Oil

[10-95]

Just changed the oil in my Speedmaster today. Had a question I'd like to throw out there.

Triumph suggests using their oil --at $48 gal-- :eek: . The manual says it HAS to be either full syntheitc or semi, in 10-40 or 15-50. Bryan/College Station doesn't exactly have the best selection of ANYTHING for a motorcycle, heck I couldn't even find Mobil MX4T, so I did some comparison of m/c oil vs car oil. I even e-mailed Mobil. Here is my e-mail and their reply:

Mobil1 motorcycles have higher levels of anti-wear additives, no
friction modifiers so it will not affect wet clutches, no viscosity
index improvers so the oil much more shear stable, it also comes in the
most popular viscosities that most motorcycles manufacturer's recommend.

******************internet.com wrote:

>Is there a significant difference between Mobil MX4T and Mobil 1 synthetic oil for cars? If so what is it?
>
>I don't see any big difference in motorcycle oil and car oil, so would it be safe to use Mobil 1 in my motorcycle?
>


I just can't see from what I know and what the company told me, why I need to pay $12 qt for oil when I can get Mobil 1 for about $4.50 qt. So I changed the oil today to Mobil 1 15W-50 and went for a test run.......No clutch slippage, pressure is good and the motor is running just fine. I saved about $40 if I bought the oil/filter from my dealer and did it myself or about $130 if I let them do it.

Anyone had any bad results from using car oil in their bike? Think I could possibly have any future warranty issues?

[AggieVFR]

I've used Shell Rotella T 15W-40 non synthetic in the past and have had good results. I recently switched to Mobil 1 15W-50 synthetic on my last oil change on the VFR and have had no ill effects. The important thing to check for is the energy conserving label on the oil container. If it is an energy conserving oil, it has the friction modifiers in it that cause wet clutches to slip. I used to buy Honda oil for my bikes until I got smart and realized that Honda doesn't make the oil, some other big name manufacturer does.
Check out this article on the Texas VFR Garage site:

http://www.yft.org/tex_vfr/tech/oil.htm

It was written by an avid motorcyclist and retired chemical engineer. He knows his stuff and is referred to as the VFR List guru for oil related topics. I hope that helps eay some of your concern about your choice of oils.

[swwwinger]

This article is kind of dated but is an interesting comparison between car and motorcycle oil. http://www.xs11.com/stories/mcnoil94.htm

Brett

[brd]

There have been a number of folks on the VFR list who have reported clutch slippage when Mobil 1 changed to their new Supersyn or "Powersyn" or whatever formula. Right Tourmeister?

The main differences I've heard are that moto-specific oil doesn't have the friction modifiers and also resists foaming (bikes have higher revs than most cars) and shearing (car oil doesn't bathe a gearbox).

[Tourmeister]

:tab Man I can't believe it took nearly a year for the oil thread to get started!!?? I used the car Mobil One synthetic in both VFR's. My clutch started slipping a little in the 01 but the 98 ran fine. I have since switched to the Rotella stuff recommended by Mike "Oil Guy" Guillory, the retired Shell Oil Chemist Guru. I bought it at Sams for dirt cheap. It runs great in both bikes. The clutch in the 01 still slips ocasionally. I'm starting to think the slippage is not oil related and that I may need to pull the clutch apart to check the innards for problems. Personally, I think a lot of the huffing and puffing about oil in bikes is much to do about nothing. Manufacturers are of course going to recommend their overpriced oil. Using another brand of oil WILL NOT void your warranty on any bike as long as you stay with the right oil weight ranges. Even so, the burden is on the dealer to show that the warranty issue in question is directly related to the use of a different oil, something hard to do. There is an act of Congress regarding use of third party products and manufacturer warranties. I can't recall the name but I'm sure someone here will remember it.

Adios,

[kurt]

Lots of folks are usung full synth Mobil 1 car oil 15W-50 in some pretty hot (150hp) Bandits without any slippage issues. Motorcycle Consumer News and Sport Rider also concluded that there was np reason not to use them if they met your viscosity requirements. Personally, I never got past the motorcycle specific part and use Amsoil 10W-40 motorcyle specific oil.They sell it locally over the counter for $8 per quart.

[Tourmeister]

$8 per quart.

Ouch! I paid $30 for 36 quarts of the Shell Rotella stuff at Sam's. It came in (6) six quart resealable jugs. Even with two bikes, it will be a while before I run out ;-)

Adios,

[scratch]

Been using automotive Castrol Syntec 10W-40 for a couple of years in two different bikes without any problems. It isn't marked as being an "energy conserving" oil on the API rating on the label and I've never experienced any clutch slippage either. The recent Sport Rider Magazine test article where they compared motorcycle and auto oils also showed that Castrol Syntec has a significantly higher content of acid neutralizers than any mc oil they tested. Since my bike sits unridden for most of the week, that sounds like a good thing.

Like most of you, I'm not convinced that there's a compelling reason to lay out the kind of money they want for motorcycle-specific oil, and for the price of mc dino you can get auto full-synthetic. What it seems to boil down to is using the weight of oil that your bike's manufacturer recommends, installing a good-quality filter and changing both of them often.

[10-95]

I paid $30 for 36 quarts of the Shell Rotella stuff at Sam's.


Sounds about my speed. I'm not afraid to tell you, my wallet is tight as a frog's ***** :mrgreen:


Thanks for the replies guys. Now there's no way I'm goign back to that $12qt Triumph stuff.

[FLUFdriver]

........ I never got past the motorcycle specific part and use Amsoil 10W-40 motorcyle specific oil.They sell it locally over the counter for $8 per quart.

Shop around for your Amsoil motorcycle sythetic. I have found it for $5.50/qt when you buy a case at a time from this independent dealer: http://www.syntheticwarehouse.com/ (Just do a google search)

Amsoil sells a motorcycle specific full synthetic that outperforms Mobil 1 for only about $1 more. It has scored highly in the MCN tests as well.

http://www.amsoil.com/products/streetbikes/index.htm

[kurt]

I have a guy on the Max-Zuk site that sells at a discount to members when I plan that far ahead. I forget what it comes to per quart, but it is probably in that range.

[The Veg]

This is why I love my Beemer. Dry clutch baby!!!!!!!!!!! :mrgreen:

Cars switched to dry clutches decades ago. Boggles my mind that so many motorcycle manufacturers don't do likewise.

[Tourmeister]

Boggles my mind that so many motorcycle manufacturers don't do likewise.


:tab It makes the bikes sound like International Harvestors :-P We toured with some friends that were on a Duc ST-2 and a 748. We nicknamed them Massey and Ferguson :lol: The rattle at stoplights was deafening :roll: Otherwise, I see your point, hehe.

Adios,

[10-95]

This is why I love my Beemer. Dry clutch baby!!!!!!!!!!! :mrgreen:




My dept just got RT-Ps. Went to add some oil and top one off so I went to the owner's manual, which was as confusing as heck. Called the dealer in Austin and they poo-poo'd the use of just about anything I can get around here. They gave a big thumbs down on anything but m/c specific oil and said they would not recommend Mobil MX4T, which I had 8 qts.

Of course when I e-mailed the owner for some problems with our next 2 bikes he said it wouldn't hurt anything to top them off with any synthetic oil as long as it was the same weight. So who knows?? :shrug:

Oh, BTW that BMW oil $78 a case :eek:
And it's just Castroil!!!!!!!!

[ddavis]

I use Mobil 1 in both my bikes and have never had a problem. I know that isn't mutch help but, at least another opinion.

[The Veg]

If something was rattling I'd be a bit concerned. Are you sure it was the clutch? Sounds like bad design to me if was.

[FLUFdriver]

My Ducatisi friends tell me loud clutches save lives! :wink: :chug:

I'm not so sure about the clutch rattle, but a pair of Termignoni's on a Duc makes up for the rattle quite well. Its the sweetest sound I've ever heard from a bike.

[Tourmeister]

:tab The clutches are what makes the noise. The plates rattle when the bike is in nuetral with the clutch lever out. Wet clutches do it a little as well, just no where near as loud. On the Ducs it is loud enough to hear easily when sitting next to them at a stop light. I ride with ear plugs too :lol:

:tab The 748 Aaron was riding has a set of Fast By Ferraci pipes on it. MMMMmmm.... When he went blasting around a curve for a photo op, the sound as he approached and then blew by was intoxicating!! For some reason the ST-2 doesn't seem to sound as good to me :shrug: Not that it is bad mind you ;-)

Adios,

[scratch]

:tab The 748 Aaron was riding has a set of Fast By Ferraci pipes on it. MMMMmmm.... When he went blasting around a curve for a photo op, the sound as he approached and then blew by was intoxicating!! For some reason the ST-2 doesn't seem to sound as good to me :shrug: Not that it is bad mind you ;-)


How a Ducati sounds depends a lot on the particular end-can you install. Opening up the airbox lid can also free up a lot of that v-twin music. I wish you could have listened to the 750SS I had a couple of years ago. It had twin C-5 Two Brothers titanium cans (same as on Beth's VFR, in fact) plus a cut-down airbox and a custom tune for the fuel injection. At idle it had a very nice, deep rumble, but the best thing was to chop the throttle and listen to the intake roar while engine braking - that always gave me a huge grin. :mrgreen: 8)

I really do miss that bike sometimes... :(

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab My buddies (91 or 92) 900SS has lots of those mods done to it. He bought it from a guy in Salt Lake City that is known for hopping up Ducs. When I was riding the bike, the coolest thing was to roll off the throttle, then whack it to WFO and listen to the howl from the air box. It would literally make my ear drums resonate and buzz. I could not quit doing it :twisted: Oh, and the pipes sounded pretty good to, hehe.

Adios,

[sphpkr]

They sell it locally over the counter for $8 per quart.

I'm running Amsoil in all my vehicles. I signed up as a dealer to save some $$. I get it delivered to my door for about $5.75 / qt.

[Tourmeister]

Sphpkr, is this some lame attempt to recover this thread from a serious hijacking? :-P Okay, okay... we'll get back to talking oil ;-)

Adios,

[Fangs]

Does anybody use Shell Rotella 5W-40 synthetic? Have read a few articles on this particular oil.Any opinions?

I have used it for about 2 years,3 motorcycles,2 fourwheelers with what appears to be good results.


Used synthetic after break-in period.

Keith

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab I am using Shell Rotella SAE Multigrade 15W-40, have been for quite some time now (last 15K miles or so). I bought it at Sam's Club. It came as a box of (6) six quart resealable containers for a whopping $38. I think that is a little over a buck a quart. Work's great. I like being able to use the old containers to hold the old oil. They work better than any of the oil containers I've gotten from any Autoparts stores. I've even been using the stuff in the cars.

Adios,

[AggieVFR]

I've used the Rotella T 15W-40 with great success in both my bikes. I've never tried the 5W-30 though. I'm trying Mobil-1 15W-50 currently and so far I've seen slightly reduced operating temps, so I'd imagine the Rotella Synthetic would do the same. After just installing the top-end oiling kit on my 500 as well as using Engine Ice instead of regular coolant, I'd say my temps have dropped about 20 degrees. I'll have to check it next to another 500, but it at least seems that much cooler.

[Anonymous]

Sphpkr, is this some lame attempt to recover this thread from a serious hijacking?

Not really, was just trying to figure out the "quote" function :?
On the other subject, I got to hear Steve's (Desmo) ST4 with D&D cans today. Sweeet!!!

[Tourmeister]

Sphpkr,

:tab The easiest way to do a post is to highlight the text you want to quote, right click and select COPY. Then go to the message editing window. Hit the QUOTE button at the top of the window. Ity will put the following in the text:



That is the opening tag. Now place the cursor right after that and paste the text you copied. Then you need to close the quote tag. If you see an asterik on the quote button, it is expecting you to close the quotes. When you click the button, you'll see the following tag:



Note that the only difference is the / inside the brackets. You don't have to use the buttons, you can just manually type the tags. The same is true for all of the different tags shown at the top of the editing window.

Adios,

[Desmo]

Now how do you work the quote thing?

On the other subject, I got to hear Steve's (Desmo) ST4 with D&D cans today. Sweeet!!!

Kelly, thanks. This is my first V-Twin (prevously many UJMs) and I love it, very addicting.

Back to the original thread, everything I have read says there is virtually no difference between car and motorcycle oil. Especially not enough to make them cost 5x more. Personally, I use Mobil 1 synthetic in the Duc. Partially out of convenience. I have a turbocharged sports car that also uses Mobil 1. I figure if it is good enough for a turbo that glows red hot, it is good enough for my bike.

Steve

[AggieVFR]

Back to the original thread, everything I have read says there is virtually no difference between car and motorcycle oil. Especially not enough to make them cost 5x more.
Steve

Just make sure that the oil is not the energy conserving type for wet clutch applications. Probably not a concern for you Duc owners... :wink:

[Desmo]

Speaking of oil, below is a link to the Valvoline site that offers a rebate for 5 quarts of "Max Life" (yes, free oil!). I used this stuff in an old cage and it performed as promised.

http://www.valvoline.com/pages/rebates/rebate_details.asp?rebateid=9

Steve

[Anonymous]

Mobil 1 15-50 syn. caused the starter clutches to slip in my VFR. The engine clutch had no problems, but it would spin out the starter clutch pawls hot or cold. Switched to Castrol Syntec and haven't had any other probs.
I've been a heavy diesel tech now for about 20 years. All of these engines have very extensive gear drives, along with turbochargers that see very high speeds and temps,(these turbos will jump into the 150,000rpm range very quickly). Rotella is one of the largest oils for this market. It does a great job of handling the shear problems associated with gear drives, resists temp break down, and fights acid build up very well. Rotella synthetic should do a great job of handling a M/C engines needs. How come I'm not using Rottela synthetic??? Cause I'm the cheapest B$%stard on the planet, and I worked a deal with a local distributor for Castrol.......That's just me 2 cents worth in case you have been told you are crazy for puttin that there diesel oil in yer motorcycle.....
Hey Scott.... Garrell and I may see you all in May at Eureka.. Probably stay at his Dads house in Holiday Island........And what's this I hear about you sellin off your VFR's????? Have you lost your ever luvin mind?????? You guys ride safe, Pat

[Tourmeister]

Hey Pat!

:tab Split a room with Garrell and come stay at the Comfort Inn with the rest of us ;-) That way you don't have to worry about riding back to his Dad's place late in the evening after we've been "relaxing" :-P

:tab Yeah I know... crazy for selling the VFR's hehe. But it will be nice to do something different for a while. I've logged close to 100K combined on both VFR's in the last 3 years. The BMW R1150GS is a great street bike but can do some unpaved duty as well. We have tons of little backroads around here in the woods to explore. So it would be a lot of fun.

Adios,

[Anonymous]

Pro Cycles in Houston sells a 4 liter container of motul synthetic for $18-20. It's more expensive than regular automotive oil, but i guess it's not too bad for motorcycle specific oil. approx 4.29 - 4.80/qt.

[Tank]

Oil is such a touchy subject in motorcycle forums. Ok just a note so you know what I’m saying is not BS, I sell Amsoil synthetic lubricants. Amsoil certifies me for retail sales, commercial sales, and T1 referrals. In short I have to go to schools so I don’t give out the wrong information. Ok with that said I use Amsoil in every combustion engine thing we own it has performed with out flaw in every application. It is guaranteed in writing not to harm your application. It out performs every other synthetic in the 4 ball wear test (industry standard). You can by it retail cost is as high as $12.00 in Houston but if your interested I can get it factory direct to you for much less. If you want test results let me know Ive got a ton of them

[ScootR]

Um...guess it's time for me to jump in here. I do engine research and testing at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio Texas for the past 22+ years. Most of the work is oil testing/certification. I'm a Staff Engineer and in charge of the Heavy Duty diesel engine oil programs. My preferences are syn oils, bike specific 1st choice, and HD Diesel as a 2nd choice and lastly Mobil 1 15W-50 red cap. I use 15W or 20W-50's in everything for superior wear protection and thermal stability. I do not like any 10W's and will never, ever use anything lower than that unless at the North pole. Our testing both full scale and using radio-active engine components show 2-10 times less wear on a 20W-50 versus a 10W-30 everything else being the same except the viscometrics. The main property that measures this is HTHS, high temp/high shear vis, the 20W-50 was 5.3 cP and the 10W-30 was 3.2 cP. The best wear I've seen on all of the tests I ever performed were 20W-50's. Some other oils like 15W-40's come close
but never as good as the higher vis oils do. I have done lots of used oil analysis on bikes and have seen some huge differences. My bike on Mobil 1 20W-50 has aluminum and iron levels of 20 and 10 ppm. Another bike using 10W-40 Honda oil was 200 and 100 ! Big difference. Every bike I've checked so far has had 3-5 % fuel dilution. Some had viscosities as low as a SAE 20 that were 40 or 50 grades to begin with. Not good. I now change my oil every 3000 miles mainly to keep vis from getting too low. It is true that most syn 20W-50's have no viscosity improvers and can't shear down.
MB1 has a HTHS of 5.44, highest I've seen so far.

[ScootR]

Trying to add some actual data on ring and cylinder wear rates vesus SAE grade/HTHS/Vis...

Graphs of ring wear (http://people.delphiforums.com/SCOOTRVFR/smallRingLinerWear.jpg)

[big image, use the url tag. I fixed it. Admin.]

I give up, help ? I do know if you copy and paste this link it goes to the pic I wanted to post... :chug:

[HiSPL]

Hey ScootR.... Good to have your experience on board here.

I have been trying different oils lately. All these are dead dinosaur oils. I'll buy a case of something and see how it compares. I have used Valvoline, Pennzoil, Castrol, and now Halvoline. All were 10w-30 which is recommended for my bike. Oddly enough its the cheapest stuff (halvoline) that seems to perform the best. I commute all the time in city traffic. This means that I change my oil pretty quickly, about every 1000 miles. I usually change the filter every other oil change. I judge when to change my oil by how hard it is to find neutral. Highly scientific, I know :roll: . But it seems to work. Valvoline and Pennzoil lasted about 800 miles before getting stiff. Castrol was even less :-? . The Halvoline is at 800 miles right now and the shifting is still slick as greased owl schitt :-D . I will probably try the rotella next because of the glowing reviews here.....


ScootR, what do I have to do to get you an oil sample? And what will it tell me about my bike and choice of oil?

[ScootR]

Send it to me along with 4 oz of the new oil too.

Attn S. M. Richards/Div 08
Southwest Research Institute
6220 Culebra Road
San Antonio Texas
78238-5166

I've done over a dozen bikes now. I can tell how good I think the oil is and if there are any unusual signs of wear or other problems like fuel dilution, coolant in oil, bad air filter, etc...
I would not use any 10W oils at all. Are the oils you are using "energy conserving" 10W-30's ? What kind of bike is it ? Strange they call for a 10W-30 and even stranger you can sense a loss in performance based soley on shift feel. 800 miles is an unbelieveably short drain interval BTW. You must have money and oil to burn !

[ScootR]

Oh...what are you doing up there in my old school grounds ? BSME class of 81 here.

[HiSPL]

I would not use any 10W oils at all. Are the oils you are using "energy conserving" 10W-30's ? What kind of bike is it ? Strange they call for a 10W-30 and even stranger you can sense a loss in performance based soley on shift feel. 800 miles is an unbelieveably short drain interval BTW. You must have money and oil to burn !

Its an '81 Suzuki GS 750E. Completely air cooled. 10w-30 is what the factory called for. Its even stamped on the filler cap. I commute 3.5 miles each way, everyday. I think that might have something to do with the short intervals. These are not energy conserving oils. Just the most standard, cheapest, dead dino you can get. I don't necessarily judge the oil change interval by shift "feel" so much as how hard it is to find neutral. When the oil is old it will be very hard to go into neutral. It just clicks between 1st and 2nd over and over.

I certainly don't have money to pour down the drain (pun intended ;-) ). If I could find something that let me go 2-3k miles between changes I would be ecstatic. Of course I'm not ruling out the fact that the bike itself could be destroying the oil. You may find gas and water and little bug parts in there for all I know :lol: .

I will send you a sample the next time I service the bike. Thank you very much for the factual information that you provide to this mysterious subject....

:chug:

[ScootR]

I was thinking about you at lunch today as I was talking with a Chevron guy about oil compatibility
issues. Most oil companies test to see if their oils are compatible with others, maybe 40 different brands. But this consist of bench tests not actual engine testing. I've seen research that showed this is probably not a wise thing for you to do changing brands/types of oil all the time. These engines can hang-up a 1/2 qt of oil out of ~ 3.5, ~ 14 % dilution.
I've seen cases where one oil's additive package can totally deactivate another's anti-wear additive. Some of the additives in oils are very surface active like dispersants, anit-wear, etc... and because of this all oils are extremely fine balances of properties and mixing different brands and/or types can be very dangerous. Sometimes even adding more of one type of additive can screw up the whole oil. More is not always better. Many additves are polar and compete with each other, the dirt, the water, and the metal parts are all trying
to attract/attach themselfs. I would suggest you pick one brand and stick to it.

[Tourmeister]

ScootR,

What do you recommend for the VFR 800?

Adios,

[ScootR]

I believe in higher vis grades, SAE 40 or I prefer 50's. I don't like 10W anything. Have always see wear problems and deposit problems with 10W's. Lower base oil I guess. I like 15W or 20W. Me ? I use Mobil 1 15W-50 Red cap in all cars/trucks. I use the Mobil 1 20W-50 V-Twin bike oil in both bikes. 2002 VFR and 2001 Magna. Don't let the V-twin scare you off, just marketing, I know the formulator personally and he told me and I confirmed via analysis it is the exact same additive package as their MX 4T 10W-40, just different base stocks. Matter of fact, the 20W-50 has no viscosity improvers at all and therefore can't shear down.
It is a full syn and I prefer syns. A good 2nd choice
for a bike would be the MB1 15W-50, still has lots of anti-wear and no friction modiers as it is not energy conserving. I recently checked their new blend and it still looks good. 3rd choice for bikes would be HD Diesel oils like DELO-400 or Shell Rotella T, 15W-40's, excellent oils. All mono-grades are junk now, cheap oil and additives used. All the work goes into multi-grades for the past 20 years or so.

I'm testing the Shell Advance Ultra 4 15W-50 m/c oil. Got it direct from a friend at Shell as it is not sold in the US, yet. Trying to change that ! It's analysis looked great and should be checking the used oil from my VFR very soon. I know Shell very well and they don't screw around. Shell is factory fill for Ducati and Ferrari.

[Tourmeister]

I have been using the Rotella 15-40 for some time now in the VFR. I am experiencing what I think may be slight clutch slippage in the 01 with 46K miles on it. Some time way way back, between 6K and maybe 30K miles, I was running the Mobil 1 15-50. I switched because the Rotella was literally bucket loads cheaper at Sam's Club. The slight slippage was also noticeable before the switch though. Interestingly, our 98 was given the same oils during that time and ridden harder than the 01 on a regular basis. It never has had any hint of slippage. :shrug:

I wonder if I just need to have the clutch looked at?

Adios,

[ScootR]

What makes you think that ? Are you seeing a rise in rpm w/o any change in mph ? These kinds of things are usually mechanical and not lube related IMO.

[Tourmeister]

:tab Occasionally, when I take off in first gear, when I am slipping the clutch, I will get a strange shuddering sound. Hard to describe really. The RPM's are going up but it is hard to tell if that is from the intentional slipping or unintentional slipping of the clutch. Once the bike is under way, I've never had any other problems.

[HiSPL]

Oh...what are you doing up there in my old school grounds ? BSME class of 81 here.

I work here. At the Rudder Theater Complex. I am a very bored sound guy. My wife graduated in '00 with a BS in environmental science, but she stays at home with the kids (Joseph 2yo and Grace 4yo).

I would suggest you pick one brand and stick to it.

Thats what I'm attempting to do. I just wanted to find the best cheap oil for my bike. Maybe I'm to blame for the short lived oil? Wouldn't be the first time I goobered something up :suicide: . When I run through this case of Halvoline I think I'll buy the Rotella and stick with it for a while. I might do a nice flush on the first oil change so I have mostly Rotella in it. I'm thinking do an oil/filter change and then ride 15/20 miles then doing a drain and refill. Would this help when changing brands/types of oil?

And thanks again.

[Texas T]

I know this is an old thread to resurrect, but I've been looking into the whole oil thing the past couple of days.

My conclusion thus far based upon discussions in about 4 different forums is that I can do no wrong with the Rotella 15-40.

For those using Mobil 1, the guys on one of the Wing boards are discussing the fact that Mobil has reformulated their MB1 and it is no longer recommended for wet clutches.

There is also discussion on COG that Wal-Mart is going to stop carrying this oil. I'll try to get to Sam's / Wal-Mart tomorrow to check it out.

[bluedogok]

I use the Castrol Act-Evo Semi-synthetic oil in my Triumph, the manual says to use synthetic oil. It was recommended by The Euro Shop in Waco and they use it for a lot of their oil changes. A 4L jug is $18.95 vs. the $48.00 for the Triumph oil which is actually Mobil 1 MC oil. Cycle Gear has the Castrol also for I think a buck or two cheaper.

[brd]

There is also a $4 rebate on 4L of castrol from now thru July, I believe.

[Tx Rider]

Lots of folks are usung full synth Mobil 1 car oil 15W-50 in some pretty hot (150hp) Bandits without any slippage issues. Motorcycle Consumer News and Sport Rider also concluded that there was np reason not to use them if they met your viscosity requirements. Personally, I never got past the motorcycle specific part and use Amsoil 10W-40 motorcyle specific oil.They sell it locally over the counter for $8 per quart.

This is what I'm running now in my FZ-1, as far as I know as long as it doesn;t say energy conserving in the little round decal on back it's probably ok.

Mobil 1 red cap.

Runnin syn3, harleys synthetic in my harley.

[Texas T]

Went to Sam's Club and Wal-Mart today and both locations have LOTS of the Rotella 15-40. W-M had a few quarts, lots of gallons, and some cases. Sam's had several pallets of cases, minus the one case I purchased for $39... $1.67 per qt cost.

W-M was a little more expensive, about $42/case.

[kurt]

For those using Mobil 1, the guys on one of the Wing boards are discussing the fact that Mobil has reformulated their MB1 and it is no longer recommended for wet clutches.

Got a link? Mine still doesn't say "energy conserving" on the jug.

[gotdurt]

I've been using Rotella Synthetic 5w40, really like it. I've also read some really good things about it for bike use. I've actually started using it in my other vehicles as well, it even quites the noisy hydraulic lifters in my Trooper.

[Texas T]

For those using Mobil 1, the guys on one of the Wing boards are discussing the fact that Mobil has reformulated their MB1 and it is no longer recommended for wet clutches.

Got a link? Mine still doesn't say "energy conserving" on the jug.

Towards the bottom of the page. Unverified.
http://bbs.gwrra.org/board/messages/11/76827.html?1107890599

[Tx Rider]

They are talking about this on the FZ1 boards as well, but I just bought some at the auto parts store and it has no energy conserving label either.

[HiSPL]

I've been running Mobil 1 red cap in my 1100 ever since it's resurrection. The thing I've noticed the most is the lower operating temperature of the bike. This is a big deal for an air cooled machine.... I think I'll stick with it. ;-)

[Mr Ed]

Shop around for your Amsoil motorcycle sythetic. I have found it for $5.50/qt when you buy a case at a time from this independent dealer: http://www.syntheticwarehouse.com/ (Just do a google search)

Amsoil sells a motorcycle specific full synthetic that outperforms Mobil 1 for only about $1 more. It has scored highly in the MCN tests as well.

http://www.amsoil.com/products/streetbikes/index.htmA friend and I split the cost, and he signed up with Amsoil as a preferred customer. We mix our orders and prorate the freight, and he has it shipped to his warehouse, and our cost for Amsoi 10w40 motorcycle oil is just under $5 a quart. We both keep some in stock, so if one of us happens to run out, we just borrow from the other until we get some in. It's very convenient for us.

[birdwh]

Well shoot...I just got back from wal-mart with Rotella 5w40 (recommended in my Triumph Haynes manual) and now I find this thread and see apparently highly knowledgeable folks are recommending higher cold weight, like 15w and above.

Maybe the Haynes manual recommends 5w because they assume you are in England with your Triumph and will be cold-starting a lot??

From what I understand, shouldn't a lower cold weight always be better? Faster cold lubrication and so forth.

[wczimmerman]

Well shoot...I just got back from wal-mart with Rotella 5w40 (recommended in my Triumph Haynes manual) and now I find this thread and see apparently highly knowledgeable folks are recommending higher cold weight, like 15w and above.

Maybe the Haynes manual recommends 5w because they assume you are in England with your Triumph and will be cold-starting a lot??

From what I understand, shouldn't a lower cold weight always be better? Faster cold lubrication and so forth.

The problem is multifaceted:

1. The lower temp performance is only marginally different at the temps we see here in Texas at any time during the year. I'm running 15W50 year round and I ride everyday to work. Coldest day was 17F. The temp where the oil is too thick for the oil pump for the 15W is far too cold to ride anyway. It is also here where a GOOD truly synthetic Group IV or V oil will shine in cold performance.
2. The lower vis to start means you will need more vis improvers to get the oil at the proper vis at operating temp. These vis improvers have no lubricating properties whatsoever and they cannot withstand the grinding through the teeth of the transmission. What you end up with is an oil that breaks down from a 40W at temp to a 30 or 20W between oil changes.
3. Test after test have consistently shown that a 5W or 10W base stock oil allows far too much valvetrain wear to occur. It's just too thin. Will this wear be noticed in the timeframe that you own the bike? That depends on your riding and how long you'll keep the bike.

The best oil? 20W50 full synthetic. MB1 makes one (the V-Twin oil) but it's expensive at $7/qrt. The next notch down is the MB1 15W50 (now called the Extended Performance at Walmart). It's reasonably priced and well tested in a number of bikes. It's what I run in my 04 VFR. The 50W at temp gives you great lubrication for the high temps and it's thick enough to float larger particulates than the 30 or 40W. The absolutely critical part is the base stock. Based on my research, that's a 15W minimum, even in my truck. The 20W is better, but the 15W works year round.

[gotdurt]

From what I understand, shouldn't a lower cold weight always be better? Faster cold lubrication and so forth.
I would say it depends on the motor, and what pressure it needs to operate properly at. Both my Honda Accord and Isuzu Trooper with the 5w-40 run much quieter cold than with 10w-40 or 20w50, but my Triumph was a little noisier. I'd say it does seem to break down faster though, which is OK with me, I change my oil more frequently than recommended anyway. I'd just try it and see, it really can't hurt (short term).

[birdwh]

Thanks!

I've been using 'BMW' 15w50 full-synthetic from the dealership the entire 36k miles. Guess I'll go for the Rotella-T 15-40. It's SOOO much cheaper than the others, especially the BMW 'motorcycle' 15w50.

I'm going to keep it till it quits so long-term wear does matter.

[wczimmerman]

Thanks!

I've been using 'BMW' 15w50 full-synthetic from the dealership the entire 36k miles. Guess I'll go for the Rotella-T 15-40. It's SOOO much cheaper than the others, especially the BMW 'motorcycle' 15w50.

I'm going to keep it till it quits so long-term wear does matter.

I'm not sure which manufacturer is providing the BMW 15W50, but you should know that the Shell 15W40 is not a synthetic oil. You'll be using a good dino/diesel oil, but not a synthetic. Again, it'll work but I wanted to point that out. Chevron DELO400 15W40 also outperformed some syns in testing. Not bad for a dino based diesel oil! That's the very type that is in my Dodge Ram right now with the MB1 15W50 full syn in the VFR.

One other note: not all oils that are labeled as synthetic are really synthetic. Mobil lost a lawsuit against Castrol years ago on this, so for many manufacturers a label of syn is marketing only (Group III base stock oil). That was the reason for my earlier comment on the BMW labeled oil-it may not be a true synthetic anyway so switching to say the Shell 15W40 may not be a large departure.

[Tourmeister]

:tab I ran the Rotella 5w40 in both VFRs for a LOT of miles and loved it! Changed the oil and filter maybe every 5K give or take a few miles. Bikes ran great on it! Dirt cheap at SAM'S CLUB. I bought a carton of 6 of the six quart containers for about $40, that's 36 quarts!! Lasted me a longggg time!

:tab I know use the Mobil One 15-50 in the GS since the 18K oil change. I am now at 44K and just recently it has begun using oil again... :-| When I first start it cold, it puffs some visible smoke for 5-10 seconds, but then for the rest of the day nothing. In all other respects, the bike seems to be running fantastic! Not sure what to make of this recent development... :shrug:

Adios,

[birdwh]

Alright, I went with the Mobil 1 15w50. Wal-mart price by the 5-quart jug is half that of the silly BMW 15w50 (really Spectro Oils 'synthetic'). Perfomance is fine, no slippy clutch anyway.

The one thing people seem to agree on is that higher visc is preferred, particularly the base stock, so that was the deciding factor. I think the Rotella non-synth 15w40 is a great deal though...only a few bucks per 4-quart jug...supercheap.

I saw a 0w30 at wal-mart...what the heck is that for? Salads, sauteeing?

[gotdurt]

I saw a 0w30 at wal-mart...what the heck is that for? Salads, sauteeing?
Isuzu actually recomends Mobil 1 0w-30 in a TSB for my Trooper, supposedly helps pressurize the hydraulic lifters properly and cleans as well. I'm not that brave, so I use 5w-40. I tried 15w-50 once, the lifters clacked like a diesel!

[ScootR]

Somebody say oil ? I'm back and raising **** !

Howdy guys :)

[wczimmerman]

Somebody say oil ? I'm back and raising heck !

Howdy guys :)

:bow:

[ScootR]

As we should all know by now, oil is oil, all tires are the same, VFR's are sport bikes not tourers, and the Spurs will win, dammit !

[MP Simmons]

As we should all know by now, oil is oil, all tires are the same, VFR's are sport bikes not tourers, and the Spurs will win, dammit !

What you doing slummin over here boy ? You didn't let that slop jowled, sway backed , asphalt colored VFR riding yankee rabble run you off did you ? You still running 1/3 Marvel Mystery , 1/3 gear oil, and 1/3 sperm whale oil ? Still getting ~ 55 K miles out of a used Cheng shin ?
Still doing my sister ? better my sister than my momma and momma ain't half bad !
Good to "see" you locally bro.

[wczimmerman]

You didn't let that slop jowled, sway backed , asphalt colored VFR riding yankee rabble run you off did you ?


Who you callin' a yankee? :lol:

[MP Simmons]

You didn't let that slop jowled, sway backed , asphalt colored VFR riding yankee rabble run you off did you ?


Who you callin' a yankee? :lol:

I beg yoa pardon suh, I was referring to some unsavory characters on another boad. The Good Col. Merriwether Beauregard Scootr and I had to clap erasers after class following our efforts to educate these motherless dogs on the inherit inferiority of non Texans.
I don't judge a man by the color of his bike suh, as long as it's red.
Yankees make great oil....once you get em in the ground long enough.
You all ARE from SOUTH Temple are you not ?

[wczimmerman]

Born in Mississippi, grew up in Louisiana, moved to Texas as soon as I could. Doesn't get more Southern than that.