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Little Help here please

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$hooter

$hooter

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Sep 14, 2007
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Location
Fort Worth, Texas
First Name
Paul
Last Name
Slonaker
I have a 2008 Goldwing...nothing wrong with it, but I would like some advice on what type of oil to put in it. I have been running the regular Honda oil and filter in the bike since I bought it last August. Now that I am approaching 12,000 miles, I have been thinking about changing oil brands and running Pennsoil in it and trying to figure out what harm it would do...if any. I dont seen any harm to it at all. I have been running Penns for years and never had an issue with it in my cars, trucks and boat. What would you do?
 
Do what I do and look for something cheap. There is not a whole lot of merit to brand loyalty IMHO.
 
I agree with the poster above.

Think about motor oil as just that, motor oil... its a lubricating agent designed for engines.

Despite the brands, you basically have 3 types. Std. Non-Synthetic, Synthetic Blend, and Full Synthetic.

Within that, you have to understand that the molecular construct of motor oil is virtually all the same (even more so with Synthetic). The very fundamental aspect of a lubricating chain of molecules is unchanged. What brands do, is simply change up the additives they mix into the batch to call their product unique and to try and give them an advantage of being sold. (Its all about marketing and sales really) but the competition is fierce, and people have opinions on oil as the day is long.

Find the spec's for your GW, and shop for oil despite the brand, and whatever floats your boat, buy it and use it. I may get flamed here, and other Petroleum Engineers chime in to illustrate to me the errors of my ways, but this is my opinion and observations on the manufacturing processes of lubricating agents and oils. They are all designed molecularly around basic specific structures... with a little fairy dust thrown in for kicks to help it sell.

In the case of BMW and Honda... they all have their own oils, not because they are Petroleum Engineers and designed a better product... they have their own, because its that profitable to bottle up someone elses stuff and sell it in a bottle with a logo on it. People buy into that.
 
One major caveat: Wet clutch is allergic to many newer oils with the cleansing agents they have. Don't know if your wing is wet clutch - most jap bikes are. Your owner's manual should tell you what codes to look for on an oil. Several oil brands make one or more oil marked as SAFE for wet clutch operations - Valvoline, for example.
 
Check and be sure the oil is rated for motorcycles and you should be good.

For me, I run the Honda oil cause its easier then finding another brand that meets the motorcycle specs.

In the cage, its always Castrol
 
Shell Rotella-T
 
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All the oils sold on the shelf must meet the current API standards. If they all meet that standard, then they all are good. Just pick full syn, semi-syn or pure dino.

As for wet clutches, yes you do have to be careful. If your engine shares the same oil for engine, clutch and tranny you have to be more careful of which oil you use. Bikes that have separate fluids for the engine, tranny and clutch, you can use a fluid better suited for it's intended use.
 
kurt said:
I've never cared for Pennsoil, but my information and experience are very dated. Cheap doesn't mean bad. Since I believe the Wing and the ST use the same filter and have the same oil specifications, I'd recommend the Purolator Pure One filter and Rotella T in either dino or synthetic.

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Consumables.html#OilFilters

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Consumables.html#Oil
Click to expand...
I know the ST13 and VFR use the same filter. From discussion with the local Honda parts guy, it sounds like most of the Honda's use the same filter.
 
Use the Honda recommended weight motorcycle oil.

Oil for car engines often use additives that can damage the wet clutch in your bike. ie Moly

Is it really worth messing up you bike by saving a couple bucks on a quart of oil.

I use Mobil 1 Racing 10w 40 in my FJR and Mobil 1 V-TWIN 20w 50 in my Harley.

Don't want to spend 8 or 9 bucks a quart? Use Shell Rotella T 15w 40 about 12 to 13 bucks a gallon.

The Rotella is a diesel truck engine oil that several people use. The additive package will not harm your clutch. So they say.

But, then it's your bike use what ever you want.
 
Bought T-dub with 712 miles. Changed the oil to Quacker State car oil meeting SG rating. Caused the clutch to slip. Tried Castrol 4-stroke motorcycle oil. Clutch slipped worse. Switched to Havoline 4-stroke motorcycle oil. Clutch didn't slip as bad, but still wasn't right. Replaced clutch fibers with Barnett brand at 16,000 miles. Clutch didn't slip at all with Havoline oil, and had a wider friction zone. Now approaching 33,000 miles, and you know how hard I beat on T-dub. That Havoline oil doesn't owe me anything.
 
+1 for amsoil



That stuff rocks. My bikes run cooler and shift smoother. You will notice a difference.


PIA to get but I just buy a case a year and that does it for me.
 
I believe the item you want to STAY AWAY from is the "Energy Conserving" on the API stamp on the rear of the oil container. That is the killer of wet clutches. :nono:

Grumpy
 
After digging through some of these threads, I decided to give SuperTech a try (Walmart). $8 for an oil change. Shifts fine, no slippage after a 1000 miles.

Oil Analysis Nwew and Used
 
Do a search on www.gl1800riders.com for oil...you'll get more info and discussion than most people can assimilate.

So far I've stuck with the Honda brand - as an earlier poster stated it's just repackaged but since mine is still pretty new I do this in the event of an unlikely problem early in it's life in regards to warranty. Once I reach 10k - 15k I'll probably switch to a synthetic...from my understanding the Rotella and Amsoil help quiet the G'wing shifting.

Good luck..
 
I second the referral to gl1800riders.com. I frequent that site every day and there is ALWAYS a discussion of oil and filters going on... and on... and on.

I just bought my Wing (an '02 that is not new but is new to me). I had the oil changed the day after I bought it so I would have a benchmark date and plan to change it per schedule. The dealer here in Houston says about 4000 miles between changes. He used a synthetic blend - Honda HN4 without moly. He said the oil with moly was fine for the old Wings but not the new ones.

I am due for an oil change in about 2500 miles and plan to do it myself. It remains to be seen if I will use a different oil or just buy the four required quarts from the dealer at $7.50 each.

Just my 2/100 of a U.S. dollar...

-Saul
 
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