extreme]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

I personally just use Valvoline conventional 10w30 oil in my vmax. Here is the thread with details from everyone: http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=1198&highlight=oils

I have had no problem and only put minimum miles on my vmax. I have a 2005 with just over 5000 miles. I change the oil and plugs the beginning of spring unless I start racking up the mileage.

Just my 2 cents.....

 

[bigrubbers4x4]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

I personally just use Valvoline conventional 10w30 oil in my vmax. Here is the thread with details from everyone: http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=1198&highlight=oils

thanks

 

[SpecOps13]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

This has always been a deep subject to go in to. I'm now up to my 37th bike. Total of appx 350,000 miles. I've run many different oils in them and never had an oil related failure. Castrol GTX 20-50 kept the 94 HD 1200 I used to own running to 75,000 miles before Wildman blew a hole in a piston. Currently, I'm running Rotella-T in both the VMax's and it seems to be working just fine. I run Red Line in my current HD 1200 and it gets 60 MPG at 90 on the highway, actually picked up 100 rpm at idle when I first changed to it. HD doesn't run the same oil through the clutch and tranny though. So full synthetic is alright for the engine. Until I hear a really good story, I'm gonna keep using the same oils..

 

[sdt354]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

+1 on Rotella-T. It's my favorite oil on earth, bike shifts well,and it's free. My next favorite will be any brand that's free (15-40).

 

[2fear]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

Mobil 1 full syn motorcycle oil, I used it in my 85, and now in 05 with no issues except for the $10 a quart :damn angry: There is an oil thread on this site with more info then you can stand to read, there is a lot of good info in that thread.

 

[bigrubbers4x4]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

My next favorite will be any brand that's free.

sounds like me. if its for free, its for me......lol my buddy brought me a free 5 gallon bucket of oil in the fall i think i will just use instead of paying the price for the royal purple at this time. thanks guys. 4 qts. right?

someone did paste a link to that oil thread above, holy reading about oil...

 

[Rhoy Carter]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

I run Casterol 10w 30 motorcycle oil with no problems

 

[4gasem]

which motor oil do you use?

Just make sure it doesn't say "Energy Conserving" on it.


Sent from my iPad using special algorithms and data nodes.

 

[RaWarrior]

Re: which motor oil do you use?

OK, here's the "general consensus", and the entire oil thread, in a nutshell.

Use any oil you want. Regular, semi syn, full syn, cheap, expensive, whatever makes you sleep better at night. EXCEPT oils that are marked as energy conserving (EC) or "high mileage" oils. Those contain special friction modifiers that will make your clutch slip. Otherwise, go nuts. There is very little to zero concrete evidence about which oil/brand is "best". All oils pass API standards, I don't remember what the Max motor specifies as minimum but I do know it's been succeeded at least once....meaning any oil you're likely to find meets a standard better than the Max "technically" needs.

Some people here religiously change every couple thousand with only the most expensive oil you can buy. Their bikes work fine. Others, like me, change it whenever, using whatever oil happens to be on sale. My bike also, works fine. My general guideline is when neutral starts getting tough to find, it's time for an oil change since the clutch is dragging more from the oil being less slippery. Usually 7-8k miles.

I've seen a generator motor run with used deep fryer oil in the case for days with no ill effects. Any oil is better than none.

Back on topic.....
Assuming you changed the filter, add three quarts then start the motor. Run it for a few seconds. Put it on the centerstand and wait a minute or two. Then top-up to the upper line on the sight glass.

 

[timscues]

Does the synthetic oils make the clutch's start to slip?

 

[4gasem]

Does the synthetic oils make the clutch's start to slip?

If your clutch is on it's way out, it won't help... The big thing that makes them slip is using "Energy Conserving" car oil.

Stick with either motorcycle specific oil or something like Shell Rotella T and you'll be fine!

Chris