The right oil for an Old Lady

[Subike]

I want to do an oil change on my 1979 SXEleven Yammy
She is 74000k's old, and as far as I know has never been rebuilt.
There are the odd damp weappy bits around her joints that tell me her gaskets are getting a little hard.
The head gear tensioner has still got adjustment left so, that should last a while.
Her valves dont rattle when shes warmed up so am not concerned with that either, Dont think she will blow her head of in the near future.
In all her heart is still sound, maybee a murmor or two can be heard after a good thrashing, but thats expected for a nearly 40 year old girl!

The recomended oil to use is 20W/40 SE.
But that for newish engines. The last time I changed the oil I used this and she sounded a tad rattlier than before.

My question to you experiance professional maintenance men.
(not the experts!! Ex being the unknown factor, Spurt just a drip under pressure)

Which Oil should I use, and should I use an oil conditioner with it, because of her age. I want to try and clock her before she needs a new heart!
(All replies will be conciderd to be good advice only after I read your profiles)

Oh I am also riding her to th KB South Island Stagepost gathering this weekend, so need to do it before Friday

[rudolph]

I use Septro 20/50 in my XS

[rudolph]

* spectro*

[cruza]

just a basic mineral 20/50 oil for motor bikes, and just run the ol' girl. No doubt it will use some oil and rattle like any air cooled engine of its era, just check oil level now and again.Even the basic oils we have now will be better than back in the late 70's Hopefully see you a staging post and make sure the 24 pack is strapped on well.

[JMemonic]

As cruza said a good mineral oil, there are plenty of useful links in some of the treads relating to using diesel oils in motorcycles although I have personally not tried this it seems to make sense. I have tried a semi synthetic oil in an older engine and it seemed to evaporate so I changed it back to the Spectro oil with the correct rating and that problem stopped straight away.

[xwhatsit]

diesel oils in motorcycles

Delo 400. Change at least every 1-2000kms.

[Taz]

I use Delo 400. Only change every 6000kms tho. Works great.

[cruza]

I use Delo 400. Only change every 6000kms tho. Works great.

They are good in bikes, But remember guys, this is a old high km rattler, delo(diesel engine oil) etc is high detergent , sometimes it cleans older engines to good, and turn them into real oil burners and make leaks appear where there wasn't any before.

[Taz]

They are good in bikes, But remember guys, this is a old high km rattler, delo(diesel engine oil) etc is high detergent , sometimes it cleans older engines to good, and turn them into real oil burners and make leaks appear where there wasn't any before.

Yeah I suppose. My BMW's only done 100,000 kms.

[Subike]

After reading few posts in replyto my first post
I decided to do some heavy reading.
So I dragged my blind old eyes across the many threads already posted in this forum re the use of, and types of oil best to use and why
I guess I should have done so before posting this thread.
With the diverse arguments that unfolded before my fuzzy lodgic brain
I came to the quint essential decision that a good desiel oil would be just the bee's knees
So Thinking of the old girls age etc,
I drained her belly and gourged her with Good ole fleet deisel oil.
Fired her up and wow, allthe cold rattles have gone!
So she will live another ride ! COOL!
As Maintenance is something that should be done more often than I realistically do
The next thing was to remove and clean the air filter
Yeah Right!!!!
Lovely crome air box, tarnished with dust and spiders webs
BUT NO FRIGGIN FILTER!!!
Where the fudge am I going to get one of those befoe friday!
Oh well I just hope I dont have to ride down any dusty shingle roads
or I will be the last in the pack , plus an allowance for the dust to settle.
So.
New battery,
New brake pads on the front grabbers,
New WOF and Rego,
New tummy full of oil,
Looks like I've now got no excuse for not riding her.

( But Ive never had a licence officer!!)

So see all you southern riders Sat morning on the lay by at Greta Valley
Will be togged up and ready from say 9am?
Sound good to you guys heading my way?

[dangerous]

just a basic mineral 20/50
agree, ideal for the eleven


Delo 400. Change at least every 1-2000kms.
WHAT 1-2000k... that Delo must be some shitty oil then a 1/2 decent oil should see you 5000km these days.


(diesel engine oil) etc is high detergent , sometimes it cleans older engines to good, and turn them into real oil burners and make leaks appear where there wasn't any before.
and for this reason alone I would not go there, diesel oil for deisels.

[Bonez]

The next thing was to remove and clean the air filter
Yeah Right!!!!
Lovely crome air box, tarnished with dust and spiders webs
BUT NO FRIGGIN FILTER!!!
Where the fudge am I going to get one of those befoe friday!
Oh well I just hope I dont have to ride down any dusty shingle roads
or I will be the last in the pack , plus an allowance for the dust to settle.
You could get some air filter foam in the interim. Para rubber stores have it. Cut to size, soak with 90 weight gear oil squeezing out the access, and place over the air box intake. Or shape it to fit inside the air box will need some mesh of some sort to stop the foam being sucked into the carbs. It might smoke a bit initially but should clear up.

Diesel oils seem to work well in my ol gals too. Have a couple of 30 something yo machines myself. Ive seen full synthetic oils cause previously oil tight bikes to leak like seives.

[Bonez]

WHAT 1-2000k... that Delo must be some shitty oil then a 1/2 decent oil should see you 5000km these days.

He's got a small single banger with no paper filter element and small oil capacity.

But you already knew that...................

Subike you should see well over 100,000km on that ol dinosaur ;).

[dangerous]

He's got a small single banger with no paper filter element and small oil capacity.

But you already knew that...................

Ahhhhh... no, you telling me the RS dosnt have a oil filter? learn something every day aye ;)

[Bonez]

Ahhhhh... no, you telling me the RS dosnt have a oil filter? learn something every day aye ;)I didn't say that. It doesn't have an easily accessable paper filter element.

[dangerous]

I didn't say that. It doesn't have an easily accessable paper filter element.

another words... just a gauze filter in the sump? :doctor:


Sorry Subike, this isnt helping you much.

[cruza]

Yeah I suppose. My BMW's only done 100,000 kms.

Fair enough, still be going for a low rating diesel oil, the new euro spec rating CI etc are very high detergent, designed for low emission engines that are heavy sooting, they even upset some of the older diesel's and increase oil useage due to there excessive cleaning. post was more of a caution, just happy to see another biker out there doing it.:yes:

[Mom]

20/50 oil, new filter, change every 5000kms. I would not use a deisel detergent oil in an old engine. I hear the cleaning claims, they may be true, but not for me. Love and lots of care is what i would recommend for your young and beautiful engine.

[Richard Mc F]

Had an XS1100 ran it on diesel oil...........great stuff, stripped the engine at over 80,000 kms to try and weld cases ( accident damage) and the lack of wear was remarkable, and the engine was clean :banana:my current choice is delo 400, rated for use in transmissions and wet clutches.

Beware of any oil claiming to help fuel economy, it may have friction modifiers and this may :buggerd: your clutch.

Never use additives:spanking:

I recon more like 200,000 plus kms, engine oil every 5000 km filter every 10,000 km, change the transmission oils and dont over lube the spline on the drive shaft.

I still have the shim changing tool ( and factory manual ) I used the tool once to change one shim that was at the upper end of the valve tolerances, those XS1100 are tough :jerry:

[Bonez]

another words... just a gauze filter in the sump? :doctor:


Sorry Subike, this isnt helping you much.You're on to it and a piddly 1.7lts of oil after draining.


Wouldn't be a REAL kb thread without a few twists and turns ah?

[Subike]

He's got a small single banger with no paper filter element and small oil capacity.

But you already knew that...................

Subike you should see well over 100,000km on that ol dinosaur ;).

So I believe, but even as a dinosaur, there are still a lot of modern rides that just dont have the grunt these old yammys have.
Ok, so the handling is not the best, and i guess the ride is a bit loose compared to the new stuff, but it still keeps up, and even a bit better sometimes.
Just like to know that she was the top of the super bikes of her year,
even the mighty kwaka was left behind lol
I think I may be one eyed!
lol

[xwhatsit]

They are good in bikes, But remember guys, this is a old high km rattler, delo(diesel engine oil) etc is high detergent , sometimes it cleans older engines to good, and turn them into real oil burners and make leaks appear where there wasn't any before.
My old high km rattler doesn't burn anything -- it does leak all over the place, but no oil will fix that short of glue :lol:

WHAT 1-2000k... that Delo must be some shitty oil then a 1/2 decent oil should see you 5000km these days.
Not much shorter intervals than what the workshop manual recommends; I just can't tolerate the loss of gearbox precision after 2000kms. I've tried some fancy Motul shit in it but it lasted less kilometres before the engine started to feel shitty, cost at least twice as much, and for some reason during that period the engine was even harder to start. Maybe just coincidence, but stick with what you know I suppose. 1.7L is correct; at least the frequent change intervals aren't too expensive. Wish the 5L Delo 400 containers just had an extra 100mLs in them!

I didn't say that. It doesn't have an easily accessable paper filter element.
For all intents and purposes, there's no filter. There is a little square of wire mesh in the bottom of the sump, but that's really only good for small rocks :yes: Right-hand-side crankcase cover has to come off to clean it, along with brake pedal, kickstart lever and exhaust. Thanks, Soichiro!

Anyway, sorry, back on topic.

[Kickaha]

Ok, so the handling is not the best

Thats not to hard to improve


Just like to know that she was the top of the super bikes of her year,

They also built some endurance bikes based on them with a conversion to chain drive which were raced reasonably successfully

[Bonez]

So I believe, but even as a dinosaur, there are still a lot of modern rides that just dont have the grunt these old yammys have.
Ok, so the handling is not the best, and i guess the ride is a bit loose compared to the new stuff, but it still keeps up, and even a bit better sometimes.
Just like to know that she was the top of the super bikes of her year,
even the mighty kwaka was left behind lol
I think I may be one eyed!
lol

Sounds like you're having fun. Enjoy. Dad owned the 11s smaller brother, an XS750D.

I take great joy in thrashing old mid to low capacity Hondas around. Cheap as chips and 3 bikes with over 100,000kms up.