Race bike oil

[Toast]

I've seen some oils for sale, such as the Bel-Ray 'Superbike' stuff, which are really expenseive ($100 for 4L) and claim to be the shiz for racing. Most of these expensive ones are fully-synth, which I've heard some claim gives too much lube for motorcycles, since they use the same stuff for their gearboxes, causing shifting to be a bit slippy.

Can you all give me some idea of what you use, and how it's been?

Cheers.

[Shaun]

Shell Ultra 15/50 will be just fine for the 400 mate

[Toast]

Cheers Shaun.

But how about for a CBR600RR, like the one you used to own? Quite a bit like the one you used to own actually.

[Flyingpony]

I'm running Castrol fully-synthetic racing 4T (something like that, it's in a green bottle) oil in my bike. Bike runs fine, fuel consumption is down 25% and gear shifting feels lighter, smoother, hasn't jumped out of gear since using it and there is less crash bash grind going on. Though not sure how much of this might be related to the bike wearing in and settling down, but there was an instant improvement after switching from semi-synthetic oil.

As for your question regarding the CBR600RR. There is a guy I know who rode such a bike and simply used the $10/l mineral oil in his. Remember asking why and he said it was perfectly fine for it and never had any worries with his previous bikes. As for long term suitability et al, sorry, have no idea because this bike got totalled in a crash vs a cage within 12 months.

Hope that helps.

[Kwaka14]

Just go for any 4t oil that's designed to work properly for wet clutches, motul 5100 is pretty good and reasonably priced....

[Shaun]

Cheers Shaun.

But how about for a CBR600RR, like the one you used to own? Quite a bit like the one you used to own actually.

As above mate, just change it regulary

[twinshock750]

Oils when it comes down to it is simple, but most of the technology is over mere mortals heads until you get into it.

A few simple rules.
1) Pick a reputable brand
2) pick a "motorcycle" oil. Car oils and bike oils have different make ups - the polymers used in the motorcycle oil are built for meshing gears as 4 stroke bikes use the same oil for both gearbox and engine. Whereas cars don't (original style Mini's excepted).
3) pick the right viscosity for your bike
4) Pick the oil that is a appropriate to your use and the bike - ie no point putting good syth into an old shitter.
5) bikes are harder on oil than cars
6) good oil in the big scheme is cheap, don't be cheap. I buy the best I can for tyres, oils and brakepads I can and don't quibble on the bill. Think about the downstream effect they all have....if they go south!!

Oil is built to reduce the friction in the engine so how can it be "too slippery"..you'd need a fundamental breakdown of the gearbox (which is constant mesh and postive stop change mechanism) to get a "slippy" feeling!....Different oils have different effects on gear changing effort at times.

Modern car oil ratings the (eg SJ etc style) don't necessarily mean a better oil than the previous letter. Quite often it is to do with a particular variant these days, for a particular benefit, ie like low fuel consumption etc.

My personal favourite is Motul having used it almost exclusively in 2 stroke GP bikes for premix, gearbox, all my cars, road bikes 2 stroke injector, brake fluid etc etc, since it came to NZ in 1987. I've never had a oil related failure and have total confidence in what I'm using. I pay for my oil like everyone else, but it is the only brand/product sticker I put on my bike.

After all that, Flyingpony's mate with the CBR is not necessarily wrong, but there are qualifications, around style of use and how fast you change it. Those qualifications may not make it suitable for other people, nor were the long term effects able to be seen unfortunately (hope he walked away ok!).

Modern good synthetic oil shear strengh is (and I'm working from distant meory here) about 40 times the mineral....

There is some very good oil info on the net I'm sure if you get keen, but Id sugegst you go by the numbers above if you want the short version.

[Toast]

Cheers for that guys

[TygerTung]

The problem is with some of the fully synthetics is that they can cause your wet clutch to slip.

[twinshock750]

Tygertung.

I'd say your clutch was the problem (as in rooted), not the oil....

I've also had clutch slip changing changing oils and that was mineral to mineral. But it was Yamalube though as I physically could not get the lovely Motul in time.....

Al

[bumsex]

yea. if it is a designated motorcycle oil it will have been designed to work with wet clutches and you should not have any probs with it.