Is synthetic oil good or not for old GS?

[zblip2]

I ride a gs850g. I have been told many times in the past that synthetic oil may damage the clutch plates and therefore, I never used it. Recently I read posts of folks using synthetic oil in there bikes (Rotela for example) during the hot season with success. Has there been a new advancement in synthetic oils that permits them to be used in motorcycles, or are they risking scraping there clutch? Are there Synthetic oils specially made for bikes?

[Nessism]

You should do a search, this topic has been rehashed to DEATH.

In a nut shell:

Synthetic oil is fine for motorcycles. It is not "more slippery" thus no worry with the clutch. The two main advantages to synthetic oil is that 1) it does not break down as fast as dino oil thus you can extend the change interval, and 2) it has better "staying power", for lack of a better word, in the event of overheating thus it provides a measure of safety for our air cooled GS engines.

[longgreensilverado]

does synthetic oil cause leaks or leak out easier??? or is that BS?

[Grandpa]

It's BS.

I've been using Shell Rotella 5W-40 synthetic, in the blue bottle. It's available at WalMart. Works just fine, in all kinds of weather.

[vwdoctor3]

I run synthetic oil in everything I own. weed whackers, lawn mowers, compressor's, cars, bikes. ect, ect...
the ol wifes tail of after I put in synthetic oil and now my engine leaks is true in some cases I have seen. if you have been running regular oil with long service intervals and rough on your machines and the inside of your motor is sludged up around your gaskets and joining surfaces. the synthetic oil doesnt sludge up or break down like regular oil and will wash away at the sludge deposits therefore causing a leak that you already had but were not aware of until the sludge was removed. I have seen this first hand with a truck I had. I got it from a buddy and all he did was drive it and when the oil light came on he added oil. then I get it and the first thing I do is change the oil to castrol syntec and drive it 500 miles and dump the oil again and in about 700 to 900 miles the oil light came on and the oil was full and I checked oil pressure and found it low. come to find out the oil filter was plugged and the oil pickup screen was chuck full of crud and also wouldnt you know it I got a 1/2 dozen little oil leaks starting. so turns out that the sludge was washed away buy the synthetic oil. almost like internal engine cleaner.
run your synthetic oil and enjoy...

[jameslovesjammie]

I'm really glad I ran along this post! We've got some Full Syntec 5-50 sitting on the shelf that I should be able to get cheap!

[N56629]

does synthetic oil cause leaks or leak out easier??? or is that BS?

FWIW, I switched to syn for my Dodge Stratus and Dakota and both use much more oil than previously. The Stratus NEVER used oil between changes. I would say they both use about one quart every 1200-1500 miles. I still think the advantages out weight the inconvenience.

[duaneage]

I think Mobile1 changed their formula on us to include friction reducers. That would be bad for teh clutch. Rotella is good stuff and cheaper. It also does not affect the clutch,

[Tarbash 27]

I Switched to amsoil synthetic, now Im getting oil pan leaks, drain plug, oil filter cover, valve cover leaks. Im not sure what Im going to do next oil change, stick with synthetic or go back to dino oil.

[82Shafty]

I just bought some Mobil one High mileage synthetic---supposed to condition seals on old rides.

[KGB]

I Switched to amsoil synthetic, now Im getting oil pan leaks, drain plug, oil filter cover, valve cover leaks. Im not sure what Im going to do next oil change, stick with synthetic or go back to dino oil.

Now you're asking for trouble.

As they say, you can't go back.
Once synth, stay with it.
It's ok to go from dino to synth, but not back.
Try the blend type

[Nessism]

Now you're asking for trouble.

As they say, you can't go back.
Once synth, stay with it.
It's ok to go from dino to synth, but not back.
Try the blend type

Please explain why "you can't go back". I've never heard this before. There are tons of blend type oils which indicates that mixing is perfectly okay.

[KGB]

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=114332

[KGB]

Please explain why "you can't go back". I've never heard this before. There are tons of blend type oils which indicates that mixing is perfectly okay.

A souple of mechanics told me, I know their lips were moving, they could be lying

No seriously they both said the synth does not drain, it still coats the metal surface and doesn't allow the dino oil to coat or adhere.
It never really releases or allows the dino to do it's job.

This is the explanantion I was given/told.

My GS gets dino 10W-40, the Triumph gets full synth 5-30.
Triumph reccomends Mobil 1 5-30 racing blend.

So as to synth screwing up or affecting wet clutches, no.
My Triumph is about 20K on the original clutch.
I do my oil change in the Sprint at about 5K, the manual says 6K.
The GS <3K and filter.

[distraction628]

Oh all the old wives tales...you can switch back and for from syn to dino.. 99% of syn says you can mix with conventional oil it won't stay stuck to the metal it will mix with the dino oil.The reason leaks will show up when you switch from dino to syn is because you have cleaned out the gunk that was plugging your seals....
After a while the syn will soften back up your seals and the leaks should slow down or stop, sometimes this wont happen because your seals a are just to far gone...
We can all day, month, year on the oil subject. Just use what you feel comfortable with.....
Just my 2 cents worth