Favorite Oil?

Hawk Joined: Jul 30, 2013 Posts: 302 Location: Chicago

I've been trying to search for this, excuse me if I missed it:

What's everyone's preferred oil?

Winter is coming to an end here in Chicago. We've had one of the worst on record... I am ready to ride and would like to have some fresh oil and based on things I've read on other forums, I am starting to wonder if I don't need to spend the extra $ for GN4?

Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 11:34 pm

Amsoil is really good stuff but Quite Expensive. I have been using Lucas synthetic blend 10w-40 for a few years now and it is good stuff for half the price of Amsoil. I like using synthetic blend because the synthetic oil molecules while much slicker and robust are much larger than natural oil molecules. Not all manufacturers recommend synthetic oil for their engines for this fact, especially when they are new and the tolerances are nice and tight. Just my humble opinion.

Hawk Joined: Jul 30, 2013 Posts: 302 Location: Chicago

1100russ wrote:

Amsoil is really good stuff but Quite Expensive. I have been using Lucas synthetic blend 10w-40 for a few years now and it is good stuff for half the price of Amsoil. I like using synthetic blend because the synthetic oil molecules while much slicker and robust are much larger than natural oil molecules. Not all manufacturers recommend synthetic oil for their engines for this fact, especially when they are new and the tolerances are nice and tight. Just my humble opinion.

Thanks. I had just read a bunch about Shell Rotella. Its only my second season riding. When I bought the bike I didn't know any better and put in Honda GN4 and it was also quite expensive. I thought it was the best but came across the Rotella thread on another forum and its much cheaper than GN4..

I did notice that on the hottest days last summer, I'm talking about 100 degree F, it was hard to shift the bike into neutral, sometimes it would even stick between the first few gears.. I was lead to believe this is an oil thing..

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 1:26 am

Honda GN4 (10w-40) for me. I run Rotella synthetic in the modern bikes, but the Honda conventional oil in the older ones. I put Rotella in my CBX once and (in my opinion) it caused the clutch to start slipping. I buy it in the gallon container -- it costs about the same as the Rotella that way.

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 1:57 am

Murderer. Killed another kitten.
Dead Horse

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:00 am

As long as we went down this road again, I think there actually is a new development in oil.

Saw on another bike site that Rotella T6 5w-40 synthetic is JASO certified..I'm not sure how those particular JASO designations translate backwards to our bikes requirements. The specs do mention increased resistance to shear which would seem important for oil that lubricates cylinder walls and a gearbox. Does that mean it may be an option for our bikes now?? Still doesn't show MC's as an application in specs though

Available cheap at the evil empire.....

Quote:

Shell Rotella T6 5w40 (API CJ-4, CI-4+, CI-4, CH-4, CG-4/SM), ACEA E9, Cat ECF-3, ECF-2, Cummins CES 20081, Mack EO-O Premium Plus, DC 93K218, MAN 3275, MB 228.31, Volvo VDS-4, JASO DH-2, JASO MA.

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:27 am

Penrite...

Twinstar Joined: Sep 25, 2013 Posts: 57 Location: Tasmania

Castrol GPS

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 11:29 am

But I love kitties......... Twisted Evil

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 12:27 pm

Valvoline 20-50 motorcycle oil in all my bikes. JASO certified, fairly priced and usually goes on sale at Autozone in the spring.

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 12:46 pm

tomk1960 wrote:

Valvoline 20-50 motorcycle oil in all my bikes. JASO certified, fairly priced and usually goes on sale at Autozone in the spring.

I cleaned out the Auotzone shelf here last spring. Gotta look for that sale again this year.

Thanks for the reminder Tom.

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 1:50 pm

5W is way too thin. 10W acceptable, 20W preferred. I only use 20W50 Casrtol non-synthetic motorcycle oil. This oil does not kill kittens!

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 1:56 pm

5W is way too thin. 10W acceptable, 20W preferred. I only use 20W50 Casrtol non-synthetic motorcycle oil. This oil does not kill kittens!

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 2:25 pm

tomk1960 wrote:

Valvoline 20-50 motorcycle oil in all my bikes. JASO certified, fairly priced and usually goes on sale at Autozone in the spring.

+1,, good quality oil at a reasonable price.

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 2:39 pm

I just use what Honda recommends. 10W-40 motorcycle oil. As long as you change the oil regularly it does not matter, and I would never put synthetic oil in these old bikes since they have a wet clutch system.

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 2:57 pm

I used to use Amsoil in all my bikes dirt and street but once it hit $14 a quart I switched to lucas and am very pleased with its performance.

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 8:52 pm

Psychotron wrote:

I just use what Honda recommends. 10W-40 motorcycle oil. As long as you change the oil regularly it does not matter, and I would never put synthetic oil in these old bikes since they have a wet clutch system.

My experience is that synthetic oil does not cause clutch problems. I use synthetic oil in all my bikes (3 of them older than 30 years) and have have never had a clutch problem.

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:19 pm

Bucko wrote:

Psychotron wrote:

I just use what Honda recommends. 10W-40 motorcycle oil. As long as you change the oil regularly it does not matter, and I would never put synthetic oil in these old bikes since they have a wet clutch system.

My experience is that synthetic oil does not cause clutch problems. I use synthetic oil in all my bikes (3 of them older than 30 years) and have have never had a clutch problem.

My understanding was that the JASO rating is supposed to correlate to wet clutch compatibility.

I've had problems with Mobil 1 synthetic in these bikes because of the fuel saver additives that aren't wet clutch compatible.

I think that Rotella T6 has promise as a superior choice of oil. And it's fairly cheap as far as synthetics go

The 5w rating is just the cold flow rating, and lower is always better for cold start wear with the same 40w hot rating that Honda recommended in the day.

And a wet clutch compatible synthetic should be a better oil in many respects to the traditional plain MC specific oils we have been using.

The only weakness I see with the Rotella is that since it is designed for diesels, it may not have enough Zinc in it for wear, as most new diesels (since 2006) have catalytic converters, and zinc shortens cat life..so they keep the levels low.

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 12:36 am

f4fast wrote:

As long as we went down this road again, I think there actually is a new development in oil.

Saw on another bike site that Rotella T6 5w-40 synthetic is JASO certified..I'm not sure how those particular JASO designations translate backwards to our bikes requirements. The specs do mention increased resistance to shear which would seem important for oil that lubricates cylinder walls and a gearbox. Does that mean it may be an option for our bikes now?? Still doesn't show MC's as an application in specs though

Available cheap at the evil empire.....

Quote:

Shell Rotella T6 5w40 (API CJ-4, CI-4+, CI-4, CH-4, CG-4/SM), ACEA E9, Cat ECF-3, ECF-2, Cummins CES 20081, Mack EO-O Premium Plus, DC 93K218, MAN 3275, MB 228.31, Volvo VDS-4, JASO DH-2, JASO MA.

Been using this for 2 years in 2 bikes, a combined total of 30k miles with zero problems.

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 12:55 am

smurdoch wrote:

f4fast wrote:

As long as we went down this road again, I think there actually is a new development in oil.

Saw on another bike site that Rotella T6 5w-40 synthetic is JASO certified..I'm not sure how those particular JASO designations translate backwards to our bikes requirements. The specs do mention increased resistance to shear which would seem important for oil that lubricates cylinder walls and a gearbox. Does that mean it may be an option for our bikes now?? Still doesn't show MC's as an application in specs though

Available cheap at the evil empire.....

Quote:

Shell Rotella T6 5w40 (API CJ-4, CI-4+, CI-4, CH-4, CG-4/SM), ACEA E9, Cat ECF-3, ECF-2, Cummins CES 20081, Mack EO-O Premium Plus, DC 93K218, MAN 3275, MB 228.31, Volvo VDS-4, JASO DH-2, JASO MA.

Been using this for 2 years in 2 bikes, a combined total of 30k miles with zero problems.

Might be worth a shot at 21 bux a gallon.

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 1:12 am

I tried Amsoil in the 1100 and the starter clutch caused a bunch of problems - wouldn't catch so it was a real bitch to start. Finally after pulling the starter clutch a couple of times with short term results I dropped the Amsoil, went back to the old stuff and haven't had a problem since. There, no kittens sacrificed. That being said I still use Amsoil in the Wing with absolutely no problems.

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 3:47 am

I prefer some form of scented massage oil. If it works for me, it will work for the bikes.

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 1:27 pm

f4fast wrote:

I've had problems with Mobil 1 synthetic in these bikes because of the fuel saver additives that aren't wet clutch compatible.

+1 on Mobil 1 and clutch problems, maybe a coincidence on a thirty year old clutch, but why take a chance.

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 4:51 pm

Mobil 1 is shit. If you haven't figured that out yet good for you. You just failed the advertiser
test. You make shit and put it in pretty bottle.

The goal is ZINK and Mobil 1 has none.

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:11 pm

sonicrete wrote:

Mobil 1 is shit. If you haven't figured that out yet good for you. You just failed the advertiser
test. You make shit and put it in pretty bottle.

The goal is ZINK and Mobil 1 has none.

Mobile 1 15/50 has 1300 ppm of Zinc.

The V Twin oil has 1850 and 1750 of Phosphorus.

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Files/Mobil_1_Product_Guide.pdf

If you're looking at oil, the easiest way to avoid oils without zinc is to look for the "energy conserving" symbol. Its a trick. The symbol indicates the lack of zinc that clogs up catalytic converters.

Anything that is listed against use in engines with catalytic converters is usually pretty good stuff, sadly enough. Hell, its the whole reason we've got roller cams in modern cars now days. The oil cant protect a flat tappet cam, which is exactly what we've got in the DOCH engines, which is another reason to seek out a decent oil. Used to be Rotella had a huge zinc content, but since they started mandating converters in diesels now, they've cut that back too.

Personally I still run 15-40 Rotella conventional oil in everything I own. Truck, car, bikes, power washer etc.

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 11:53 am

Shawn_Mc wrote:

sonicrete wrote:

Mobil 1 is shit. If you haven't figured that out yet good for you. You just failed the advertiser
test. You make shit and put it in pretty bottle.

The goal is ZINK and Mobil 1 has none.

Mobile 1 15/50 has 1300 ppm of Zinc.

The V Twin oil has 1850 and 1750 of Phosphorus.

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Files/Mobil_1_Product_Guide.pdf

If you're looking at oil, the easiest way to avoid oils without zinc is to look for the "energy conserving" symbol. Its a trick. The symbol indicates the lack of zinc that clogs up catalytic converters.

Anything that is listed against use in engines with catalytic converters is usually pretty good stuff, sadly enough. Hell, its the whole reason we've got roller cams in modern cars now days. The oil cant protect a flat tappet cam, which is exactly what we've got in the DOCH engines, which is another reason to seek out a decent oil. Used to be Rotella had a huge zinc content, but since they started mandating converters in diesels now, they've cut that back too.

Personally I still run 15-40 Rotella conventional oil in everything I own. Truck, car, bikes, power washer etc.

Now that the info regarding Zinc levels is universally recognized, and zinc additives are available all over.....

What is the down side of using Rotella T6 to get the superior characteristics of the synthetic, with a small amount of additive, to up the zinc levels?

Summit Racing sells a bunch of different zinc additives that could get you there. So hot rod guys appear to be using it in just this way.

The Rotella T6 is very reasonably priced and I use it for my diesel truck oil changes (10qts), I would love to use it in the bikes as well.

Synthetic MC specific oil is twice the price of the Rotella T6..

It seems that synthetics have much better wear and temperature characteristics than regular oil. If the zinc levels are there, it appears certain that they would be much better for an motor like the DOHC Honda that hits oil temps of 260 degrees.

Thoughts?

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 12:01 pm

I like the idea of a zinc additive. Never thought of that.

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 12:13 pm

Shawn_Mc wrote:

sonicrete wrote:

Mobil 1 is shit. If you haven't figured that out yet good for you. You just failed the advertiser
test. You make shit and put it in pretty bottle.

The goal is ZINK and Mobil 1 has none.

Mobile 1 15/50 has 1300 ppm of Zinc.

The V Twin oil has 1850 and 1750 of Phosphorus.

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Files/Mobil_1_Product_Guide.pdf

If you're looking at oil, the easiest way to avoid oils without zinc is to look for the "energy conserving" symbol. Its a trick. The symbol indicates the lack of zinc that clogs up catalytic converters.

Anything that is listed against use in engines with catalytic converters is usually pretty good stuff, sadly enough. Hell, its the whole reason we've got roller cams in modern cars now days. The oil cant protect a flat tappet cam, which is exactly what we've got in the DOCH engines, which is another reason to seek out a decent oil. Used to be Rotella had a huge zinc content, but since they started mandating converters in diesels now, they've cut that back too.

Personally I still run 15-40 Rotella conventional oil in everything I own. Truck, car, bikes, power washer etc.

I worked for a Toyota fork lift dealer and we used mobil delvac 15w-40 in everything because of the elevated zinc and phos levels.

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 1:03 pm

For those who like to use the motorcycle specific Castrol or Valvoline 20/50 or 10/40 from Autozone, it is on sale right now for $2.00 off per quart. Only $3.99 instead of $5.99. Ends April 7.

I will be stopping there today!!

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/deals/dealMaker/dealMaker.jsp?catId=102088&dealId=51041&systemCode=10&showDealMaker=true

Steve

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 1:16 pm

SteveG wrote:

For those who like to use the motorcycle specific Castrol or Valvoline 20/50 or 10/40 from Autozone, it is on sale right now for $2.00 off per quart. Only $3.99 instead of $5.99. Ends April 7.

I will be stopping there today!!

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/deals/dealMaker/dealMaker.jsp?catId=102088&dealId=51041&systemCode=10&showDealMaker=true

Steve

Thanks for the heads up on the oil at Autozone, I remember a few years ago when the regular price was 3.99, then there was $2 off!
I may make a run for the border this weekend, too bad the CDN/US exchange rate sucks right now.

CHeers!
Chris