Oil choice? Synthetic vs Regular....

[CaptainJD]

While I was at the Hollister Honda dealership I was talking to the service manager regarding oil change for my 97 Valk Std.
I asked to service mgr which synthetic oil they recommend and his eyes got bigger and said "oh no; we do not recommend synthetic oil on Valks, it causes the clutch slipping".

I don't remember anything like that from 10 years ago when I had my 99 Interstate.
Does he have a point or ????
Thanks,

Captain

[JaysGone]

As long as the oil has no friction modifiers, no he is mistaken.
Im new to the bike and just used regular 10w-40 when I rebuilt the engine.
It was a bit noisey and I switched to 20w-50 regular cheapy WalMart oil. $13 a 5 quart jug.
Bike runs fine and quieter.
My V-Twins with wet clutches I run synthetic, Aimsoil 20w50 about 12$ a quart, out of habit.
Not because its better........which it may very well be??
For the most part a quart of synth will cost close to the price of a 5 quart jug of dino oil.

Synth vs dino...... I change them both at 7500 miles.
I feel its just personal preference when to change oil and what your willing to spend.
Changing any oil at 3K is complete BS but alot of folks still do it.
Its more a matter of cost vs longevity or time between changes to me.
When I need to change oil what type Ill use. basically depends on what I have on hand at the time.
Use any 20w-50 or most oils for diesel engines like Shell Rotella 15w-40 and you cant go wrong.

[5_19]

Advice like that from the service manager is a good reason to stay away from that place! For me it's Amsoil 10/30 in the Valk and 20/50 for the BMW. I use the motorcycle specific oil!

[dragon_slayer_129]

I just changed my oil and used the shell rotella t6 (full synthetic and just over $21 a 4 QT jug at wally world) with a factory honda filter.  Sure the filter cost a little more than the others out there but the bike cost me a little more than the $4 more it costs to run a factory filter.  I call it cheap piece of mind....warped as it is that's my thinking.



No friction modifiers in the T6 either


Dragon Slayer 129

[valkyriemc]

Follow link and scroll down to motorcycle usage and JASO-MA. I run Amsoil 10-40 in the busa and T6 in the valkyrie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Rotella_T

[olddog1946]

I use Amsoil 10-40 in the Valk and currently pouring cheapo wally world super tech junk to flush out the old black crap from the BMW I just bought. Then will use Amsoil there as well.

My first experience with Amsoil was in Havre, Mt. 1975..What sold me on it was that it didn't thicken up at 50 below zero. Car would crank like it was 70 degrees. I do use the motorcycle oil in the Valk.

[cookiedough]

I use Amsoil 10-40 in the Valk and currently pouring cheapo wally world super tech junk to flush out the old black crap from the BMW I just bought. Then will use Amsoil there as well.

My first experience with Amsoil was in Havre, Mt. 1975..What sold me on it was that it didn't thicken up at 50 below zero. Car would crank like it was 70 degrees. I do use the motorcycle oil in the Valk.

Use amsoil 10w-40 as well only change once per year  since drive under 8K easily every year.  I'd recommend using synthetic oil on any type of eqmt. ONLY going to have to change oil once per year.  If using regular conventional oil, I would never go above 5,000 miles on any type of vehicle since it breaks down unlike synthetic oil.  On a cycle though, conventional oil I would change every 4,000 miles, that is just me.    I'd stay clear of that dealer since he doesn't have a clue.

My .02 cents anyways.

[Farther]

My first experience with Amsoil was in Havre, Mt. 1975..What sold me on it was that it didn't thicken up at 50 below zero. Car would crank like it was 70 degrees.

Same year, same experince but in South Dakota and a Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40.  I could just shift the thing with two hands when the temps were -20 below until I changed all the fluids to Amsoil (but then it was called Amzoil).  Wished I still had the FJ40.

[CaptainJD]

Ok we determined that it will be synthetic.

Oils designed for diesel engines ???? I didn't get the benefit of it... Unless some of you guys converted your Valks to diesel. 
I know gas is expensive but c'mon guys...
Seriously what is the purpose for using oil for designed to be used in diesel engines?

Also @ 49,000 miles what weight I should use 10/40 or 15/40 or 20/50 or .....???

Remember I am in California, so no -10 degree riding for me.

Thanks for all the points guys.

Captain

[CaptainJD]

Never mind guys !
I've found the answer to my question of "what is the benefit of using an oil designed for diesel engines?"

But the weight of the oil question still remains...
Thanks,

Captain

[JaysGone]

The thicker the weight you choose to use.
The quieter the engine noise should be.
A 20w-50 over a 15w-50 or 10w-40 will quite down those annoying little ticks and some of the shifting noise better.
A diesel oil in 15w-40 is also a good choice.
50 weight oils have no friction modifiers as a rule.
Nor are any in diesel oils.
If diesel, the brand of choice is Shell Rotella.
Synthetics its what your pocket will decide cost wise.
Mobil 1, Royal Purple, my choice is Amsoil which is not usually found on a stores shelf.
It usually has to be ordered from a distributor.
I can give you a name of someone in California who I order from if you like later tonight.
Hes always under the sites prices which are going to be higher.

[hubcapsc]

I just mash the button on the Valkyrie page at HDL and Brown brings me boxes of GN4
and Honda oil filters... I changed my oil yesterday at about 4500 miles... there were three
filters and twelve quarts of oil on the shelf... 

Back in the 80s bottles of Honda oil exclaimed "with OCP!"... the dealer told me that
OCP stood for "Oriental Cat Pi**"...

-Mike

[Quicksilver]

My understanding is that synthetic oil does not break down over it's life like dyno oil. Molecular characteristics stay the same and therefore lubrication is still the same as when you put it in. It does get dirty though the same as any other oil and must be changed to get the crud out. Oil thins when heated and thicker oil will stick better to things. So a heavier weight oil in hotter environments makes sense to me. I use Amsoil 20w 50, and change the oil filter every 5000 miles. They advertise that the oil is good for 20000 miles. http://www.enhancedsyntheticoil.com/New_Motorcycle_Oils.htm.