Did someone say OIL Debate?

[crazyjimmy]

Usually I use Napa or castrol 20/50 in all vehicles that I own. Yes, I own old beater cars. The former owner gave me 3 quarts of Torco 10/40 motorcycle oil with the bike when I picked it up. After I fixed the oil leaks I changed the oil and guess what? The clutch felt better and was not as sticky after about 50 miles. It just plain engaged better. I remember that i had the same  experience with my 900 Ninja when I changed to torco also.

Has anyone else run into this?

[h2olawyer]

Went from Yamalube to full synthetic this spring.  Bike has only had Yamalube since new.  Was skeptical about the claims of synthetic oils.  Not any more - cooler, quieter running and much smoother shifting & clutch.  Made me a firm believer!  It is worth the extra $ to me.  Don't put too many miles on so normally change it @ beginning & end of riding season here.  (April - October)

[Rick G]

Torco is good stuff, the problem is , the price for their synthetic blend is now over 8.00 a quart . I switched to Mobil 1  red cap, (which was recommened by several on this forum) and it  offers all the advantages of Torco but is 4.00 a quart.

[gbranche]

For my most recent oil change (a week ago), I used Valvoline SynPower full synthetic, 20W50, bought at Kragen (or Shucks, or Checker, depending on geography) for $4.50/qt. It's too soon to really know if the experiment will be successful, but I've never heard any negatives about Valvoline products, and I've never had any bad experiences while using them.

YMMV,

Greg

[nvdranger]

Although I have nothing to add, I have heard bad things about use of Valvoline's car oil and its build up in the oil pan.  But to each is own and it really depends on who told you what/which info is correct.

Ken

[glennw]

I have used Valvoline on every thing I have owned since my first car in 1971. Never had any oil related engine problems. Most cars we kept well over 200K.
PS, I beat the p*ss out of my cars, they really do last longer that way
;D
Glennw

[harry_angel69]

I had a someone ask me today if I ever had any problems with full synthetic oil.  He was telling me that his clutch slips only when he uses full synthetic.  Has anyone ever heard of this issue.  I have been doing some local inquires and somone mentioned to only use full synthetic listed for motorcycles.  

What oil filters does everybody use, and where do you get them.  I do not have a local Yamaha dealer at the moment, so I was looking for an online source.

[h2olawyer]

I'm running full synthetic motorcycle oil - no problems -  smoother & quieter in both engine & transmission.  Online, Dennis Kirk has Fram and powersports pro has Yamaha oil filters.  I'm sure there are other sources.  I've used both Emgo and Yamaha filters.  Luckily, I have a Yamaha dealer locally that seems to always have the correct filter in stock.  Frams are good as well.  I'm sure there are lots of other online sources.

//www.denniskirk.com
//www.powersportspro.com

H2O

[Rick G]

JC Whitney sell them too.

[jasonm.]

Be careful of the fram filters. They had a bad batch that did not fit properly. Guys were cracking there oil filter covers. I measure the OEM and Frams. The Frams are an average of 3-4mm too tall.

[fiddlesticks]

Well I just filled er up with a quakerstate 10w30 semi synthetic that is for high revving and high heat. So far so good.

[tryder]

The Yamalube that I've been using is non-friction modified, for use with a wet clutch as in a Vision. Are the synthetics available in a non-friction modified blend? I'd like the coller, quieter, smooth shifting qualities of synthetic but gotta make sure clutch doesn't slip.

[silicon_toad2000]

I had a similar discussion on a datsun forum I fequent. Not so much about the friction modified stuff but about synthetic vs mineral.
One of the guys said he worked for an oil company and the synthetic oils contain more alkalies and they take about 5000km to burn off compared to a good quality mineral oil which only takes 1000kms to settle. He said if you use a synthetic oil and change the oil frequently it will eat you motor from the inside out.
I don't know how true this is, but I only buy mineral oil.

[Lead_Deficiency]

I changed mine from Castrol that came in it to Moble 1 20w50, then after a run I had to adjust the idle speed screw down because it was then idling at about 2500 rpm.

Is it possible to be that much slicker ?

I have put synthetic oil in every thing I've owned for the last 10 years never had a problem with it. I had a sentra that got a 100km better a tank and all I did to it was change the oil.

[RBFD415]

I bought oil for the bike today at the dealer- I picked up a gallon of Bellray synthetic- the counter guy, who is a straight shooter said it was a bad move- he said the bike would be blowing the synthetic past the rings and valve seals.

I ended up with a gallon of the Yamalube.

So- I read all your postings, and know what you guys said- question is are all you synthectic users still happy?

Is this guys ass out or what? I'll change to the Yamalube for now- and maybe next time switch up to the synthetic.

[Lead_Deficiency]

Depending how much wear is on the bike, it may loose a lot of oil past the rings and valves or not, try it and keep an eye on it. If you find yourself going through oil then its not for your bike.
I've put about 300 miles scince I changed over to mobile 1 and it hasn't gone through any oil.

[h2olawyer]

I'm running the Bel-Ray EXS full synthetic superbike oil. ?A very little smoke @ startup continues for a short time (less than a minute) nothing noticeable otherwise. ?Changed from Yamalube & noticed much smoother & quieter shifts & the engine just seemed to run cooler & revs more 'freely'. ?500 miles & no noticeable oil consumption yet.  I'm staying with it unless something oil related does happen.

What the guy @ your dealer said may be true for higher mileage engines that have been running petroleum based oils for their entire life. ?I've read someplace recently (sorry I can't remember where) that it is not a good idea to switch to full synthetic oil if you have more than 15,000 miles on your engine. ?(I'm all the way to 7,500 so far.)

Guess that was the long winded, lawyerly way of saying I'm still very happy with it.

H2O

[RBFD415]

Guys- Thanks for the input-

My bike may be 20 somthing but it's only got about 3600 miles on it so it's well within the mileage you mentioned. Like I said I'll try the synthetic next time. If you guys find any issues with the synthetic in the meantime please post them.

[jasonm.]

YOU SHOULD NEVER use any thing lighter than a 10w40. WHY?As stated in many cycle mags., because they are "energy conserving oils" with that silly star symbol. Those have the additives that cause clutch slippage. And a 10w30 will thin to water in about 1000 miles of warm weather. The new oils are not like the old, when these bikes were made.

[Lead_Deficiency]

I found this on the mobile 1 site, take it how you may.

Mobil 1 MX4T 10W-40 and Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 are recommended for 4-cycle, motorcycles which specify the use of a 10W-40 or a 20W-50 engine oil, respectively. These products will provide excellent performance in motorcycle engines that are designed with a common engine/transmission lubrication system or where the engine lubrication system is separate from the transmission system. In the case of the latter, follow the manufacturer's recommendation for the type of fluid to be used in the transmission. Mobil 1 MX4T 10W-40 and Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 engine oils are also designed to provide the proper frictional characteristics necessary for wet-clutch engine/transmission systems. Mobil 1 MX4T 10W-40 and Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 exceed the requirements of API Service Categories SH, SG/CF, CD and have been fully tested, both on laboratory dynamometers and in the field, to provide optimum horsepower and acceleration.

Has any personally experienced any problems with synthetics ?
 :-/