What oil will you use?

[markstertt]

Amsoil 10w-40 Metric synthetic, may go 20-50 in the summer as I use that in other bikes. Just bought the bike used at 7k miles and dumped P
O's Yamalube 10w-40.
 
As previously mentioned frequency of change is probably more relevant then what brand, more than one study has shown that oil used in a motorcycle that shares oil between eng./primary & tranny will shear the oil molecules and drop to about 1/2 original viscosity at around 1500 miles, cars don't run their oil through a transmission so not as bad.

[Beemer]

Amsoil 10w-40 Metric synthetic, may go 20-50 in the summer as I use that in other bikes. Just bought the bike used at 7k miles and dumped P O's Yamalube 10w-40.
 
As previously mentioned frequency of change is probably more relevant then what brand, more than one study has shown that oil used in a motorcycle that shares oil between eng./primary & tranny will shear the oil molecules and drop to about 1/2 original viscosity at around 1500 miles, cars don't run their oil through a transmission so not as bad.

Does a drop in viscosity also lower an oils ability to lubricate or does it just get thinner? 

[biggaudi]

Motul 7100 10w40. Bike likes it.

[yamahaha]

I'm sticking with 15/40. I went 6000 kms or more on a good semi synthetic and the transmission was still smooth. I did not have the same experience with a synthetic 10/40. "Notchy" shifting/transmission is a good sign the oil has sheared and due for a change.
 
I just changed oil on my little Grom. It only went 1300 kms on Rotella 5/40(good cold weather grade) and the transmission started getting notchy. Mind you, that little motor works hard all the time.

[markstertt]

Amsoil 10w-40 Metric synthetic, may go 20-50 in the summer as I use that in other bikes. Just bought the bike used at 7k miles and dumped P O's Yamalube 10w-40.
 
As previously mentioned frequency of change is probably more relevant then what brand, more than one study has shown that oil used in a motorcycle that shares oil between eng./primary & tranny will shear the oil molecules and drop to about 1/2 original viscosity at around 1500 miles, cars don't run their oil through a transmission so not as bad.

Does a drop in viscosity also lower an oils ability to lubricate or does it just get thinner? 

I'm no chemist and can't remember the correct terminology but after the 1500 or so miles the oils ability to lubricate was greatly reduced as the polymer chains were sheared into small pieces, lowering the oils ability to keep metal from metal. Perhaps someone else can clarify better but I did enough research back awhile to conclude that motorcycles using one oil for everything were a convenient compromise and it was better not to push it with 3000 miles or more. 

[babisstinson]

I've tried IPONE 10W40 Full Katana and Castrol Power 1 Racing 10W50 until now and believe that the Castrol is better, engine felt better, especially in hight RPMs.
 
The Yamaha Dealer that i go for service my bike also suggests Yamalube 10W40, other than the Castrol.

[thomascrown]

Kind of getting tired of paying for motul, may switch to shell rotella

[biggaudi]

If you use full synthetic can you get away with changing oil less often I.E. like an automobile? Or at least follow Yamaha's recommended oil changes at 6k, 12k etc?

[Beemer]

markster
 
Thank you! Makes perfect sense.

[yamahaha]

Kind of getting tired of paying for motul, may switch to shell rotella

I hear you. I bought a 20 litre pail(15/40) of rotella recently. I managed to find some specs on it and while it's not the highest quality oil, it is decent. 

[Cruizin]

Rotella T-6 5-40 , $21.98 per gallon at Walmart is actually of the highest quality oil to use. Used by raceteams and in every car and bike that I own. The test results if this oil are very very good and the price is very very low because so many people buy it, it is so mass produced .

[batscat]

Rotella T-6 5-40 , $21.98 per gallon at Walmart is actually of the highest quality oil to use. Used by raceteams and in every car and bike that I own. The test results if this oil are very very good and the price is very very low because so many people buy it, it is so mass produced .

If it's not bike oil I wouldn't recommend it.
Neither would the manufacturer.

[delbee1]

Rotella T-6 5-40 , $21.98 per gallon at Walmart is actually of the highest quality oil to use. Used by raceteams and in every car and bike that I own. The test results if this oil are very very good and the price is very very low because so many people buy it, it is so mass produced .

If it's not bike oil I wouldn't recommend it. Neither would the manufacturer.

I wouldnt used car oil in a bike either 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Diesel oils work great in motorcycles and so happens Shell Rotella TTT and T6 are JASO-MA certified. That said, T6 is only a Grp III oil.... and shears down quickly. I use it in my car, mower, everything that doesn't share a sump with a transmission.
 
I've had much better mileage with Rotella 15W-40 and lately been running Mobil 1 15W-50 mixed with M1 5W-40 TS

[Cruizin]

There are threads on hundreds of bike forums with tons of people using rotella with no issues.

[markstertt]

Oil threads can be interesting and informative, I think if there is one constant though is not the brand so much as is regularity of servicing. Personally, I would never go 6k miles between oil changes on a machine using the same oil for tranny, primary and sump, even synthetic oils. Those extended drain intervals advertised by oil companies apply to auto engines which are easier on oil then m/c's, when it comes to bikes they usually say something like 'Follow mfg.s recommended oil change intervals' and that basically covers their butts. On my cars and truck I use Amsoil syn. and change the oil once a year since I never reach the recommended mileage intervals.
 
Having said this, with the quality of modern machining and materials, you could run the cheapest recycled oil and probably never have an issue related to oil quality especially considering how short a time most people keep a motorcycle before moving on. I just don't want to be the next guy buying that bike since I tend to keep them forever.
 
I used to run Rotella in a few small dirt bikes but quit a few years ago (no problems) when I read about a change in the formulation that persuaded me to change, sorry, I don't remember what it was, maybe the reduction or removal of moly or some such...Mark

[wickedtwister]

I really think the 3 most important things to consider when picking a oil for any thing are. BTW I HATE oil threads too much heated debate over something that is purely preference if you follow the guidelines below...
 
1) does the oil carry the certification that the vehicle manufacturer recommends
 
2) is the oil the proper weight for what the vehicle manufacturer recommends
 
3) do you change it at the recommended interval or sooner.
 
If you dig deep enough on the oil manufacturers web site you can often find how well the oil did on the required tests for certification. I use this data when selecting my oil.

[snowdriftless]

If it's not bike oil I wouldn't recommend it. Neither would the manufacturer.

I wouldnt used car oil in a bike either

Shell Rotella is Diesel oil and doesn't contain the friction modifiers that car oil has. You can't use Car oil because the friction modifiers in it cause the wet clutches in many motorcycles to slip. There is no problem using Shell Rotella T or T6 in your motorcycle. It's probably the best oil you can get for your motorcycle that isn't any motorcycle specific AMS OIL or Royal Purple.  

[hordboy]

Motul 300V or Silkolene Pro 4 are the two I recommend with my race engine builds. But there is lots of good stuff out there. I use a lot of Castrol Actevo in customer bikes, that's a good basic oil.

[markstertt]

ok hordboy, lets see the dyno graph on those 2 oils and then each separately with your new airbox, jk, but a clever Segway to, 'Oh by the way, how's the progress coming on the airbox anyway?'

[eraser8]

Hi guys,
 
Here is my input about oil in my FZ07.
 
First, I did about 300 km with the OEM oil/filter. After that, I dropped the oil (300km) but keep the filter. Now, My broke period is ended and I'm now switching to Amsoil Metric 10W-40. I also changed the filter and bought a new OEM one (exact same number than the original one).
 
Conclusion for now: Currently, I did only 2 ride since I've put the Amsoil full synthetic Metric 10W-40. IMO there is a big difference in the engine sound and also, and not the less, the shifting is much more smoother. Overall, I'm really happy to change for an AMSOIL.
 
Worth every penny for me.
 

[twowheeladdict]

You really never have to change the oil if you trade the bike in every 5 years or 10,000 miles. Whichever comes first.
 
Most motorcycles will never see 25,000 miles in their lives. The exception would be touring bikes, but you can still find them with 1000 miles a year ridden.

[caliesv]

 
 

[thomascrown]

I went from motul to shell rotella. Even a fancy synthetic like motul has no shear strength when used in a shared sump. Would rather change cheap oil more frequently than have crappy shift feel for the last 1000 miles on fancy oil with factory intervals.

[raceblue]

Yamalube !