| Author | Message | ||
     Grimace308 |
did a search and none of the topics i found answered my questions so here goes... mobil 1 car vs. motorcycle vs. v-twin motircycle, is there an actual difference? i purchased 3qts of 15-50 mobile 1 car oil and am considering putting it in the orange pumpkin, is this a good idea or will it lead to problems? 3 bike shops 3 auto places, no 20-50 v-twin mobile 1 to be found. whats a guy to do? chris | ||
| Bmwdavid |
The M1 15W-50 will be just fine in your Uly. I'm using the M1 20W-50 V-Twin only because I could get it at my local Auto-Zone. I'm going to use the M1 15-50 next time in the Uly as I already use it in my VFR and XRL. David | ||
| Chris_in_tn |
Excellent oil. There will be no problems using the M1 15/50 car oil. I have used it for years in several bikes. Good stuff. There was a test I found somewhere that tested several motorcycle oils along with a few auto specific oils and the Mobil 1 car oil outperformed all the motorcycle oils, synthetic or not. The tests were run on air cooled engines and water cooled. | ||
| Teeps |
Since this thread is on the subject of oil; How often are BadWeb riders changing their engine oil? I've always had good results with Valvoline oils. this link has many Valvoline products, some with free shipping too! http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1/103-1607029-2331038?ie=UTF8&sort=-price&rh=n %3A15684181%2Cp%5F4%3AValvoline%2Cn%3A15718791&page=1 | ||
| Grimace308 |
thanks. look like an oil change is happening today or tomorrow...or as soon as i figure out how im going to lean the bike over on its right side so i can fill the oil holding device.  chris | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I've been using Mobil 1 15W50 in my ULY, Electraglide 42,000 miles, and wife's 89' Yamaha Radian with 22,000 miles. Been doing it for years. It supposedly clings to metal so avoids dry starts. Dino oil doesn't from what I've read. | ||
| Whodom |
The Mobil-1 20W-50 V-twin does seem to be very hard to find. The automotive chain Autozone carries it where I live in SC, but this varies from store to store and even my local store drops it without warning from time to time, then starts carrying it again. IMHO Mobil-1 V-twin IS better than Mobil-1 15W-50, but I doubt it is 1.6X better ($8/quart vs. $5/quart). From what I have been able to glean on the internet from places like www.bobistheoilguy.com Mobil-1's motorcycle oils continue to be "true" 100% synthetic formulations. Mobil's synthetic automotive oils were reformulated several years ago to include Base III oils, which is what Castrol and other makers put in their "synthetic" oils from the beginning. Mobil sued Castrol saying these weren't "true" synthetic oils. Mobil lost the suit (the court said there was no generally accepted definition for "synthetic oil"). Mobil evidently figured "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" and reformulated their automotive oils to include the less-expensive Base III stocks. That said, IMHO ALL synthetic oils are vastly superior to dino oils. I have been running Mobil-1 20W-50 V-twin in my 2000 S3 when I've been able to get it. I would feel less compelled to run it in a Ulysses for two reasons: (1) the Uly has a cooling fan (2) the Uly has an oil cooler. My S3 has neither, and I unfortunately find myself stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on a fairly regular basis. I figure I need the absolute best oil I can find to protect my tuber's engine in those conditions. When I get my Uly (SOON I hope), I may switch to the 15W-50 variety. (Message edited by whodom on July 28, 2006) | ||
| Chris_in_tn |
For what it's worth. My brother-in-law's best friend has a 85 Harley FXRT with 110000+ miles on the clock with nothing having been done to the engine. This bike has no oil cooler or even an oil filter. He still rides it to Daytona every year(1400mi round trip) and several interstate road trips every year. He runs Castrol 20-50 car oil since new. He changes every 2000mi. | ||
| Xbimmer |
Chris_in_tn your friend must be doing something right with Castrol (GTX?) since my experience with the stuff in air-cooled engines in the past has been less than satisfactory. VW, Honda, BMW. Oil changes at around 1k (VW's also since in the '70's-'80's oil was cheap and I was religious about my valve adjustments and changed oil at the same time). GTX always drained dark and thin and smelled burned. When I asked a well-respected Englishman, who happened to be a World Superbike Champ multi-winner and the owner of a BMW shop I frequented then, what he thought of GTX he cautioned me against it. Although he sold a high-dollar line of oils he approved of my choice of Valvoline All-Climate for my Beemer. Seems he also thought the GTX broke down too soon in these bikes, and I don't remember exactly what he said but it had to do with main bearing wear acceleration. Just another oil IMHO, but I won't use GTX. Your opinion may vary! Of course, formulations I'm sure have changed, and Castrol makes a serious 15-40 syn made in Germany that is one of the ultimate choices for your Uber$$$ German vehicle. Germans have an apparently higher grading standard for motor oils as I understand. I have a link somewhere to a VW/Audi bulletin listing the approved oils for modern 3500lb-plus turbocharged cages. Domestic syns are among them, I would think an oil approved to protect the engine/turbo of one of these cars would be more than effective for our wind and fan assisted bikes. | ||
| Thesmaz |
Last time I went to the local dealer here in Belgium to pick up oil/filter they recommended Elf moto oil (20W/50 dino type) until the next oil change, then switch to Elf Syn moto oil (20W/50). They said that it's much better oil than the HD stuff. I've noticed since running with it that the fan doesn't run as much and it has only used just a few ounces since the change. I saw an add in the latest Cycle World for Elf Moto Oils so I'm guessing that you can get in the US now. | ||
| Bad_karma |
I change my mobile one every five thousand miles. In both my buells, car, truck and van. | ||
| Chris_in_tn |
Xbimmer, I would never have believed it if I had not seen it myself. Even with that proof in front of me I still use a full synthetic in all my vehicles. As has been stated here and elsewhere many times, it is best to choose most any name brand oil(synthetic or mineral based) and change it often. On my Uly I have been using Mobil 1 15/50. In my autos I use Mobil 1 also. Change the bike every 5k and the car about every 10k. Even though the friend of mine uses the Castrol GTX with apparent great success, It still gives me peace of mind to use a good synthetic. Everyone seems to have an opinion about oil and all of the probably have some validity. | ||
| Snub13 |
Grimace......... Long time no post! Glad your back!  | ||
| Brucelee |
Mobil 1 is a full Group 4 synthetic oil; Castrol is not, it is a Group 3 make believe syn. The 15-50 is a very fine oil. The 20-50 M1 twin oil is better based on the product data but MAY be overkill. If you run in the extremely warm regions of the country, it MAY be worth it as it will not shear down as quickly as the 15-50 oil. Personally, I would never run DINO oil in our Buells. They simply run too hot for this oil to deal with. | ||
| Whodom |
Brucelee, According to what I've read on the net (for what that's worth), Mobil-1 auto oils are no longer Full Group 4 synthetics. They originally were while Castrol and some others were Group 3 as you say. Mobil sued Castrol for false advertising, saying that Group 3 oils weren't true synthetics. The court threw out the case because there wasn't a legal or universally accepted technical definition for "synthetic" oil. After that court loss, Mobil reformulated their auto synthetics to include (less expensive) Group 3 base stocks. Supposedly, the Mobil-1 motorcycle synthetics continue to be full Group 4 base stock oils. Hence the much higher price. For the less nurdy among us, the layman's explanation is that Group 3 oils are basically petroleum oils which have been very highly refined to remove more impurities than conventional oil. They're much better than conventional dino oil, but they still are petroleum based. Group 4 oils consist of special long-chain molecules which are chemically "constructed" from scratch to produce the most desirable characteristics for a lubricant. | ||
| Brucelee |
Mobil flat out states that their M1 oils are full Syn made with PAO base stocks. Castrol and other pretenders do not. Amsoil says they blend PAO and PEO oils and are full syns. Red Line is pure PEO base and hence full syn' No one to my knowledge has even substantiated that M1 is a Group 3 oil. Even Amsoil does not contend that and they love to attack M1. (Message edited by brucelee on July 29, 2006) | ||
| Whodom |
Brucelee, I did some additional checking at the forum at www.bobistheoilguy.com and it appears you are correct. It seems this is a continuing rumor that makes the rounds on the net and the subject is so esoteric it's hard to find the truth. It does appear that some manufacturers took advantage of this court finding to label their oils "synthetic". There are several threads at bobistheoilguy that question Mobil-1's current composition and the prevailing opinion in all of them is that Mobil-1 is currently a Group IV/V "true" synthetic formulation. I've used Mobil-1 synthetic in my cars most of the time beginning in 1978, and I've run the V-twin variety in my Buell when I can find it. I didn't mean to come off as a Mobil critic. | ||
| Brucelee |
"I didn't mean to come off as a Mobil critic." I did not hear it that way. Simply an issue that the web has engendered. Bob's site is a good one. I am on there once in a while. | ||
| Wademan |
Just so the casual lurker does not take this thread the wrong way. IIRC, Bells can take advantage of car oils because the engine and transmission use different lubricant reservoirs. On other motorcycles it is not recommended to use car oils because the friction modifiers can cause clutch slippage due to the fact the engine oil is shared with the transmission. Another reason to love Buells. This brings a questing to mind, do you think a Buell engine can last longer that a engine that shares fluids due to the fact it can take advantage of all of the additives in car oils?? | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Should last simply because of less metal parts wearing in the oil stream. | ||
| Wademan |
True... good point. | ||
| Whodom |
Not to mention no abrasive particles from the clutch friction plates... | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Maybe HondaKawSuzYamahammy like to abrade the engine with more particles so that it wears out faster. Planned destruction. Better for forecasting future bike sales. | ||
| Mb182 |
Amsoil rules!! Of course extra virgin olive oil comes to mind!!  Oil threads on every web site are the same... do a search and read every opinion out there!! The are not many bad oils out there.. change it often and and it will last longer than 99% of us will ever own a bike!! MB |
