[DJS]

Batten down the hatches. Here comes a twister. You would have gotten less controversy asking a question about gun rights or abortion.

Here's an article from a smart guy that is retired from the petroleum industry and has easily a 100K miles on his scoots total:

http://www.yft.org/tex_vfr/tech/oil.htm

David

 

[BBD_Racing]

Mobil 1 15W50 is where it's at. Price is decent, the properties are excellent and the anecdotal evidence is pristine.



I have never seen objective evidence supporting moto specific oils. I have seen decent hard evidence showing some moto specific oils to be inferior.



Great article reference by the first poster.

 

[pbx]

Excellent article by the smart guy.

 

[bikeham_2]

Just make sure the Api label doesn't say Energy Conserving. Those oils contain Moly which will make your cluch slip. And from what I read the only cure is a new Clutch.

 

[ujm4ever]

I have been running Mobile1 for 15 years now with great success. Many high milage bikes and cars. 88K on current street bike using 15w50 auto oil with change intervals of 5k-7k miles with very little consumption. Even with that said I have recently decided to switch to Amsoil. Those folks seem much more passionate about their products and seem to have the data to back up their claims. They also gaurantee their extended drain intervals, something Mobile1 will not do. Check them out.

 

[crankin500]

I use Amsoil synthetic 2-stroke oil in my dirt bike. I am very pleased with the performance. It runs very clean with little smoke at 50:1. It costs less than Honda's oil and lasts 2x longer. I'm sure their 4-stroke oils are also excellent.

 

[vcs700s]

Here we are at the end of the month- must be ad renewal time. John's stupid article on stupid people, and now a half a page about a Harley and here we have a paragraph about oil. Is the point of these pointless endeavours to solicite response so your advertisers cough up money for next month? If you don't start writing more articles about motorcycles, your subscribers won't cough up more money at renewal time!

 

[33992]

Re: oil?

A number of auto companies have recently embraced the benefits (and higher costs) of synthetic lubricants to extend maintenance intervals. i.e. a new Porsche can go a year or 12,000 miles before its first oil change. FYI, the engine is run-in at the factory and refilled with synthetic lube.

Enthusiasts would be surprised how many drivers are totally ignorant to the needs of their vehicles -- or even know how to pop the hood! That is why telematics has become the next big thing... Hello OnStar, my car, ahh, made these funny noises, and smelled like really bad before it... just like died. Don't believe me, just ask Toyota about sludge build-up and costly engine failures due to lack of simple maintenance.

If you are old school about changing your oil, you probably will not have a problem with any slick, friction reducing, heat absorbing, dirt suspending fluid you pour into you crankcase. If you are maintenance adverse, go synthetic AFTER break-in, but still have it replaced once a year at minimum.

 

[Vlad]

There are few issues more people flame about more than oil choice. I use Mobil One V-Twin Motorcycle oil in my VFR. Yes, it's expensive, but you can get it at auto parts stores for less than what you might pay at many bike shops.



I look at it this way. Hey, it's your bike. I don't know what you paid for yours, but I know what I paid for mine. I expect my bike to run in any weather at any temperature, at any speed that I want. It does. It also runs cooler on Mobil One. So, you want to save a few bucks on oil and risk an expensive motorcycle, your call. There are other good bike oils out there, I know. I also know that too many of my (racer) friends, who spend way too much time at speeds greater than 150 mph, swear by the stuff. Look at it this way. My car produces about the same horsepower as my bike. It's built by the same company. But it gets that horsepower out of 1800cc. My bike gets it out of 800. Am I going to use car oil in my bike? No. I don't want to risk it.



MO is right. Mobil One rocks.



Vlad

 

[rhobson]

I've done quite a bit of research on the topic and have to agree with MO's advice.



I'm a little cheap however and just use dino oil and change it every 2000 miles, and change the filter every other oil change. Oil analysis indicates that at 2000 miles, a dino oil has sheared down significantly more (in a motorcycle) than a synthetic like Mobile 1. IMHO the shearing is acceptable-- but this is a trade off many would not choose to make. So, you can't go wrong with a good synthetic like Mobile 1.



Maybe we should debate whether to use Mobile's automotive or motorcycle-specific oils. That is a much finer line to draw!

 

[3655]

I kinda like reading these types of news threads. The ezine seems to be running fairly well since the switch to subscription (with the exception of that idiotic track test of the big standards). Just as an aside, where is Blip? Maybe he's hiking across the USA.

 

[obandoj]

I have been using Bel-Ray motorcycle oil, both petroleum based and synthetic for way over 20 years, my motorcycles never have an easy life, they get flogged and beaten but they get maintained, with oil changes every 1500 to 2000 miles, and I have never experienced a clutch or engine problem, not bad eh? Needless to say I'm going to keep on using the trusty old Bel-Ray.

 

[dwr461]

I agree that Mobile One is a fine product. It is also, last I heard, that only "true" synthetic American oil. Most of the other synthetics still use Dino-juice as their starting point for "synthetic" oil. I have only one problem with respect to using it in motorcycles. If your bike uses the same oil for the engine as it does the clutch, Mobile One might not be your best choice. The molecules that make up Mobile One are in theory too slippery for your clutch. This may cause your clutch to begin slipping prematurely. Some manufacturers have put out service warnings that the molecules that make up the synthetic oil could actually damage your organically based clutch.



That being said, I know of several people who run Mobile One in their bikes without any aparent ill effects to their clutch yet. It is certainly good for their engine. I have decided not to run synthetic because quite frankly I don't see a tremendous benefit. The most important thing about your oil is changing it frequently.



Take care,

Dave

 

[YZFknucklehead]

Sure, automobile-grade Mobil 1 will work just fine, but why stop there? Motorcycle-grade synthetics contain higher levels of zinc and phosphorus, because motorcycles don't have catalytic converters to worry about. Those two additives help protect engine parts from wear. If you're going to split hairs over which lubricant to use, why not purchase the best and get it over with? My baby deserves the best!

 

[900F]

Viscosity

I've been using mobil 1 "red" 15-50 in my V Strom with good results. The normal weight oil for this bike is 10-40 though and thats the only thing that concerns me.

With the approach of winter ( it's 15 Deg. outside now ), I'm switching back to 10-40 dino oil. I may get out a few more times before the roads are ice covered and I'll ride in cold temps next spring again ( my Aerostich and elec. vest are indespensible here ).

 

[Marcos_Peguero_1]

Re: Viscosity

Read

the motor oil bible book.

 

[rideondude]

I've been using Amsoil in my 2 strokes since '72, yet '72! Great stuff and you notice less wear and less fouled plugs. Started using their 4 stroke synthetic motor oils about 5 years ago. Immediately noticed a 2-3 mpg increase and I change it at 5k mile intervals. I'm sold!

 

[3923]

In regard to the clutch slipping, I have never personally seen an example. I use Mobile1 15W50 car oil in my '84 Husky 510 enduro, my 2001 Husaberg FE400e, 92 DR650S, and my many GS750 and 1100 Suzukis (street and roadrace) with no clutch problems at all for many years.



But a note of caution. Do not break in a bike engine with synthetics or you may have problems with rings seating properly. Switch to synthetics after break-in is done.

 

[R1TCHIE]

I just wish Mobil 1 would come in a 10W-40. I ride pretty-much year-around (can get cold in Colorado) and hesitate to run 15-50 thru the winter. I'm not keen on the new spec "Energy Conserving" (0W/5W/10W-30) oils.

 

[Alan]

Re: Viscosity

Is Mobile 1 "red" a motorcycle specific oil?

Is it SG rated? (not moly)

or SJ/SL rated?

Thanks....