Oil Brand, Weight Preferences

jeffreyhardy

jeffreyhardy

Jeffrey
This might have been done before, but I was just curious what each of you guys prefer in terms of oil brand, weight, etc. Any benefits that you have felt from your preferred oil..
 
Religion, politics, oil, tires... some discussions never end well.

Try doing a search online, it really has been argued ad nauseum.
 
I realize this is a religious topic...

I have been using the ole Honda GN4 10W-40 in my CM450, but I realize there have been some major upgrades in oil in the past couple decades. It might be time for me to switch. Seeking knowledge gentlemen!
 
Not trying to beat you up, sir. It's just that I have never seen an oil thread go well. Apparently, no group can agree on what flavor is best. I've seen everything from conspiracy theories about manufacturer recommendations, to chemist and engineers calling each other idiots.
I run castrol 20w50 car oil. And now that I've stated that, someone will let me know what an ignorant bastard I really am.
 
Buy good old fashioned mineral oil, 20w50 or so for summer months. If you can find 'motorcycle' oil so be it, but for the most part, oil is oil (I'm now going to go hide).

Pay a visit to your local friendly motorcycle shop bringing an empty oil jug with you and hand them $20 to fill it up from their oil-drum. Keep your local shops in business.
 
MILLENNIUM FALCON said:
I run rotela T diesel oil 10w 30.........don't hurt me. :-\
Click to expand...

OK, I've got sucked into it ::)

Rotella 15w/40 is a 'fleet' oil, and, it's been certified to JASO MA spec (for wet clutch engines)
I've run it in most of my vehicles at some time or other
I don't think I've seen Rotella 10w/30?
Only thing I do with it is add about an ounce of ZDDP additive as it has about 1200 PPM and optimum seems to be about 1700 PPM (one 4oz bottle will do 4 gallons of oil so last's a while)
In the 70's, all engine oils had about 17~2100 PPM

Ordinary car oil, (even when you can find non energy conserving) breaks down in about 750~1000 miles because transmission and clutch beat up the polymers.
I don't like Castrol because it absorbs water and turns to mayonnaise
Using 20w/50 is a bad idea in some bikes, CB550 will blow the top off oil pressure switch if you rev it more than about 3K before oil thins out
 
Even though this is very touchy I will give a word of advice. Just remember to stay away from oil with FMX modifiers with a wet clutch. It will cause slippage. That's all im saying you chose the brand and weight
 
crazypj said:
OK, I've got sucked into it ::)

Rotella 15w/40 is a 'fleet' oil, and, it's been certified to JASO MA spec (for wet clutch engines)
I've run it in most of my vehicles at some time or other
I don't think I've seen Rotella 10w/30?
Only thing I do with it is add about an ounce of ZDDP additive as it has about 1200 PPM and optimum seems to be about 1700 PPM (one 4oz bottle will do 4 gallons of oil so last's a while)
In the 70's, all engine oils had about 17~2100 PPM

Ordinary car oil, (even when you can find non energy conserving) breaks down in about 750~1000 miles because transmission and clutch beat up the polymers.
I don't like Castrol because it absorbs water and turns to mayonnaise
Using 20w/50 is a bad idea in some bikes, CB550 will blow the top off oil pressure switch if you rev it more than about 3K before oil thins out
Click to expand...


This is exactly what I usually have in my bike: Rotella 15-40w with some extra ZDDP. I'm not an oils scientist, but I've used this combination for years...decades, actually, and have had no engine issues that were oil related. I got in the habit of using this combination after much discussion with my car-racing friends, who drove older cars with flat tappets.

Sometimes, if it's a brutally hot summer and I'm doing longer rides, I'll have some 20-50w in the mix, but that's it.

That and changing my oil and filter often...

The JASO-MA rating is reassuring.
 
When I first got my 360, I ran it with cheap 10w-30 stuff and it didn't seem to mind. On the next oil change I tried out 20w-50 on the recommendation of another 360 owner and for some reason (placebo effect?) the bike seemed a lot smoother and happier. I ran that for a couple of months before I cooked the top end. I can't totally dismiss the oil as a cause, but I did have a decent oil leak that I didn't quite stay on top of and I was more than a quart down when it happened.
 
A good read on ZDDP if/when you get a chance:
http://www.zddplus.com/TechBrief2%20-%20ZDDP%20and%20Cam%20Wear%20-%20Just%20Another%20Engine%20Oil%20Myth.pdf
 
Synthetics...again, just my experience, and there's countless variables here, but I put full synthetic oil (proper weight) in my CB550, and and in my 1999 Suzuki Bandit, and there was visible weeping of oil at several gasket joints, which stopped when I put in dino oil the next time.

Having said that, the CB550 was...let's see...37 years old, as were most of the gaskets, and the '99 Bandit had been sitting for five years in a garage without being run before I bought it, so the gasketing might have dried out. In other words, this is no glaring indictment of synthetic oil.

So...I'm neutral on synthetics for old bikes, but given the cost of synthetic oil, and the frequency with which I change my oil, I just stick with dyno...
 
Synthetics are generally too slick for our old worn out wet clutches. And as mentioned it tends to weep through our tired old gaskets.

Dino oil FTW. Cheap and easy. I've been hearing ads for Valvoline recycled oil which is pretty cool.
 
Well for what it's worth, I'll weigh in with another vote for RotellaT 15w-40. It does give less slippage than other oils I've ran.
 
I'm absolutely disgusted...two full pages of polite, rational discourse on motorcycle oil...I'm reporting this to the moderator.
 
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