is SAE 10/40 still ok?

[CartoonLifeStyle]

...................... hi guys i,m in australia,,,, i,ve used shell sx4 ,,fortified oil for over 10years ,, i went to buy another lot ,,yep shell has decided to stuff around and drop that ,,,and now i,ve got to go other variant oils the may be o.k. i,m currently looking at other oils regards oldgrumpy

This is my point exactly, they seem to keep switching formulas and it seems to be all detrimental to old bikes. I have to use specialist oils for my old triumphs.

[nejeff]

Me and my son got the Rotella T6 Synthetic on sale and both switched over from the regular Rotella. His bike is now busily spotting every inch it covers on the driveway. It wasn't leaking like this prior. His bike ( 36,000 miles) now is due for some new gaskets and 1/2 moons. My bike (at 70,000 miles) is enjoying the oil very much. Some increased leakage noted on spots of the engine but nothing getting to ground by any means. I'm satisfied, he is not.

At any rate, no, I don't think the 30-35 year old thinking on oil should be taken to heart. Lot's of changes in oil over three decades. Best to go with the current thinking when it comes to oil recommendations IMO and I would follow the recommendations from these guys as many of them have owned GS's for a long time.

[jbthomp]

Good lord just put oil in it and ride it. The oil debate has been going on for years!

[Grimly]

Oh, goody, an oil thread
I was using diesel 15W-40 for years, quite happily, but got a bit fed up with cold clutch drag, so recently, towards the end of last winter, switched to a semi-synth 7W - 40 and immediately noticed the clutch drag improved, and the bike revved more happily. I replaced that with a proper 5W-40 full synth and still going great guns. That's what I'll keep in it all year round from now on. I avoided the current gen SN oils as they're designed to protect catalytic converters, so have very low levels of zinc and other goodies which we need, and they also contain other friction modifiers which we don't need on our clutches.
As far as using car oils goes - very occasionally, I've had a bit of clutch slip when using full-on car lubes, but it's never presented itself as a problem to be worried about. A slight bit of slip on full-bore take-offs can be accomodated and frankly, I don't ride like that most of the time, so no matter.

[Griffin]

Oil threads come and go every year, I guess because people just can't understand that the cheapest oil out there actually works better than just about anything else on the market at any price.

I like the Rotella synthetic 5W-40 best in two of my bikes (they seem to run quieter with it than the standard Rotella). The standard Rotella 15W-40 is used in the other bikes, or Mobil Delvac 1300, whichever one is on sale (usually one of them can be scored for less than $15 per gallon). All three of them are heavy duty diesel oils with lots of zinc and phosperous, which is what any wet-clutch really wants to be fed.

Advance Auto parts also has a generic version of Rotella 15W-40, which is usually about $1-$2 less than the Rotella, and seems to be the same stuff. When it's on sale, it goes for about $12 per gallon.

If you use one of the oils listed here, you can rest easy knowing that you aren't wasting money, and any engine issues you might have aren't going to be oil-related.

[bccap]

Oil threads come and go every year, I guess because people just can't understand that the cheapest oil out there actually works better than just about anything else on the market at any price.

I like the Rotella synthetic 5W-40 best in two of my bikes (they seem to run quieter with it than the standard Rotella). The standard Rotella 15W-40 is used in the other bikes, or Mobil Delvac 1300, whichever one is on sale (usually one of them can be scored for less than $15 per gallon). All three of them are heavy duty diesel oils with lots of zinc and phosperous, which is what any wet-clutch really wants to be fed.

Advance Auto parts also has a generic version of Rotella 15W-40, which is usually about $1-$2 less than the Rotella, and seems to be the same stuff. When it's on sale, it goes for about $12 per gallon.

If you use one of the oils listed here, you can rest easy knowing that you aren't wasting money, and any engine issues you might have aren't going to be oil-related.

Arggghhhhh !! Fifteen dollars a gallon ? I hate you !!!

[wymple]

Mobile Delvac is under 14 bucks every day at Wal-Mart, tho I hate to give them my money.

[Griffin]

Mobile Delvac is under 14 bucks every day at Wal-Mart, tho I hate to give them my money.

That's about what it runs here, $14-$15.

Sometimes Rural King will run a special on Rotella 15W-40 for $65 per five gallon pail. That's when I "stock up" and buy enough oil for the entire year.

[JTGS850GL]

Just picked up a gallon of Rotella for $12.75/gallon at Wallmart. Next time I'll go for the T6 synthetic. I think it was around $21 for a gallon at Wallmart. Running that in my 850 and it seems to love it. Engine much quieter and smoother shifting.

[CartoonLifeStyle]

I picked up 4 liters of 10w/40 mineral oil today,I'm hoping that's going to stop the smoking exhaust that I picked up after i tried the modern semi synthetics.

[Cassius086]

I have never run a motorcycle specific oil in any of my bikes.

My GS has over 80K on the clocks, and 95% of it's lifetime in my hands (about 55,000 of those 80K miles) it has seen nothing but automotive M1 15w50. No clutch slippage.


My KLR650 has seen some M1 15w50, but thumpers are pretty hard on oil so I have used Mobil Delvac 1300 or Rotella T 15w40. 46,000+ on the Pig and still going strong.

[mash35231]

I went cheap this year, I mean really cheap! I'd been using Royal P. in my bike for 3 years with a little trouble hitting 2nd gear and finding neutral. I went for 10w-40 Walmart oil...$10/gal after my wife's discount. It's easier to find neutral and 2nd gear is easier to hit to...Expensive isn't always best.

[DanTheMan]

I used to run Rotella since I have several diesel vehicles in the yard, but now I've been going cheap. I buy Fleet Farm branded 10w/40 oil, generally runs about $1.99-2.40/qt, or $7.50 a gallon. I change oil in my bikes more often than my truck, the Suburban or the motor home.

[Rob S.]

From the current issue of Cycle World ("Service" column):

"...as long as the oil you choose is designed for motorcycle use. Motorcycle oils do not contain the friction modifiers found in automotive oil, which can cause slippage issues with a bike's clutch."

Whatever works.

[bonanzadave]

I buy Fleet Farm branded 10w/40 oil, generally runs about $1.99-2.40/qt, or $7.50 a gallon.

Try the Mystik JT8 in a 5 gallon can. I get that when there is a $20 rebate. Normally $53 down to $33. Thats just over a buck fiddy a qt . Boat, Bike, Truck, Lawn mowers......