There uses to be much discussion on Ducati's ( real ones not the rubber bandy ones ) about oil and roller bearings......usually went along the lines of : Roller bearings don't need high pressure oil like plain bearings but regular splashes of clean oil.....then it was straight 30 clung on to the rollers where multgrade got spat off......Bevel drive Ducatis don't have proper filtration so oil is changed at 2000 kms...... The early 70's 750's failed at low miles......often blamed on the oil. I think its all bollocks and that its more to do with regular oil changes........ I ran a really battered 12 year old BMW R100RS in London for 2 years and never changed the oil as I was going to dump the bike....it was a 500 quid job.( about a weeks wages).....in the end I rebuilt it and Bob Porecha( BMW name drop) who rebuilt the engine said......looks like no one changed the oil for ages on this bike as the bearing were full of crap.......crank was fine and it ran really well across Europe that year and the next around NZ.....
I recall seeing the results of a survey carried out several years ago on a fleet of New York taxis. Various oils were tested over a period of time, and oil samples taken regularly. The survey concluded with the view that it didn't matter too much about the quality of the oil, but instead the important thing was the frequency of oil changes. There are some who insist that Hoggly Dogglies and Ducatis run best on 50W mono grade mineral oil. The local mower shop insist that Briggs & Stratton engines will give trouble unless run on genuine B&S 30W mineral oil. I ran my B&S mower on Mobil 1 synthetic for 20 years before finding out it was supposedly bad. It still runs like a Swiss watch. Apparently engines with roller bearings can be affected by synthetic oils because allegedly the stuff is so slippery that it allows the rollers to skid. I've never seen anything to substantiate the claim though. Personally, I use the best oils I can afford or justify, and change them when I feel like doing so.
You gotta laugh when people say synthetic is so slippery it makes bearing rollers skid....but it doesn't make a clutch slip.....
to tell the truth, i probably wouldnt be changing the oil as frequently as i do if the clutch case didnt have the oil inspection window - i just dont like the the look of old black oil in the sight glass so i change it
it is far easier to have a bike that leaks or burns oil then you replace it frequently
I used to change my oil frequently - after getting a UOA done, I now change it infrequently. We change our oil too often.
