Best oil for a average mileage sportsbike?

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Zanx
13/12/2004 at 22:44
My Fizzer has 25,000 miles on it and I was wondering if it's that wise to use relatively thin fully synth in it. I've always used Halfords mineral in most of my other bikes because they were low revvers but I'm not sure about the FZR. If the tolerances aren't as tight as they were from new, then the extra viscosity of a lower spec oil would help the engine out surely?

Not sure on this one. I think mineral or semi is the way to go. Whadda you lot reckon?
Rich_H
13/12/2004 at 22:51
I put Silkolene Comp 4 semi synthetic 10w/40 in mine. Seems fine about 1000 miles later so must be OK
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KFZ
14/12/2004 at 08:05
Do you know what was in it before.
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maddog
14/12/2004 at 08:37
Havent you learned your lesson with fully synth???

Castrol GPS semi synth, wont go far wrong with that
RiceBurner
14/12/2004 at 12:07
maddog wrote
Havent you learned your lesson with fully synth???

Castrol GPS semi synth, wont go far wrong with that


what he said - unless you're trackdaying it or thrashing it mercilessly (always fun... ) then semi-synth is ideal.
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tufty
14/12/2004 at 12:39
I've always used Rock Oil semi-synthetic in mine and change it every 3000 miles or so. There's no visible wear and no lumps in the used oil.

Including filters it must have cost me £500 in oil changes so far.
Dazed&Confused
14/12/2004 at 13:33
what maddog and RB said...castrol GPS its a semi and its red
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Druid
14/12/2004 at 13:44
In an old hack like yours almost any motorcycle oil will be fine.

I'd use semi-synth, whatever was cheapest from Halfords/bike shop.

Don't use thicker oil than specified. It takes longer to circulate from a old start - which is when most wear takes place. With the cold weather coming your oil will be more viscous in the morning anyway, unless you keep your bike in a heated garage.
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CBR6DC
14/12/2004 at 14:02
semi synth unless you thrahs it a lot.

i always used to use castrol R4 fully synth and had no issues whatsoever with engine wear and tear due to the oil. sold my cbr with 18k miles on it engine was like new.

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bishbosh
14/12/2004 at 16:39
Just make sure your semi synth has an API code higher than API SG. SG is 1995, SH 1996 etc.
I use a semi-synth. SAE 10w40 API SL a 2002 licenced oil, at this time of year.
Dosn't matter what make....They all do exactly what the code says on the tin.

Most and nearly all with few exceptions, road and sports bikes need the special adatives contained in API codes SF onwards.
These special addatives contain 'solutions' for straight cut gear box designs. Thats all you've realy got to worry about apart form the correct SAE viscosity.
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KFZ
14/12/2004 at 20:44
bishbosh wrote
J Thats all you've realy got to worry about apart form the correct SAE viscosity.



Not found its thsat simple (to my cost) if a bike has been previously run on a low detergent oil not correctly maintained then slopping in some modern high detergent oil in will wash all the accumlated shite stright thru the mains. Ok so the is bike aint covered any mileage to speak of (my genesis has covered 96K miles on car semi and all parts except top gear where quite servicable) but i put some ordinary semi in a GPZ5 about 2 years ago that had covered about 45K and it destroyed the mains and big ends in short order. Since then ive been very carefull of modern oils.

Kev
DISCLAIMER:
Application of the procedures described herein is at your own risk. Myself or other Visordown members have submitted this information in good faith, without charge but neither myself, members nor admin will be held responsible for any injury, damage or loss whosoever caused resulting from your use of these procedures or Information. This infomation is not intended to replace your repair manuals, your common sense, or your responsibility for your choices and actions.

http://www.eddnet.com/kev
RiceBurner
14/12/2004 at 22:49
bishbosh wrote
Just make sure your semi synth has an API code higher than API SG. SG is 1995, SH 1996 etc.


errrr - what??? they're different grades of additves (like you said) - they don't correspond to different years of manufacture!! (do they???)
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bishbosh
15/12/2004 at 00:07
RiceBurner wrote
errrr - what??? they're different grades of additves (like you said) - they don't correspond to different years of manufacture!! (do they???)



Yep....nearly...it wobbles a bit.

soz if i mislead you previously...'well aint that typical of me'...again..

They are always improving the addatives, year after year. Not different grades but improved packages its the same basic mineral oils, as (viscosity wise, their always improving the polymers as well) the previous years but slightly improved to keep up with higher performance demands needed by the engineers....and all that.
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bishbosh
15/12/2004 at 00:42
KFZ wrote
Not found its thsat simple (to my cost) if a bike has been previously run on a low detergent oil not correctly maintained then slopping in some modern high detergent oil in will wash all the accumlated shite stright thru the mains. Ok so the is bike aint covered any mileage to speak of (my genesis has covered 96K miles on car semi and all parts except top gear where quite servicable) but i put some ordinary semi in a GPZ5 about 2 years ago that had covered about 45K and it destroyed the mains and big ends in short order. Since then ive been very carefull of modern oils.

Kev


It's an interesting point kev, although any bike which when cleaned internally and then exceeds it tolerances is knackered surly. ...I say this in jest because, like many of us here, €œwe don't recommend fully synthetic€ which would perform better than all of the oils we are recommending 'theoretically'. As I said, it's an interesting point.


I don't have any qualms about using the modern stuff in almost everything, as it's basically the same stuff as it's always been; it's just better constructed to do the job. I do however recognise the need to not use an oil like fully-synth which allows even less scope for normal ware and tear.
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RiceBurner
15/12/2004 at 09:21
bishbosh wrote
Yep....nearly...it wobbles a bit.

soz if i mislead you previously...'well aint that typical of me'...again..

They are always improving the addatives, year after year. Not different grades but improved packages its the same basic mineral oils, as (viscosity wise, their always improving the polymers as well) the previous years but slightly improved to keep up with higher performance demands needed by the engineers....and all that.

So basically the SG='95, SH='96 is purely coincidental...
Great Prophet of Veedism.
non quod sed quomodo
"BBQ fluid is a sweaty one night stand compared to the long term relationship of a properly burning wood fire."
Cool in a fuddy-duddy old fart kinda way - Wingnut
bishbosh
15/12/2004 at 13:48
Pretty much....but its still a good marker.
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Zanx
15/12/2004 at 17:44
I have now changed to Halfords Semi. The synth was like water when it came out

Still sounds like a bag of nails but I suspect a valve job and carb balance will sort that out.
Rich_H
15/12/2004 at 22:44
zanx wrote
I have now changed to Halfords Semi. The synth was like water when it came out

Still sounds like a bag of nails but I suspect a valve job and carb balance will sort that out.

They are quite noisy engines once warmed up. I've done valves and carbs and recently changed the oil too. Stops when the clutch is pulled in which suggests it's mostly clutch or transmission noise.
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Zanx
15/12/2004 at 23:09
Rich_H wrote
They are quite noisy engines once warmed up. I've done valves and carbs and recently changed the oil too. Stops when the clutch is pulled in which suggests it's mostly clutch or transmission noise.


Thanks, that's reassuring. It's fine when cold but (as you say) gets noisy when the temp creeps up to fan switch temperatures. It seems happiest when it's having the nads caned off it
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