| Author | Message | ||
     Tbowdre |
We havent had one of these threads for a little while! Im wondering what weight oil you guys are running. My 1125R only goes to the mountains and runs the occasional (rare)track day. I currently use mobil 1 full synthetic 20W50 for v-twins. I am lazy and also run this oil in my ninja 250R (abused commuter) and DRZ400SM (abused commuter/duel sport/light touring) I feel relatively content with this decision and it seems like all 3 bikes like it just fine. Also I should mention that I am already sold on the benefits of a full synthetic oil. I am sure some of you have solid arguments for running dino stuff but I believe in better living through chemistry. I am asking because I respect everyones opinion here and Im about to buy a case of oil. | ||
| Hildstrom |
I'm running Shell Rotella T6 (5W-40) right now. In terms of final viscosity, it beat everything else I tested in my SUV despite a pretty harsh interval. That made me want to continue using it in my SUV and try it in my bike. I think I have about 700 miles left and then I'll be sending in a sample for analysis. All the sample data I have so far is here: http://hildstrom.com/projects/oil/index.html | ||
| Lospice1 |
I've been running Castrol Power RS V-Twin 20W-50 with good results. Tranny was smoother and easier to find neutral compared to Mobil vtwin oil. Will | ||
| Jcjohnson33 |
I run Amsoil in all my bikes and cars. The cars I use there signature series (25,000 or 1 year) and the 1125R I use there 20-50 v-twin. Car has over 98,300+ miles and is a 2011MO still runs like new. Bike runs perfect no engine problems with over 27,000 miles | ||
| Two_seasons |
Amsoil for everything...bikes, cars, mowers, power tools. All full syn oils, Stihl HP Ultra for the two strokes, 4-MIX engines. All engines 93 octane. I change the bikes twice a year, mid season and end of season. SAE 20w-50 Advanced Synthetic Motorcycle Oil with filter change too. I change the cars once a year, November, with a new filter in April. Signature Series 5w-30. No oil analysis ever done. Mowers changed after 25 hours. 4-Stroke Small Engine Oil 10w-30/SAE 30 with filter change too.  | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Amsoil 10-40 | ||
| Robertb1958 |
Not sure what came in my new to me 2008 1125R. I Changed the oil this fall, put in the expensive 10-40 Motul for whatever reason, all seems good. I probably will put in Amsoil 20-50 early next summer. I like the concept of a little thinner oil for cold weather starting, a little thicker viscosity for hot operation. Since it does not hold much, no good reason to try to save money on oil. Now, my P car takes 12.5 quarts, so $'s matter somewhat there! (Message edited by Robertb1958 on November 20, 2013) | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
I've used Amsoil 10W40 for the last two oil changes for my 1125. I too like the idea of a thinner oil for better protection at startup. There's not a lot of viscosity difference between 40-weight and 50-weight at 212F (meaning that the level of protection is probably pretty comparable) but a 10-weight is a lot thinner at 32F than a 20-weight is (meaning that the 10-weight ought to protect better on cold starts). I did notice that shifting got a little notchy after a while. I don't recall when it happened, but I did an oil change with approximately 3500 miles on the oil, the shifting got noticeably smoother. During the current oil usage, I'll try to pay attention to when shift feel starts to degrade. I'm strongly considering trying out the Dominator 15W50. It's not motorcycle specific, but someone on this forum (I forget who) highly recommended it. | ||
| Dannybuell |
Robertb1958 - what kind of car takes 12.5 quarts of oil? | ||
| Robertb1958 |
Danny- the last air (and oil) cooled - 1995 Porsche 911 (993) track car. | ||
| Sir_wadsalot |
I track these oil threads like soap operas- I would avoid the 20/50's unless it's for the track or you live in consant warm weather. I ran it last summer for the 110F DC highway temps but as soon as it got below like 65F the damned thing would barely start. Manufacturer spec is 10/40 for a reason. That reason being the size of the oil passages. If you only ride in warm weather, no prob, but I roll year-round. Looking at the most recent white paper, HP-4 seems paticularly prone to this issue... As far as the AMS Dominator, one of the members emailed AMS and asked. They reccomended it for motorcycles for track use only- the friction modifiers would eat up a clutch in long term street use. They said to use the motorcycle oil instead. I would also avoid the "synthetic" motorcycle oils available at the auto parts stores. They may be fine, but they cost just as much as the better stuff. US spec to be considered syn is only 7%. I'll try to find a link but there's an AMS white paper floating about with 10 or 12 oils tested, all the parts store brands and the HD screamin' beagle crap did poorly. Why run Shell or Castrol moto-oil when it costs just as much as Motul, AMS or Honda HP-4? Race teams run that stuff for a reason. You wouldn't pay Guinness price for natty light, right? It's just the principle of the thing. If you're gonna go cheap, go the Rotella-T route. I'm an oil Nazi and I can't find anything against it. It's cheaper than the exotic stuff and doesn't claim to be magic. Older bikes and commuters? Sure. My SV1000? Maybe. My 1125R? Hell no. But I honestly think it would be fine, my oil snobbery just won't allow it, and it's cheap insurance. Currently running Honda HP4, but I think I'll try AMS this summer. AMS 2008 White paper- http://wpc.1c96.edgecastcdn.net/001C96/G-Items/Per formance%20Testing%20Archives/g2156-2009-archived/ index.html AMS 2005 White Paper- http://wpc.1c96.edgecastcdn.net/001C96/G-Items/Per formance%20Testing%20Archives/g2156-2005-archived/ index.html @Hildstrom- You should make a thread about your oil testing. The Army diesel school instructors were sending their oil off for testing (the Army was doing hot oil testing at the time)..they were stretching intervals out to 20,000 miles. I'm interested to see your motorcycle results. (Message edited by sir_wadsalot on November 22, 2013) (Message edited by sir_wadsalot on November 22, 2013) EDIT- I had never seen the most recent AMSoil white paper. After reading it, Mobil1 V-Twin (which I had always looked upon with derision at Auto Zone) did very well, and former AMA Supersport title sponsor Honda HP-4 (which I have always run and has a very good reputation) did very poorly. Just goes to show you, that nine out of ten internet know it alls don't know what the hell they're talking about. I will indeed be going to AMS. (Message edited by sir_wadsalot on November 22, 2013) | ||
| Coastrambler |
Always very interesting to read some actual thoughts, and some rants regarding oil. It's a needed item. I'm using HD Syn 3. As was remarked the 1125 doesn't take much oil, use the best. A difficult thing to know. I use the Syn 3 cause I only need to have that one type on my shelf. The V-Rod takes 5 qts of it, the Road Glide a total of nearly 5 qts. It goes in 3 places on the RG. Have no complaints regarding the oil. | ||
| Robertb1958 |
Can add this now that it is 27F outside. Just fired the 1125 up that has Motul 300 10-40 in it, and not much anti freeze. Had not started her in a couple of weeks, but no problems. Motor seemed unaffected by the cold, though it did take a few more turns to fire. | ||
| Hildstrom |
Sir_wadsalot: Thanks, but I wanted to wait until I had a few more samples before posting any conclusions. Coastrambler: If you look at the data I posted, the HD Syn3 degraded significantly by the time I hit 3000 miles of road use. It's supposed to be an SAE 50 oil when hot, but it degraded to a very low SAE 40. The Amsoil MCV I tested degraded too, but not as much. HD Syn3's degradation may not be a problem since the bikes run fine with 40 and may have been designed for it, but I'd prefer a more stable oil. | ||
| Captjoe |
Sir_wadsalot: "Manufacturer spec is 10/40 for a reason." In my owner's manual, the manufacturer's spec states to use 20W-50 and it's good right down to about 40F. Thanks to a chilly fall, I've been starting mine at temps of just above 40F without any issues. Mine is a 2009, not sure if they changed the recommendation from the 2008 specs. | ||
| Crowley |
My local Ducati engine builder tells me he used to see a lot of cam scuffing in the 'Testiclestretcher' motors, especially ones used for racing. Since filling everything with Motul 15-50 Factory Line, he now sees very little of this problem. Of course, this may be as a result of better materials/manufacturing. Who knows? My 1198 Duc and my Helicon have always run the stuff. I'm a bit of an oil Nazi (in bikes) too, and I change it frequently, not because it's stopped being 'slippery' enough but to rid the engine of all the nasty contaminants that are a result of combustion. The oil is then used in my Imprezza for many more thousand miles  | ||
| Imblasted |
I never thought about putting my used oil in the 'prezza. I run the AMSOIL 20w50 and the guy I buy from told me I am changing the oil twice as often as I need to. I just put the AMSOIL 1 year or 100,000 miles oil in the Imprezza. I think I have a valve cover gasket leak, so that was dumb. Guess I have 3 qts of 20w50 to put in the Imprezza. I don't know if thats a good idea or not. I live in the Florida Keys, this morning was 77 degrees when I went outside. The imprezza asks for 5w30 and the 20w50 wouldnt have degraded much after 3,000 miles. I guess I wont be using the bike oil to top off the car. | ||
| Sir_wadsalot |
"In my owner's manual, the manufacturer's spec states to use 20W-50 and it's good right down to about 40F. " As stated earlier, 9 out of 10 internet know it alls don't know what the hell they're talking about! As far as the Motul, my KTM dealer guy says that's what they run in all their race bikes, he swears by the stuff. Oil Nazi note- The friction modifiers that cause access slippage in bike clutches are the thing that make car engines run 200,000+ miles these days. I wouldn't put bike oil in a car. | ||
| Captjoe |
"As stated earlier, 9 out of 10 internet know it alls don't know what the hell they're talking about! " What internet know it alls? That comes straight out of the manual. | ||
| Mhpalin |
That's right the manual says 20/50 above 40 and I agree these bikes run hot compared to my other bikes,as hot or hotter then my air cooled 1900 Stratopig. Oil is Oil just don't put car oil in it and change it often another internet no it alls opinion. Mike | ||
| Wymaen |
Sir_wadsalot, I'm convinced you're having a laugh at us. Granted, this is from the 2009 manual, but this is what's recommended..."Buell recommends using Screamin' EagleŽ SYN3 Synthetic Motorcycle Lubricant when adding or changing oil. If SYN3 is not available and addition of motor oil is required, H-D 360 SAE 20W50 may be used. Although H-D 360 is compatible with SYN3, we suggest the mixture of the fluids be changed as soon as possible. If SYN3 or H-D 360 are not available, the final option would be to add a synthetic 15W-50 oil that meets SG and JASO MA specifications. We again suggest the mixture of the fluids be changed as soon as possible. At the first opportunity, see an authorized dealer to change back to 100 percent Harley- Davidson oil." http://www.harley-davidson.com/store/syn3-full-syn thetic-motorcycle-lubricant---sae-20w51-pa-12-6260 0005--1\ | ||
| Sir_wadsalot |
LOL I meant me, I'm the internet know it all! I guess I didn't have my sarcasm font large enough.  | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
The 1125 actually runs much COOLER than many other motorcycle engines. It's not uncommon for bikes these days to run 200-220F, but my 1125 usually runs around 165-170 at interstate speeds and rarely sees more than 180 even when I'm getting on it. Given the same bikes that run 200-220F are often also specced for 10W40, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that weight of oil to be acceptable in a bike that generally runs at least 20F cooler. | ||
| Sir_wadsalot |
Modern engines run cooler when you're "getting on them", that's when airflow and impeller speed are at their peak. 180 is generally the opening temp of a thermostat, that's where it should be in hot weather. The test is idling in bumper to bumper traffic, and that's when the 1125R runs hot as hell. I've never ridden anything, faired, I4, twin or otherwise that was hotter or worse behaved in these conditions. That's where my temps dropped 5-10 degrees when I dropped the HD oil for the HP-4. It got so hot the plastic trim piece by the exhaust got soft and wavey. Some of the members with Ducati experience say the 1198/Panigales are worse though. | ||
| Crowley |
Sir Wadsy, I have to agree. My Duc 1198 runs hotter than my 1125 when stuck in towns | ||
| Crowley |
Of course Imblasted is absolutely correct about the 20/50 being way out of spec for a car engine that should be used with 5/30, but my last Scooby did 150k miles before I sold it and it was caned every where (and still is . When I head off my current Scooby to fix the gasket, there were no witness marks, scuffing or wear on the bores/cams. I ALWAYS warm a motor gently for at least 10 miles (especially air cooled stuff)before hoofing it. Perhaps this helps? Fortunately, I live 20 miles from work | ||
| Sir_wadsalot |
2000 Impreza...250,000 miles.....walmart oil....valve cover seals/plug boots, tune up, replaced struts. Eats brakes. Other than that? Can't beat 'em. Find me a 14 year old Chevy with 250K on it that you can drift sideways on a gravel road and scoff at snowstorms with zero breakage, and I'll kiss your ass. Just gave it to my daughter. | ||
| Crowley |
Yeah, the last mile to my house is dirt road. It's always driven sideways  | ||
| Sir_wadsalot |
I slid the blue bomber so hard through a paved curve once that my phone slid out of the the little plastic strap on the visor, ejected through the open window and exploded in the road! My sister was with me, I thought she was gonna mess her pants. She was piiiiiissed! The only bad thing about imprezas (other than the lack of outright power) is that they make everything else seem like it handles like crap. Since I gave mine away, I have to drive my wife's Corolla a lot. It's a fantastic car, but every time I hit a back road it makes me wanna kill myself. If only they would make a light pickup, my life would be complete. Something like a ridgeline, maybe? | ||
| Crowley |
Mobile phones are the work of the Devil. When I retire, my moby is going out of the window too - along with my watch  |
