Is Oil...oil???

[Instructor50]

I am going to change the oil for the first time in my 1996 Magna and I went and got my oil filter and thought I had oil at the house so I didn't purchase any right then and there.

I'm don't have the oil like I thought so while I'm at the store on base, I am looking at all of the oil and the only one I see with a motorcycle on it is Royal Purple at 10.50 a qt.  YIKES!!!  

Is a 10W30 or 40 that you would buy for a vehicle the same as what goes in a bike or are there certain kinds you need to buy?  

Thanks for the help...

Instructor50  (just to put everyone's minds at ease...I'm not an instructor of motorcycles)  

[Sledge Hammer]

Is a 10W30 or 40 that you would buy for a vehicle the same as what goes in a bike or are there certain kinds you need to buy?  

Thanks for the help...

Instructor50  (just to put everyone's minds at ease...I'm not an instructor of motorcycles)  

Instructor50,

You need oil intended specifically for motorcycle use. I haven't tried using automotive motor oil, but I have read that the friction modifiers used in it will likely cause shifting problems. Honda warns that the "shearing action" of the clutch and transmission will lead to premature viscosity breakdown.

I am not an expert on oil (or much of anything else), so I can't comment about the Royal Purple, and for that reason I am not inclined to second-guess Honda. I use Honda's GN4 10W-40.

By the way, be bewared: the last time I bought a filter from Honda (part number 15410-MFJ-D01, or at least it was two months ago -- those jokers change filter part numbers recreationally), the torque specification on the filter was 2.4 to 3 times higher than the official Magna service manual shows. The manual shows 10 Newton∙meters (7 foot∙pounds), but the filter calls for 24-30 newton-meters. I put it on with a torque wrench at 10 newton∙meters, and that was plenty tight enough. I've ridden 300 miles since then with no leaks.

[seratt]

I'm pretty sure a fair amount of people on these boards use Royal Purple and love the stuff.

I mimic Greg myself and go with Mobil 1 MX4T Racing.

Agree with Spaceman though, I'd stay away from normal car oil and stick with motorcycle oil.  I think synthetic car oil will cause your clutch to slip, so stay with a motorcycle synthetic if you go that route.

[TLRam1]

Yes,  you can use automotive oil in bikes but avoid the ones with "Friction Modifiers" in them.

On the back of the oil in the bottom of the round circle where it states the certification of the oil it will say "Energy Conserving". Those have Friction Modifiers in them and you DO NOT want that.

Some diesel/gas oils are a Heavy Duty choice. I have never gone into the hype of synthetics and read for years on various types of oils. Reason being what breaks down on autos these days are not the internal parts so much as all the stuff attached to the motor.  

After much research I see a benefit (I do understand the gears and extra pressures it places on oil). You can have a better oil, better protection AND Extended Oil Change Intervals.

Mobil currently has an oil with a guaranteed 15,000 mile chg interval. Initially they had a 25,000 mile on synthetic, dropped it for a while and came back with 15,000 mile.  

Below is one of the better websites on oils I have seen. Lot's of reading but for people like myself......put to good use!

Some are auto related but used the info as that is what's available.

http://www.micapeak.com/bike/ST/ST1300/Oils.html

Oil Filters

http://www.tobycreek.org/oil_filters/purolator.shtml

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html

Auto Air Filters

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest3.htm

[HardDriveUSA]

    Some how I dont think I used motorcycle oil.  I don't think it was a synthetic however.  So far no problems     Is there really that big of difference?

[Sledge Hammer]

Well, right after I aired out my ignorance for all to see, I find a link on the Magna Diaries page on the MOOT site to the following article on oils:

http://vfrworld.com/tex_vfr/tech/oil.htm

The article quotes Mike Guillory, who is listed on the University of Louisiana web site as having received a B.S. in Chemistry from them in 1967 and having retired from Shell Oil Co. in Houston. I'd say Mssr. Guillory's B.S. Chemistry trumps my B.S.EET.

I will still play it safe for now, but I'm going to give myself a little education on the subject.

[silveradocowboy]

That is the website I was going to post and the info is correct about Mike. I don't think you could go wrong taking his advice on the subject of oil and filters. I met Mike several years back when I joined the SMOT group and he does indeed know what he is talking about. Somewhere I have a pic of him on his V65 Magna.

[roboto65]

Well count me in as a Royal Purple freak hehehehe and I have use Nonspecific RP in my bikes for years and have no problems I have used straight 40w and 10w40 no difference that I can tell all the bikes are still running as far as I know  

[Greg Cothern]

You can run the non friction modifer auto oil, however it has been my personal experience that it makes the shifts noiser and a bit more difficult.
I finally got on the band wagon of the synthetics, as mentioned I have switched to Mobile 1 4T (used to be named MX4T) due to it quieted down the tranny noise and I dont have to changed it but half as often LoL.  So cost is about the same with longer run intervals.

[seratt]

How often do you change Greg?

I'm coming up on 3k miles and was planning on changing then.

[HardDriveUSA]

   Duh.  It wasn't me that changed my oil last.  I had it done at my favorite store. I'm sure the oil they used should be fine.

[Greg Cothern]

Tim, I go 6000-7500 miles on my oil changes, if its a lot of stop and go in town/city riding then I go 6k.  If say majority of the miles are on a long trip and out on the highway type riding then I go for the 7500 mile mark.

[Brad Badgett]

On changing oil, with non-synthetic oils it is recomended to change the oil before storage ( Winter?), since the oil tends to turn acidic.  Does 100% synthetic oil turn acidic while cycle is idle? I switched to Mobil 1 last oil change (May '07) on my '96 and plan to go ~8k between oil changes.

Brad Badgett
MOOT #164
1996 VF750C
OK Region

[Curtis_Valk]

What Brad says is true, although I don't think the oil itself turns acidic but the contaminants that it may contain (that may have been what you meant Brad, sorry).  If this is the case, then synthetic oil would have the same acidic contaminants that could etch bearing surfaces during prolonged storage.

I don't think anyone in our climate (even the "northerners" like Brad) will have their bike down long enough to worry about it, but maybe I'm mistaken (I hope not).  I ride year 'round so have never given thought to what time of year I change the oil.  However if you store your bike for a couple of months or more, it is better to do the oil change right before you put her away.

Curtis

[Instructor50]

Talk about a wealth of knowledge within this site!!!  

You fellow MOOTsters are awesome!  WHo would have thought a simple question I first thought I was going to get laughed at for would produce so many interesting comments?  

You guys are awesome!

Thanks for the help.  I think I may actually go with the Royal Purple too.  I used to use it on my other truck and I was impressed so maybe I'll have the same good fortune with my bike.

Thanks again to all.

Brandon
Instructor50