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The Official Oil Thread


HispanicSlammer

What Kind Of Oil Do You Use?  

1,244 members have voted

  1. 1. Oil Type?

    • Synthetic
      835
    • Dino/Organic
      238
    • Blend
      173
  2. 2. Motorcycle or Generic oil?

    • Motorcycle Specific
      735
    • Major Brands
      460
    • Generic Automotive
      84
  3. 3. Which Brand?

    • Honda Branded
      188
    • Mobile One
      325
    • AMSOil
      109
    • Castrol
      114
    • Penzoil
      11
    • Lucus
      3
    • Havoline
      1
    • Quaker State
      4
    • Motul
      107
    • Valvoline
      33
    • Golden Spectro
      16
    • Rotella
      209
    • Other
      126


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  • Member Contributer

What about my Oil Logic ?

I agree...

My experience is that Honda can be trusted... if they recommend in

writing a 8K oil interval then it will meet and exceed your mileage

expectations because I believe after talking with the engineers at

Honda that they do thoroughly test the oil... in fact it doesn't

matter to your engines longevity if you run Dino or Synthetic... or

even 50 40 or 30 weight.... no one is wearing out their engine... but

it does matter in the amount of rear wheel HP is wasted in unnecessary

oil drag... between a 30wt and 40wt is 2 to 3 HP in unnecessary oil

drag... between a 30 and 50 is 4 to 6 HP in unnecessary oil drag...

choosing the freest flowing viscosity of 30 as prescribed by the

official Honda manual over a 40 50 is smarter because it will:

1)increase HP at the rear wheel

2)quicken the throttle response coming out of the corners...

3)decrease over all operating temps...

4)increase the oil flow at the critical bearings...

$(KGrHqFHJFQFH+3bLSKwBSF(pTTTDg~~60_57.J

I admittedly popped in on the last page of this discussion, but I'm under the impression that the above weight oil is not good for wet clutch bike engines. "Energy conserving" circle = not for bikes I've always read.

Or should I be quiet and read the whole thread?

Edited by HughJebolzak
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  • Member Contributer

What about my Oil Logic ?

I agree...

My experience is that Honda can be trusted... if they recommend in

writing a 8K oil interval then it will meet and exceed your mileage

expectations because I believe after talking with the engineers at

Honda that they do thoroughly test the oil... in fact it doesn't

matter to your engines longevity if you run Dino or Synthetic... or

even 50 40 or 30 weight.... no one is wearing out their engine... but

it does matter in the amount of rear wheel HP is wasted in unnecessary

oil drag... between a 30wt and 40wt is 2 to 3 HP in unnecessary oil

drag... between a 30 and 50 is 4 to 6 HP in unnecessary oil drag...

choosing the freest flowing viscosity of 30 as prescribed by the

official Honda manual over a 40 50 is smarter because it will:

1)increase HP at the rear wheel

2)quicken the throttle response coming out of the corners...

3)decrease over all operating temps...

4)increase the oil flow at the critical bearings...

$(KGrHqFHJFQFH+3bLSKwBSF(pTTTDg~~60_57.J

I admittedly popped in on the last page of this discussion, but I'm under the impression that the above weight oil is not good for wet clutch bike engines. "Energy conserving" circle = not for bikes I've always read.

Or should I be quiet and read the whole thread?

You have some reading to do.

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  • Member Contributer

I admittedly popped in on the last page of this discussion, but I'm under the impression that the above weight oil is not good for wet clutch bike engines. "Energy conserving" circle = not for bikes I've always read.

Or should I be quiet and read the whole thread?

Some Manufactures warn against it and some owners are leery of it but Energy Conserving is not

additive... its an API test that is "oil MAY result is an overall saving of fuel in the vehicle fleet as

a whole"... so there is nothing new in the oil to defeat a wet clutch... mercy!!!

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  • 2 months later...
  • Member Contributer

Since '07 I believe, Honda went to recommending 10W-30 viscosity from 10W-40. How many of you are using 10W-30 with no problems? Seems mighty thin for a high revving engine in the hot weather of the South. It also seems arbitrary on Honda's part to do that. For those with 8th gens. what vis. are you using?

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  • Member Contributer

Since '07 I believe, Honda went to recommending 10W-30 viscosity from 10W-40. How many of you are using 10W-30 with no problems? Seems mighty thin for a high revving engine in the hot weather of the South. It also seems arbitrary on Honda's part to do that. For those with 8th gens. what vis. are you using?

No 10W-30 for me I am a T6 guy.

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The VF750 manual says 10W-40 and the VFR800 Deluxe says 10-30W, so I bought 2 gallons of Amsoil 10-40 pure synthetic so I could use the same in both. Not going to worry about losing a little power to oil drag.

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  • Member Contributer

The VF750 manual says 10W-40 and the VFR800 Deluxe says 10-30W, so I bought 2 gallons of Amsoil 10-40 pure synthetic so I could use the same in both. Not going to worry about losing a little power to oil drag.

One of the things I'm wondering is if Honda tightened up tolerances on the VFR engine thus the lower viscosity oil called for by Honda in the newer VFR's.

I have a 2012 Honda car that uses the recommended 0W20, gets the snot run out of it, and it uses zero oil between long mileage oil changes.

I'm having a hard time processing light weight oil in hot weather and high rpm's for the 8th gen. There's going to be an 8th gen. in my garage soon so I need to make a decision. Objective input appreciated and yes, I hate oil threads too. :491:

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  • Member Contributer

I moved from the Rotella T6 5w-40 to Mobil 1 5w-30 Extended Performance due to the wear protection capability test data ranking M1 5w30 4th out of 176 oils tested.

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  • Member Contributer

I have a new 8th gen. being assembled from the crate tomorrow. The new 8th gen. calls for 10W-30 in it. Is there any reason 10W-40 motorcycle specific would hurt anything? 10W-30 sounds awfully thin for someone like me that rides hard in hot weather. What are you other 8th gen. owners using?

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I moved from the Rotella T6 5w-40 to Mobil 1 5w-30 Extended Performance due to the wear protection capability test data ranking M1 5w30 4th out of 176 oils tested.

Was that in a motorcycle engine or car?

Or if you were using Busy little shops numbers, from his uoa's, that show a lot of metal for a 700 mile max interval and really unsatisfactory. Yet he still spews the nonsense.

Im just wondering where your getting your information from.

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  • Member Contributer

I have a new 8th gen. being assembled from the crate tomorrow. The new 8th gen. calls for 10W-30 in it. Is there any reason 10W-40 motorcycle specific would hurt anything? 10W-30 sounds awfully thin for someone like me that rides hard in hot weather. What are you other 8th gen. owners using?

Mobil 1 4t 10-40. No problems, and can tell no difference. IMO it all boils down to epa mandate for fuel economy
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  • Member Contributer

Or if you were using Busy little shops numbers, from his uoa's, that show a lot of metal for a 700 mile max interval and really unsatisfactory. Yet he still spews the nonsense.

Negative... Busy Little Shop numbers are satisfactory...

Quote Blackstone Labs...

LARRY: We admit, we haven't seen a lot of engines of this type, so our universal averages may still change

a little over time as we see more samples come in. That said, yours is fine compared to the samples we

have seen, with wear metals in good proportion and no signs of problems.

LARRY: This is another very nice sample for your Honda. Metals are about the same as last time, with just

minor fluctuations here and there. Nothing excessive, though, so there isn't anything in these numbers that

screams "problem" to us.

Quote abycat

"Looks pretty good. I'm not an amsoil fan but the Mobil looks like it does a bit better job"

Quote CT8

"Price is the killer on the boutique oils. Not much difference and both kept the parts separated."

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  • Member Contributer

I have a new 8th gen. being assembled from the crate tomorrow. The new 8th gen. calls for 10W-30 in it. Is there any reason 10W-40 motorcycle specific would hurt anything? 10W-30 sounds awfully thin for someone like me that rides hard in hot weather. What are you other 8th gen. owners using?

Honda knows their sh*t... thin is in thick is out...

If we analyze the actual numbers between 30 and 40 weight at operating

temp of 212F we note the difference in viscosity is only 2.6 Cts...

thats not 2.6 Cts thinner or thicker... the measurement is 2.6 Cts in

flow... although 2.6 Cts more flow increases the amount of HP at the

rear wheel... 2.6 more flow doesn't risk increase wear... our modern

engines protected by modern oils don't operate with in a 2.6 Cts range

of risk...

Honda specs a 30w over a 40w because it will:

1)increase 2 to 3 HP at the rear wheel

2)quicken the throttle response coming out of the corners...

3)decrease over all operating temps...

4)increase the oil flow at the critical bearings...

Quote 540Rat

Thicker oil DOES NOT automatically provide better wear protection

than thinner oils. Extensive “dynamic wear testing under load” of over

130 motor oils, has shown that the base oil and its additive package

“as a whole”, is what determines an oil’s wear protection capability,

NOT its viscosity. For example, some 5W30 oils have proven to provide

OUTSTANDING wear protection, while some 15W50 oils have only been able

to provide MODEST wear protection. So, do not run thicker oil under

the false assumption that it can provide better wear protection for

our engines.

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  • Member Contributer

I moved from the Rotella T6 5w-40 to Mobil 1 5w-30 Extended Performance due to the wear protection capability test data ranking M1 5w30 4th out of 176 oils tested.

Was that in a motorcycle engine or car?

...

Neither... motor oil Dynamic Wear Testing Under Load at operating oil temp of 230°F

The Wear Protection reference categories are:

• Over 105,000 psi = INCREDIBLE wear protection.

• 90,000 to 105,000 psi = OUTSTANDING wear protection.

• 75,000 to 90,000 psi = GOOD wear protection.

• 60,000 to 75,000 psi = MODEST wear protection.

• Below 60,000 psi = UNDESIRABLE wear protection

Rank #4. 5W30 Mobil 1, Advanced Full Synthetic = 117,799 psi

… also tested this oil at the much higher temperature of 275°F. At that elevated temperature, any hotter and thinner oil is expected to experience a drop in Wear Protection Capability. And this oil did have a disappointing 36% drop in capability. At that reduced value down to 75,861 psi, this much hotter and thinner oil dropped down to the GOOD Wear Protection Category. You can avoid such a drop in capability by keeping the oil at a more reasonable cooler temperature.

… 138 oils tested later

Rank #142. 5W40 SHELL ROTELLA T6 Diesel Oil, synthetic = 67,804 psi

So, even at 275°F M1 5W30 has better wear protection than 5w40 T6 at 230°F

This is why I switched.

When I was following BR home from the AMA Superbike races in Birmingham my bike coolant temp peaked at a blinking 250°F at a light after we got gas... I was running T6 at the time and engine oil is usually ~20° or more hotter than your coolant, so after reading this data I'm afraid of how low my wear protection dropped on that trip.

Edited by Rush2112
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, so after reading this data I'm afraid of how low my wear protection dropped on that trip.>>>>>>>

My experience, the difference between a 5w40 and a 20w50 on (max water temps) in 100 degree heat, is one or 2 degree max. Actually to close to call as any effect at all. My vfr never sees more than 227 dgree max ever, there was one time I saw 230 degree, just a non issue.

However I tend to run standard coolant (prestone 60 to 70% mix), where many riders are trying various concoctions, from engine ice , to water wetter and water.

Just an non issue for me, ever, I run the same stuff in my KTM race motor also, where others seem to always have issues with boil over, although good mapping or jetting plays a role too in motor heat.

When my KTM 500 single cylinder was new *(less than 3,000 miles), I produced less metal in a uoa with more mileage than BLS's 50,000 plus v4 , that is damn near funny. Yet he continues his quest. to enlighten.

However my experience with light weights and high sustained rpms , light weight oils show earlier cam lobe wear , and the reason I don't run 30 weights in High Rpm Motorcycles.

Edited by spud786
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  • Member Contributer

It was 104F outside temp on the ride down... I think it was 102F the day the bike started overheating stopped at a light on the ride back, coolant didn't puke out, everything was filled to spec with approved fluids. I had it idling while BR gassed up because I was having battery issues and was trying to make it back to Nashville. Jumped back on the highway and it cooled back to normal operating temps... normal for 100+F riding. My concern was the low wear protection rating for Rotella T6 5w40 at 230F, I don't know how low it got with an oil temp 275F or higher when my coolant reached 250F... it was changed after the trip and I didn't get a UOA. M1 5w30 still measures good wear protection even at 275*F, an added level of security and piece of mind.

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BLS runs mobil 5w30 , Im kinda surprised people didn't catch on, when those uoa's were posted , and how little time he had on the oil, A normal timed oil change, his numbers would have been ugly.

They didn't look to bad , for 500 to 700 miles(that actually made them look better than they really were).

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  • 2 months later...
  • Member Contributer

so I've always run hondaline blend w/o moly, recently started using mobile m110 filter (larger than the m108 use the same on my car), would it be wrong to try a full syn now? be curious to see if it shifts any different....

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Member Contributer

Just changed from dinosaur oil at around 2600 miles on the eighth gen. to Mobil 1 metric motorcycle oil and WOW does it ever run quieter and shifter butter smoother.  Same has happened to every bike I went to synthetic on.  I changed the dino oil out early because I got tired of thinking about it.  If it isn't broken in now, it never will be.  It has been put through it's paces.  Yeah, oil threads!  BR's favorites......  

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  • 2 years later...
  • Member Contributer

I understand that on the back of the oil container, in the little round service service designation tatoo, you want SN or SM....   Newer SN designated oils are backwards compatible with type SM...

 

and No "energy conserving" designation in the bottom of the rocker, as it works better w/ the wet clutches..

 

All the rest of the bs is marketing hyperbole.

 

Simple !

20190506_174943.jpg

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  • Member Contributer
On 5/7/2019 at 1:46 PM, jimbob said:

Newer SN designated oils are backwards compatible with type SM...

 

and No "energy conserving" designation in the bottom of the rocker, as it works better w/ the wet clutches..

 

 

Negative... SN are not backwards compatible with SM... SN is new and improved over SM...

 

SM - Introduced November 2004, improved oxidation resistance, deposit
protection and wear protection, also better low temperature
performance over the life of the oil compared to previous categories.

 

SN - Introduced in October 2010 for 2011 and older vehicles, designed to
provide improved high temperature deposit protection for pistons, more
stringent sludge control, and seal compatibility.

 

Energy Conserving is not additive... its an API test that this "oil
may result is an overall saving of fuel in the vehicle fleet as a
whole"...

 Technically speaking Energy Conserving tested oil can not defeat a
wet clutch in good working order... what is confusing the issue is the
fact that all motorcycle wet clutches will reach a point in their life
and start to slip... no one complains about clutch slip when the bike
is new... but on about the 27K to 57K range is when contaminants may
build up to point where the clutch begins to loose its grip... this is
usually discovered by the owner during WFO (Wide Fooking Open)throttle
like at a track day... in error one can blame the oil but its really
the  contaminants on the clutch plates...

So the notion that we should stay away from EC oil is on shaky
ground... fact is I've been using 5/30 Energy Conserving Mobil 1
since 98 in Mr.RC45 with no clutch slipping due to oil being certified
10% freer flowing than non EC oil... and we're talking about Honda's
homologated racer with a tall first gear good for 90mph that's known
to incinerate clutch plates...

 

vmSFajJ.jpg

 

 

 

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  • 10 months later...

Hello fellow VFR fans,just for reference,when I bought my 95 FS the previous owner couldn't remember or be specific about which Oil he had previously  used,which gave me an open book really on choices for future changes ( I would have continued to use the same product if I had known what it was).When the inevitable Oil Cooler Feed Pipes ( one of them) started to crack resulting in a leak which luckily was picked up during its MOT,i bought a second hand pair and did an Oil change when I swapped them over.I previously had a Suzuki SV650 and had bought some Amsoil 20w50 fully syth which I had read made for smoother Gear Changes,but had sold the bike before I got to use it.So logically I used this Oil for the VFR,i replaced the Filter (oem I think) with a K&N one,also bought a Magnetic Sump Plug and hey - presto the change was done.The original Sump Plug was tidy,no signs of stripped threads etc and looked like it had seen a lot of Spanner/Socket use ( good sign).Years later everything is still good,doesnt burn any from what I can tell,no Mayonaise traces despite winter lay-ups in the Cold and usually Wet UK climate,colour doesn't look overly black even now.With whats happening at the moment and less riding time available  im determined to change it this season,i will use the same Oil  again.

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