Switching to synthetic oil...

[Blockhead_imp]

Why not just do what the owner's manual says and be done with it? Seems simple to me...

[Cormanus]

Why not just do what the owner's manual says and be done with it? Seems simple to me...

Be too easy, mate. And, anyway, what would the manufacturers know?

[Pterodactyl_imp]

This is kinda disappointing for an oil thread. Here is the way it's done 1)Oil and filter at 600 mile service, dino oil as specified. 2)Change again at 1200 miles, new filter and 5-80 wt synthetic snake oil. 3)Change oil and/or filter whenever (50 to 50,000 miles). 4) If oil level needs to be topped up add only small snakes, big ones can cause overfill. So folks there you have it in a nutshell-whats that-this nut should crawl back in his shell. OK, but before I do, Have a great 4th of July and ride extra safe. Have fun.

Mate where do I get some of that "5-80 wt synthetic snake oil"? It looks good stuff. Have googled everywhere, even lukeduck.com.

Cheers (and I got a good laugh from your post).

[OldF7Guy_imp]

I swore I would never comment again in an oil thread but here I am again. I am only sharing what I do. I have been on both sides of the fence on synthetic oils. I ran Mobile 1 15w50 in my Sportster from day one and this was back in the day when the HD stealerships would tell you it was going to ruin the engine because at that time they did not have their own branded synthetic oil for sale. What a load of crap.

Anyway, fast forward to now and I am running Shell Rotella 15w40 in my 750 and change it and the filter about every 2500-3000 miles. That may be overkill I dont know. Honda calls for 4K changes. I know it does not use a drop of oil in that time frame so far. I wont buy Honda oil filters either. I use Purolator PL14612 filters which are probably at least as good if not better than the Honda filters and they are 7 bucks a piece which I think is still high. I am a cheapskate and a tight wad and wont be ripped off at a dealership.

One thing that has never been mentioned in an oil thread is the new oil life monitors in cars these days. They are very sophisticated and count engine revolutions, time, temperature and a whole host of other parameters and determine the oil change intervals. Oil analysis have show them to be accurate. I wonder if this will ever make it to motorcycles?

No doubt at least to me that synthetic is better but I have always wondered if I ever got the benefit of it being so much better and what it cost me. Oil is so much better now that it was 15 years ago its not funny. In the end, I dont thing it matters that much what you run as long as you change it every now and then with a name brand oil of any kind.

[shdwghst457_imp]

F7Guy my Acura has a remaining oil life percentage meter that drops considerably quicker when driving hard. It's nice only changing the oil when the screen on the dash tells me to, and the car is at 150k now with no issues. Seems the meter is pretty sound.

[lukeduck_imp]

Yup, that 5-80 synthetic snake oil can be hard to find. This is due to a shortage of synthetic snakes. I usually just put masking tape on the jug of Rotella T6 and use a marker to re-lable it as snake oil. Gotta be careful and not let the bike see you do this. I seem to recall that most synthetic snake oil came from the Land of Oz, maybe just over harvested. Anyway, everybody ride safe and have alot of fun.

[HikerToo_imp]

I use Honda synthetic…10/30 which the manual suggests, but you know, I have never seen in the CB1100 user or service manual where it even mentions synthetic oil, has anyone else?


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[the Ferret]

Only the official Honda poster which I posted a pic of awhile back, mentions reg and synthetic Honda oil.. 10W 30 GN4 as good...HP4S as best for 2007 and later model Honda street bikes

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/march31007_zpsa24bed3a.jpg.html]

[Guth_imp]

I use Honda synthetic…10/30 which the manual suggests, but you know, I have never seen in the CB1100 user or service manual where it even mentions synthetic oil, has anyone else?


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No. Although I also switched to Honda Synthetic 10w30 my last oil change. Interestingly, Cycle World has a rather timely article from Kevin Cameron on this subject. In it he says:

"What it comes down to is this: If your owner’s manual does not specify synthetic oil only, it’s up to you. Some riders feel they must “do something” for their engines and gladly pay high prices for synthetic and/or for more frequent oil changes. It makes them feel good and certainly does their engines no harm. Others will shrug at such practices and be happy with any oil that meets the spec in the manual—a spec that has been worked out by the engine manufacturer through a rigorous program of oil testing.

Most engine wear takes place in the first minutes after cold-starting, as a result of the time it takes for oil to circulate to all parts. Thus wear prevention is mainly a function of the additive package, and not of the molecular origin of the oil itself."

The complete article [url=http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/07/04/ask-kevin-should-i-use-motorcycle-synthetic-oil-or-petroleum/]can be found here.

[OldF7Guy_imp]

F7Guy my Acura has a remaining oil life percentage meter that drops considerably quicker when driving hard. It's nice only changing the oil when the screen on the dash tells me to, and the car is at 150k now with no issues. Seems the meter is pretty sound.

My Mother has a Cadillac SRX with the OLM and she short trips and runs the living hell out of it from stop light to stop light and it goes off ever 4-5K miles. Drive it easy and take longer trips and it goes way up. The oil life monitors know. Just a matter of time before they make it to motorcycles.