Oil

I have been using Mobil-1 Racing 4T synthetic for 7 years and it works great. I'm sure there are other synthetics and non-synthetics that also work well. The link below shows a comprehensive study of motorcycle oils. The study was published by Amsoil, so the overall winner is no surprise. However, that does not mean the comparison between oils is not valid. Ed

wpc.1c96.edgecastcdn.net/001C96/G-Items/...-archived/index.html

74ullc wrote: A big issue you will see with motorcycles and oil is shear, a big reason for this is because the oil runs in the transmission also. The gears will shear the polymer strands and thin the oil, a 40 weight will become a 30 after x number of miles, as an example.)

True, but the viscosity enhancers that get broken in that process are not actually oil, they are part of the additive package manufacturers add to the base oil. That's why I pointed out that the oil almost never fails but the additives get worn out or used up quickly in bikes. Not just the VI's but also the solvents and detergents. That's why I never run my oil to the service interval. Oil is cheap compared to engines.

74ullc wrote: Synthetics are much better because they don't rely on polymer strands to give them their viscosity.

That's true... assuming the synthetic actually IS synthetic. In the USA (and only in the USA) a stupid court ruling means that oil companies can sell dino oil as full synthetic if it has gone through a refining process called hydrocracking. That does improve the oil by removing some impurities but it does not turn it into full syn or give it the very desirable property of stable viscosity that syn has.

74ullc wrote: So looks like synthetics are going to be the better choice in motorcycles, at least for now.

Maybe so, not necessarily depends on usage. If you use a good quality dino like Rotella and change it at 2000 miles it will work fine.

I have used "car oils" in my bike since it was new in 79 and now have 85k miles. They will work fine as long as you make sure they do not have the energy conserving additives.

Another thing today: make sure the oil has ZDDP or add it yourself. Some of the newer grades like SN have so little ZDDP that it puts your cam lobes at risk. Newer oils are not compatible with flat tappet engines.

I'm looking at using Shell Rotella Full Synthetic 5W-40 Motor Oil or Valvoline 10W-40 4-Stroke Conventional Motorcycle Oil .

Historically I haven't been a fan of synthetic oil running in my car. My 1979 KZ650 is my first GOOD OLD bike and I want to treat it well. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. I read the articles and analyzed the performance charts and my head is spinning (thanks ED).

PS: I've only been to Walmart once - is it safe?

LineArtist wrote: I'm looking at using Shell Rotella Full Synthetic 5W-40 Motor Oil or Valvoline 10W-40 4-Stroke Conventional Motorcycle Oil .

Historically I haven't been a fan of synthetic oil running in my car. My 1979 KZ650 is my first GOOD OLD bike and I want to treat it well. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. I read the articles and analyzed the performance charts and my head is spinning (thanks ED).

PS: I've only been to Walmart once - is it safe?

Just make sure the Rotella 5-40 does not say "energy conserving" on the can which means it has moly in it and that screws up wet clutches. I don't know if it does?

LineArtist wrote: PS: I've only been to Walmart once - is it safe?

Pretty safe.... if a gunfight breaks out, just keep your head down and aim for the guy with the mullet.... :laugh:

Thank you for contacting Wal-Mart regarding our concealed handgun policy. The following is our policy......If a Wal-Mart customer has been awarded a concealed handgun license by the state government, Wal-Mart will follow the direction of the state. However, if at anytime while on Wal-Mart property, that customer's concealed weapon becomes visible to Wal-Mart associates or customers, Wal-Mart reserves the right to ask the customer to either reposition the weapon so that it will not be visible, to remove the weapon completely or to leave Wal-Mart property

The Rotella 5W-40 T6 Synthetic should work fine in your bike. It is JASO-MA compliant, so it should not cause any clutch problems. Ed

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So as long as it has the JASO-MA specification it's good to go? What about if the other specifications contain the bad stuff.

So I went to my local W for a look, they didn't carry Havoline 4 and were out of T6. I found a gallon of conventional T on sale. Not certain I would use it but it is also JASO MA.

Here's a summary of the different JASO standards. Ed

www.whitedogbikes.com/whitedogblog/choos...o-and-jaso-ma2-mean/

Reading more about Rotella T6 and it seems to be geared towards energy savings and efficiency. I believe this is more about less friction associated with synthetic blends and less about the content of molybdenum.

I finally decided to use Valvoline 4 Stroke 10w40 conventional MOTORCYCLE oil (JASO MA specification). Although there are other choices out there, for my bike this oil is doing the job very well and keeping the clutch solid without issue.

We talk here about oil and I just want to add that it's not worth taking the risk with any type of car oil. Just stick to the motorcycle labels and assure the product has the JASO MA mark for all the good old Japanese bikes we ride.

The other side of this is doing a ton of research about oil, specifications and companies and finding out you ended up where you started from. Keep it simple use a motorcycle oil.

+1 ! Ed