Topic: What is the best engine oil?

[JakeLee]

I looked for this topic in the general areas of this forum, but it might have been lost in the site move.  I am sure that it will open a lot of discussion.
I went to my local Kmart and Walmart looking for Mobil 1 10W-40 as recomended by the after-market manual. I could not find it, but 10W-40 is becoming more rare based on the unstable chemical make up of the 10w to 40w difference. 
I am currrently running (from last year {my bad} 10W-30 Mobil1).  I have found that the pure synthetic runs quiter at idle and I have no issues with the clutch.
This is where I ask for the forum for opinions on oil and ask that it might be added to the knowledge base for the site.

[CHUNG]

HONDA GN4 in 10W40 or CASTROL GTX 20W 50 if the bike shops are closed. Other than those two, I don't know that it really matters. I have hammered bikes and cars for years and severly neglected the engines. (except the chains and carbs) Does the type of engine oil matter? do frequent oil changes matter? I had 283,000+ miles on a 1997 4WD NISSAN truck and I changed the oil between 10-20k miles, 30k once and the owner's book called for 9k. Smogged clean as a butterfly with an air filter once a year and sparkplugs every two years. It ran like a new Caddy when I sold it, never replaced a single part on that puppy except a cam belt and locking front hub. I had over 300K miles on a 1990 chevy G30 van, 4.1 litre V6 when I parked it and I hadn't changed the oil the whole time I owned it....maybe 100k miles. I NEVER changed the oil on a 1982 Yammy XS400 and I routinely ran it at full throttle untill it ran out of fuel for three years, same for a 1975 CB360T Hell, I didn't even know if they had filters!!!. Modern oils are pretty damned good, get any SAE grade CC, CD or better and it'll work fine? (please don't beat me up too bad guys! lol) I do like the HONDA GN4 best, the bikes do too. Smoother shifting and quieter running but it's $16 a gallon, GTX is bout $8. I am kinda funny about "old" oil, if it's been sitting for a while I flush and refill, run till hot and replace the oil and filter. Keep an eye on it that the cabs don't dump and flood the cases. It's a HONDA, you have to try pretty hard to mess it up ;-)/

[Ibsen]

Any good quality 10/40, 15/40 or 20/50 without any friction reducers will work fine.
I have been through a few discussions about oil on other forums, and almoast everyne have a favourite brand, so I'll leave that choice to you.
But there was a test a few years back that showed that Mobil 1 was in fact better than the full synthetic MC oils.
The only problem with a full synthetic oil made for cars is if it contains friction reducers. On some of the older bikes that can cause a slipping clutch.

[AndreRA3]

For what its worth, I have run 20w50 Redline oil (full synthetic) for 1500 miles without any problems, and have just replaced it for Royal Purple 20w50 (because its cheaper and I had to drain my crankcase to replace the alternator).  I have run it for a week without any problems as well. 

[eldar]

Hell I used Havoline 5w-30 with no issues. Synthetics are great but it is sometimes hard to find wether or not the oil contains friction reducers. I have used Castrol syntec 5w-50 in cars and trucks but I am not sure if it has reducers. If not, that works good.

[heffay]

ill reply even tho my knowledge is limited... been drivin and riding for years (not as many as the old fogies on here tho  )  i use a name brand 20/50 in the bikes and a 10/30 or 10/40 in the cars.  more importantly (in my humble opinion) is the weight of the oil and not the brand.  (also, synthetic vs. non-syn.)  it makes me think of the movie "black sheep"  where chris farley is selling auto parts.  something about selling a heap of sh!t and slapping a warranty on it or simply selling a good product!... you must see movie to appreciate this comment.  go with what you feel works best... there are too many opinions to waste too much time over.

[Sandcast 2356]

What about oil additives or "engine treatment" that do not increase viscosity (spell check that guys!!) and that do not contain any PTFE resins, "molys", copper, or graphite?? Are they ok to use??

[Kevin D]

I used to use only Kendall GT-1 20w50, and it was just fine, but It's not out there anymore. More recently Castrol GTX 20w50. Last year I found Valvoline Motorcycle oil at Meijers. 10w40 and 20w50, about $2.50 a quart.

[eldar]

I would not use any additive as you dont know how the clutch will react.

[falcostan]

IF YOU CHANGE THE OIL ON A REGULAR BASIS, THEN GTX ETC IS FINE, AFTER ALL, THATS ALL THAT WAS AVAILEABLE WHEN A LOT OF THESE BIKES WERE FIRST ON THE MARKET, ADDATIVES ARE NOT NECCASARY AND CAN CAUSE CLUTCH SLIP PROBLEMS.

[CHUNG]

About the Synthetic. I have a friend that burns Nitro in a 5hp Briggs gokart racer and he said w/out A doubt that his engine rebuilds were 10:1 less often than when he used standard oil That's 'field verified" in controled conditions, he was convinced. Got my attention but I've never used it except in two/smokers.

[JakeLee]

Thanks for all the replies.  Considering that the 750 does not crank hard at all in cold temps, I think I will give the 20W-50 a shot now that it is getting a little warmer in Iowa!

[Quail "Owner of the comfortable k8"]

I am new to all this so please bear with me.  Just bought a cb750k8 24k miles.  I want to run honda's ng4 but what weight.  I live in southl Pa and will ride in the summer and in the mountians.  This is my first bike and Saturday was my first ride.  22 miles with a smile you can't get with a zoloft overdose.    I have to park it a  while to fix all the neglect. 

[ron72401]

Jakelee,

For what it is worth have you ever tried Amsoil? I recently tried it and have now switched to using it only in my bikes. They make a 10-40w for motorcycles so there is no clutch issue. You can supposedly more than double your mileage interval between oil changes (I don't do that .... old habits are hard to break) and I could tell a difference in the engine noise and shifting immediately after the first change. The oil is a little pricey but if you look around you can get a case of 12 for a little over $50 and have all the oil you need for a year or more.

Just a suggestion.

Be well. 

[MRieck]

Jakelee,

For what it is worth have you ever tried Amsoil? I recently tried it and have now switched to using it only in my bikes. They make a 10-40w for motorcycles so there is no clutch issue. You can supposedly more than double your mileage interval between oil changes (I don't do that .... old habits are hard to break) and I could tell a difference in the engine noise and shifting immediately after the first change. The oil is a little pricey but if you look around you can get a case of 12 for a little over $50 and have all the oil you need for a year or more.

Just a suggestion

Be well. 

  Amsoil is a great product. Their filters are good too. I use Honda HP-4 20-50W (Semi synthetic). My engine gets hot secondary to increased compression and extra cc's. If Honda sells it it has to work

[Mark M]

Oil companies are a synical bunch and play on owners fears and guilt to get the most cash out of them. Dispite all the techno waffle they come out with you are best using the oil specified by the engine manufacturer, as they are the ones who tested the engine/oil, their advice on regularity of changes is also the only advice worth listening to. You can push the limits further, but only at your own risk, the manufacturers have been quite conservative with the advice they give and have pushed the engine to it's limits. Pushing much harder than would be possable by even the most mechanically unsympathertic  road rider.

As has been previously statewd it is best to avoid oils intended for car use due to the aditives all but the most basic car oils now use. This is good news because old Hondas are best run on old (read cheep) spec oils.       

[Ibsen]

This is the oil I'm using in my bikes. It's a mineral oil, and it it is not expensive either.

http://www.pzlqs.com/Tech/Pdsheet/QuakerState/EngineOils/pdf/SmallEngine4-CycleMotorcycleOil.PDF