oil

[hampshirehog]

DONT RUN CAR OIL,,, duckhams or GTX, that's for a car! It wont do for bike engines.
Bike engines go to 8000rpm and higher, cars go to maybe 6000rpm, bike oil has better tolerance additives for the higher range.
If you use car oil, keep the revs down and change to motorcycle oil asap.
(I've had 2 GS1000G's)
Believe or not, I was having a simular discussion with my local motorcycle dealer, he stated that Honda/Yamaha/Kawasaki/Suzuki oils are far better than other oils costing the same, and he proved it............
They for FREE put Honda oil in my 81 GS1000G and I rode for a 1000 miles, the engine ran more smoothly, not sure if it did anything for gas mileage, but it certainly was smoother and the engine was slightly quieter.........
Oh, and change your oil regular, I do ALL my bikes at approx 1500 miles.

Phil - Heron (UK importer) always recommended GTX for UK bikes and Suzuki always listed it in their UK recommendation as well. The main Suzuki dealer that I worked in back then nearly always used GTX (or occasionally BP if there was a cheap deal to be had). Just about every photo of an oil change showed a GTX jug being used to measure out the correct volume. Where a specific oil isn't mentioned in the manual the listing is usually 'good quality engine oil'. From what I can see and read Duckhams has always had the same spec as GTX except it's blue.

Ed is right about the zinc level in GTX being less than it used to be; we just disagree about what effect that has.

[almarconi]

They for FREE put Honda oil in my 81 GS1000G and I rode for a 1000 miles, the engine ran more smoothly, not sure if it did anything for gas mileage, but it certainly was smoother and the engine was slightly quieter.........

Your kidding right?? You can't actually believe the engine ran smoother with Honda oil. It would only run better if you put SUZUKI oil in it.

[Nessism]

Ed is right about the zinc level in GTX being less than it used to be; we just disagree about what effect that has.

I've been reading over at the Bob is the Oil Guy forum and while the people over there also have differences of opinion on oils, they are generally pretty knowledgeable so their considered opinions are good for the most part.

The problem with auto oils in motorcycles (according to the BITOG folks) is 1) the low zinc levels is bad for the high pressure points (such as valve lifters and between transmission gears), and 2) auto oils typically use lower grade base stock which shears down in viscosity grade fairly quickly (turns your 40 weight into 30). The GS shim and bucket valve train is very easy on the wear parts (which is good for the auto oil guys) but the 4 valve per cylinder engines are not so that should be a consideration in my opinion. The shearing down of grade is a serious issue if the person wants to run their oil beyond say 1500 miles. Diesel oils have both more zinc, and other high pressure additives, as well as they use high grade base stock so that's why I always recommend them when these oil threads come up. Actually, synthetic diesel is the way to go in my opinion since the base stock will not shear down as quickly as even high grade dino base stock oil plus the synthetic oil does not thin out as much when you are slugging away in traffic when the sump temperatures can reach 300F - NOT good.

Lots of people say "I've never had problems with XTZ (auto) oil" thus they think it's great stuff. I'm not saying these people are wrong but excessive wear inside an engine is a relative thing and very difficult to quantify. I've seen lots of engines with pitting on the transmission gears but the bikes ran fine otherwise. This type of wear will go unnoticed by most riders thus it's a sign of high pressure point wear which can be better managed by oils with lots of zinc. Grooves worn in valve trains like rocker arms and cams is another example of wear that can be reduced by using the appropriate type of oil. People that sell their bikes every couple of years will never notice this type of wear but again, using a high zinc oil is more critical in certain types of engines.

These photos show the type of wear that can occur with cheap oil on a high wear valve train parts (Kawasaki EX500 valve train). High quality oil is mandatory on bikes like this.

[Einstein]

Please read to the end before jumping to a conclusion !!!!

I was always under the impression that Car oils and Bike oils were different, the main being friction modifiers added to Car oil..

Another point being "Engine Oil" which is fine in a car, truck, whatever, but in a bike, it it also the gearbox oil. cars use hypoid gear oil, something you wouldn't put in an engine.. So oil for a bike has to be able to stand up to gearbox use...

Then there's the wet clutch, again, something cars don't have, so an oil for a bike has to suitable for wet clutches..
There has been cases of clutch slippage when using full synthetic car oils.


Now, even though all the above seems to make sense, I have heard of many people recommending nothing more than regular car oil, having used it for years with no problems..
Oil has only 2 main functions.. 1/ to lubricate. 2/ to aid cooling. Any oil worth it's salt will perform both of these without question.

The main thing to note is the viscosity of the oil being used... too thin, and it won't lubricate properly, too thick, and it won't flow, and create too much friction. always check the handbook for the correct grade for your area. Cold climates use thinner oil than Hot climates.

Whether you want to use Bike oil or Car oil is your choice, neither will cause any damage so long as the correct grade is used, normally 10W/40.
The only thing that may have concern is the wet clutch, and if you do get any slippage, just change the oil.

If as Wally says, Heron Suzuki always recommended GTX, then that's good enough for me..

As a comparison, I drive a Lexus GS300, and for the transmission, The handbook, and workshop manual states that ONLY Toyota T-1V fluid is to be used........ So can you tell me why the Lexus dealers always use cheap Dexron fluid... Profit and all that..


John

[Nessism]

Please read to the end before jumping to a conclusion !!!!

I was always under the impression that Car oils and Bike oils were different, the main being friction modifiers added to Car oil..

Another point being "Engine Oil" which is fine in a car, truck, whatever, but in a bike, it it also the gearbox oil. cars use hypoid gear oil, something you wouldn't put in an engine.. So oil for a bike has to be able to stand up to gearbox use...

Then there's the wet clutch, again, something cars don't have, so an oil for a bike has to suitable for wet clutches..
There has been cases of clutch slippage when using full synthetic car oils.


Now, even though all the above seems to make sense, I have heard of many people recommending nothing more than regular car oil, having used it for years with no problems..
Oil has only 2 main functions.. 1/ to lubricate. 2/ to aid cooling. Any oil worth it's salt will perform both of these without question.

The main thing to note is the viscosity of the oil being used... too thin, and it won't lubricate properly, too thick, and it won't flow, and create too much friction. always check the handbook for the correct grade for your area. Cold climates use thinner oil than Hot climates.

Whether you want to use Bike oil or Car oil is your choice, neither will cause any damage so long as the correct grade is used, normally 10W/40.
The only thing that may have concern is the wet clutch, and if you do get any slippage, just change the oil.

If as Wally says, Heron Suzuki always recommended GTX, then that's good enough for me..

As a comparison, I drive a Lexus GS300, and for the transmission, The handbook, and workshop manual states that ONLY Toyota T-1V fluid is to be used........ So can you tell me why the Lexus dealers always use cheap Dexron fluid... Profit and all that..


John

Castrol GTX car oil has about 800 ppm of zinc, Shell Rotella has 1150 ppm, which in itself is reason enough switch in my opinion.

[doctorgonzo]

Like Ed, I use Rotella diesel oil. If car oil was bad for a bike, it seems odd it would be what's recommended in the factory manual (which it is). It doesn't say "use motorcycle oil only". It says "use 10W-40". That being said 2010 Car oil isn't 1980 car oil, thus the switch to Rottella.

[derwood]

suzuki oil for 7$/litre