Gs1000s engine oil

[gshub]

Any of you Guys tried motul 10/40 semi synthetic oil in you Gs1000 motors
in the process of having mine Wiseco 1085 and cant afford another rebuild in the future

[Nessism]

Any of you Guys tried motul 10/40 semi synthetic oil in you Gs1000 motors
in the process of having mine Wiseco 1085 and cant afford another rebuild in the future

Never tried that particular type but I'm sure it would be fine. Personally I find mutul oils (and motorcycle oil in general) to be a waste of money when you can use a diesel engine oil which will be just as good for 1/2 the cost or less. Not bashing the motul, just the price.

[gshub]

motul oil

Have allways used 10/40 casrol Gtx in the spring then when it get warmer I use
Duckhams 20/50. I keep being told not to use car oil in it.
my Gs1000s done about 95000miles apart from new valves guides seals and a rebore everything was like new.
no sludge or metal particals in the sump.
getting very confused.

Thanks
steve

[Nessism]

As emission rules have tightened and cars are now typically using 2 or three catylists each, engine oils have been mandated to have reduced amounts of zinc (high pressure additive) so the catylists don't get coated and fail, or loose their effectiveness. There is more to oil that just zinc but suffice it to say that auto oil is out performed by motorcycle oil and diesel oil when used in a motorcycle. This is not to say that auto oil is going to cause your engine to "fail", since it won't. It's just that there may be an incremental increase in wear in critical area, such as on the gear faces, or on rocker arms and cams on the 16v engines, which may go unknown by the owner until the bike has done a good many miles. If you are not likely to keep your bike for a long time, or just don't care the extra incremental wear inside the engine, just run the auto oil and be happy. If you are mechanically sympathetic, and plan to keep the bike for a while, I suggest using diesel oil, the synthetic type preferably. Synthetic oil will help protect the engine when it's really hot which is a big advantage with an air cooled motorcycle. Some say you shouldn't use synthetic oil after a rebuild but I don't believe there is any worry although I recommend using a regular dino grade of oil after the rebuild and then changing the oil to synthetic after a few thundered miles to get out any debris that tends to accumulate in the engine after a rebuild. Hope this helps and good luck.

[gshub]

Hi

Thanks for your thoughts ,my thoughts are maybe I should carry on using what i
have in the past.
just keep changing it regualy.

[Nessism]

Thanks for your thoughts ,my thoughts are maybe I should carry on using what i
have in the past.
just keep changing it regualy.

A guy on the Bob is the Oil Guy forum has an email from a tech rep at Castrol that recommends AGAINST GTX in air cooled motorcycles.

[gshub]

A guy on the Bob is the Oil Guy forum has an email from a tech rep at Castrol that recommends AGAINST GTX in air cooled motorcycles.

Soo if thats the case why do most Gs owners use it more than anything else?
been told by loads of people not to use any fully synthetic oil in me Gs.
would keep using Duckhams 20/50 but it goes like lorry oil when cold or should I say Diesel oil.

running out of options.

[Nessism]

Soo if thats the case why do most Gs owners use it more than anything else?
been told by loads of people not to use any fully synthetic oil in me Gs.
would keep using Duckhams 20/50 but it goes like lorry oil when cold or should I say Diesel oil.

running out of options.

If you go to the archives and do a search you will find that "most Gs owners" are using diesel oil (at least the ones here at GSR). What lead you to think most use GTX???

Regarding "loads of people not to use any fully synthetic oil in me Gs", you are getting some BAD ADVISE. Synthetic oil is superior and the latest Shell Rotella Synthetic DIESEL oil is MA certified, which in layman's terms means it's tested and meets the specifications of motorcycle oil.

That Duckhams 20W-50 is a very thick oil, thicker in fact than the typical diesel oil which is 15W-40. The number with the W next to it is the cold temp number, the lower the better if you are looking for cold weather flowability. Synthetic diesel oil is typically 5W-40, which is superior to even 10W-40 when it comes to flowing at low temperatures. 20W oils are like sludge when it's cold.

Honestly now, this is turning into the typical oil thread so I'm out. The problem with oil threads is too many people have their minds made up based on what "people say" instead of facts.

[hampshirehog]

If you go to the archives and do a search you will find that "most Gs owners" are using diesel oil (at least the ones here at GSR). What lead you to think most use GTX???.

I'm thinking there is maybe a difference between US and UK GTX as most guys I know over here are running GTX. My mate who designs oils and fuels etc for Repsol and Chevron uses it and I guess he wouldn't if it didn't represent good value. I've asked him 'the oil question' and he's always said carry on with GTX.

That Duckhams 20W-50 is a very thick oil, thicker in fact than the typical diesel oil which is 15W-40. The number with the W next to it is the cold temp number, the lower the better if you are looking for cold weather flowability. Synthetic diesel oil is typically 5W-40, which is superior to even 10W-40 when it comes to flowing at low temperatures. 20W oils are like sludge when it's cold.

My dad swears by Duckhams 'been using it for 60 years boy....'. But you are right Ed, it's thick old stuff. 20-50 was the standard for cars over here 30 years ago but I think it's only Duckhams (which is an expensive brand) and a few no-name companies still producing it.

[Nessism]

Shell Rotella diesel oil has 1200/950 ppm (parts per million) Zinc/Phosphorus - high pressure additives
Shell Rotella T6 synthetic 1350/1350 ppm
Valvoline Premium Blue sythetic diesel oil 1500/1300 ppm
Castrol GTX 800/700 ppm

Hope the English GTX is better than the stuff we get over here (I doubt it though since there is a German guy posting test results at BITOG and the numbers are similar).

Here is a good thread on the Bob is the Oil guy forum from a guy running Rotella in his Goldwing (including a number of oil analysis test results). http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...38135&page=all

[hampshirehog]

Ed, I've spoken to my mate (the guy who works for Chevron / Repsol - I had to pick his kids up from school today) and his comments on zinc were:

The zinc content (it's not actually zinc it's a long-winded chemical name containing zinc) in oil is only there for when the base oil isn't doing it's job so it's a bit like a back up system, although it actually isn't (yeah - it was double-dutch to me as well). The zinc is only needed where there is metal to metal contact eg cams and in his opinion 1100ppm is a safe number where there is a long service interval - he defined 10000 miles as 'long' (although in a lot of modern vehicles service intervals are often much longer which is where synthetics come in to their own).

With high revving air cooled bikes a higher zinc content would be desirable for that service interval though there is a flip side in that high zinc levels can contribute to plug fouling. A higher zinc level doesn't give more protection it gives longer protection. Therefor 1100ppm is a compromise that we can live with as our service intervals are much shorter on these bikes.

There are several GTX formulations available in the UK; these all have 1200ppm except the 15-40 GTX Diesel version which has 1400ppm. The Diesel oil has excellent low ash properties but this advantage is offset by it having a slightly higher low temperature viscosity.

I was right that you guys have different oil to us. Apparently there is EU legislation that is on the way that will bring us in line with you chaps, or knowing our lot we'll 'overtake' you in the Great Green Quest (probably only be allowed to use water for lubrication). The whole debate has been stalled on 2-stroke engines apparently - the environmental lobby want a complete ban (even on use of existing engines) whereas the more sensible types are keen on allowing lightweight 2-strokes in chainsaws, strimmers etc until suitable 4-stroke alternatives can be developed. The 2 sides can't agree and have been debating it since the mid 90's. Sounds like the usual gravy train to me but what the heck - long live strokers .

[Nessism]

If your local GTX has 1200 zinc, you are good to go. No reason to bother with diesel oil in this instance, unless it’s cheaper that is.