What oil to use

[ORourke]

Hi,

I am a few weeks riding away from my first oil change (GSX 400E) and i would like to clear a few things up.

First the synthetic vs semi-synthetic question. A lot a classic bike owners say synthetic makes the clutch slip and gives no benefits, should I stick with the semi?

Second, Suzuki suggests 10W40 for my engine. I run the bike more of less daily from spring to late autumn, so in temperatures from 10-40 degrees Celcius, and I have a feeling the 10W I have right now gets a little hot in summer. But with autumn coming up soon I don't want anything too thick, and don't want to loose to much protection on cold morning starts. Can anyone suggest from experience what a good oil would be to get the best all year/all temperature protection?

Thanks in advance!

[BassCliff]

Really? An oil question? I don't think anyone has ever asked one here before.

Hi,

Rotella. Either the heavy duty 15w40 for diesel engines or the full synthetic. It's all you'll ever need. Really.

If I may suggest, the forum does have a search feature.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Counter]

Rotella T 5W-40

I just put Rotella 5W-40 synthetic into my '81 850G. No issues at all. Heck, even the sun shines better with it in the bike. Of course, it is only 50 miles...

[Baatfam]

I just put Rotella 5W-40 synthetic into my '81 850G. No issues at all. Heck, even the sun shines better with it in the bike. Of course, it is only 50 miles...

Ya know, that explains it...
I put Rotella 5w-40 in the new baby Ninja last week...and its been sunny has heck....

[rustybronco]

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=1005618&postcount=5

[GS1000S]

I've used Castrol 10W-40 in my GS850 for the last 18 yrs. and ran it 40k in a GS1100EX with good results.

[mike_of_bbg]

He must have forgotten...

He must have forgotten to ask about tires

Oh, and torque wrenches, too

[Macmatic]

I like Wesson but others may disagree.

(Welcome to the forums, ORourke)

/\/\ac

[Zook]

Fish oil in the Japanese bikes, Extra Virgin Olive oil on the Italians.
Rotella in everything else.

[Nessism]

We need Myth Busters to dispel these urban legends…

- Synthetic oil will make my clutch slip
- Synthetic oil will cause oil leaks
- Expensive oil is better oil
- Motorcycles need motorcycle oil
- New piston rings won’t seat if synthetic oil is used
- Castrol GTX is better than other common auto oils

[ORourke]

Really? So what tyres do I use then, what pressure should I run on? Oh and what do I do when my torque wrench doesn't go down as low as they say in the manual?


I suggest the forum admin make an Oil, tyres and torque wrenches sticky that includes information for all types of GS models ( not all the engines are the same, and therefore just might need something a bit different. It doesn't follow that if a '79 GS1000 4cyl runs fine on 5W synthetic that a twin ' 89 GSX400 will.

[BassCliff]

It doesn't follow that if a '79 GS1000 4cyl runs fine on 5W synthetic that a twin ' 89 GSX400 will.

Yes, both will run just fine on this stuff...



Or this stuff...




(Pictures above are click-able.) Oil and tire threads are a running joke around here. They have been discussed and argued until our fingers bleed from typing so much. Most people won't even respond to an oil or tire thread any more. Just use the search feature and you will find more information about oil and tires than you would ever want to know. I promise.

EDIT: I almost forgot. These two articles are in the garage section of the GS Resources homepage:

• More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Motor Oil
  Don't be discouraged by the length, there's actually a lot of useful information here.
• More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Motor Oil Additives
  Why you should NOT use these in general...

Using the search feature:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=140045&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=135981&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=133547&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=133252&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=131299&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=126395&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=128187&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=127681&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=127583&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=126178&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=124742&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=118954&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=119452&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=118316&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=115351&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=114332&highlight=oil

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=112415&highlight=oil

...and a whole lot more.



Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff