Old Topic, new look

[Furry John]

As there now seems to very few straight mineral 10:40 oils left on the market, what does the team think about semi and synthetic oil use in DR, XBR, SRX and GB's. My main reason for asking is that I needed to do a change on the DR650 before going up to Church Stretton and was talked into using Silkolene Semi 10:40 instead of searching for my now obsolete usual Castrol Actievo 10:40, lo, the bloody clutch was slipping after about 15 miles and is continuing to do so. Do some Semi/Synthetics work in our older technology engines? The GB is due a change and Molly will have my blood if it starts to slip it's clutch.

Furry

[pigafetta]

Hi Furry John

I've been using silkolene semi 10/40 in my XBR for the last 4 or 5 years or so without any problems so I reckon it'll be ok in your GB.

Dave B

[Dick Scratcher]

I've been using Total Quartz 10/40 ( semi-synth car oil) in my CB250RSA for the last five+ years for no other reason that I was given 25 litres of the stuff for free. No clutch slip, if anything a little more 'drag' than I'd expect but I can put up with that. I strongly suspect that we're fed large doses of BS regarding oils. If anyone's riding a Superbike Spec machine, and then to it's mechanical limits, I've no doubt that the 'exotic stuff' is what's necessary but I'm convinced that any reasonable quality motor oil fulfills most riders requirements as long as it's replaced at the recommended intervals (or sooner). Never in nearly fifty years of owning and riding bikes have I suffered an engine or gearbox problem that could be laid at the feet of inadequate lubrication. It's all to do with convincing the plebs to feel guilty that they're letting their bike and themselves down by not buying the 'right' product for their machine which coincidentally usually turns out to be the most expensive..........strange innit ?.

[pete]

Salutations to you John. Looks like i talked myself into a 180 mile round trip with 2 Harley owners to Newquay and back for a day out at the " Run to the sun " , event they have every year. Well....apart from the odd 30 mile trip on a Saturday morning after work,the bike sees a low mileage use every day.I will be changing the oil with Halfords finnest, check tyre pressure and tension the chain. The xbr seems to react to temperature in the mornings,the later you start her the better the engine sounds.Cold mornings ...rattle..rattle ..for the first 5 mile then sound, but later on a warm day sounds as tight as a gnats chuff! The guys i am going to go with say they ride at 50mph so i guess I'm am not going to blow the engine!!!! Only wish i could find a lighter oil for my shorter journeys as this seems to thin quicker and lube that busy top end sooner.

                                                                                                                     Pete.

[indiantim]

Oil; such an emotive subject.

I used to use auto oil in my bikes but modern stuff is designed for catalytic converters and ZDDP a zinc additive is reduced.  This is essential to aid older flat tappet designs.  So now I look closely at the spec.   Can't really recommend any one, but at a pinch use a Turbo diesel oil if nothing else is around.  Also the viscosity rating is more relevant on an air cooled engine.  Synthetic oil is not as good for conducting away heat.

[Steve Lake]

on all my SRX's (road and track) i use Halfrauds smisynthetic 10-40 motorcycle oil.... i just change it regularly (very).... never had a problem

[themoudie]

on all my SRX's (road and track) i use Halfrauds smisynthetic 10-40 motorcycle oil.... i just change it regularly (very).... never had a problem

Agreed!!  Used in both the SRX and the Bros. Used to use cheaper car spec semi-synthetics and also donated BP synthetic, but with both machines, I gained clutch slip under load. N. B. This can be embarrassing when block changing down two for the 'rapid' overtake or when winding it on in top to tackle a steeper gradient on a multi-lane road! 

Both engines stay clean inside with either motorcycle or car additive treatments, its just the clutch doesn't like the long chain molecule additives in the car oil. Oil change SRX every 2,000 miles with filter. Bros every 4,000 with filter, to date over 15,000 on the SRX without a problem and over 55,000 on the Bros without a problem.

Still run the Duke on 'straight mineral 40W'. However, many are raced using semi-synthetic 10-40W, with no ill effect, but oil changed after a meeting.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Bill.

[Dick Scratcher]

ps from Dick Scratcher,
                                         When this Total Quartz 10w/40 supply runs out (shortly) I'll be using Morris's 20w/50 'Ring Free' (dont ask me !) High Detergent petrol/Diesel oil in the 250 the same as I used to use in my Laverda RGA Jota Sprint.........good stuff.

[trophydave]

You can get 10/40 mineral oil in SG spec{no clutch slip additives} from Ford dealers.A mate at work uses it in his CRF250 crosser.I have used a drum of it in the past.They will probably deny all knowledge of it but it does exist,I can get the part number if anyone is interested.

[Steve H]

I have used the Castrol 10W40 motorcycle oil in the SRX for quite while with no clutch problems. I used Mobil 1 (fully synthetic) for a while but couldnt see any benefit so went back to semi-synthetic when I changed the engine due to the usual gearbox woes

[Furry John]

Thanks guys,

I think that losing Castrol GP to Acteivo then losing the line altogether has been a wake up call for me, I use Morris non-detergent mineral 50 in the Manxman, the Velo Thruxton, the Velo MAC, the '55 Triumph T110 and the Duke Bevel 900ss in the Summer and Morris non-detergent mineral 40 in the winter, the BMW 900cc R75 uses Halfrauds Green Tin 20/50 all year round. The GB has been on Actievo 10/40 since purchase and the DR650SES went from Castrol GP to Actievo in the last 3 years of the 12 years I have had it. It looks like I will have to get used to Castrol Semi 10/40 or Halfrauds Semi 10/40 to replace the Actievo and hope for happy outcomes with the clutch. The remains of the Silkolene 10/40 can be used in the GB. By the way, I understood that it was the "long-chain" molecule structure of the oil that caused the clutch slip but trophydaves' post implies that it is an additive that does the deed, interesting.

Furry

[trophydave]

By the way, I understood that it was the "long-chain" molecule structure of the oil that caused the clutch slip but tropydaves' post implies that it is an additive that does the deed, interesting.
Furry

That's how I understood it but I could well be wrong.Looking back over the years I have used more car oil in bikes than bike oil and have never had a problem even when using the Ford equivalent of Mobil 1 fully synthetic car stuff.Saying that I usually use Hein Gericke semi synthetic these days.

[Ian]

To add my tenpenn`orth to this debate, I have used Morris`s  "Sport4 part synthetic" ( oil for all my SRs, SRXs, Bandits and everything else I have ridden since discovering it. I did look on their website and found its not listed anymore (surprise surprise) but my local agricultural engineering suppliers still had a stock last time I looked. As everyone seems to say, I think its the regularity at which you change it moreso than the actual product itself as long as you are using a fairly decent grade.

Ian

[johnr]

lots of guff talked about oil. the main difference with mineral semi synth and fully synth oils is how long they last, not how well they lube. in the terms of the motors we are running, mineral oil is as good as anything else. the only real advantage of using semi or fully synth is how long they can remain working as a mechanical component without being changed. you would be just as good using a bog stock mineral oil and changing it every 1000 or 1500 miles as putting fully synth in and leaving it in for 10k. i use bog stock supermarket oil in my motors with roller cranks and bog stock supermarket semi synth in my shell crank motors, cos thats as good a quality oil as was available to the makers the day they rolled out of the factory.

[beeman]

Like steve I run semi synthetic with no problems. did run the srx on synthetic but discovered the problems of clutch slip.
Personally I don't have a problem with any good oil, just good regular changes seems to be the key for longevity.
beeman