Topic: Does Synthetic Oil Cause Oil Leaks?

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

The apparently hardened valve seals (due to the over heating from the bad thermostat) have created consumption of up to 1 quart per 2000 miles. I never had to check my oil level prior to that since there had been no signficant useage. The useage also seems to vary with the standard non-high mileage brand of oil that is used. That part surprised me. I can get as much as 4000 miles between changes (when it gets a quart low) or as little as 2000 miles. I go to quick change places. Usually Firestone with a $19.99 coupon or $29.99 for high mileage oil. They use semi-synthetic Kendall for $19.99 or their high mileage Kendall for $29.99. I don't know if it's semi or dino. Doesn't really matter since my Legend (I bought it new) is now my beater (definite) for work road trips (300+ miles every week or so). My rule: if it gets a quart low, don't add, change. The 20 years of use and hot sun have taken a MUCH harder toll on my baby than the 200,000 miles!

Now lets get back to the topic of leaks.   

[Skunk Stripe]

At least the engine did not warp cylinder walls or blow from overheating!

[nitroeagle]

Synthetic oil isn't "sliperier" the conventional oil. It just doesn't break down as fast from heat & fuel that
eventually wear it down. Due to this, the oil can last longer between oil changes. Although the filter still
works the same regardless. I use Honda's GN4 in my '82 650 & used it my '01 Spirit 750 with no problems.
I do use Mobil1 syn in my Dakota & Xterra though. The Xterra is my wife's & I like the piece of mind if she forgets to tell me she's due for a LOF. The Dakota used to get run hard, so I liked not having to worry about the oil breaking down so quick. I also had a '68 Ford Falcon. When I used regular oil it was black in 500 miles. Then I started using Valvolene syn blend & it stayed clean for 3,000 miles. Any way you cut it, use oil weight that the bike calls for & follow the mileage for oil changes. Thats the most important, change it regularly.

[750k5]

Dont use synthetic oil it will glaze your clutch. Dont ask how I know this. Its so slippery it causes the clutch to slip and eventually the discs  get glazed and will require replacment. Oh and yes the molecules are smaller and if you have leaks it will leak more. Friction wise synthetic is way better but with a wet clutch its a no no.

BULL!!!!!

[BobbyR]

Dont use synthetic oil it will glaze your clutch. Dont ask how I know this. Its so slippery it causes the clutch to slip and eventually the discs  get glazed and will require replacment. Oh and yes the molecules are smaller and if you have leaks it will leak more. Friction wise synthetic is way better but with a wet clutch its a no no.

BULL!!!!!

Here we gooooooooooooooooooooooo. 

[Terry in Australia]

Dont use synthetic oil it will glaze your clutch. Dont ask how I know this. Its so slippery it causes the clutch to slip and eventually the discs  get glazed and will require replacment. Oh and yes the molecules are smaller and if you have leaks it will leak more. Friction wise synthetic is way better but with a wet clutch its a no no.

BULL!!!!!

Here we gooooooooooooooooooooooo. 

Mmmnn, I'm getting a hankering for popcorn, for some reason!

[MCRider]

Dont use synthetic oil it will glaze your clutch. Dont ask how I know this. Its so slippery it causes the clutch to slip and eventually the discs  get glazed and will require replacment. Oh and yes the molecules are smaller and if you have leaks it will leak more. Friction wise synthetic is way better but with a wet clutch its a no no.

BULL!!!!!

Here we gooooooooooooooooooooooo. 

Tee hee, I like JooJoobees. 
Mmmnn, I'm getting a hankering for popcorn, for some reason!

[Terry in Australia]

Hey Ron, what the hell is a Joojoobee?

[MCRider]

Hey Ron, what the hell is a Joojoobee?

Sorry spelled it wrong:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujube_(confectionery)

[Terry in Australia]

Hey Ron, what the hell is a Joojoobee?

Sorry spelled it wrong:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujube_(confectionery)

Mmmmnn, looks good mate, but I "self extracted" a gold cap last week, so I better stick with the popcorn....... 

[BobbyR]

Hey Ron, what the hell is a Joojoobee?

Sorry spelled it wrong:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujube_(confectionery)

Mmmmnn, looks good mate, but I "self extracted" a gold cap last week, so I better stick with the popcorn....... 

Pass the Popcorn Mate. This should be a good one. 

[Terry in Australia]

Hey Ron, what the hell is a Joojoobee?

Sorry spelled it wrong:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujube_(confectionery)

Mmmmnn, looks good mate, but I "self extracted" a gold cap last week, so I better stick with the popcorn....... 

Pass the Popcorn Mate. This should be a good one. 

Washed down with a little Buffalo Trace Bobby?

[BLUE71TURBO]

Dude you are everywhere!!!!!

 Wait till you see Terry go on a walk about !!     That's when he takes his first bath of the year !!   


                     

[Skunk Stripe]

I think the time for popcorn passed before it even started!

[BobbyR]

Hey Ron, what the hell is a Joojoobee?

Sorry spelled it wrong:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujube_(confectionery)

Mmmmnn, looks good mate, but I "self extracted" a gold cap last week, so I better stick with the popcorn....... 

Too Right  Mate. A wee bit of high end corn whiskey is in order. We have not had a good Oil punch up in a while!!! 
Pass the Popcorn Mate. This should be a good one. 

Washed down with a little Buffalo Trace Bobby?

[Markcb750]

Comparison of synthetic lubricants

[HondaMan]

An excellent running 45,000 mile K1 I just picked-up on has a couple of odd oil leaks- the oil galley screw-on plug above the points cover, and the oil pressure sending unit above the starter. While rummaging thru the po's receipt papers, a tune-up shows semi-synthetic oil used.  Any oil opinions?
Interesting thing about this K1 is the fact that I used to own it about 6 years ago; went thru a couple owners since, and its back home, completely unchanged. Found it on Craigslips.
And oh yeah- the clutch slips.

Actually,...those are classic K1 leak spots, synthetic or not. Look also around the edges of the oil pan underneath, I'll bet it's weeping there, and at the tach cable's seal.

The O-rings on the galley got slightly bigger (0.1mm thickness, to be exact) on the K2, and if you order new ones today you'll get the thicker one. The oil swithc either needs to be snugged back down, or else the housing is leaking: also classic for 30+ years of heat-cold-heat...

The slipping clutch: if high-detergent synthetic was in use, yep, it will slip. Swap out to something like Mobil 1 15w50 Diesel type in synthetic or a real motorcycle oil like Castrol 4T type, and the slip may just heal itself when all the detergent washes out of those plates. 

[736cc]

Fixed the 2 minor oil leaks and clutch was waaay outa adjustment, now it runs like a top

[rbirkhan]

I ran mobil 1 full synthetic in my honda wet clutch atv for exactly 1 ride and a brand new clutch was glazed and slipping like a wet bananna. Replaced the clutch 5 years ago running castrol non synthetic with no problems. Run what you want but dont be suprised if you need new clutch plates in a week.

[Skunk Stripe]

Uh-huh, most likely you put in the wrong oil. Mobil-1 is geared for cars, it contains a large amount of additional moly additive which IS bad for wet clutches not designed for it.

[bollingball]

OIL crap!!!  I knew I forgot something.

[BobbyR]

Terry and I are ready

[Terry in Australia]

Terry and I are ready

Oh yeah Bobby, bring it on!

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Uh-huh, most likely you put in the wrong oil. Mobil-1 is geared for cars, it contains a large amount of additional moly additive which IS bad for wet clutches not designed for it.

There are a number of Mobil 1 oils. I recently put Mobil 1 V Twin in my Fat Boy. They make a Mobil 1 for other bikes too. Pick the right one and you should be fine. 

[robmanero]

I use Elf full synthetic 10W50 in all my bikes. Currently running it in a CBR600RR, '67 CB77, '73 CL175, '87 SRX250, '84 XL250R. I have a friend that road-races a GSXR600 and he uses the same oil in his race bike. Tached-out, fuul-bore for extended periods in 100-plus degree weather and never a problem. I have been using this for years with excellent results. My vintage bikes do not leak oil and my clutches all work perfect. I have a 416EX quad that I used to beat the hell out of in the coal mines. Always ran HP4 full synthetic and never had a problem. Clutch would grab like a #$%* pulling hardcore hillclimbs and flat-out trail ripping. You need to use a motorcycle-specific oil. Motorcycle oils are designed to work with wet clutches and also have anti-shear additives to make them more stable in transmissions. Car oil, synthetic or not, is no good to use in a motorcycle engine.