oil good or bad?
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Werlee I also read about that oil, and only good things about. And the price for a cycle oil, you can't beat. I was lendering towards that oil myself. Good to know someone in this forum is using it. But the more I read about oils. Chevron dela LE 400 is the best way to go.
i use castrol 4t. You cant hurt anything by using anything that is for motorcycles.. personally using anything other than motorcycle rated oil seems weird to me. The bike to me is a huge investment why would i worry about spending 10 less bucks on an oil that is questionable
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I run Delo LE 400 in my Cummins Turbo Deisel. My bike mechanic told me that both synthetic and conventional are great so long as you change at the recommended intervals. I wanted to choose a motorcycle oil that was readily available at most chain parts stores...the Valvoline fits the bill.zona said:
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So I went ahead and changed the oil using Delo 400. Wow what a difference on the bike. At 1st it sounded the same. Then after a few mins, it started to mellow out. More of a low sound. Nice. The shifting even got better. Very easy, very noticeable. Took it out on a run for about 12 miles and pushin it. The engine got better in sound. And its quicker off the start. To my own opinion. I glad I chose this oil..
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From what I understand. You can use any oil that's JASO approved (motorcycle oil). Diesel oil like chevron, rotella, DEC, mobil, and a couple others was JASO approved. It just that the companys just didn't want to pay for the approval to get it tested and left it as is. Diesel oil. Motorcycle oil is diesel oil but been tested to get approved as JASO. Now this is what I read and just relating it back to you guys on this forum so fellas don't bash on me to much..
Mobil 1 10-40 4T for motorcycles, I have used this on every motorcycle from HD XR1000s to HD Evo motors to Honda VTX 1800 to my stryker, never a problem w/clutches even Barnett Kevlar plates & even in HD transmissions & drive cases so if you want a tried & proven oil use this, engine runs cooler & you can extend your oil change interval. Walamrt sells for 9.99 per qt. or you can buy on-line thru Amazon for $64.74 for 6 qts & free shipping. Chevrolet for Corvettes & V8 Camaros as well as Porsche recommend Mobil 1 For cars & if using it factory oil change interval is 15000 miles or 1 yr. Mike
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Lots of guys on my FZ1 forum swear by it, but I've never used it. I will pobably switch to synthetic at 4000 mile and use either castrol or mobil 1, whichever the store has at the time. I doubt it'll do anything different (it doesn't in my FZ1) but it's like buying new shoes, just feels good hahahaha.
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Sadly I read way too many oil forums(newer thought nearly this much about any car I owned...) and at the end there still isn't a clear answer in my mind. FWIW, here is what I gleaned from the articles:zona said:
- Run the recommended Yamalube within scheduled changes and you should be fine. Will Yamaha cover repairs down the road because you used Yamalube? Who knows. Unless you have the extended warranty I have my doubts.
- MC oil has different viscosity modifiers (what allows it to go from 10 to 40, 20 to 50 etc.) than car oil. These modifiers can handle the mechanical thrashing they get going through the transmission gears. Car oils won't and the top end, 40 or 50 weight, could be halved in a short period which would be bad. You end up possibly getting a 20-25 weight in the heat of summer ???
- Diesel oils(like Shell Rotella) that are JASO certified should be fine as long as everything else matches up.
- Dino verses synthetic seems to be a personal choice assuming you are following the normal change windows. Truckers tend to run their diesel oil a lot longer but they do get it tested to make sure everything is still fine. Not many car/MC owners are going this step. The truckers do it because those huge honking diesels they have take a lot of oil!!
- Synthetic does seem to run a touch cooler so if you are in a high heat area it might be worth the investment.
Bottom line to me is this: Make a choice and go with it. If things seem the same or better(like gear changes) stay with it. If not, change the oil ASAP with another brand/type, recommended or previously used, and consider this a life lessen.
I believe not all MC engines can be classified the same, just like cars cannot, and, therefore, what works for another MC might not be the same great fit for our Stryker's.
Note: I take all manufacturers claims/advertisements worth a grain of salt unless backed up by an outside scientific test.
Also Note: I, personally, don't think you can do any harm to your motor short term trying a different oil than Yamalube. All oils today are so stinking advanced you'd be hard pressed to find a bad one that would do damage unless you are in the "extreme" category and if you are you already know you need to run the expensive stuff and change it more often!!
And, finally, just like in the car, if something starts making noises after you do changes/mods pull over as soon as it is safe. We probably all have had a Homer Simpson moment after some of our mods. In fact that would be a great thread to start...
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Of course Yamaha recommends Yamalube. They make it. They make the money when you buy it. I agree using Yamalube will not lead to any failures, and it will work just great. Yamaha also puts a lot of money into designing the entire bike. The exhaust.. the seat, the foot pegs, grips, air cleaner.. etc... People on here like to use aftermarket stuff. Some for looks, some for function. I think of aftermarket as an improvement on something that can be improved, not an afterthought. I personally used Yamalube for my first oil change. But I am whinking about the Rotella, hoping it might quiet the engine.. Not sure yet..blueface said:
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Any of the bike specific brands are manufactured by one of the large oil companies explicitly FOR that brand - Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda...
They might have subtle differences in the recipe, but they are not manufactured by that brand. I doubt there is much difference between any of them.
I've heard the manufacturer of the oil even changes based on the country it is ultimately manufactured for / sold in. For example, Yamalube might be made by Chevron in South America, but in the states it is supposedly made by Spectro. Although, I also believe the manufacturer changes often based on bidding prices for the business.
They might have subtle differences in the recipe, but they are not manufactured by that brand. I doubt there is much difference between any of them.
I've heard the manufacturer of the oil even changes based on the country it is ultimately manufactured for / sold in. For example, Yamalube might be made by Chevron in South America, but in the states it is supposedly made by Spectro. Although, I also believe the manufacturer changes often based on bidding prices for the business.
Mobil 1 has always worked for me, for yrs I ran Mobil 1 auto,not specialized for M/C, in Harleys,incl.. Built harleys & Honda Vtx 1800 w/no problems including in the primary chain case w/ clutch & tranny units & never had a problem. I currently run Mobil 1 M/Cycle oil in my Stryker & have since 1K miles, currently have 6400 miles on bike. You can't go wrong w/any high quality Synthetic oil esp if it is for motorcycle engines/clutches- Mobil 1 ,Castrol synthetic,etc. Don't change it out til @ least 600 mi. as engine won't break in & seat all properly esp in 1st 500mi. Guaranteed your engine will run cooler & less wear & longer oil change interval w/good quality synthetic oil.
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