Engine Oil

[BlueRidgePanther]

I was wondering what oil different folks were using in their 660 engines. I run Amsoil 10W-40 Synthetic in my Baghira. I don't want to start an argument or anything, but hey, let's just talk about oil!

[scout18]

I read a great report on oil on my VFR forum and I switched from dino to Rotella. Made sense to me. I still changed it every 1000-1500 miles. That is how you get 66K miles with the valves showing no change in clearance. I would be interested in reading what other 660 owners are doing as well. By the way I posted in the main lobby that I found the fairing screws at my local IKEA store after being referred their by my favorite Ace hardware store guy.

[handsomejackuk]

run of the mill mineral oil in fact last time i changed the oil i did not intend to keep the oil in for long as i had a broken oil bolt i put in some car oil i had lying about my shed had no problems and have been using car oil ever since no probllems whatsoever give it a try you will save money......

Jack

[DAVID THOMPSON]

i use SHELL Rotella T in every thing
be careful of getting someing that is tooo slick in the bikes with a wet clutch
dave

[MUZZIE]

ROCK OIL (10-40-SEMI-SYN) GUARDIAN

[Bill Jurgenson]

CASTROL POWER 1 RS 4T 10W-50
this is not listed on either the US nor UK castrol sites
It is listed on the continental european Castrol sites
Of course since 1994 when I bought the first Skorpion, names and formulations have changed.
Basically, I have never used anything else and the blue bike, back on the track and ulling better than ever, still has the first valves and guides with 90tkm.
Most will know that this thing has always gotten flogged and that it had 59hp at the rear wheel. Has more now...
I religeously change filters every time I change oil, not more than 3000km and always use K&N filters.
US and UK sites list CASTROL POWER 1 RACING 4T 10W/40.
I assume this is the same oil save for the SAE rating which probably reflects the much more sedate driving habits and speedlimits in those countries. I can't think of any other reason. From my friends, I am aware that real-life there is different, too. When I was still living in the States, the only ones that adherred to the speedlimit more or less were the car drivers. Trucks ran pretty constant 75mph on the Indiana toll road and the Interstates, Greyhound busses more like 85mph. Bikes, when you actually saw one bigger than a CB72 (Probably a Triumph, if lucky a B34 Clubman), were in another world. I use the "commute" to Chicago from Ann Arbor, slipstreaming a Greyhound with my Consul that couldn't possibly go that fast on its own.

OT - sorry

In the Mondial and Laverda I use Motul 3000 20W50 which is mineral oil. Both have or can easily have slipping (to say the least) clutches. The Castrol does not work, let alone car oils. Probably best would be one of the classic SAE50 racing oils.

Be careful with car oils. you can get lucky - or not. Manufacturers make motorcycle oils for very good reasons. They don't do it to con the customers. That said, if you have a Ducati with a dry clutch, you can run any car oil of suitable quality. We here don't have such things (I do but use the same Castrol) or at least we aren't talking about them here. In my MZ racer, I had problems with the clutch when I tried hi-tech car racing oils, both Castrol EDGE FORMULA RS SAE 0W-40 and Silkolene Pro S 5W-40.
I have only limited personal experience with Fuchs products, but I know they can be highly recommended.

Above all don't mix oils, especially not car and bike oils if you are using anything syntethic or partly so. There should be no danger if you are using straight-forward mineral oil and changing it often.

Another tip (not my invention by any means): put a healthy shot of synthetic 2-stroke oil (or castor oil) in the gas tank when you fill it up. Buy a can of propriety 2-stroke racing oil and use some small (±50cc) plastic bottle you can put in the tool box or just use the little plastic bubbles of chainsaw oil (not the stuff for the chain of course) you can probably get at the gas station. It won't improve performance. It does help keep the carb slides lubricated and it helps the valve stems, too. This has always been common usage with 4-stroke racers, so common that it is generally never mentioned.

[e]

I've read to stay away from these labels:



"energy conserving" means that there are friction modifiers, and that they're bad for wet clutches.

The labels without "energy conserving" on the bottom, are supposed to be OK.



shell rotella is supposed to be pretty darn good for the money, primarily the 15w-40. Not so sure about the 5w-40.

I'm pretty much just regurgitating what I've read.

e

[frederickflintstone]

I ran into clutch problems using full sythetic in my ktm, now I just use cheap car oil and change it often.

[handsomejackuk]

frederick,


me too cheap car engine oil does the trick for me no problems whatsoever why pay inflated motorbike oil for a low revving unstresses motor ?

jack

[Bill Jurgenson]

if you ran into clutch problems, then it was car oil.

The prices for motorcycle oil are not inflated - you get what you pay for. Admittedly, there are flybynite dealers marketing patent medicine, but brand name manufacturers present in racing that have been around for decades (Schell, Castrol, Pennzoil, Fuchs, Mobil etc etc etc) are not flybynite conmen.

The only question could be if one really needs that...

Usually when you get taken in, it is your own fault...

[kman.45]

I was wondering what oil different folks were using in their 660 engines. I run Amsoil 10W-40 Synthetic in my Baghira. I don't want to start an argument or anything, but hey, let's just talk about oil!

I use Amsoil 10W-40 motorcycle oil too, and calling Amsoil synthetic is redundant, they don't make anything but. In fact I use Amsoil in everything I own for the last 5 yrs or so. Anybody that blames synthetic oil on clutch problems is full of hot air. Synthetic is not "slipperier" than petroleum based oil, it just has the exact properties the engineers want, it's more stable, doesn't degrade like petro based stuff and cause sludge, etc. The only thing known to cause clutch problems is oil with friction modifiers in 10W-30 and lighter oils. You can run shitty oil in your bike and change it in 1000 miles, cuz that's about all the longer it will operate as designed. Amsoil and other quality synthetics can run a lot longer within design properties, that's their benefit.

[claytonb]

I use Belray Thumper oil. 15W-40 if I remember correctly. A friend of mine uses Rock oil. I think that for an obvious difference to be noticed between different oils one has to test them over many years subjecting each oil to similar style of riding. I think that the difference would be minute in the end.

I alway forget what the 15W-40 for example means...I know that one of them is the viscosity which is the 15W i believe and the other has to do with climate temperature.....am I correct? can anyone go into some detail pls.

Clayton