Oil Change recommnedations

[Guest]

I'm going to change the oil and filter on my '80 GS1000G today and was looking for some recomendations. The owner's guide suggests 10w40 so I know the viscosity. What do you guys recommend- dino or synthetic? I've heard good things about synthetic but then again I've heard horror stories. A friend told me to go with "Rotela" and be done with it. The bike has 17k and runs pretty good, but there is a bit of mechanical noise from the engine/ cam walk, valves etc I'd like to maybe improve on. I know I should adjust the valves but this change is mainly before storage for the winter and some short trips in the spring before I look more deeply into the mechanicals.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Mark

P.S. I've searched the forum and couldn't find anything before people tell me they've heard this question 10 times!!

[Downs]

Pick your favorite brand and make sure it's not marked "Energy Conserving", which you shouldn't find in a 10W-40 anyway. Rotella is pretty popular because it's a diesel oil and at one time held a JASO-MA certification (Japanese certification for use in motorcycles), it was well liked because it had a good package of anti wear additives that newer gasoline engine oils were getting less of. I think they let that cert lapse and didn't renew it or something but it's still good oil.

I run a Moto specific semi-syn from Castrol in the Strom and the GS1000. Honestly it doesn't really matter what you use as long as it's the correct viscosity. If you want to really get in the weeds on oil you can run one for a full oil change and send in a sample to Blackstone labs and they can give you a breakdown of what contaminates were in it and if it's possible to extend or if you need to shorten your change intervals. I usually try to do at least one oil analysis a year on each of my vehicles. Cost about as much as one oil change.

[Mickeymoe]

Thanks Downs, Good info, well explained. Have a good holiday.

Mark

[cowboyup3371]

And there are 1000000 threads about this throughout the forum. Rotella is the forum's choice as it has the right amount of zinc needed at a better price than standard motorcycle oil. Stay away from more conventional energy saving oil as they don't have what we need

[Steve]

It's actually quite easy to avoid the "energy conserving" oils.

I have not seen one with a viscosity higher than 30, and our GSes call for 40 or 50, depending on temperature.

As for dino vs. synthetic, it really doesn't matter. Some will say that synthetic is too slippery and will make your clutch slip. It is no slipperier than any other oil. Some will say that synthetic will make your engine leak. I'll have to say "yes and no" on that one. The oil itself doesn't make the engine leak. It tends to have better detergent additives, an they will clean away the crud that is blocking a leak in a gasket, allowing that gasket to leak. The hole in the gasket was already there, the synthetic oil's detergents just cleaned away what was plugging it.

It pretty much boils down to personal preference and how you plan on running your bike. Synthetic oil tends to tolerate heat better, so if you are in a really HOT area (apparently not, looking at your profile), it will really help. It will tend to stand up better most other times, so you can feel better that it provides more protection with your regular oil change interval or you can stretch out the interval a bit and still feel confident that you have adequate protection for the entire time.

I use Rotella 5w-40 synthetic in all my bikes. My cars would use Rotella, too, but they call for 30w oil, so they get Mobil1.

.

[Mickeymoe]

So I was going to go with Shell Rotella, but the parts store guy told me that it was not available in 10w40, (or he had never seen it) and I ended up going with Mobil 1 10w40 formulated for motorcycles. The oil change including the filter cost me almost 60 bucks! The oil and filter that I removed looked vitually brand new, but I had been having an issue with the oil pressure light flickering on and off at ~800rpm or so, and I thought the maybe the PO had put in 5wXX oil. The bike seems to run fine, no problems with the clutch, and I had a good test ride in 50 degree weather, which I prefer over 80 degree rides. Over the winter I'll have to adjust the valves because the mechanicals have that locomotive "chuga chuga chuga" sound, (I don't remember my brand new GS850GL having it) however the exhast sounds as smooth as a new car.

MarkSUZUKI_OIL_CHG_1.jpg

[Nessism]

So I was going to go with Shell Rotella, but the parts store guy told me that it was not available in 10w40, (or he had never seen it) and I ended up going with Mobil 1 10w40 formulated for motorcycles. The oil change including the filter cost me almost 60 bucks! The oil and filter that I removed looked vitually brand new, but I had been having an issue with the oil pressure light flickering on and off at ~800rpm or so, and I thought the maybe the PO had put in 5wXX oil.

The parts store owners love guys like you. $60???

15W-40 is fine for a GS unless you ride when it's freezing outside. And 5W-40 won't cause your oil light to flicker. The only time 5W is thinner than 15W is when the oil is cold, not when the bike is up to temp, at which point the 40 rating overrides.

[Mickeymoe]

Hey Nesism,

Maybe the guy put 0wSomething in then, all I know is the flicker is gone. RE the 60 bucks, I bought the filter from an antique bike parts store for ~10 bucks, and the oil was almost 12 bucks a quart at Advance Auto. I didn't have time to price shop because we had a good break in the weather and I wanted to do a ride after I was done. I know I over paid, but stuff happens. BTW, how much SHOULD I have paid per quart for the oil?

Mark

[Nessism]

Live and learn Mark.

M1 motorcycle oil is expensive. I don't know what the going rate is because I don't use it. I use diesel oil in my bikes. Rotella Synthetic usually but I recently bought some Mystic semi-synthetic too. Oil filters are bout $7/each from places like Partzilla so I add in a few when ordering other things if my stock is low.

[Steve]

Some guys don't like visiting Wal-Mart for various reasons, but Rotella is available there. About $12 for the 15w-40 dino, about $22 for the 5w-40 synthetic. That is the price for a GALLON jug of each, which is pretty much what your bike requires. I think the spec calls for 3.9 quarts, I just dump in the whole gallon and be done with it.

Auto Zone usually carries Rotella, the prices are a bit higher, usually about $14 and $28. I have gotten it at Menards for about $22 (I only get the synthetic), even better when it's on their 11% rebate sale.

Yep, you can do a full oil change with synthetic for about $30.

.

[Brendan W]

I have the view that the deal breaker for bikes is that the engine oil also has to deal with gears.
A fully synthetic turbo diesel car here runs up to 18000 on manufacturers advice.
I reckon bike oils are hammered waaaaay before that and that the benefits of synthetic longevity may not apply.
I would happily use dino or part synthetic provided it had old fashioned additives and change at 3000 maximum.
The prices for 15W40 pre '90 diesel car or light truck are so competitive it's a no brainer.
Check out your local agri or marine supplier. The sell drums and their customers are watching the pennies.

[Downs]

I have the view that the deal breaker for bikes is that the engine oil also has to deal with gears.
A fully synthetic turbo diesel car here runs up to 18000 on manufacturers advice.
I reckon bike oils are hammered waaaaay before that and that the benefits of synthetic longevity may not apply.
I would happily use dino or part synthetic provided it had old fashioned additives and change at 3000 maximum.
The prices for 15W40 pre '90 diesel car or light truck are so competitive it's a no brainer.
Check out your local agri or marine supplier. The sell drums and their customers are watching the pennies.

Do an oil analysis I think you'll be surprised at how well the oil holds up in a motorcycle. Yeah it deals with gears but the overall loading on a motorcycle's drivetrain is pretty low compared to something like a car or a diesel truck. Even running standard dino oil my oil analysis on my 650 VSTROM showed I could easily go 6-7000 miles between oil changes. Synthetic was right around 10,000.

[bonanzadave]

how much SHOULD I have paid per quart for the oil?

I buy a 5 gallon pail of Mystik JT8 when they offer a $25 rebate. That equals about $1.50 qt. Bike,Boat,Lawn Tractor,and Push Mower.

https://www.mystiklubes.com/do/product/663002002

[aclaytonb]

Just knocked out an oil change for under $20. Rotella 15w40 ($14/gal) and a $5 ebay filter. 60 bucks is way too much for these old tanks. You could get by for 25 even with the K&N filter. I see the $12 per quart crap on the shelf at the auto stores and just laugh. Same stuff as in the rotella bottle but you pay the stupid tax for them to print a motorcycle on the front. The bottle of rotella in my garage still says JASO /JASO2 certified.

[Grimly]

Do an oil analysis I think you'll be surprised at how well the oil holds up in a motorcycle. Yeah it deals with gears but the overall loading on a motorcycle's drivetrain is pretty low compared to something like a car or a diesel truck. Even running standard dino oil my oil analysis on my 650 VSTROM showed I could easily go 6-7000 miles between oil changes. Synthetic was right around 10,000.

I go by what the gearchange feels like. If I feel the change getting less slick I change the oil.
That works out at 2K miles for dino, and nearly 3K miles for a good synthetic. I tried a 5W/40 synth a couple of years ago and it was nice, the way it made the engine smoother and free-er revving, but it went off at around 1700 miles.