Dumb oil thread (yeah I know)
 

So since I have been boycotting all oil threads, I have a question.

Is it even possible to find synthetic oil compatible for a bike these days? My last change was castrol dyno motorcycle specific.

Last I looked they were all energy conserving/clutch destroying.

Anyone know this and want to clue me in?

Tons of them. Rotella T6 (a Group III synth) is 5W40 and JASO rated for wet clutches. I am currently running a mix of Mobil 1 15w50 and Castrol Syntec 0W30 (the "Made in Germany" variety) and so far so good.

FWIW, all of the listed oils have been used by a great number of users with no damage to the clutch. Mobil 1 TDT (5W40) and the Delo synth 5W40 are others which come highly rated and don't cost an arm and a leg.

Check out the Bob is the Oil Guy site for some great info about oil....

One of the better types specific for bikes, but a little expensive, Motul synthetic oil also comes in unusual color of blue, looks great too ;), I currently run on Rotella T6 5w40 and it works fine, no issues with the clutch.

Silkolene is good, but expensive...Royal Purple also makes a motorcycle specific 10W40, which costs about half that of the Silkolene...

There are many bike-specific synth oils around but most (if not all) are bloody $$$$$. HDEOs (like Rotella) are generally just as good (in some cases better) and cost a fraction of what the bike oils do, in addition to being much more readily available (and often on special).

BTW, many prefer the mineral Rotella (15W40) to the T6 (5W40) as it has proven to be significantly more resistant to shearing (ie. viscocity breakdown) in shared sump applications (motorcycles).

Wal-mart brand oil, pennzoil, shell Rotella, whichever is cheapest (and doesn't have the 'energy conserving' stamp on it). 42,000 miles, zero issues. Changed every 3-4k miles...

Just sayin'

Valvoline has a Motorcycle oil that's a full synthetic with wet clutch protection.
Walmart.com: Valvoline 4-Stroke Synthetic Motorcycle Oil, 10W40: Automotive
I used it in my last Magna. Very good, not expensive, and it seemed that my bike shifted better. Smoother. It really made the Magna feel better all the way around.
I am going to put this in my Superhawk in a week or two.

Just did a Oil Change myself over the weekend Went to the Walmart and grabbed a Purolator filter and went with the Mobil 1 15-50 synthetic .. So far the only thing I have noticed is the engine is quieter, less chatter.

Hey jdo, in all fairness, I dont think you can judge oil based on 2 days. But did the mobil 1 say energy conserving? I used to use only that stuff till it became too slippery when it got the EC moniker.

None of the 50 weight oils are energy conserving (those are in the 20 and 30-weight range).

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

Joe,
I've never noticed on the bottle if it says energy conserving or not, but I've been using Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W40 for a while now. It's motorcycle specific. Here's the specs on it:

API Service Category: SJ
ATV: No
Conventional: No
Detergent or Non-Detergent: Detergent
Diesel Approved: No
High Mileage: No
Motorcycle: Yes
Race Only: No
Synthetic Blend: No
Synthetic: Yes
Viscosity Index: 10W40

One other thing. As JDO reported, it makes both my hawk and my 05 Concours quieter. I tried the valvoline 10w40 MC specific and did not like it as well.

Yeah the moto specific oil is never a problem. Other than the gouging prices they charge you for that label.

They are shooting fish in a barrel (we are the fish). The energy conserving label is on auto oil and not good for wet clutches (allegedly).

I wound up using rotella synthetic 10-40(auto but not energy conserving). I can always tell when I go back to sythetic, the bike is just smoother...

Thanks yeller, you getting on the track this season?

Joe, "go back to synthetic" ??? Is this means you periodically go to conventional oil? because if you do, don't know if you know that, but you need to flush the motor from any synthetic oil and from the Teflon like chemical left over from the syntec' oil.

I guess semi synthetics must cause black holes then..

There is no harm in mixing compatible oils, in fact according to bob, mixing two different brand synthetics is worse than mixing dino and synthetics of the same brand: Motor Oil 106 - Bob is the Oil Guy (bottom of page)

OK.....so, yeah when I couldnt find suitable synthetic and found moto specific dino castrol I used it. I fully drained the motor and changed the filter.

So the next problem is that I bought a gallon of the rotella, but usually oil comes in 5 quarts which is enough for a change and some spare.

Now I have no top off stuff & cant find quarts of rotella so may have to buy another gallon!

Lazn good thing you said something cuz I was just about to add some mobil 1 to the rotella. Guess they got me for another gallon.....

The expression synthetic refers to a broad category of oils that may be Group 3 (hydrocracked mineral), Grp 4 (PAO) or Grp 5 (esters). Each has its own characteristics but I have never heard of teh need to flush an engine after using any of the above (aside: Group 3 cannot be called synthetic in Germany but can in North America following a lawsuit filed by Mobil against Castrol some years back)

FWIW, the Rotella T6 (5W40) is a Group 3 oil. It performs very well in bikes although it is prone to shearing (viscocity loss) due to the abuse it encounters in the clutch and tranny.

I suspect you guy's are correct, apparently many mechanics even these that consider real good trusted mechanics are under the impression that you do need to flush the motor, the question is if it was just a marketing gimmick or there is a base to this believe as far as the chemistry and physics of engines? If anyone knows the answers, please feel free to post your opinion on this yet another oil thread ;)

NHSH, other than charging you for the labor, how do you figure on "flushing the motor? Is there some mystery oil that will scour the internals while also lubricating sufficiently to allow the motor to run?

Dont get tricked by the "trusted mechanic" thing. The inherent problem is that this guy needs to put his kids through college on your dime. If he always says one thing (to make $) he will continue to say it even if he is not getting that job simply to be consistent.

Its like going to vegas. That lavish casino is paid for by the gambler- no 2 ways around it the house always wins..

Well Joe, I personally didn't took this as any proffesional advice from any mechanic, don't worry ;) in fact I still have one of my cars as a proof that refuse to die and running well at 260K + miles using only the cheapest conventional 10w40 and filters I can find for the life time of this car doing the oil changes myself in my garage, I also never believed the 3,000 miles claim you have to change the oil by, thus I think these oil threads are just amusing at best.
But in any case, it is not one mechanic, what I have seen in the past is them using an additive that they add to the existing oil and running the engine for whatever minutes explaining to the client that it is braking the Teflon layer??? from the engine components...
I am curious to know if there's any truth to this claim seeing this on several occasions in completely random places in the states.
I'm not an oil industry engineer and I don't know if we have someone on this forum, but this forum provides many bright minds that I would like to hear from. I hope you don't mind I jumped on your thread with this subject ;)

It may have been true in the old days but not anymore. For example, in the old days of two-strokes running castor oil, it wouldn`t mix well with petroleum oil, something that caused headaches for many tuners of the day. Time and technology have marched on, however, and I seriously doubt any moxcern-day four-strokes oil would be incompatible with another. In the event that one was claimed to be, it would be enough for me to steer clear of it......

NHSH, Thats cool, what kind of car? I have an old astro that I want long miles out of.

Oddly even in that semi-syn castrol seems to make it run smoother.

I plan to look into it (synthetic purging) since I dont want to comprimse lubrication. Although now I am back to syn so hopefully ok,

1997 6 cylinders Ford Explorer, it was the best deal I had on a car ever, didn't expect it will last that long with almost no maintenance besides brakes, oil, oh one time alternator and fuel pump and couple joints I had to replace, I also changed the spark plugs only once. Oh almost forgot, the transmission never been opened and never changed transmission oil, that adds up to the oddity of why we need to change transmission oil? Most people had issues on that after doing unnecessary work on their cars.
Now, I know that the later models been notorious for bad transmissions, but this one... still going, I cannot explain!

The year has been flying by quick already. I definitely hope to, even if just with the club at CMP. One of the other guys on the forum was going to do a date at CMP in July with STT. I may try to make that one too. I've got a concours project going right now, swapping out the front end for a ZRX1100 front. that'll give me 17 inch tires front and rear (I've already done the rear using a Meanstreak wheel). It's all just money and time, huh! :)

There is no Teflon in motor oil. Not even synthetics. Some additives have them, but they are a BAD idea.

Slick 50 and other engine oil additives - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com
"Dupont, who invented Teflon, claims that "Teflon is not useful as an ingredient in oil additives or oils used for internal combustion engines.""

Teflon would just clog the filters and passageways.. Just because your egg slides off it, that doesn't mean your engine will like it.