ruok Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 I'm sure some of us are curious if there's some kind of consensus Link to comment
ShovelStrokeEd Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 The consensus is that almost all of us use oil in our bikes. A simple search on oil, going back one year or so, will give you about 200 pages of data which you may then compile any way you wish and present us with the results. It has been at least 2 weeks since this question was asked, which is about 3 days longer than average. Link to comment
ruok Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 The consensus is that almost all of us use oil in our bikes. A simple search on oil, going back one year or so, will give you about 200 pages of data which you may then compile any way you wish and present us with the results. It has been at least 2 weeks since this question was asked, which is about 3 days longer than average. ShovelStrokeEd, Just a friendly survey to see what everybody's using. I don't have a agenda. FWIW, searched the archives for a previous poll, but didn't see any. If indeed this poll has been done recently, by all means please have the moderator delete it--no problemo. I wouldn't want to see a poll like this every two weeks either Ken Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 The consensus is that almost all of us use oil in our bikes. almost?!? Who's the dissenter? Ken, I don't recall an actual poll in recent memory - but there certainly is no shortage of discussion on the matter. I'll be impressed if your poll reveals any sort of concensus on the matter; from what I've seen, people are all over the map. Some folks seem to be getting away with using run-of-the-mill automotive (SJ) oil, while others of us (myself included) stick only with synthetic motorcycle (SG) oil, and plenty of other folks choose something in between. FWIW, I'm not aware of any lubrication-related engine failures on these bikes, no matter what the oil. I'm starting to think you could run frickin' olive oil in there without any problems. Link to comment
steveknapp Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 almost?!? Who's the dissenter? Shhh..don't tell Ron! synthetic motorcycle (SG) oil, I thought the JASO "MA" classifications were specifically intended for powersports-type applications. SG is just an older API spec. But reagardless, even if not on this forum. Google turns up a ton of stuff. None of it really concrete. People swearing by car oil, diesel engine oil, and motorcycle oil. Oddly enough I even found a guy who used Motorcycle oil in his SUV. I'd personally dig up some of the back articles from MCN on the issue. Link to comment
Global_Rider Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 How many engine failures are oil related? I only use synthetics in my car because it gets started at temperatures as low as -30°C at times. I don't see any advantage to sythetics used in motorcycles as far as flowability is concerned. The 5W30 or any other spec is the same for any oil...at two temperatures. Now for longer drain intervals (long trips) and high temperature operation, especially in an air or air/oil cooled engine, then I'd go with a synthetic. Yet I still haven't switched. Link to comment
philbytx Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 I am sticking with BMW dino 20w50 until around 15k then will switch to Mobil1. Darth just came out of warranty in January and I usually stick with OE parts and lubes at least until after the factory warranty expires (This certainly helped me with a warranty issue with Toyota about 17 years ago). As per my post a couple of weeks back, Darth just started to break in and oil useage to drop quite dramatically. I have enough BMW dino oil on the shelf for 2 more changes and then its synthetic all the way.... As an aside... I use Mobil1 15w50 in my 95 525i and Delvac1 5w40 in our 97 turbo-diesel engined 'Van o' Love' MH and have done so for years. I also use synthetic fluids and oils in both the trannies and diffs on both of them. The MH turbo-diesel powertrain takes a pounding and temps can get quite high on steep grades or when towing. I carry a Fluke with an IR sensor to check on all the "busy parts" temps when we are in the mountains... BION - Synthetic tranny fluid actually runs cooler than dino..... When we lived in IL we were also concerned about cold weather starting (on the 525i) and in TX about high heat applications for both vehicles. Deb's Subie, with a boxer engine , is just a year old and only has 8k on it and I am still on dino in the engine although I did change to synthetic 75w90 hypoid in the front and rear diffs at 7500 miles. I want to go synthetic all around as we also use the Subie for towing and so will change both the engine oil and tranny fluid to synthetic around 10k. Being around turbo motors and aircraft for many years has certainly swayed me toward synthetics . Sorry to go on but I believe it assists others when we can rationalize and discuss our particular lubrication requirements. Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 I need to be able to vote twice. I use BMW dino oil in my BMW (until it's broken in and/or out of warranty) and major mfr (Spectro or Redline) moto-specific synthetic in my Suzuki. Link to comment
Boffin Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 I can't vote because I use Castrol GPS Semi-synthetic motorcycle oil. But I'm not anal about it and I just read the minimum spec in the manual. If the oil can says it meets that spec then I am not wasting any money buying full synthetic for the cool damp UK climate, where lane splitting is one step removed from compulsory. Cya, Andy Link to comment
pickersgill1 Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 10w40 Semi sythetic oil offers up to 4 times the protection over the standard Castrol mineral oil that the dealer used on the last service (6,000 miles). BMW R1150RT are well known to use oil, due to being air cooled. The use of a quaility semi sythetic oil is a small price to pay and may reduce the oil consumption. Link to comment
No_Twilight Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 I didn't vote since you've left out an important category. After leisurely reading notes I've seen on oil over the past year or so, including most of the biweekly oil threads on this board (Ed got tired of reading them, I don't blame him) and occasional oil threads on other boards and several exhaustive discussions at various locations on the internet, I've concluded that the best oil to use in our motorcycles is HD diesel service oil such as Shell Rotella. Cheers, Jerry Link to comment
philbytx Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 The new Mobil1 Truck/SUV is, basically, a relabelled Delvac1....and ideal for our motors Link to comment
Jim VonBaden Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Basically whatever I find in the store. I generally use Castrol 20/50 year round. But I went to synthetic on my old 11GS just to see if it made a difference. I couldn't tell. Just pour it in and ride. Jim Link to comment
leikam Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Who's the dissenter? "They say that a man who represents himself in court has a fool for a client. And with God as my witness, I am that fool!" Link to comment
wolcott Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 As an aside-I was alway curious about the folks that run the shell rotella and other brands usually used in trucks that come in a 15w-40 weight. BMW and Harleys run 20w-50 or you can run a 15w-50 (actually better for those colder months). 1) But, how can you drop down one whole weight from a 50 weight to a 40 weight, especially since it is not recommended in the owner's manuals? 2)I don't see how a 40 weight oil would hold up in an air-cooled engine on a 97 degree SW Florida day when the heat index is 103 degrees and you are stuck in city traffic. Link to comment
Clive Liddell Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I use Castrol 20w-50 dino (sold in a black 5 litre can vs the cheaper sold in a white can). Don't ask what specs they are, I just trust Castrol - and ride. Having got that out of the way: When my bikes were new and for the first 20 or 30000km they were tight and definitely ran a lot hotter. Now, why would folk not want the added "protection" of "special" oil at a time they needed it most? After break-in at around 40000km these bikes run very easily and, on the RT, the thermostat has a time of it to get the temperature UP to normal. Daytime temperatures here usually around 35 - 38C (~97F) and after a spirited run I can (just) hold my finger on the gearbox (no cat) and easily touch the final drive (Castrol 90 GL5 - I don't know if it's made of dinos or whales or sharks but I don't let it worry me) Link to comment
No_Twilight Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 As an aside-I was alway curious about the folks that run the shell rotella and other brands usually used in trucks that come in a 15w-40 weight. BMW and Harleys run 20w-50 or you can run a 15w-50 (actually better for those colder months). 1) But, how can you drop down one whole weight from a 50 weight to a 40 weight, especially since it is not recommended in the owner's manuals? 2)I don't see how a 40 weight oil would hold up in an air-cooled engine on a 97 degree SW Florida day when the heat index is 103 degrees and you are stuck in city traffic. Well, I'm not sure I agree with you that our oil gets that much hotter than motor vehicle service. Yes, if you're idling in Florida heat for a long period of time you should probably turn the bike off before more than just the oil overheats. We have an oil cooler. Most cars, including high performance cars, don't. So I'm not sure why BMW specifies 20W-50 oil for our bikes. And if you've read my posts before you know I'm not at all afraid to challenge BMWs recommendations when I don't think their products are any better than aftermarket. All that said, oil viscosity is one area where I strongly believe in following he manufacturers recommendation. It should be based on lots of testing results. For my cars I usually by whatever name brand oil is on sale but always the recommended viscosity. I don't know why BMW recommends 20w50 but they do so I'm sticking with it. Does the manual allow for using 15W 40 in colder climates? I remember I couldn't find Shell Rotella in 20W50 so I picked up something else. I just did an internet search and Rotella doesn't come in 20W50, nor does lots of other diesel oils. I see Conoco has 20W50 and that may be what I have. Lots of overseas oil companies make 20W50 diesel oil but not in the us. Cheers, Jerry Link to comment
tobyzusa Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Yes, I use oil and suggest you do too! Link to comment
BMT Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 It may be different over there, but in Europe there's a diagram in the manual, plotting recommended oil grades against ambient temperature. Much more than just 20W-50 is possible. Link to comment
BMT Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Well, there's no option for the supermarket own-brand, cheapest that meets the minimum spec. And I never change at less than 6000 miles -- may even go over by a thousand or so -- and I never worry about the oil. I'll be running with scissors next ... Link to comment
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