Automotive Or Motorbike Oil What do YOU use?

[John]

I've always wondered WHAT oil do you use?

Automotive, synthetic?
Automotive, synthetic-mix?
Automotive, fossil
Or
Automotive, synthetic?
Automotive, synthetic-mix?
Automotive, fossil

Why did you make this choice? a simple "ahh thats some cheap oil that should work keeping my 10K bike running" or "I want the best for my bike, because I love him/her".

This poll is solely for the use of people with little experience in this department as a reference to what they should choose.

(although I recommend individuals always try various types, and find what suits there bike best).

sorry if it seems like a repost, just trying to provide some answers for people like me to find when we need it..

[What?]

Nice sentiment, but all you are going to do is re-ignite the debates over mineral vs synthetic and whether friction modifiers kill wet clutches.

The best oil is what the manufacturer recommends, and clean.

[John]

i never really thought that it would be an uprisall over it if that be the case then I simply ask a moderator to close the thread.

[What?]

Mate, that is a bit extreme. What I was geting at is that this sort of conversation inevitably leads to giving the inexperienced a whole heap of confusion, rather than some clear guidance.
If you search around this site, there is some very good info on oils (Motu probably wrote the best bit), and links to other sites for a bit of techo talk. If you were really keen, you could put a summary of this into the FAQ section.

[James Deuce]

I like semi-synthetic for the reason that it a affords a little more protection on cold start, especially for bikes that only have side stands. I change it every 5000km, filter every 10,000km. Actually, I pay someone to change it. I'd leave something off if I did it myself.

[John]

yes, I did read all that - it was great and had led me to the choice of oil I will use, I just simply wanted to telly a consensus on what oil types we all use, for interests sakes, there was alot of talk and fact, but no actual statements of usage - I'm mearly interested in what oil types poeple preferr to protect there bike, sorry I'm edgy as heck today I hadto stay up all night and I have a crapload to do today.. sorry, just the morning 'mood swing' I better go get some beer... I mean COFFEE!! :P

[What?]

Good stuff, John.
I won't poll, though, because I have 4 bikes and they all run different oils.
Now, about that coffee...

[Motu]

I got concerned about the heat of the oil in my air cooled bikes and did some reshearch on oils - and found that the ester synthetics can cope with heat the best,so started using Silkolene Pro 4 in my bike.

But really I am a strong advocate of just using car oils,or preferably diesel oils in bikes - no need to pay extra for fancy packaging.The main oils with friction modifyers in are 10/30 and below - these are oils made to allow cars to pass economy standards tests in the US...stick with 10/40,15/40 and 20/50 and you shouldn't be getting involved in friction modified oils - read the packet!

The best you can do is change your oil often - but not too often,it needs time for the additives to activate.The dirt bike riders change their oils at 300kms! a bit extreme,but they get extreme use and it was found over 20 yrs ago with Honda's,the only way to beat top end wear was to use the best oil you could get and change it often.

[White trash]

But really I am a strong advocate of just using car oils,or preferably diesel oils in bikes - no need to pay extra for fancy packaging.The main oils with friction modifyers in are 10/30 and below - these are oils made to allow cars to pass economy standards tests in the US...stick with 10/40,15/40 and 20/50 and you shouldn't be getting involved in friction modified oils - read the packet!



Funny you should say that, M. I value your opinion more than most and that's exactly what HD recomend if you can't get HD motor oil for their bikes, diesel oil.

In saying that, I use the a semi-synth bike oil in the gixxer.

[Slim]

I now use semi-synth oil in my bike. I've checked the motorcycle version in the poll, but now I'm not so sure it isn't a c@r one. I'll check when I get home.

The reason I use semi-synth? The god of a mechanic at Dowman Honda in Wanganui put it in when he first did a service on my bike and it ran so sweet, that I made the effort to find the same oil again (Repco don't stock it as a rule, except Te Puke which is full of motorcyclists ;) ). I actually called the mechanic when I found out the price :gob: but after talking with him about it, I went and brought it anyway.

[vifferman]

I belong to a US VFR list, and if there's anyone who is really anal-retentive about stuff like this, it's Murkn VFR owners (some of home are VERY old). Anyway, they have this discussion a lot, but it's always short-circuited by the wealth of info available by list members, particularly one "OilGuy", who worked for years in the US petroleum industry, and who is now an independent consultant. His recommendation is also oil for diesels, and also Shell Rotella.

Check this:
http://www.yft.org/tex_vfr/tech/oil.htm

And this:
http://www.ibmwr.org/otech/oilreport.html

And also this:
http://oilanalysis.com/message_boards/by_category.asp?Category=Car%20and%20Truck%20Lubri cation
And for what it's worth, I've almost always used Motul 5100 semi-synthetic 20W-50, although I've started using the Shell Motorcycle semi-synth recently, because it's considerably cheaper.

[MSTRS]

Oils, like engines, continue to develop. My advise has been along the lines of "The manufacturer's recommendation is the way to go - anything more and the engine is not necessarily designed for it and you'll be wasting your money"

[k14]

I got some semi synthetic pennziol stuff from a bike shop in chch. The guy in there said he uses it in his race bike so i thought meh it must be good enough. Also I only paid $40 for a 5 litre container.

I think it is 20w50 and says its for diesels on it, so i guess it is doing the trick right.

Since I have found it at supercheap autos for even cheaper, so i will be sticking with it for a while i think.

[scumdog]

Only genyooine H-D 20-50 oil is good enough for my baby!!

[Hitcher]

I'm always intrigued by people who use fully-synthetic oil and then replace it at their regular service intervals. Surely the whole point of synthetic oil (especially the really good stuff) is never having to change your oil ever again?

I'm not an oil snob. I'm quite happy for the team at Sawyers/Motorad to put in whatever they think is best.

[TonyB]

I'm always intrigued by people who use fully-synthetic oil and then replace it at their regular service intervals. Surely the whole point of synthetic oil (especially the really good stuff) is never having to change your oil ever again?

I'm not an oil snob. I'm quite happy for the team at Sawyers/Motorad to put in whatever they think is best.

Nah, the oil still gets dirty. Plus the oil still wears out- the shearing forces cause the motecules to break down...or something, don't quote me, I'm not a petrochemical expert

[Slim]

I use Castrol GPS which appears to be a motorcycle oil and is "synthetic based" which I'm not sure if it means semi- or fully synthetic oil.

[inlinefour]

I've always wondered WHAT oil do you use?

Automotive, synthetic?
Automotive, synthetic-mix?
Automotive, fossil
Or
Automotive, synthetic?
Automotive, synthetic-mix?
Automotive, fossil

Why did you make this choice? a simple "ahh thats some cheap oil that should work keeping my 10K bike running" or "I want the best for my bike, because I love him/her".

This poll is solely for the use of people with little experience in this department as a reference to what they should choose.

(although I recommend individuals always try various types, and find what suits there bike best).

sorry if it seems like a repost, just trying to provide some answers for people like me to find when we need it..

I'd have to ask Energy Honda what oil they use, I think its castrol? :Oops:

[JohnBoy]

Up to buying my zed i always used Castrol GPS, very good oil. however i now use Motul 15/40 semi synthetic, the zed seems to run better on that than the GPS. but i must admit the zed will burn through the Motul faster than than the GPS... not sure why as they are (according to the bottle) basically have the same stats. :argh:

[Midnight 82]

:niceone: Castrol for smee :yeah:

[Jackrat]

diesal 20/50
Because people a hell of a lot better informed than me say so.
Plus it works.

[Motu]

Yeah,diesel oils good shit,it's high in antiwear additives like zinc and phosphorus same as a motorcycle oil,tough stuff we need in bikes.But - just another usless bit of information...there are a couple of different diesel oil camps and how they approach the crap in the oil.The Yanks go with the idea of allowing the shit to sink to the bottom of the sump and being flushed out with the oil when it's changed,the Euros and Japs go with the idea of the contaminants staying in suspension and going through the filter.So for a bike with a roller bottom end and a rudimentry filtering system (like the XS650) an oil with more US specs than Euro,if the bike has plain bearings and a good full flow filter go for a Euro or Jap oil.Gets confusing cause you'll find oil that meets like,Mack and Mercedes.Like I said...useless information.

[gav]

Anyone got any info on why they think a diesel oil is suitable for a motorcycle, any links or suchlike? Bearing in mind that a motorcycle usually has its gearbox and clutch running in the same oil, the engine operates over a far greater rev range etc. There is a reason why motorcycle oils have extra additives in it. Also I think you'll find most if not all Honda shops use Castrol oil because of a tie up between Blue Wing Honda and the parent company who owns the distribution rights for Castrol and I think own BWH.
Actually when I worked in a Honda shop BWH actually commissioned a report done by a lab on oils available in NZ at the time. Can't remember full details but the top 3 rated oils were #3 Castrol GPS, #2 Mobil 1 and #1 was Motul 300V.

[Motu]

Spend some time on this site,check out all the forums,when you get educated come and tell us what you found.

Bob is the oil Guy (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/)

[TygerTung]

I was talking to this old dude at my work, and he reckoned that synthetic oil can cause your clutch to slip??????

My CG specifies 10w40 oil, I brought some 10w40 for my cage a while back, but I havn't used it yet, so I will use that in my bike. The manual also specifies changing the oil at 3000k, but recomends more reguralarly than that and why not? I mean it only takes 1L so cheap as chips mate!!!!

[gav]

Spend some time on this site,check out all the forums,when you get educated come and tell us what you found.

Bob is the oil Guy (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/)
Why? You couldnt understand it either? (PT) :spudwave:
All the forums? Does Bob actually answer any of the questions? The couple that I looked at seemed to be full of people argueing (errr, just like any other forum, really :yeah: ) but I've bookmarked the site and will have another look sometime. Thanks for the link.

[Motu]

gav - the guys on that site are really anal about oil,some are industrial chemists in the oil industry...they talk about stuff I couldn't hope to understand,but everything you wanted to know about oil is there somewhere.Check out the motorcycle forum and look at the thread about ''what makes motorcycle oil different'',or some such,I visit the site everyday...oil interests me and I find something new I didn't know every day.

TygerTung - synthetic won't cause your clutch to slip,unless there is something wrong with it in the first place...just another urban legend.3000km is a pretty early oil change,but that's when I change my own oil,don't change earlier than that,some of the additives take time to activate and you may do more harm than good.Then again on the modern off road 4 strokes they are changing oil at 300kms! They get extreme use mind you - they have found that works so that's what they do.

[Silage]

I am using motorcycle fossil oil till the GS has at least 10,000km on it. Then I am seriously thinking about semi-synth motor (diesel) oil. The GS takes 3.5 litre so $$ come into it.

Could the 8 or so who polled as using auto synth-mix please post which oil they are using - am impressed by those who vote with their feet :2thumbsup

[Sparky Bills]

Look at it this way...
Car gearbox oils are separate, and bike gear box oils are not.
In Bike oils the have additives worked into it instead of have seperate gear box oils. (Did i explain that right?) So if you use car oil in your bike, it may not be as smooth as it could be.
You dont really need a full synthetic, (but it wont hurt)
Unless its a race bike.
Semi-synthetic in my view is more than what a normal road bike needs.


Thats just my view anyway. :niceone:

[Motu]

Look at it this way...
Car gearbox oils are separate, and bike gear box oils are not.
In Bike oils the have additives worked into it instead of have seperate gear box oils. (Did i explain that right?) So if you use car oil in your bike, it may not be as smooth as it could be.
You dont really need a full synthetic, (but it wont hurt)
Unless its a race bike.
Semi-synthetic in my view is more than what a normal road bike needs.


Thats just my view anyway. :niceone:

Oh come on! - we've had this before...on this thread or another? I can't be bothered to look.The Mini was produced in 1959 with gearbox integral with sump,back then oils were crap - that motor was used for over 40 yrs and many are still going...raced rallied and rolled...never a problem traced to the gearbox being in the sump.Bike oils (and diesel oils) are higher in zinc and phos,plus have no friction modifiers,other than that it's labeling.

[AndyH]

I am using motorcycle fossil oil till the GS has at least 10,000km on it. Then I am seriously thinking about semi-synth motor (diesel) oil. The GS takes 3.5 litre so $$ come into it.

Could the 8 or so who polled as using auto synth-mix please post which oil they are using - am impressed by those who vote with their feet :2thumbsup

Mobil Super S 10W40, because that's what the BMW dealer in the UK used to
put into the bike and it's what the local place that takes the used oil sells.
But the GS has a dry clutch and revs not much harder than a car.

I used to like Silkolene Pro 4 bike oil when running various Japanese bikes,
because it was a bike full synthetic available at a reasonable price (in the UK)
and was a lovely toffee-apple pink colour. Castrol GTX in the old Guzzi.

I haven't suffered any oil-related failures so far and believe anything that
meets the bike manufacturer's requirements and change intervals will be fine.
Didn't hurt (except the beer fund) to spend a bit more for comfort factor;
I don't know whether the synthetic oil help protect when thrashing things
like XT600s along autobahns in the baking heat and pushing change intervals
to get home.

[gav]

Hmmm, as we use Caltex Delo 400 Multigrade in our trucks at work and it cost about $3 a litre, I'm tempted to try some in my CBR.
Who do I sue if it shits itself? :confused:

[Holy Roller]

diesal 20/50
Because people a hell of a lot better informed than me say so.
Plus it works.
Need to do an oil change
Have a 5ltr container of Vanellus C6 Global 15W-40 that was for a diesel van I sold a while back.
I normally use Shell Advance SX4 synthetic fortified15W-50 oil for motorcycles.
Would the diesel oil be OK to use?

[outlawtorn]

Hmmm,

I use whatever oil gets put in by the mechanic who is working on my bike.

I love bikes, but am so far from being mechanically minded that it is scary.

[DEATH_INC.]

I've tried a huge no of different oils in my bikes(all bike stuff....).The first thing I notice is different gearchange quality,then engine noises......
I prefer full synthetics,but the last lot I put in the turbo was in there about a week and then I killed the clutch(no fault of the oil),at $90 a shot I can't afford that......so I run a semi.....I like Rock oil,or silkolene.
In the gixx the best seems to be Mobil 1(bike stuff) though I've got Castrol GPS in there at the mo and it seems ok.
I will NOT use motul semi (always shit gearchanges) or motorex of any sort(created too much engine noise)
:done:

[Motu]

Me too,I go by how it shifts and sounds - I tried Royal Purple once,the stuff makes the most horse power on dynos....but my bike shifted like crap and sounded funny...never again.

[John]

I'm surprised who forks out the big bucks for the synthetic oils.

I think I might go buy a nice synthetic bike oil when I get to an oil change in see how it effects those shifts.

I was running a castrol fossil in my ZZR, and the gears clunked when cold (due to lack of lubrication etc) so I'm definatly moving to a synthetic, pay for protection I guess.

:P

[kevie]

recently had my bike rebuilt and the mechanic gave me the 'recomended oil' for it, but the clutch slips when I throttle on to pass a vehicle, he said NEVER use synthetic oils on a bike, but the semi synthetics I used to use from Caltex never gave me any problem, the shell oils made my clutch slip like crazy..... think next change I will go bak to the Caltex branded semi synthetic one LOL

[sefer]

You forgot to put 2-stroke oil and gear oil in the poll :p

Lets see, I was using desiel oil in the ZXR up till I sold it, am currently using Silkolene synth oil in the krr (2T) as I got a 1l bottle with the bike, but don't know I'll pay the $30 odd for it again. Just about to do the gear oil, will probably use a semi-synth gear/trasmission oil in it, but I'll have a looksee and check what else is recommended first :D

[Finn]

My bike is 4 stroke so it doesn't need any oil.

[Aiolos]

I love the smell of Castrol TTS in the morning.

Oh, and cheapo mineral valvoline in the transmission.

[Bonez]

Being a tight cunt anything under $20 per 4ltrs unfriction modified goes into my old girls. Use to use Castol Grand Prix, but started using Repco branded 20/50 for deisol/older cars. Bikes were quieter and used less oil. Currently using Duckums 20W40 at $10 a pop for 4 litres.

This article actually changed my opion on the benefits of so called "motorcycle oils".

http://www.xs11.com/stories/mcnoil94.htm

[vs04]

I use amsoil 10w40, $76 for 4 litres plus amsoil filter plus labour,$110, cheap.Smoother gear changes runs cooler plus acceleration seemed to be more responsive,also use amsoil gear lube for the shaft drive as well.Some might think thats expensive but you pay more for 4 liters of premium paint than you do oil.JMO.Cheers.

[Bonez]

Some might think thats expensive but you pay more for 4 liters of premium paint than you do oil.JMO.Cheers.And how many years does premium paint stay on the house?

[Aiolos]

$76 for 4 litres plus amsoil filter plus labour,$110,

Holy crap. And in a de-tuned cruiser lump.

[vs04]

Holy crap. And in a de-tuned cruiser lump.
You are an idiot wrapped up in a moron mate.

[vs04]

And how many years does premium paint stay on the house?
Fair comment,look at it from another angle then.How long would premium paint last if it were subjected to the heat created inside your engine.

[rudolph]

semi synthetic oil is bulshit, its like putting toothpaste in icecream thinking it will look after your teeth as well

[Bonez]

Fair comment,look at it from another angle then.How long would premium paint last if it were subjected to the heat created inside your engine.
How long does oil last slapped on the side of a house? :wait:

[Bonez]

Yeah,diesel oils good shit,it's high in antiwear additives like zinc and phosphorus same as a motorcycle oil,tough stuff we need in bikes.But - just another usless bit of information...there are a couple of different diesel oil camps and how they approach the crap in the oil.The Yanks go with the idea of allowing the shit to sink to the bottom of the sump and being flushed out with the oil when it's changed,the Euros and Japs go with the idea of the contaminants staying in suspension and going through the filter.So for a bike with a roller bottom end and a rudimentry filtering system (like the XS650) an oil with more US specs than Euro,if the bike has plain bearings and a good full flow filter go for a Euro or Jap oil.Gets confusing cause you'll find oil that meets like,Mack and Mercedes.Like I said...useless information.


It certainly does get confusing. As you've mentioned the main thing is to do regular oil and filter changes, as well as take the sump off every now and again to clean it and the gauze pickup filter.

The last spares engine I got for Gerty had all sorts of crap in it, including part of a broken off drill bit and small screw :slap:

[Ironman]

Even fully synth breaks down so although it would be nice to never have to change your oil, it's not recommended

[vs04]

How long does oil last slapped on the side of a house? :wait:
if the side of the house gets as hot as your engine,then longer than paint.:whistle:

[Bonez]

if the side of the house gets as hot as your engine,then longer than paint.:whistle:Must be a HELL of a neighbourhood you live in. :devil2:

[vs04]

Must be a HELL of a neighbourhood you live in. :devil2:
No,just a neighbourhood where people use premium paints on their homes and dont mind paying for top quality oil for their bikes.:2thumbsup