Did I choose the wrong version of their oil? How detrimental was my choice to the operation of my bike?
I feel like shifting has been a bit wonky so I'm wondering if this might be the cause.
Another question is which is the correct weight for my climate? I'm in South Florida so it gets pretty warm most of the time and some info I found on the net recommended 20W50 for my climate. According to the service manual chart it lists a few different weight choices for warmer climates: 20W50, 15W40, 15W50, 10W40.
So what it all boils down to is what should I put in my bike? Is there an alternative brand that's just as good but not so pricey? If I have to change the oil again then so be it, I want whats right even if its money down the drain. I figure I'll have to replace the oil filter as well.
Oh boy, an oil thread. You have to be careful not to use a friction modifier oil in bikes with wet clutches. Oops. Other than that you can use any motor oil you want. I use 20w 50, regardless of locale.
Naturally motorcycle only oil is the safest way to ensure you dont get friction modifiers. I have never bought a single drop of motorcycle oil, though, and never have had a problem. I used 20w 50 castrol gtx in my Volusia., no probs
I'm not trying to start another oil thread but maybe another one was due. LOL
Just trying to verify if I made an incorrect choice with what I now believe is non-motorcycle type motor oil. I don't want to inadvertently introduce additional problems to my bike since clutch lubrication is a factor. There are many oil brands to choose from. I personally like synthetic or conventional as well.
I could just as easily switch to Mobil 1 20W50 V-Twin or Rotella T-6 5w40. In the end its all about Synth vs Conv, Weight, and Additives (Auto vs Moto) IMO.
I'm suspicious of that oil but if you still have one of the bottles and can post a clear picture of of the labels front and back. The manufacturer and warranty approvals should appear on one of them and also the API labels.
I've looked up the RP website and they don't list that information in an obvious way.
That's a good reason to avoid the product even if people rave about it.
I use lucas semi synthectic 10 w 40 motorcycle oil in my 05 c50 it's designed for wet clutches. I live in Philly and it's good for different climate change. Cheapest place to get it is amazon.
Even though it is NOT the right oil, using it is not going to damage anything in your engine. The zinc and phosphorous package is a little light, compared to other motor oils (Zinc and phosphorous are important anti-wear agents in the oil formulation), but it is more than enough to provide the wear protection you are worried about.
The easiest way to tell if you got the right oil for your bike is to look at the back label. On the API rating shield, a motorcycle specific oil will say JASO MA/MA2, meaning that oil has been tested and found compliant by the API for motorcycle use.
When selecting non-tested or non-motorcycle-specific oils, you have to be careful and do your homework on what the manufacturer used when they blended the oil. Many use friction modifiers in place of high zinc and phosphorous packages, including teflon, molybdenum and a host of other substances to improve lubricity. While in an automotive engine, this reduces friction and improves efficiency, in a motorcycle engine, it will spell doom for your wet clutch. Those friction modifiers will become trapped in the clutch lining and it will start to slip. Once that happens, you have no choice but to replace the clutch.
The other thing to watch out for with non-motorcycle-specific oils is the oil's shear resistance. Because the bike uses a shared bath lubrication system, the transmission gears use the same oil as the crankcase, meaning the oil is subjected to substantially more heat, pressure and shearing forces than it may be intended for.
Did you screw up? Probably not. Would I use it in my bike? No. But that's just me.
The Rotella T 15W40 is the cheaper at $13 a gal but not synthetic so not on my list.
So am I good with these choices?
Cost wise the Rotella edges out the Mobil 1 15W50 just a wee bit but I'm not concerned with that.
Unless there's a good reason for me to use W50 in my climate, I'll likely go with the Rotella.
After having read through numerous threads and reviews it's amazing how some folks will praise a certain oil then others will claim that the same oil ran/shifted like crap on their bike.
The Rotella T 15W40 is the cheaper at $13 a gal but not synthetic so not on my list.
So am I good with these choices?
Cost wise the Rotella edges out the Mobil 1 15W50 just a wee bit but I'm not concerned with that.
Unless there's a good reason for me to use W50 in my climate, I'll likely go with the Rotella.
After having read through numerous threads and reviews it's amazing how some folks will praise a certain oil then others will claim that the same oil ran/shifted like crap on their bike.
According to the picture of the back of the bottle where the ''donut'' can be seen, that oil does not contain the additives that would damage the clutch. If those additives were present, the donut would contain the words ''RESOURCE CONSERVING'' or ''ENERGY CONSERVING''.
The API service is ''SN'' which is one of the most recent and very acceptable for our bikes.
As to your other choices.... the rotella 5w40 has been shown to degrade the viscosity due to the gear contact with the additives used to enhance the viscosity over a wider range than the specified 10w40 type oils and it fairly quickly moves in the direction of becoming more of a 0w30 and giving a different and degraded feel to the shifting of the transmission.
The Mobil 1 motorcycle oil is a much better choice if you are going to spend the extra money on a synthetic oil.
Given the short oil change intervals most follow with these bikes - there is NO real advantage to using a synthetic oil and the very best oil reported here has been the Rotella 15w40 non-synthetic that is specifically rated for motorcycle use.
Alright my two cents after my front piston overheating which lead to a rebuild and things I do differently and why. I ran 15w-40 t5 back then...
If you use heavier oil and ride hard, you will slowly loose oil through the crank breather. Heavier oil accompanies an increase in oil pressure. So check your oil level somewhat frequently. Especially with 15w/20w multi weights. That lost oil will be in your air intake tube and/or burned.
What I do now is use an inexpensive 10w-40 (Autoquest, but this is regional), 5% Lucas oil stabilizer and a K&N filter. I change the filter once per season, but change the oil once per month (runs me $2.44/qt...so like $7.50/mo). If you wanna use a moto specific oil, try valvoline 10w-40 motorcycle oil. Runs $4.99/qt here. It's about oil change frequency, not synthetic, conventional or even weight really. It's also about price for most us.
*Also make sure it's not energy conserving. This is on the back.
tried many different types when i had my 04 volusia...reg...synthetic...then at around 40k started using only castrol gtx...10/40 spring/fall/winter...20/50 summer...change my oil every 2k-2.5k so doesn't make sense for me to use synthetic...so now on my 3rd bike and only using castrol for the last 125k miles since I only started using the castrol gtx very pleased. Willl admit the mobil 1 synthetic,,,at that time the red cap... was probably the best...but no regrets with the castrol.
I don't want this turning into a "my oil is the best oil" debate but it might be too late. I do like knowing what option are out that have been tried and their experiences with it.
I don't ride many miles, yet, so paying a little more for oil isn't so as big of a deal since I won't be changing oil often.
I'm still leaning towards the Rotella and a new K&N filter.
I want to avoid getting the wrong oil again like I just did.
I run 15w40.
I will add that the ONLY time I used Mobil 1 synthetic (non-v twin specific) my bike started leaking oil from the rear rocker cover. It's weeped ever since, and is not enough to worry about- volume wise.
Finally, I am not recommending any one oil, or suggesting that my choice is better than the next. Just reporting here.:smile2:
The manual never calls for 20w-50 but has a diagram of Temps where it is OK. 10w-40 synthetic motorcycle specific oil is your best choice based on all things given. Synthetic is already a bit thicker than convential. Choose your brand is all that's left.
either one should be fine...when I first bought my first bike...04 volusia...new off the showroom floor, w/in the first few months...I logged 6k ... I was taking it in every 3k miles to get the oil changed. They used 10/40 and that was in the summer months. After my third change I started doing it myself...took the advice of the service manager who realized i would be realisticly be one of the guys who would be putting miles on the mc and advised me to learn to do my own oil changes, easy enough and nice saving about $40. By the following year, learned from here about oil weights and began experimenting w/ different oils, dyno/syn ...and different weights 10/40-20/50 at different weather temps.
the back of the royal purple doesn't say Energy conerserving on the backside in that round label in the mid-right corner. So in theory your clutch shouldn't slip. But to be safe, if you haven't poured it in yet, return it and get some Jaso MA2 specified oil.
I run that Mobil 20w50 in the summer. It's normally 11 bucks or so at Autozone but I got a stupid deal at the beginning of the season. It was like 6 bucks a quart so I bought all of them, went to another Autozone, and bought all of those too.
So it's now a toss up with so many comments on the oils. It's seems like pretty much everyone has had good results and problems with just about everything. I'm beginning to understand why these oil threads go the way they go.
I don't expect to to even come close to 3000k miles this first year so it'll likely be a yearly oil change so the extra cost of synthetic is not a problem. I'm simply gonna go to my local Walmart and grab the Mobil 1 10W40 synthetic MOTORCYCLE oil and be done with it.
I'd like to thank all the posters for their input.
I owned my c50 since February. I'm still learning stuff about it .one of the reasons I joined this forum. A lot of nice people and always getting knowledge
So I've got some votes for 40W and some for 50W. My local Walmarts carry both the Mobil 1 10W40 (Racing) and 20W50 (V-Twin) motorcycle variants. They both run the same price.
So it's now a choice of which of the two. 10W40 is the main recommendation in the Suzuki manual. 20W50 is an option according to the same manual.
20W50 (V-Twin) is considered better suited for hotter running engines such as air-cooled according to Mobil's data sheet while at the same time some members recommend it for hotter climates such as mine I imagine. I've also been told it has better lubricative properties though I'm not exactly sure what that implies.
On the flip side 10W40, or for the purpose of this discussion Mobil 1 10W40 Racing, is a more general temperature use oil which is claimed by some as better suited for milder climates. It also differs in that it is JASO MA certified while the 20W50 is not.
Mobil 1 states that both oils are formulated for wet clutch use.
So I've come to the conclusion that when I go to Walmart to purchase my oil I will base my decision on the most educated, informative and scientific method possible......a coin toss.
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