is SAE 10/40 still ok?

[nejeff]

Me and my son got the Rotella T6 Synthetic on sale and both switched over from the regular Rotella. His bike is now busily spotting every inch it covers on the driveway. It wasn't leaking like this prior. His bike ( 36,000 miles) now is due for some new gaskets and 1/2 moons. My bike (at 70,000 miles) is enjoying the oil very much. Some increased leakage noted on spots of the engine but nothing getting to ground by any means. I'm satisfied, he is not.

At any rate, no, I don't think the 30-35 year old thinking on oil should be taken to heart. Lot's of changes in oil over three decades. Best to go with the current thinking when it comes to oil recommendations IMO and I would follow the recommendations from these guys as many of them have owned GS's for a long time.

...................... hi guys i,m in australia,,,, i,ve used shell sx4 ,,fortified oil for over 10years ,, i went to buy another lot ,,yep shell has decided to stuff around and drop that ,,,and now i,ve got to go other variant oils the may be o.k. i,m currently looking at other oils regards oldgrumpy

This is my point exactly, they seem to keep switching formulas and it seems to be all detrimental to old bikes. I have to use specialist oils for my old triumphs.

After switching out the oil in my katana for a bunch of fresh semi synthetic sae 10w/40 oil, I've got blueish white smoke coming out of the exhaust.

Before I switched the oil it was smoke free, is this modern oil too thin for these old beasts?

...................... hi guys i,m in australia,,,, i,ve used shell sx4 ,,fortified oil for over 10years ,, i went to buy another lot ,,yep shell has decided to stuff around and drop that ,,,and now i,ve got to go other variant oils the may be o.k. i,m currently looking at other oils regards oldgrumpy

Don't worry about smoke, go by how the bike Runs. Does it Idle, and return to Idle well, snappy throttle, no Hanging Rpm's, good power at full throttle, hesitation or vibration?
(but yeah blue smoke is not right, you said Oil over-fill I guess)

[Allie]

The stuff you REALLY want to avoid are any oils that are 'energy conserving' according to the little round label. They have additives that can make your clutch slip, and I believe the can impregnate the fibers and ruin the plates. Everything else is negotiable.

Except I use Shell Rotella so anyone what doesn't is a poopyknickers.

oooooo handbags at dawn 'eh

.... diesel oil's a winner imo

[tkent02]

so what bikes do you own as I see an empty list in your signature?

One of each. If I were the one asking for help I'd mention which bike it was for.

[Big T]

No, modern oil isn't too thin

But, there are modern oils that are not compatible with these old bikes.

What oil did you use, exactly?

The best way to gauge the issue is to check your oil consumption.

The white smoke may just be something burning off

How about a little history lesson?

How long have you owned it?

Wha oil was in it before?

Have you checked the petcock?

I picked this beauty up in November last year.

black stuff and only about 2 liters of it.

yes and I don't leave it overnite on prime either

so what bikes do you own as I see an empty list in your signature?

[tkent02]

How about a little history lesson?

How long have you owned it?

Wha oil was in it before?

Have you checked the petcock?

Did you possibly over fill it ?

Yes I did, I put about 2700ml in instead of 2500, the oil was just above the f line on the window. Could have been the straw that broke the camels back perhaps, although I didn't ride to far at that level, maybe 30 miles or so.

[bonanzadave]

Did you possibly over fill it ?

[chuck hahn]

Was good enough at one time according to the filler cap.

[mrbill5491]

Syn, syn, syn, syn, anything syn

[1980GS1000E]

And, they're off!