any benefit to high mileage oil?

[Guest]

I couldn't find this here on the forum, but I'm sure there are some oilologists! Is there any reason or benefit to use the high mile oils out there in a 650GL with 21k miles? The bike runs great, but I wonder if the additional zinc would help (I'm told that's one of the benefits to the high mileage stuff).

[Brendan W]

This page is old. I still refer to it as a starting point when re-evaluating the choices to be made.

http://www.vfrworld.com/tex_vfr/tech/oil.htm

[tom203]

If you want to keep it running great, make sure you read this stuff about common issues- don't count on previous owners to have done the maintenance correctly

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/images/GSR_Greeting.html

[ShadowFocus603]

Rotella 15w40 is all you need. It's formulated for diesel engines but the high pressure additives in it make it ideal for our bikes. Also it works well with no slip in our wet clutches. Most newer oils cause clutch slippage and other issues. I learned the hard way then started using Rotella.

[vttrailboss]

Good news about the Rotella... I use it in other air cooled applications. Any pro/cons on the Rotella T6 (synthetic) 20w-50? Other then price that is... I think I have enough at home to do an oil change!

[Steve]

Any pro/cons on the Rotella T6 (synthetic) 20w-50?

Did not know it was available. Many of us use the T6 5w-40, but Suzuki does allow 20w-50 when higher ambient temperatures justify it.

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[vttrailboss]

My mistake... it's 15w-40 Rotella. Would probably be better for the temps I ride in, though.

[Steve]

I will stick with the 5w-40 synthetic. At start-up, the thinner oil will flow through the small passages easier and quicker. Then, when it warms up, it is still a 40w, so it doesn't matter which one is in there.

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[vttrailboss]

As long as I don't run her hard below 20 degrees I will be fine... lol! I trust straight or close to straight grades best (dino or synthetic). I believe the key is to change it often... keep it fresh and clean.

[mrbill5491]

My mistake... it's 15w-40 Rotella. Would probably be better for the temps I ride in, though.

What are your temps you usually ride in VT?

[vttrailboss]

50-90's. I could probably use 20w-50 without issues, but had the 15w-40 handy.

[mrbill5491]

50-90's. I could probably use 20w-50 without issues, but had the 15w-40 handy.

Yeah you don't need a 20w-50. Here where I live you might during the hottest part of the summer if one did a lot of hard riding during the day. I don't, so a 10w-40 or so is just fine.

[RichDesmond]

Like virtually every other oil question, the answer to this is that none of us knows. We can posit theories, analyze additive packages and speculate about flow characteristics until hell freezes over, but at the end of day we don't have a clue if any of actually matters in terms of real world performance or wear.
The testing required to give firm answers would run into the millions of dollars.

FWIW, I ran an entire race season back in 2001 on an SV650 using Walmart 10w-40. And this wasn't a normal season either, there were 14 sprint weekends (including Daytona) and 10 endurance races (4-6 hours each). I didn't always change the oil after every weekend. The motor had 13,000 street miles and a full sprint race season on it before that too. Opened it up at the end of the year, it looked new. Compression was still good, and the bike was fast enough that some guys kidded me about the mods I must have done.

Bottom line, buy whatever makes you feel good and go ride.

[Grimly]

Damn; I missed an oil thread.
Fwiw, I now run 5w40 in winter, and top up with 10w40 as summer comes in. Depending on mileage done during the year, the next change at 2000 miles will be either one of those and topped up with same or the alternative as the season changes.
The real benefit from 5w40 is the cold flow, but it also reduces cold clutch drag by a huge amount.
As oil formulations change without the users being aware, it pays to keep an eye on sites like BITOG (www.bobistheoilguy.com) and see what crops up. For example, the current iterations of Shell oil beloved of U.S. GS owners is undergoing a change to lower zinc, in line with the other HDEOs offered by their competitors. They (Shell) are pretty much forced into this by new regulations requiring lower emissions, blah, blah.
Because of this, I started using zinc-rich oil formulated for track use - Total Racing Quartz 10w50 for my summer time top up and/or changeover - it might be a bit low in detergents, but it's got enough zinc for the older lumps we have. Not too much zinc - that's just as bad as too little.

To answer your original question - yes, there can be benefits to high mileage oil, especially if you're burning a bit of the modern or thinner oil. As you suggest, the older formulations the HM oil is designed to match will have a useful x-over of old specs and new tech, so it should be all good. Hopefully.

[vttrailboss]

It's going to have the 15w-40 in her until spring. I have other bikes/cars, and will buy bulk the one that works in all. I'm sure what ever I use will be better then what was available in 1981. ;-)