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What engine oil.

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109K views 106 replies 58 participants last post by  EBaker  
#1 · (Edited)
Just collected my bike after it having its first(1000km) service. Was charged $260 for the privilege. On looking at the service details i noticed that on changing the oil, they have put in Motul 3000 20w -50 (mineral) ($36.14) does anyone know if this is correct? Firstly in the service book Suzuki recommend sae 10w-40, if that is not available they have a graph with various oils 20w-50 being one of them. Also with my fireblade semi synthetic was always put in, although it was more expensive. Should semi synthetic have been used? My bike was purchased and serviced by one of the biggest motorcycle dealers in Sydney.if anyone has any thoughts on this, it Would be appreciated.
 
#87 ·
Agree 100%.

I changed my plugs at 5500 miles because i thought i had a slight miss at low RPM (I didn't). The stock plugs were fine, could have went another 10K, but plugs are relatively cheap and I don't like reusing plugs once the crush washer has been crushed. Its interesting that car makers who use iridium plugs suggest replacing at 50K or more. I know our bikes have higher compression and performance but they also appear to be quite under stressed compared to car engines. The power to weight ratio of our bike, less rider, is just over 3lbs per HP. Our bikes put down about 140hp. My car puts down 300hp to the rear tires but weighs NINE times more than the bike. I think the stock plugs can go at least 25K but for $30-40 why wait? Even though plugs last super long, i still think they should be inspected every 10-15K to check the health of the engine.
 
#84 ·
Great thread with lots of oil talk , but one question unanswered for me , I hope or presume a motor that’s been run in properly doesn’t burn any oil or require much topping up between oil changes .
however if changed to to a fully synthetic oil after running in on a semi syn or mineral oil does the motor then burn any oil . Dealer told me they used Motul 5100 at ist service ,
I’ve got about 12l of fully syn oil in stock from the ktm days and would like to use that after a few thousand miles on the Motul
 
#90 ·
I did the first 600 miles service and put in the Castrol Actevo 10-40w 4T. I noticed the gear shifting is more easy and soft now. I got also the Castrol Power 1 10-40w 4T, as soon as I'm done with the break in period I'll swap it to this Power 1.
Please tell us how your bike likes this oil, what are your findings. Thanks.
 
#91 ·
From Castrol's site. New Castrol POWER1 Racing 4T 10W-50 completed a 5.2km test cycle 2.2 seconds quicker than a competitor 10W-40, in a 3-stage acceleration test conducted by Castrol, using a 4-cylinder supersport engine.
I guess that makes it a "must have" then.:)
Got 4L for £31.95 with free delivery from opieoils via Ebay.
 
#92 ·
From Castrol's site. New Castrol POWER1 Racing 4T 10W-50 completed a 5.2km test cycle 2.2 seconds quicker than a competitor 10W-40, in a 3-stage acceleration test conducted by Castrol, using a 4-cylinder supersport engine.
I guess that makes it a "must have" then.:)
Got 4L for £31.95 with free delivery from opieoils via Ebay.
Now we’ve started eh now we’ve started😏👍
 
#93 ·
Well its official. I am going to quit using Motul.

I put some Motul 300V that I had laying around in my lawn mower in 2013 at its first and only oil change and the motor just died last week. I think it has a stuck valve. Had to go out and buy another lawnmower.
Maybe I should have changed it again ...... but gees.
 
#94 ·
Well its official. I am going to quit using Motul.

I put some Motul 300V that I had laying around in my lawn mower in 2013 at its first and only oil change and the motor just died last week. I think it has a stuck valve. Had to go out and buy another lawnmower.
Maybe I should have changed it again ...... but gees.
Sorry to hear it, but I'm pretty certain that 300V is NOT the type of oil you want to use in a lawnmower. It's a racing formulation with fewer detergents than say, Motul 7100.

300v is great for high pressure applications like built engines that undergo frequent oil changes, but I'd stick to 5100 for a lawnmower. Even 7100 would be overkill.

I get that you were just using what was laying around, but that may be the problem. Don't think you can blame Motul here.

Sent from my OnePlus 7T using Tapatalk
 
#95 ·
Just wanted to share that I decided to give Amsoil Metric 10w40 a try for the first time last week. A lot of people rave about the stuff, so I wanted to see what all the hype was about despite the exorbitant cost.

Long story short - I'm very impressed.

I was switching over from Motul 5100 which is of course a very good oil, but it never performed as well as the Suzuki dino oil that the shop used on my very first service. With the Motul I always noticed a rough idle, even at operating temp. I could actually see the tach hunt between 1000-1200rpm constantly. I'm not sure how an engine oil could influence this, but it did.

With the Amsoil, that hunting is gone. The tach now sits dead steady at 1000rpm at idle and the engine just purrs. Shifts are also smoother than with the Motul 5100, but that makes sense going from a semi- to a full synthetic. At higher revs, the engine also sounds smoother/quieter. I don't notice any change in operating temperature as yet.

I waited a few days and several rides before posting these observations to ensure that I was not going into fanboy mode. I will say that the smooth idle alone was worth the price of admission. The bike feels happier in all scenarios.

I'm annoyed because now I'm a convert... and this sh*t costs a pretty penny. :)

46197
 
#97 ·
Just wanted to share that I decided to give Amsoil Metric 10w40 a try for the first time last week. A lot of people rave about the stuff, so I wanted to see what all the hype was about despite the exorbitant cost.

Long story short - I'm very impressed.

I was switching over from Motul 5100 which is of course a very good oil, but it never performed as well as the Suzuki dino oil that the shop used on my very first service. With the Motul I always noticed a rough idle, even at operating temp. I could actually see the tach hunt between 1000-1200rpm constantly. I'm not sure how an engine oil could influence this, but it did.

With the Amsoil, that hunting is gone. The tach now sits dead steady at 1000rpm at idle and the engine just purrs. Shifts are also smoother than with the Motul 5100, but that makes sense going from a semi- to a full synthetic. At higher revs, the engine also sounds smoother/quieter. I don't notice any change in operating temperature as yet.

I waited a few days and several rides before posting these observations to ensure that I was not going into fanboy mode. I will say that the smooth idle alone was worth the price of admission. The bike feels happier in all scenarios.

I'm annoyed because now I'm a convert... and this sh*t costs a pretty penny. :)

View attachment 46197
oil changed how the bike idles??
Image
 
#96 ·
I've been using it too, and it just works great. The nice thing is that it doesn't seem to degrade over time. I've also used Motul 7100 which I have no complaints about. But... I used the Motul 300V and the shift from neutral to first started feeling a little clunkier over a few months.
 
#101 ·
K&N 138 is NOT HifloFiltro 138. It used to be, but K&N decided to save money and go with a cheaper supplier. Consequently, they had failures on the track that lead to rules about OEM filters. So... to make a long story short. Buy HiFloFiltro. NOT K&N.
 
#103 ·
I know the owner of a high performance race bike shop & his techs said the failures were because of over tightening and installation using the front nut on the filter.

I only snug up my oil filters & rarely use the front nut for removal only
 
#104 ·
The quality of materials are inferior, and thickness of the bottom cap is less, and they have had failures that caused problems on the track. If you like them, that's fine, I have no problem with that. I will stick with HiFlo.
 
#107 ·
changing oil frequently is more important than type of oil. I personally use Valvoline Regular no synthetic because in tests, it handles the Sulfuric Acid much better. The most important oil change is the first one they recommend at 500 miles. I was amazed at the amount of metal filings or flecks that were in it. Actually I was shocked. I don't trust any oil over 3,000 miles no matter what it is. I have never wore out an engine. Even my lawnmower has just as much power now as it had 15 years ago. One person has over 1 million miles, all original equipment on his 1959 Chevy pickup. He says, change oil every 3,000 miles or fewer if hot temperatures or racing abuse etc.