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I had an FJ1200 years ago. Thought I would be generous and use full synthetic oil. Oil consumption problems and clutch slipping problems quickly ensued. 2 oil and filter changes quickly done to return back to mineral and we had many years of happy riding. Lesson learnt
Mineral oil is the worst. I always used OEM Honda oil on my 2008 Honda Unicorn and changed it at regular intervals but the engine was a goner at only 43k kms on the odo(Play in crank bearing which caused premature wear of cylinder walls).
You use wrong grade. Who told you to use 10w30 in for Indian temperature? 😂 Honda must be stupid to put 10w30 for same motorcycle which they recommended 10w40. Use 10w40 for Honda if it's old engine. I used 10w30 for my splendor, it stopped in traffic, since I don't have self start , I kicked the motorcycle , piston was stuck in bore. I parked my motorcycle for 30 mins , untill the motorcycle cooled and came back home. I experimented with all 10w30 for my motorcycle, no use at all. Then used 10w40, it not only runs smooth but also return good fuel economy. Win win both case. But I spent enough money to experiment engine oils , I can easily buy new piston and bore for engine😢. But I love learning. Cheers
Sorry Chaos, this is a huge subject that cannot be covered in 6 minutes. Guys/Girls - just use what your manual says - the engineers that designed your bike engine know better than any of us what is required.
And change your oil every 6000miles. Oil only lasts 6000miles before it breaks down too much and starts to struggle to do its job. Additives help a bit but not as much as they claim. I had a van that i did 145kmiles in changing oil every 6kmiles, my mum had a company car vw passat and she did 145kmiles at 20k oil changes, her car sounded like a bag of bolts and my van was still running sweet. Its cheaper to do many oil changes than fix problems inside the engine.
Sticking to the manual is the most basic and common sense advice. For older bike though, some progress in lubricants has been made between the time the bike engine was designed and today. While the original oil still is a choice, you may benefits from a significant improvement by using a new technology lubricant. BUT BE CAREFUL in your choice... better is sometime worse than good enough.
If you've got a recent model yamaha then your manual says to use yamalube. Except yamalube has mineral, semi synth and full synthetic. So the advice of "just use what your manual says" is potentially a very silly thing to say.
@@MrBCRC You sir, are a fool if you think you know better than the manufactuer. If in doubt ask the dealer if the manual is not clear. I draw on many years of mechanical experience and background.
I use Castrol 10W40 Synthetic Blend on my 2015 Ninja 300, wet clutch. I got the bike new, and it now has 56.000 kilometers on it. Change oil every 4000 - 4500 kilometers. The engine still runs like a new . Did try full synthetic oil too, but noticed the engine was making slight whistle noise. Best advice will be like: See your owners' manual for what type of oil your bike needs and make sure you put the CORRECT AMOUNT... Ride safe ✌️
Use the oil recommended by the manufacturer. If the manufacturer recommends mineral oil, use high-quality mineral oil. Oil change at 5000km. Mineral 10W40 or semi synthetic 15W50 for my BMW F800GS according to the manufacturer. Gear changes are smoother with the mineral 10W40.
Kawasaki dealer service manager advised me to run mineral due to the MA2 additive that helps the friction plates in a wet clutch work. Synthetic is just too slippery, unless I was racing the bike and oil changes were happening sooner. So I change oil & filter every 4k, have 50k on my Z900, so far so good!
As long as the oil is MA or MA2 certified, you should have 0 problems. The only motorcycle oil I know of that doesn't clearly states this is the Motul 300V.
The oil choice is not a personal choice: like so many subjects, follow your manual! Main thing to look for is the MA or or MA2 approval if you have a wet clutch.
I have used synthetic on my 1990 Yamaha Venture Royale, basically a V-Max motor. I always had a rather noisy valve train and gear noise come from it for decades. A week ago, I talked with a V-Max Venture vet who knows these bikes well. He sold me Maxima Racing oil, a 10W-40 MINERAL oil with a ton of additives made for motorcycles. The engine instantly quieted down. The noise gear train and whine disappeared. The idle was steady and smooth. The power identical. It was like a whole new engine, the difference was that much. Blew me away. broke all the rules. It was the same price or more than synthetic but the changes were beyond belief.
@@maxhilpert4711 I'm just relating my own personal experience and what oil I run. Take it for what you will. However, after 30 years of riding and hundreds of oil changes, I still prefer Mobil One Racing 4T in my bikes. Obviously you're free to run whatever oil you like in your own bike. Good luck with that.
My #1 choice of fluids after trying many brands a types in my classic 1997 Harley Davidson is the Bel-Ray V-Twin fluids and I only use Mineral based motor oil in the older motorcycle. My new Harley I used mineral Bel-ray and changed over to Bel-Ray Semi Synthetic V-twin engine oil after break-in.
Semi-Synthetic Is usually the rule to go by in Latin America, most motorcycles sold in these lands are from Chinese brands like Loncin, who sells their patents to Italika (México), Freedom (Guatemala), Tuko (Ecuador), and AKT (Colombia), their engines, are for the most part reliable, but they work best with semi-synthetic Oil, lasting between 2000 and 3500 km at most due to our harsh environments, they aren't the best but they do the trick, for these motorcycles at least, being low CC Investing on high caliber Oil is just not necessary, same with Premium fuel, due to it not being sold often usually the additives they have are either worn out and make the gasoline pretty much the same to current. My Bike in Particular is a Loncin LX180 (Sold as An AKT CR5 180) has a 181 cc engine with 15.6 HP and produces 15 NMt. At 8500 RPM, I Use 1300 ml of Castrol Semi Synthetic, 20w50, Lasts up towards 3500 KM before needing to be swapped, but due to harsh conditions it's usually changed every 2500 km at most.. Average temperature here is 29°C - 33°C
Hi from Malaysia! The problem with 'semi-synthetic oil' is that it can mean a lot of things. An oil with 95% synthetic base + 5% mineral base is a semi-synthetic oil. Conversely, one with a 5% synthetic base + 95% mineral base is a semi-synthetic oil too. And absolutely everything in between the two are also semi-synthetic oils. Together they occupy a whole gamut of price points but there's just no way of telling what you're actually paying for. Me, if I really wanna go cheap I'd go with a mineral oil coz I know that's exactly what I'm getting. If I want the good stuff, I'd pay for a fully synthetic oil coz at the damn least I know I'll be getting a proper 100% synthetic product. I wouldn't pay for the wishy-washy stuff in the middle coz to me it's all semantics in that zone.
I use Castrol active 20w-40(synthetic technology) for my underbone bike 150cc. Engine sound and oil consumption is cool. It's great for daily commuter in a city and for a long trip.
I have ran synthetic oil in most of my cars ever since Mobil 1 became available in the late seventies. Thou now use Valvoline products now. Anyway I was afraid to use synthetic oil in my motorcycles with wet clutches for fear of slipping.Now that I older and have a Suzuki Burgman 400 with a dry clutch and about to put 10w40 4T synthetic oil in it. When I first got it I put the old stand by oil, GTX conventional 10w40 motorcycle oil. I will see how it makes a difference. By the way it is liquid cooled as one of my motorcycle I had, so the engine temperature should remain stable with or without synthetic oil I would think but a least extend the oil change interval. Great video thanks for the information.
And here in Vietnam with every motorcycle i own i use full Synthetic oil because of the life span. With full Synthetic oil, i change every 4,000km whether its on the (110cc Honda Vision) or my (125cc TnT Benelli) or my (300cc BN Benelli) i use full Synthetic all the time.
Best of both world, diesel syntec oil, you got the syntec advantage and high zddp. I use rotella t6 in about everything, including my dr650 which love it.
I switched from a fully synthetic recommended by the bike manufacturer to a better quality synthetic made by the same manufacturer. I can't say what the difference is in terms of engine protection but the gear change became much slicker. I only use Castrol Racing now.
@@chris2790 Triumph recommend Castrol full synthetic which is what their dealers use. I went to Castrol Racing which is only slightly more expensive but transforms the transmission shift.
I run Amsoil 15w50 in my MT-10 here in Florida. It is 100% PAO oil with esters in it for great seal conditioning! Esters are key for seals and keeping them pliable.
I'd consider using a blend but only if I can determine the blends proportions of conventional / synthetic. I looked into this a few years ago and found no info about it. For all I know a company can produce an oil with only 5% synthetic and call it a blend. I've considered making my own 50/50 blend but decided to stick with pure synthetic.
Full Synthetic was smooth for about 2000k's then gear changes got quite chunky, switched back to semi and gear changes feel more consistent. I'll stick with semi synthetic, full synthetic seems to break down faster.
My 2006 f650gs' manual strictly prohibits synthetic oil. I tried a blend last go around and no slippage... but I've decided to go back to regular oil this go around. Getting bmw's own oil and calling it a day.
I would like to follow my manual on this as so many comment, however my manual only states classification and viscosity grade. Oil manufacturers recommend the most expensive "racing" fully synthetic oil. Fanbois in the forums tend to say to use semi-synthetic for noticeably less clutch slip while others say that they use full synthetic without issue.
The great thing about the Internet is a guy that's never been in a laboratory or testing facility in his life can suddenly become a professional TH-cam comment oil scientist
C'mon man, I thought we're past the mineral oil for break-in myth. Also, the old bikes can work just fine with synthetic if the seals/gaskets are new. Old gaskets is what makes them leak.
I stand by mineral oil being a good idea for break in on bikes that don't call specifically for synthetic in the manual. The extra friction present really helps seat the rings especially on bikes that have cast or nikasil bores. I build thumper motors for fun and find that mineral oil and a controlled hard break in makes for the best cylinder seal. I had an engine that I built come back for an overhaul after a couple thousand miles (it ingested part of the carb and bent a valve) and it had literally 0 blowby into the rings or staining on the piston skirt. It was awesome to see that I was doing something right with my methods. Normally I do 40 miles of the controlled hard break in on mineral oil and then change the oil for the first time. Followed by 100-1000 miles on conventional oil still. After that the owner can run whatever they choose. I totally agree with you on the second part of your statement though. Synthetic oil on older bikes isnt a bad thing. It just cleans better and will find and seep past every gasket thats even a little bit worn out.
@@jensenmiller6410 The point wasn't if the engine will be fine if broken in with mineral oil. Did you ever use synthetic for break-in and then opened the motor after 1000 miles and it was worse than if broken in with mineral oil? I bet it would be fine either way. What helps is the harder break-in which sees higher in-cylinder pressure and therefore more pressure of the rings against the cylinder wall. I guess by controlled you mean not low revs, not hitting the rev limiter all the time and allowing short cool-down periods after short engine running times (kind of interval training :)).
@@johnnyblue4799 It's one of those "can't afford to not get it right the first time" type deals unfortunately. If I choose to run synthetic and break it down in 1000 miles and find it to be an inferior seal then it would be a $300 mistake to start all over with new gaskets and rings. It's proven to work and until someone with pockets deeper than mine can come test it on the bikes I work on then it's best to stick with the proven method. The riders are happier as well; gives them the ability to run cheaper oil since it's getting cycled out so quick, lol. Only dumping $8-10 of lube rather than $15+.
@@jensenmiller6410 What if it's better? Mobil and Amsoil would not advise it's safe to break-in with synthetic if it wasn't. Also, you're not breaking in a totally new system. The transmission is likely more than broken in and could benefit from an oil more resistant to shearing and which has superior flow when cold and better maintain its viscosity when hot. Also, if that new piston/cylinder assembly would run a few degrees cooler during the break-in... that's big win in my view.
It's fine to use the oil the manufacturer's recommend but it's not written in stone and often there is better stuff out there. Royal Enfield recommends Semi 15W-50 for my Classic 500. I use full synthetic 20W-50 and I think it is better in every way. Also, I would use full synthetic in an older bike without hesitation. I have been an A.S.E. certified Master Tech for more than 25 years.
I have asked 4 different dealers (2 of which are directly associated with my bike's manufacturer, Honda) and I have gotten pretty close to 4 different answers about what to run.. full synthetic because temps fluctuate very heavily... mineral because that is what the manual calls for and so long as you do yearly, will make absolutely no difference in terms of life-span of the engine and finally two said run mineral for break-in and first change then switch to semi or full synthetic after 10,000km... the major difference in the two answers was one said after 10,000 and the other said for your second oil change... implying between 10,000 and 13,000km (12k intervals) so yeah, I can do pretty much w/e I want.
A famous German tuner visited the oil laboratory of one of his partners (Liqui Moly). The chief chemist stated, that for a very long time there is no more "mineral" oil on the market. The industry just keeps calling it like that, because we the buyers are still thinking that way. Every oil Liqui Moly produces has the same synthetic base, but different additives. I do not know about the American market and other manufacturers, but I think, that the information in this video ist Not state of the art. 🤔🤷♂️
Regarding the vintage bikes, mineral oils are only required by really old engines that were designed with higher ZDDP content in mind, a zinc additive that is very good at preventing wear, but doesn’t play nicely with catalysers. Hence why modern oils lack it. It’s very rare to find it though, and usually the package says something like “for classic motorcycles” or something. A good rule of thumb is that if the engine requires leaded gasoline, it will probably benefit from these oils as well. If your bike starts to leak on synthetics, it’s not the fault of the oil, but rather that the worn out seals weren’t quite worn enough yet to leak mineral oil. A good solution is to run a sealing additive, the Motul stuff works quite well in my experience, we tested it on a leaking main seal on a tractor from the 60s and it actually stopped the leak and all other leaks as well. Synthetics are usually a lot stickier as well, so you have more of a residual oil film on startup to protect your engine before it builds oil pressure. If your bike isn’t from the preWW2 era, run a good synthetic, and do an oil change after around 200-500 km after the first time you change to synthetic, as the synthetic oil tends to wash out a lot of old gunk that the mineral oil has deposited over the years. And never run car oil in your bike, they contain anti-friction compounds that causes you clutch to slip that aren’t present in motorcycle oils. If your clutch starts to slip on motorcycle synthetic oil, your clutch is probably on the way out anyhow.
Have always used Mineral oil for break in then changed to synthetic after in all my bikes. Dirt or street. Synthetic seems to help with shifting also even in my smallest bike the mighty Grom. Lol
Hey Caos, I have a 22 Vstrom 650 xt. Loaded from the factory with 10/40 full synth. After the initial change at 1000km.,Still using it. No clunks at gear changes so far, and although it is liquid cooled I am considering to switch to 15/50 semisynth. Gotta talk to the dealership because of warranty requirements.
My good ol 2004 honda, While under influence of the mineral oil, there are wear on the cylinder wall (50k kms odo) not too bad but still pushing me to go to machine shop and bore it down .25, change a b c d e parts and a lots more. Dang its a pain in the ass to work with (and money ofc🤣). Now its running with a full 20w-50 synthetic oil, never have any problem whatsoever while going 100km back and forth every day. Since then i never trust a mineral oil for my daily motorcycle i would rather be walked then run my engine with mineral oil
thats one thing thats never covered anywhere. why certain grades of oil are required. ive put rotella 15-40 in an engine that says to use 5-20 and 5-20 in a 0-20 engine and i see no difference. ive also used (in low performance engines) standard synthetic oil that goes in a car in motorcycles with no clutch feel changes. only change i noticed is the secondary locks in a bit later in the rev range on semi-auto bikes
The only problem with the semi synthetic oil is that they don't tell you what percentage of the oil blend is actually synthetic so they can put 1% in and call it semi synthetic oil or they could be 50% how do you know 🤔
My 2020 Goldwing DCT Tour says GN4 10-30 regular bike oil. I use it since day one. Many riders switch to Synthetic 10-30 by Honda. No mentioned in the booklet that its applicable. I don't see any issues, but I wonder.
Hey CC, I'm about to attain a 1981 Honda cb650 online transverse 4 cylinder motorcycle. Hasn't been run in 21 years. Only has 31K original miles on the clock. I need to pick your brain for a proper oil to use in this bike-its carborated. My suspicion is the use of conventional oil, yet, I need to know from a trained professional-the right pathway to this issue. Doug👍🏍️🤓
I don't have any friends! But if I did, and they ride the evil electron powered scoot, I would shoot them this video!! Very funny!! got a great laugh out of that one!!!!
So many people just saying 'use what the manufacturer recommends'. This is total nonsense. Most manufacturers have business deals with a particular brand, so they will recommend that product even if it's not the best for your bike. Ducati did this for years stating use so and so oil, but the dealers knew the truth, and if you bothered to ask them they would suggest something else. Also 99% of people never ride their bikes to a level where a premium synthetic oil would make a noticeable difference. The truth imo from 40 years of riding is 'For everyday riding the oil used doesn't really matter, just change it frequently and you'll be fine'.
I don't know what type, synthetic or conventional, to use in my Yamaha XSR700 cause the manual doesn't specify. So I can only guess either is fine. But I just got the bike, a 2018, and did an oil change with conventional b/c the cost difference was so significant, much worse than automobile oil.
You’ve fallen for the oldest myth regarding synthetics. Older engine designs benefit from synthetic oil just as much as the newer ones. It is true that older seals have more clearance and so one may find oil mist gets past them with time. But if one understands that synthetic oil has a molecular size consistently engineered to be medium-chain then it is easy to see why it is the answer for every car/motorcycle.
Synthetic oils are the best for any internal combustion engine. And manufacturers don’t recommend “mineral oils” specifically. They tell you what weight and classification of oil to use. The only difference between a mineral and synthetic 20 W 40 oil is the synthetic oil will not break down as quickly in high heat applications which is important for air cooled bikes. Manufacturers make 4 stroke synthetic oils for a reason. THEY’RE BETTER!!!
Hah! You Buy your veggie oil? I just visit the closest MickyD and bum it off them. The only downside is my mechanic says that my bike's cholesterol is sky high.
what about the shell rotella class oils...? I've been using for years whith no problems...they act like a sinth but are mineral and cost less, the only thing is the change intervals gotta be like mineral oils...but i change when the gearbox gets bad to find the neutral with the engine very hot... ( it happens with about 2000 kms or 6 months)
Rotella comes in the 3 blends he describes. T4 is conventional, T5 is blend, T6 is synthetic. I'd suggest T6 over T4. The oil reports I've done while using T4 show a good amount of shearing down after onky about 1k miles. I'd keep the intervals short if you stick with T4. If you feel adventurous I've been using Mobil1 10-50 full synthetic car oil for a while with no negative effects. Greatly improved shift quality but that's anecdotal data.
It's not the moly that kills the clutch. You're unlikely to find any oil without moly in it these days since it's being worked in to replace zinc (kills catalysts). You want to look for the "resource conserving" energy start on the oil bottle and avoid those. That's a sure sign that it has the clutch killing friction modifier amounts in it.
This is obsolete knowledge that is only relevan 30 years ago. Today, most engine oil with "full synthetic" mostly contain more refined mineral oil. Since most offered in thin viscosity, it has very bad heat resistant compared to PAO oil. so now we see more people suffere oil evaporation and engine sludge. because they stupidly believe they use synthetic when in reality they just use overprice mineral.
my motorcycle brand recommends 10 w 30 i live in climate with 40 degree celsius outside since it is small 200 cc one and has a euro 6 standard engine can i use 10 w 40 or 20 w 40 in my motorcycle though it is under warrenty but i feel like recommended grade is not working properly can you provide me a suggesion on it
The owners manuel of my Honda 150 dualsport also recommends 10 w 30, but since our winter consists of a few weeks between 0-10°C and the rest of the year is around 30°, everyone defaults to 20 w 50.
@@andrewboschmann9880 i am worried about warrenty void and my bike ran about 1800kms but feels rough while riding i hear rough noises though mechanics say it is okay i want to upgrade to 20 w 50 for better smoothness and the oem oil said to be synthetic drips like normal oil and feels thinner and i constantly have to change oil every 500 to 800 kms as warrenty period say service after every 2 months or respective kms running whic has increased my expenses though
Don't rely on a Click Bait video for advice on what type of oil to put in your vehicle. Synthetic oil is a man-made lubricant that consists of artificially made chemical compounds. Synthetic oils are typically created from chemically modified materials such as petroleum components, but the base material is almost always distilled crude oil. I.E. Synthetic oil is just regular Mineral Oil that has special chemicals. No Synthetic oil is really 100% synthetic. Ever notice the honing procedure done to cylinder walls? That's so they can hole oil as the piston is going up and down. Even the oil scraper ring cannot remove all the oil. This is done on purpose. Some burnt oil gets in the hone marks and gets scraped into the oil. That's why your oil turns black. That's soot from the combustion process. This is by design. Before you decide what kind of oil is best for your vehicle, so some homework and read your factory manual. And don't ask the kid at the oil change shop. He has no clue!
The conversation on what oil to use is easy... RTFM: Read The Fucking Manual!!! The manufacturer designed the engine to run in a specific way. Leave it at that.
"Share this video with a friend who rides an electric bike" = "Don't share this video". Because nobody likes electric bike riders 😀.....I'm just kidding.
Synthetic oil will destroy bronz phosphorus bushings and fibre clutch plates don't be a plumb, ,I use acrylic paint white, deluxe wash and where or solver uv... track &street
usualy yes, but sometimes user manual says too thin oil grade in order to allow lower emission test... for example my motorcycle says 0w30 (but i would prefer a 5w40) and my car says 0w20 but 0w30 it's more appropriate
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I had an FJ1200 years ago. Thought I would be generous and use full synthetic oil. Oil consumption problems and clutch slipping problems quickly ensued. 2 oil and filter changes quickly done to return back to mineral and we had many years of happy riding. Lesson learnt
It happens on some bikes, My vfr400 slipped like mad when i put fully synthetic in it
my honda engine moto gears also started slipping when i started using synthetic, i've switched to regular liqui moly and the issue disapeared.
Mineral oil is the worst. I always used OEM Honda oil on my 2008 Honda Unicorn and changed it at regular intervals but the engine was a goner at only 43k kms on the odo(Play in crank bearing which caused premature wear of cylinder walls).
Oof! That must have hurt.
Mineral oil for cold start in cold regions not for hot climate!
OEM Honda oil is mineral oil....
You use wrong grade. Who told you to use 10w30 in for Indian temperature?
😂 Honda must be stupid to put 10w30 for same motorcycle which they recommended 10w40. Use 10w40 for Honda if it's old engine.
I used 10w30 for my splendor, it stopped in traffic, since I don't have self start , I kicked the motorcycle , piston was stuck in bore.
I parked my motorcycle for 30 mins , untill the motorcycle cooled and came back home.
I experimented with all 10w30 for my motorcycle, no use at all.
Then used 10w40, it not only runs smooth but also return good fuel economy.
Win win both case.
But I spent enough money to experiment engine oils , I can easily buy new piston and bore for engine😢.
But I love learning. Cheers
Sorry Chaos, this is a huge subject that cannot be covered in 6 minutes.
Guys/Girls - just use what your manual says - the engineers that designed your bike engine know better than any of us what is required.
And change your oil every 6000miles.
Oil only lasts 6000miles before it breaks down too much and starts to struggle to do its job.
Additives help a bit but not as much as they claim.
I had a van that i did 145kmiles in changing oil every 6kmiles, my mum had a company car vw passat and she did 145kmiles at 20k oil changes, her car sounded like a bag of bolts and my van was still running sweet.
Its cheaper to do many oil changes than fix problems inside the engine.
I thought I was the only one these days who knows that the people who know your machine better than you might be the ones who designed it.👍🏼
Sticking to the manual is the most basic and common sense advice. For older bike though, some progress in lubricants has been made between the time the bike engine was designed and today. While the original oil still is a choice, you may benefits from a significant improvement by using a new technology lubricant.
BUT BE CAREFUL in your choice... better is sometime worse than good enough.
If you've got a recent model yamaha then your manual says to use yamalube. Except yamalube has mineral, semi synth and full synthetic. So the advice of "just use what your manual says" is potentially a very silly thing to say.
@@MrBCRC You sir, are a fool if you think you know better than the manufactuer. If in doubt ask the dealer if the manual is not clear. I draw on many years of mechanical experience and background.
I used Honda's conventional oil for my honda grom, I'm at 52k miles and still going strong.
Been using Fully synthetic in my commuter for years with 5k drain intervals. Cloaked 50k kilometers. Still the engine feels like new.
I use Castrol 10W40 Synthetic Blend on my 2015 Ninja 300, wet clutch. I got the bike new, and it now has 56.000 kilometers on it. Change oil every 4000 - 4500 kilometers. The engine still runs like a new . Did try full synthetic oil too, but noticed the engine was making slight whistle noise. Best advice will be like: See your owners' manual for what type of oil your bike needs and make sure you put the CORRECT AMOUNT... Ride safe ✌️
Use the oil recommended by the manufacturer. If the manufacturer recommends mineral oil, use high-quality mineral oil. Oil change at 5000km. Mineral 10W40 or semi synthetic 15W50 for my BMW F800GS according to the manufacturer. Gear changes are smoother with the mineral 10W40.
Kawasaki dealer service manager advised me to run mineral due to the MA2 additive that helps the friction plates in a wet clutch work. Synthetic is just too slippery, unless I was racing the bike and oil changes were happening sooner. So I change oil & filter every 4k, have 50k on my Z900, so far so good!
I run rotella T6 in mine, no clutch issues.
As long as the oil is MA or MA2 certified, you should have 0 problems. The only motorcycle oil I know of that doesn't clearly states this is the Motul 300V.
Synthetic is better in air cooled but I also use it in my water cooled also. No slipping actually made my shifting smoother.
And some of us do not have to worry about MA2 or a wet clutch :D
Synthetic oil can be MA2 as well...
The oil choice is not a personal choice: like so many subjects, follow your manual! Main thing to look for is the MA or or MA2 approval if you have a wet clutch.
Is not a personal choice? Lmao
I have used synthetic on my 1990 Yamaha Venture Royale, basically a V-Max motor. I always had a rather noisy valve train and gear noise come from it for decades. A week ago, I talked with a V-Max Venture vet who knows these bikes well. He sold me Maxima Racing oil, a 10W-40 MINERAL oil with a ton of additives made for motorcycles. The engine instantly quieted down. The noise gear train and whine disappeared. The idle was steady and smooth. The power identical. It was like a whole new engine, the difference was that much. Blew me away. broke all the rules. It was the same price or more than synthetic but the changes were beyond belief.
Broke in my XSR900 with Motul 5100 semi synthetic 10w 40 then switched over to Mobil One Racing 4T 10w 40 full synthetic. Bike runs great !!
It’s a Yamaha they always run great,don’t think the oil your using makes it that way
@@maxhilpert4711 I'm just relating my own personal experience and what oil I run. Take it for what you will. However, after 30 years of riding and hundreds of oil changes, I still prefer Mobil One Racing 4T in my bikes. Obviously you're free to run whatever oil you like in your own bike. Good luck with that.
Did the same - moved to Motul 7100 10w-40, the gear changes are smoother when compared to the original semi 5100 😊💯
My #1 choice of fluids after trying many brands a types in my classic 1997 Harley Davidson is the Bel-Ray V-Twin fluids and I only use Mineral based motor oil in the older motorcycle. My new Harley I used mineral Bel-ray and changed over to Bel-Ray Semi Synthetic V-twin engine oil after break-in.
Semi-Synthetic Is usually the rule to go by in Latin America, most motorcycles sold in these lands are from Chinese brands like Loncin, who sells their patents to Italika (México), Freedom (Guatemala), Tuko (Ecuador), and AKT (Colombia), their engines, are for the most part reliable, but they work best with semi-synthetic Oil, lasting between 2000 and 3500 km at most due to our harsh environments, they aren't the best but they do the trick, for these motorcycles at least, being low CC Investing on high caliber Oil is just not necessary, same with Premium fuel, due to it not being sold often usually the additives they have are either worn out and make the gasoline pretty much the same to current.
My Bike in Particular is a Loncin LX180 (Sold as An AKT CR5 180) has a 181 cc engine with 15.6 HP and produces 15 NMt. At 8500 RPM, I Use 1300 ml of Castrol Semi Synthetic, 20w50, Lasts up towards 3500 KM before needing to be swapped, but due to harsh conditions it's usually changed every 2500 km at most.. Average temperature here is 29°C - 33°C
An 181cc engine that only cranks out 15.6 hp? That's sad, man.
@@911Salvage I'm well aware, but it's just what it is.
Hi from Malaysia! The problem with 'semi-synthetic oil' is that it can mean a lot of things. An oil with 95% synthetic base + 5% mineral base is a semi-synthetic oil. Conversely, one with a 5% synthetic base + 95% mineral base is a semi-synthetic oil too. And absolutely everything in between the two are also semi-synthetic oils. Together they occupy a whole gamut of price points but there's just no way of telling what you're actually paying for.
Me, if I really wanna go cheap I'd go with a mineral oil coz I know that's exactly what I'm getting. If I want the good stuff, I'd pay for a fully synthetic oil coz at the damn least I know I'll be getting a proper 100% synthetic product. I wouldn't pay for the wishy-washy stuff in the middle coz to me it's all semantics in that zone.
I use Castrol active 20w-40(synthetic technology) for my underbone bike 150cc. Engine sound and oil consumption is cool. It's great for daily commuter in a city and for a long trip.
I have ran synthetic oil in most of my cars ever since Mobil 1 became available in the late seventies. Thou now use Valvoline products now. Anyway I was afraid to use synthetic oil in my motorcycles with wet clutches for fear of slipping.Now that I older and have a Suzuki Burgman 400 with a dry clutch and about to put 10w40 4T synthetic oil in it. When I first got it I put the old stand by oil, GTX conventional 10w40 motorcycle oil. I will see how it makes a difference. By the way it is liquid cooled as one of my motorcycle I had, so the engine temperature should remain stable with or without synthetic oil I would think but a least extend the oil change interval. Great video thanks for the information.
And here in Vietnam with every motorcycle i own i use full Synthetic oil because of the life span. With full Synthetic oil, i change every 4,000km whether its on the (110cc Honda Vision) or my (125cc TnT Benelli) or my (300cc BN Benelli) i use full Synthetic all the time.
Best of both world, diesel syntec oil, you got the syntec advantage and high zddp.
I use rotella t6 in about everything, including my dr650 which love it.
I switched from a fully synthetic recommended by the bike manufacturer to a better quality synthetic made by the same manufacturer. I can't say what the difference is in terms of engine protection but the gear change became much slicker. I only use Castrol Racing now.
I have also noticed that on motorcycles the shifting is correlated to the state of the oil.
What is this supposed to mean? Full synthetic to better quality synthetic?
@@chris2790 Triumph recommend Castrol full synthetic which is what their dealers use. I went to Castrol Racing which is only slightly more expensive but transforms the transmission shift.
@@thequickervicar9821 Racing oils don't have detergents, so they should not be used for street vehicles.
@@OtisFlint Castrol Racing is recommended for road bikes. The name is just a sales gimmick. But it's an excellent oil all the same.
I run Amsoil 15w50 in my MT-10 here in Florida. It is 100% PAO oil with esters in it for great seal conditioning! Esters are key for seals and keeping them pliable.
I'd consider using a blend but only if I can determine the blends proportions of conventional / synthetic. I looked into this a few years ago and found no info about it. For all I know a company can produce an oil with only 5% synthetic and call it a blend. I've considered making my own 50/50 blend but decided to stick with pure synthetic.
Full Synthetic was smooth for about 2000k's then gear changes got quite chunky, switched back to semi and gear changes feel more consistent. I'll stick with semi synthetic, full synthetic seems to break down faster.
Same for me. Especially in the warmer African climate.
It doesn't break down faster its the opposite it lasts longer but it is thinner by nature
Lekker Video! as always, Thanks Justin!
My 2006 f650gs' manual strictly prohibits synthetic oil. I tried a blend last go around and no slippage... but I've decided to go back to regular oil this go around. Getting bmw's own oil and calling it a day.
Thanks for making this informative and interesting video 👍🏻
I would like to follow my manual on this as so many comment, however my manual only states classification and viscosity grade. Oil manufacturers recommend the most expensive "racing" fully synthetic oil. Fanbois in the forums tend to say to use semi-synthetic for noticeably less clutch slip while others say that they use full synthetic without issue.
The great thing about the Internet is a guy that's never been in a laboratory or testing facility in his life can suddenly become a professional TH-cam comment oil scientist
C'mon man, I thought we're past the mineral oil for break-in myth. Also, the old bikes can work just fine with synthetic if the seals/gaskets are new. Old gaskets is what makes them leak.
I stand by mineral oil being a good idea for break in on bikes that don't call specifically for synthetic in the manual. The extra friction present really helps seat the rings especially on bikes that have cast or nikasil bores.
I build thumper motors for fun and find that mineral oil and a controlled hard break in makes for the best cylinder seal. I had an engine that I built come back for an overhaul after a couple thousand miles (it ingested part of the carb and bent a valve) and it had literally 0 blowby into the rings or staining on the piston skirt. It was awesome to see that I was doing something right with my methods.
Normally I do 40 miles of the controlled hard break in on mineral oil and then change the oil for the first time. Followed by 100-1000 miles on conventional oil still. After that the owner can run whatever they choose.
I totally agree with you on the second part of your statement though. Synthetic oil on older bikes isnt a bad thing. It just cleans better and will find and seep past every gasket thats even a little bit worn out.
@@jensenmiller6410 The point wasn't if the engine will be fine if broken in with mineral oil. Did you ever use synthetic for break-in and then opened the motor after 1000 miles and it was worse than if broken in with mineral oil? I bet it would be fine either way. What helps is the harder break-in which sees higher in-cylinder pressure and therefore more pressure of the rings against the cylinder wall. I guess by controlled you mean not low revs, not hitting the rev limiter all the time and allowing short cool-down periods after short engine running times (kind of interval training :)).
@@johnnyblue4799 It's one of those "can't afford to not get it right the first time" type deals unfortunately. If I choose to run synthetic and break it down in 1000 miles and find it to be an inferior seal then it would be a $300 mistake to start all over with new gaskets and rings. It's proven to work and until someone with pockets deeper than mine can come test it on the bikes I work on then it's best to stick with the proven method.
The riders are happier as well; gives them the ability to run cheaper oil since it's getting cycled out so quick, lol. Only dumping $8-10 of lube rather than $15+.
@@jensenmiller6410 What if it's better? Mobil and Amsoil would not advise it's safe to break-in with synthetic if it wasn't. Also, you're not breaking in a totally new system. The transmission is likely more than broken in and could benefit from an oil more resistant to shearing and which has superior flow when cold and better maintain its viscosity when hot. Also, if that new piston/cylinder assembly would run a few degrees cooler during the break-in... that's big win in my view.
The price of semi and fully synthetic is almost very neglible that it makes more sense to buy fully synthetic.
Im using amsoil for many years now
It's fine to use the oil the manufacturer's recommend but it's not written in stone and often there is better stuff out there. Royal Enfield recommends Semi 15W-50 for my Classic 500. I use full synthetic 20W-50 and I think it is better in every way. Also, I would use full synthetic in an older bike without hesitation. I have been an A.S.E. certified Master Tech for more than 25 years.
So then why does my 2006 bmw bike's manual has a caution note that says do not use synthetic oil?
@@razorseal So, they say not to use synthetic oil but don't give any reason why?
A friend with an electric bike is no friend
I dont know about you guys but I had no voice on what oil was my bike gonna have for its break in period 😂
Thank you for this video very informative , you're the best mate
I have asked 4 different dealers (2 of which are directly associated with my bike's manufacturer, Honda) and I have gotten pretty close to 4 different answers about what to run.. full synthetic because temps fluctuate very heavily... mineral because that is what the manual calls for and so long as you do yearly, will make absolutely no difference in terms of life-span of the engine and finally two said run mineral for break-in and first change then switch to semi or full synthetic after 10,000km... the major difference in the two answers was one said after 10,000 and the other said for your second oil change... implying between 10,000 and 13,000km (12k intervals) so yeah, I can do pretty much w/e I want.
Why don't we use essential oil? It's got _essential_ in the name. That should tell us something, right?
Very true 🤔
I have annoying swirls and soft marks on my fuel tank, could you make a video on how to remove them? I was thinking of using Arexon's paste...
Have you tried clay bar? I made a video about it:
th-cam.com/video/GzxF4LhOzCw/w-d-xo.html
A famous German tuner visited the oil laboratory of one of his partners (Liqui Moly). The chief chemist stated, that for a very long time there is no more "mineral" oil on the market. The industry just keeps calling it like that, because we the buyers are still thinking that way. Every oil Liqui Moly produces has the same synthetic base, but different additives. I do not know about the American market and other manufacturers, but I think, that the information in this video ist Not state of the art. 🤔🤷♂️
Tried full synth oil on my MT09 twice, two different brands, hated it, it made shifting horrible. Semi forever.
Regarding the vintage bikes, mineral oils are only required by really old engines that were designed with higher ZDDP content in mind, a zinc additive that is very good at preventing wear, but doesn’t play nicely with catalysers. Hence why modern oils lack it. It’s very rare to find it though, and usually the package says something like “for classic motorcycles” or something. A good rule of thumb is that if the engine requires leaded gasoline, it will probably benefit from these oils as well. If your bike starts to leak on synthetics, it’s not the fault of the oil, but rather that the worn out seals weren’t quite worn enough yet to leak mineral oil. A good solution is to run a sealing additive, the Motul stuff works quite well in my experience, we tested it on a leaking main seal on a tractor from the 60s and it actually stopped the leak and all other leaks as well. Synthetics are usually a lot stickier as well, so you have more of a residual oil film on startup to protect your engine before it builds oil pressure. If your bike isn’t from the preWW2 era, run a good synthetic, and do an oil change after around 200-500 km after the first time you change to synthetic, as the synthetic oil tends to wash out a lot of old gunk that the mineral oil has deposited over the years. And never run car oil in your bike, they contain anti-friction compounds that causes you clutch to slip that aren’t present in motorcycle oils. If your clutch starts to slip on motorcycle synthetic oil, your clutch is probably on the way out anyhow.
@@doyouwanttobefamous2556 only if you have a dry clutch, it's not designed for wet clutches.
Mobile 1 4T oil been the go to for years. Never had issues
Have always used Mineral oil for break in then changed to synthetic after in all my bikes. Dirt or street. Synthetic seems to help with shifting also even in my smallest bike the mighty Grom. Lol
Ester based oils break down in contact with water molecules at temp.
PAO is the way to go.
Here in Thailand I get Amsoil moto oil for $9 per quart.
Use in CBR 150
Cruise at 8-9000rpm.
I never understand how people can cheap out on engine oil..
Hey Caos, I have a 22 Vstrom 650 xt. Loaded from the factory with 10/40 full synth. After the initial change at 1000km.,Still using it. No clunks at gear changes so far, and although it is liquid cooled I am considering to switch to 15/50 semisynth. Gotta talk to the dealership because of warranty requirements.
My good ol 2004 honda, While under influence of the mineral oil, there are wear on the cylinder wall (50k kms odo) not too bad but still pushing me to go to machine shop and bore it down .25, change a b c d e parts and a lots more. Dang its a pain in the ass to work with (and money ofc🤣). Now its running with a full 20w-50 synthetic oil, never have any problem whatsoever while going 100km back and forth every day.
Since then i never trust a mineral oil for my daily motorcycle i would rather be walked then run my engine with mineral oil
I take a shot when Justin says "however"😄
thats one thing thats never covered anywhere. why certain grades of oil are required. ive put rotella 15-40 in an engine that says to use 5-20 and 5-20 in a 0-20 engine and i see no difference. ive also used (in low performance engines) standard synthetic oil that goes in a car in motorcycles with no clutch feel changes. only change i noticed is the secondary locks in a bit later in the rev range on semi-auto bikes
The only problem with the semi synthetic oil is that they don't tell you what percentage of the oil blend is actually synthetic so they can put 1% in and call it semi synthetic oil or they could be 50% how do you know 🤔
My mt09 is running happily with mineral oil.
You had me at Lubricity 😅
Great content. Thanks.
Semi-Synthetik is best
My 2020 Goldwing DCT Tour says GN4 10-30 regular bike oil. I use it since day one. Many riders switch to Synthetic 10-30 by Honda. No mentioned in the booklet that its applicable. I don't see any issues, but I wonder.
Hey CC, I'm about to attain a 1981 Honda cb650 online transverse 4 cylinder motorcycle. Hasn't been run in 21 years. Only has 31K original miles on the clock. I need to pick your brain for a proper oil to use in this bike-its carborated. My suspicion is the use of conventional oil, yet, I need to know from a trained professional-the right pathway to this issue. Doug👍🏍️🤓
3:08 Me and school where no match either, I am a teacher now......no lubricant used.
I know the service puts Yamalube in the machine (xmax 300), since it is "recommended". I guess it's OK then ...
The base material of "synthetic oil" is just regular old crude oil, pumped out of the ground like any other motor oil.
I don't have any friends! But if I did, and they ride the evil electron powered scoot, I would shoot them this video!!
Very funny!! got a great laugh out of that one!!!!
mineral is fine just change it according to manufacturers advise.
So many people just saying 'use what the manufacturer recommends'. This is total nonsense. Most manufacturers have business deals with a particular brand, so they will recommend that product even if it's not the best for your bike. Ducati did this for years stating use so and so oil, but the dealers knew the truth, and if you bothered to ask them they would suggest something else. Also 99% of people never ride their bikes to a level where a premium synthetic oil would make a noticeable difference.
The truth imo from 40 years of riding is 'For everyday riding the oil used doesn't really matter, just change it frequently and you'll be fine'.
I don't know what type, synthetic or conventional, to use in my Yamaha XSR700 cause the manual doesn't specify. So I can only guess either is fine. But I just got the bike, a 2018, and did an oil change with conventional b/c the cost difference was so significant, much worse than automobile oil.
You’ve fallen for the oldest myth regarding synthetics. Older engine designs benefit from synthetic oil just as much as the newer ones. It is true that older seals have more clearance and so one may find oil mist gets past them with time. But if one understands that synthetic oil has a molecular size consistently engineered to be medium-chain then it is easy to see why it is the answer for every car/motorcycle.
i quess yamahas dont care what soup you put in them but i run fully synthetic oil.
Chaos are people that ride electric bikes really someone you can call a friend though😂
A very important question to ponder...
Synthetic oils are the best for any internal combustion engine. And manufacturers don’t recommend “mineral oils” specifically. They tell you what weight and classification of oil to use. The only difference between a mineral and synthetic 20 W 40 oil is the synthetic oil will not break down as quickly in high heat applications which is important for air cooled bikes. Manufacturers make 4 stroke synthetic oils for a reason. THEY’RE BETTER!!!
literally just changed my oil. its 15w50 for my aprilia
Dear CC. Can U make a video on Enduro/Motocross/Dual Sport helmets?
clutch slip too you forgot to mention :)
I just use vegetable oil. Much more cleaner for the environment and plus I can get it at any grocery store.
And great when you run out in the kitchen!
I use hair oil. Whenever my hair gets bad I open the drain plug and style my hair with that oil
Hah! You Buy your veggie oil? I just visit the closest MickyD and bum it off them. The only downside is my mechanic says that my bike's cholesterol is sky high.
Ive been usung T6 in my vstrom for tbe past 3 oil changes, noticed no change to the clutch feel or shifting.
I have Honda Cbr 600rr 2004 and i use motul 7100 oil. I think it is good shite👍🏻
Electric bike and oils! 😂😂😂
I put synthetic oil in motorcycle once and it started leaking oil from everywhere
Never have exact answer, even same bike, same engine. Mineral, semi, or synthetic, just find whatever it work for you and your engine.
Can I use 20w40 in replace of 10w40 what effect in engine please suggest me?110cc
What about cooking oil ? 😅
How many kilometers before you change oil sir?
what about the shell rotella class oils...? I've been using for years whith no problems...they act like a sinth but are mineral and cost less, the only thing is the change intervals gotta be like mineral oils...but i change when the gearbox gets bad to find the neutral with the engine very hot... ( it happens with about 2000 kms or 6 months)
Rotella comes in the 3 blends he describes. T4 is conventional, T5 is blend, T6 is synthetic.
I'd suggest T6 over T4. The oil reports I've done while using T4 show a good amount of shearing down after onky about 1k miles. I'd keep the intervals short if you stick with T4.
If you feel adventurous I've been using Mobil1 10-50 full synthetic car oil for a while with no negative effects. Greatly improved shift quality but that's anecdotal data.
@@jensenmiller6410 tks!!
My bike takes whatever oil I dream of putting in and that’s probably because I only have a bike at night in my dreams 😂😂😂😂😅😅😅😢😢
Is it better to use cars oils or not
Any oil is better than no oil.
Avoid oil with molly, that kills wet clutch.
Rotella-T white bottle is m2 and no molly.
It's not the moly that kills the clutch. You're unlikely to find any oil without moly in it these days since it's being worked in to replace zinc (kills catalysts). You want to look for the "resource conserving" energy start on the oil bottle and avoid those. That's a sure sign that it has the clutch killing friction modifier amounts in it.
how about full synthetic?
Oh yea yea
This is obsolete knowledge that is only relevan 30 years ago. Today, most engine oil with "full synthetic" mostly contain more refined mineral oil. Since most offered in thin viscosity, it has very bad heat resistant compared to PAO oil. so now we see more people suffere oil evaporation and engine sludge. because they stupidly believe they use synthetic when in reality they just use overprice mineral.
At least my man got a B+ in Mandarin.
" a low revving commuter " more like reliable commuter ;) i might be biased cause I own a NC750x haha
my motorcycle brand recommends 10 w 30 i live in climate with 40 degree celsius outside since it is small 200 cc one and has a euro 6 standard engine can i use 10 w 40 or 20 w 40 in my motorcycle though it is under warrenty but i feel like recommended grade is not working properly can you provide me a suggesion on it
The owners manuel of my Honda 150 dualsport also recommends 10 w 30, but since our winter consists of a few weeks between 0-10°C and the rest of the year is around 30°, everyone defaults to 20 w 50.
there's no euro 5 motorcycles btw...
@@Tonyx.yt. its called bs6 and i dont know correctlrythe euro standard probably euro 6 or something though 😅 idk about that
@@andrewboschmann9880 i am worried about warrenty void and my bike ran about 1800kms but feels rough while riding i hear rough noises though mechanics say it is okay i want to upgrade to 20 w 50 for better smoothness and the oem oil said to be synthetic drips like normal oil and feels thinner and i constantly have to change oil every 500 to 800 kms as warrenty period say service after every 2 months or respective kms running whic has increased my expenses though
@@heheboyholaamigo8742 im quite sure its more comparable to euro 5 motorcycles, euro 5 for motorcycle came out in 2020
Synthetic oil with a bit of palm oil
Lubricity?
Don't rely on a Click Bait video for advice on what type of oil to put in your vehicle.
Synthetic oil is a man-made lubricant that consists of artificially made chemical compounds. Synthetic oils are typically created from chemically modified materials such as petroleum components, but the base material is almost always distilled crude oil.
I.E. Synthetic oil is just regular Mineral Oil that has special chemicals. No Synthetic oil is really 100% synthetic. Ever notice the honing procedure done to cylinder walls? That's so they can hole oil as the piston is going up and down. Even the oil scraper ring cannot remove all the oil. This is done on purpose. Some burnt oil gets in the hone marks and gets scraped into the oil. That's why your oil turns black. That's soot from the combustion process. This is by design. Before you decide what kind of oil is best for your vehicle, so some homework and read your factory manual. And don't ask the kid at the oil change shop. He has no clue!
The conversation on what oil to use is easy... RTFM: Read The Fucking Manual!!! The manufacturer designed the engine to run in a specific way. Leave it at that.
"Share this video with a friend who rides an electric bike" = "Don't share this video". Because nobody likes electric bike riders 😀.....I'm just kidding.
Ground zero here, just 3 views.
For gonna sake - don't extend your oil change intervals.
Because your bike deserves only the best… my wallet disagrees 😂
Synthetic oil will destroy bronz phosphorus bushings and fibre clutch plates don't be a plumb, ,I use acrylic paint white, deluxe wash and where or solver uv... track &street
?
Mineral oil cheap? Motorex mineral oil for ktm clutches is 7€ per 100ml so it's 70 € for 1 liter 😂😂
Use whatever the user manual says. Stop pretending to be a lubrication engineer...
usualy yes, but sometimes user manual says too thin oil grade in order to allow lower emission test... for example my motorcycle says 0w30 (but i would prefer a 5w40) and my car says 0w20 but 0w30 it's more appropriate