The right oil for an Old Lady

**Subike** · 3rd December 2007, 17:28

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** · 3rd December 2007, 17:29

I use Septro 20/50 in my XS

**rudolph** · 3rd December 2007, 17:30

* spectro*

**cruza** · 3rd December 2007, 20:21

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** · 3rd December 2007, 22:03

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** · 3rd December 2007, 22:13

Originally Posted by JMemonic

diesel oils in motorcycles

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

**Taz** · 3rd December 2007, 22:17

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

**cruza** · 4th December 2007, 16:30

Originally Posted by Anthrax

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** · 4th December 2007, 16:49

Originally Posted by cruza

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** · 4th December 2007, 17:34

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** · 4th December 2007, 18:03

Originally Posted by cruza

just a basic mineral 20/50

agree, ideal for the eleven

Originally Posted by xerxesdaphat

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.

Originally Posted by cruza

(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** · 4th December 2007, 18:20

Originally Posted by Subike

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** · 4th December 2007, 18:31

Originally Posted by dangerous

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

.