Been reading threads on oil and gear oil and wanted to know if there is a consensus on what folks are using.
My shop sells Motul 300V 10W40 motor oil for $16/liter and Motorex Semi Synthetic gear oil for $8 for a 130 ml tube. I'm looking to save money.
I saw POCPhil's oil thread and the Rotella T synthetic 5W-40 is $6 at Wallyworld (for a liter). They don't carry any decent gear oil at Wallyworld like Amsoil.
I recently used Bel Ray Gearsaver Hypoid gear oil 80w-90 that I picked-up from a local MC shop but it seems really thin. Even the mechanic at the shop mentioned it when they had the rear end torn apart.
Chime in on favorites or good/bad stories plus any deals you know for oils and/or filters.
.::I know the voices in my head aren't real, but man do they come up with some great ideas::.
The best is the cheapest as long as the oil meets or exceeds the machine in question recommended standards; spend more, change more than the manufactures recommendations is just feeding the oil companies bank. Thought I might mention, Castrol Oil is a BP product.
Amsoil 15W40 Heavy Duty Diesel/Marine Synthetic for the engine, and Quaker State 75W140 Full Synthetic for the final gear drive. The combination has lasted me through three riding seasons so far.
we have been using Top1 oil in our rental fleet with great results....it is now our 'house' brand for the service dept
linky: http://www.toponeoil.com/
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I've been using Amsoil's 10w-40 synthetic scooter oil and changing it every 1500 miles. I'm almost up to 9000 miles now. I think it it $7-8 or so. Also using Amsoil's severe gear oil. I'm lucky enough to have a colleague at work that is a distributor, so he brings it to me onesy-twosey as needed.
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I use Suzuki Synthetic Motorcycle Racing Oil, 10W40. Get a good deal at my local Suzuki Dealer and any Synthetic Gear Oil that meets the weight. I had heard that there is an added ingredient, but not sure which letters it is, is added to motorcycle oil that keeps the oil from loosing its viscosity from our faster and hotter running engines then what car oil has.
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IIRC, the xtra letter is for wet clutch/crankcase mixing like that of conventional motos. Our scoots have separate crankcase and dry tranny. So car oil is just fine and dandy.
Focus more on the weight and type for your region if you plan on taking anything away from this thread.
[opinion] Despite better judgment... and I mean really... in an oil thread, I can't believe I'm going to comment... but using the "cheap stuff" doesn't make a difference in cost savings if you're changing your oil every 500 miles. Unless it's a race bike, that's entirely too much maintenance and waste to warrant using. [/opinion] If you don't agree with that... don't sweat it. That was an opinion which is entirely mine.
Hey LMC,
No problemo if you want to delete this thread. I was just looking to see what particular weights and brands folks were using to get a measure for making a change myself (in order to spend $5 or $6 for a quart instead of $16). I didn't find this info in a search.
.::I know the voices in my head aren't real, but man do they come up with some great ideas::.
Tocsik wrote:Hey LMC,
No problemo if you want to delete this thread. I was just looking to see what particular weights and brands folks were using to get a measure for making a change myself (in order to spend $5 or $6 for a quart instead of $16). I didn't find this info in a search.
Nah, it's cool. You will get a lot of opinions on brands, some even given as if gospel. Just bear in mind that opinions are just that. (It's almost like opening up an ATGATT thread, lol).
If you're looking to save money, buy oil by the gallon as it'll usually come out cheaper than by the quart.
I've had good results with Mobile 1 "Turbo Diesel Truck" Synthetic 5w15 and Mobile1 Synthetic gear oil (I think it's the one for trucks) in 75w90 IIRC.
I've also had good results with Motul... but yikes that's expensive!
I remember not liking the Belray gear oil and had overall better results when I switched to the Mobile1 Sythetic.
I'm lazy, so I picked one brand (after research) so I'd have less to remember.
I have used Rotella 15w-40, when new. Then went to Amsoil Scooter 10w-40......got great gas mileage. now have Royalpurple 10w-40....good gas mileage, is better than 15w-40 but not as good as Amsoil. I only change once per yr, and I go between 1200-2000 miles. However I won't use Amsoil anymore, to to to expensive (including shipping). I may try Castrol Syntec or go back to RP.
Royal Purple, it's just what my service people use for synthetic of course I also use Amsoil in my Dodge Ram Cummins, so I am used to having to pay for it;) I would rather have longer service intervals.
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I'm breaking in both my Buddy and my fiancee's on Rotella-T conventional, with "SUPERTECH" (wal-mart brand) synthetic gear oil. Both are the weight recommended in the owner's manual.
I'll probably switch to Castrol synthetic once the scoots are broken in... I agree with LMC, with our maintenance intervals, whether or not your oil is SAE approved and whether or not you are using synthetic are the only factors that should be argued. Anything else is facetious.
Here's the definitive oil thread for those who really care: topic1375.html#16184
Read that, then put whatever the hell you want to in it.
Preferably Motul.
All kidding aside, these debates and disagreements can rage on for years with no end, as we really can't provide objective results for oil in terms of longevity, performance, etc. IMHO, brand may be less important than dino vs. synthetic.
I know Motul may be more expensive than some, but it's not so expensive that I notice the price difference every 2K and it's been a good oil for me so I feel no need to change.
Unless someone can make an argument that someone else's preference in oil is somehow bad for the scooter, what difference does it make if they pay more as long as they're willing to do so and are happy with the results? There's no reason to start getting up in each others' business, so to speak.
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Phil's post of Motorcycle Product News' oil rant, it's a good read.
I used the Rotella T 5W40 Synthetic for my my Blur oil change writeup but the only 85-140 gear oil I could find in the neighborhood was the WalMart SuperTech.
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I use Motul in our scoots. The cost of 1 liter of oil is the least of my worries. The diesels in my boat use 24 liters per oil change. I still use good oil. Delo 400 in that case.
And I don't even buy lawn chairs at WallyWorld. Got to draw the line someplace.
Yeah, I wasn't interested in opinions on what is best, just a feel for what is being used.
I have seen enough replies to satisfy my curiosity so we can let this one die a peaceful death.
.::I know the voices in my head aren't real, but man do they come up with some great ideas::.
of course I also use Amsoil in my Dodge Ram Cummins, so I am used to having to pay for it;) I would rather have longer service intervals.
