[ThaGuy97]

Over the past years i have heard more debate about the synthetic agains regular. for CARS> but i am new to the bike work and was wondering what was best for the bike. or if a semi-synthetic blend might be better.
Who is the better brand to trust for this, and same Q for the OIL filter.

THANKS IN ADVANCE TO ALL THOSE WHO REPLY !!!!!

 

[98corona]

I know this isnt answering your question, but it depends on the bike. There are a number of factors air cooled vs water cooled, compression, oil cooled heads and your clutch type.

Just saying oil is oil is like comparing tap water to distilled water to spring. All have their advantages and uses.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Don't take this as gospel but IMHO synthetics might have an advantage in a bike with some mileage already on it. They do protect the internals a little better but might be too slippery in some cases.

On the Volusia owners league site several owners have commented on the fact that switching to synthetic has eased their gear changing effort and has quieted a noisy gearbox. Owners that have switched to synthetic while the bike was relatively new have experienced clutch slippage.

So basically what you want to do is ride for the first 15 to 20 thousand miles with the regular then switch.

However most rider only ride less that 7,000 miles a year, synthetics cost twice as much as regular but require half as many oil changes so it comes down to a personal choice. If you are a long distance rider going on a 5,000 miles ride then yes I would recommend that you switch to synthetic in order not to have to worry about one more thing. But for Mr Joe Average why not just stick to the regular, it'll do the job nicely.

 

[98corona]

Well said Bob. Also as I have posted before be cautious when using automotive synthetic oil vs. motorcycle syn oil because auto syn contains detergents that eat up your clutch alot quicker.

 

[dirtyfingers]

Spectro has been providing a high quality motorcycle specific oil for many years now. Others include Klotz or Motul. All good. 98corona's right though when it comes to automotive oils. Motorcycle specific oils contain friction modifiers that are designed to work with wet clutches. Something cars don't have. There are countless arguments about synthetic vs mineral, some of it based on opinion. But, keep this in mind when choosing your next oil. When it comes to motor oil, you really get what you pay for. As for oil filters Fram or Emgo are the worst, they'll do, but o-ring design is poor, and are usually not the same size as OEM and may pose a space constraint. Most Honda filters and some Yamaha filters interchange, Either way a good chioce. Stick with what the factory gave your bike. The only aftermarket filter I would reccomend are Hiflowfiltro, or K&N. (K&N are not reusable)

 

[The Chad]

all I'mgoing to contribute
#1 never break in a fresh motor with synthetic.

#2 never use synthetic when you have a new clutch.
same reasoning for both, you need a certain amount of friction to "properly " break in both.

as for car oils in a bike, all I have to say is, aplication engineered, do you like your bike.

 

[pitbull76]

One thing that I've read a lot about recently is that Heavy-Duty(also known as Diesel) oils have very similar additive packages to MC oil. Shell Rotella even states that on their website (I'll dig up the link if anyone's interested). Rotella is very reasonably priced, and they have a synthetic available as well. A gallon of Rotella synthetic 5W40 goes for less than $15.00.

 

[79GS550]

i have a question about this I'm a big gear head when it comes to cars, and i work on cars alot, rule of thumb dont run snyth oil after having a alot of miles on your vechile due to it will eat your gaskets and cause serious leaks... now being that most people don't put as many miles on motorcycles as they due cars (guessing) would this rule apply to motorcycles?

 

[Diablo]

Provided the engine is broken in (rings have seated and cashaft followers have broken in) and as someone else mentioned, the clutch being broken in.....I would switch over to synthetic....

Typically the switchover can happen after the first oil change....

The difference is that the synthetic molecules are smaller and more uniform than the homogenously sized normal stock oil....

This is why high milege engines suffer from leaks when using synthetic...because the Synthetic oil gets into tighter places than do normal stock oil....

With this said....I would NOT use Castrol GTX or any other normal motor oils in my bike....Motorcycle oils have friction modifiers for the clutch....so to each their own on that one.

Normal stock engine oils have a propensity for thermal breakdown and viscosity problems earlier soon after the oil change....this means more
Nitric Acid, Carbonic acid among other combustion sude products are formed in the homogenously sized normal stock oil....

Because Synth oils have smaller, more uniform molecules, they tend to
be absorbed by foreign particles and break them down...(hence removing sludge on old engines causing leaks) and take much longer to reach the critical stage of breakdown.

In a sense....synth oils are worth their weight in gold....
1.better mileage
2.overall lower operating temps
3. less friction means longer lasting engine
4. more power due to loss of friction and heat

end result yeah it costs more....but the benefits far outweigh the burdens.

 

[79GS550]

ok well i just got my bike (79 suzuki GS 550) i dont know what they ran in it before but should i when i do the oil change b4 i start riding put in synt. motorcycle oil or reg motorcycle oil??

 

[pitbull76]

Provided the engine is broken in (rings have seated and cashaft followers have broken in) and as someone else mentioned, the clutch being broken in.....I would switch over to synthetic....

Typically the switchover can happen after the first oil change....

The difference is that the synthetic molecules are smaller and more uniform than the homogenously sized normal stock oil....

This is why high milege engines suffer from leaks when using synthetic...because the Synthetic oil gets into tighter places than do normal stock oil....

With this said....I would NOT use Castrol GTX or any other normal motor oils in my bike....Motorcycle oils have friction modifiers for the clutch....so to each their own on that one.

Actually, CAR oils have the friction modifiers, and those same friction modifiers cause MC clutches problems. Just make sure if you use car oils, that it does NOT have the energy conserving sign on the back of the bottle. I still pay the extra for MC oils myself.

 

[Mastermech]

Cycle oil vs Auto Oil

I think this article is just what your looking for.

http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cach...cnoil94.htm+motorcycle+oil+use&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

 

[Dr.G]

Amsoil has a really great Motorcycle Specific Oil in a 10w-40 and 20w-50. I recommend the 10w-40 all year round as the 20w-50 is an overkill and might slow down the engine due to added thickness that is not necessary. Amsoil can be had for about $5-$7 a qt depending on where you get it they sell online too.

K&N has a great filter for ease of R&R has it's own socket on the head type attachment for using a box wrench.

 

[flashman]

Has anyone run Mobil 1 syn. in their bike - does hte bike have a "wet clutch? I am worried it would make the cultch slip.

 

[pitbull76]

Has anyone run Mobil 1 syn. in their bike - does hte bike have a "wet clutch? I am worried it would make the cultch slip.

I have heard that standard Mobil 1 can cause problems, but they do make a motorcycle specific oil that will work fine, and the heavier-weight 15W50 probably works fine as well.

 

[Mike Burnham]

Clutch slip

Mobil One is a car oil for a dry clutch system. Motorcycles have wet clutch typicaly. Mobil One is not rated for motorcycles. I am using a semi sinthetic blend that is specific to motorcycles. It is a blend and cheaper than pure synthetic but gives better lubrication than regular oil. No matter what you have used you are safe with a synthetic blend. The trueth is, a blend will not allow clutch slip because it still have features that allow clutch to have friction, but the synthetic propeties allow silicone resudue to remain in tighter areas of motor. It will not last as long a pure synthetic but will last longer than regular oil.