The Right Oil

[GS650L_Maine]

Okay, question on lube. The filler cap on my 1982 GS650GL says 10W-40, as do many of your bikes. I just read the article in the "Garage" section on the front page of this site titled "More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Motor Oil". 10W-40 is says has been written off by manufacturers, etc, etc..as the article states. Now in my truck I run Synthetic, never flinched and spending the extra nickel for better lube, and I certainly am not going to let a few dollars decide whether or not my GS gets a better oil.
My question is two fold. One, it says 10W-40 on the cap; so can I put synthetic in it safely and what weight would you all recommend? Second question is this; my worry is that after 24 years of running petroleum oils in it, will it cause all sorts of problems after being fed synthetic. I've heard people talking that say changing to synthetic on an old engine after so long a time can cause leaks, seal issues, etc..
Of course, I'll write off the whole thought of changing oil if the mechanics and engine heads here (who are better wrenchers than I) think the 10W-40 will take me another 24 years. Thanks...

[omaharj]

I need some more info... LIKE, HOW YOU GOT A POLL STARTED IN THE TECH SECTION? ? ? ? ?:shock: 8-[ :-o :-o

[GS650L_Maine]

The poll

After I wrote my message it asked if I wanted to create one...sorry, I'll kill it if it lets me. I know there is a poll forum but I thought it was appropriate for the post I wrote.

[brs127s]

I have tried several different oils in each of my bikes. I am now running Mobil 1 10W-40 Synthetic Motorcycle oil. I have been very happy with it. It decreased the operating temp of my 850, plus it shifts easier. I have never experienced any clutch slippage either. I also run an oil cooler on my 850, which also helps on the operating temperature.

I have ran:

Castrol GTX 10W-40
Suzuki 10W-40
Amsoil High Performance 10W-40 Synthetic Oil
Amsoil 10W-40 Synthetic Motorcycle Oil
Mobil 1 10W-40 Synthetic Motorcycle Oil

Of the oils I have used, I would rate the synthetic over the dino oils. Between the synthetics, I like the Mobil over the Amsoil, only because the Mobil is readily available.

Synthetics are quite a bit more expensive, but I feel like their benefits outweigh their costs.

Brandon

[Llamaguy]

I would run Mobil 1 moto sythetic, but I know that my bike and my car burn oil and it will foul the plugs in no time, so dino is it. (Does Mobil make a non-synth 4-stroke motorcycle oil?)

[fgh]

10W-40 non Energy Conserving

I've always felt that the manufacturer probably knows best. If your bike is using oil then go to something with a higher second number. It may reduce oil consumption or may not, but it's worth a try. Unwanted side effects are clutches that stick and need to be rocked loose before starting. The issue with clutch slippage is often blamed on additives that are there to reduce friction. Look on the back of the bottle and find the API circle. If it has "Energy Conserving" in it then it has friction reducing additives. I stay away from them. I am currently using Castrol Syntech (the standard and synthetic blend) 10W-40. The clutch likes to hang after its parked for 8 or more hours. A couple of rocks and it breaks loose.

[SqDancerLynn1]

I usually change the oil every 1500 miles So I use dino, last oil change went to SHell Rotella T $8 gallon. Seems to work much better than Castrol GTX that I was using

[omaharj]

After I wrote my message it asked if I wanted to create one...sorry, I'll kill it if it lets me. I know there is a poll forum but I thought it was appropriate for the post I wrote.

No need to apologize, I was just surprised. All kinds of new things still pop up with the new site. BTW I use 10-40 Castrol syntec blend whatever that is. Seems OK.

[gekkechef]

Please remember that most of this bikes are 20-30 years old.
The oils at that time were not as good as they are today.....
Since I change to synth. oil my bike runs better, the oil consumption dropped a lot, and goes trough the gears much better.
I use 10w-50 full synth.
No problem at all with the clutch.
If you shop around there are alternatives to the top brands and you will spend the same as good mineral oil.

[dietcokeking]

If I recall correctly, my manual (and the stamp on the oil filler cap) recommends 10W-40 as the "all around" oil. However, my owners manual also specifies that other oil weights are suitable for specific temperature ranges. Because I never ride at really cold temps, I run 15W-50.

I don't think you can qualify my use of 15W-50 as running other than the recommended weight!

I'm just not using the one-size-fits-all oil!