Recommended wet clutch oils, NOT MC OIL!

[GSrookie500]

So i've been using Castrol car oil in my GS but really not digging the clutch feel. Before I got the bike, my brother was putting Mobil 1 MC oil in it, $10 buck a quart, which he could afford, but now I'm searching for a regular dino oil, maybe semi-synthetic or synthetic oil that's more affordable and does the same as these BS MC oils claim to do.

Any Recommendations for regular oil, NOT MC OIL?

-Eric

[fred]

I like the shell rotella 15W-40. It is for big diesel trucks and comes in gallon jugs. It is cheap and my bike seems to like it just fine...

[makenzie71]

rofl castrol "car" oil...

I run Castrol GTX 20-50 in the summer and 10-40 in the winter...exclusively.  I use that, penzoil 10-40, or Rotella T 15-40 in my customer's bikes depending on make/model/preference.

Do NOT use synthetic oil.

If you're just in a bind for oil run the Wal-Mart SuperTech stuff...I've had it at blackstone and they say it lacks a few helpful additives a lot of other brands have but that it isn't breaking down or anything in 4000 miles (TL1000S).

[GSrookie500]

The Mobil 1 MC is a "fully synthetic" and my bro was using it before. The clutch felt really good, but now since I've been using Castrol GTX, the clutch seems a little sloppy.

I don't think it had a friction modifier in it, but i've read through searches that Castrol GTX can make a different clutch feel in the GS's.

I've used Rotella for breaking in flat-tappet cams and engines in my muscle car, lots of zinc, but then change it out to Castrol GTX.

I'm also not looking for too cheap of an oil like Wal-Mart. I hate Wall-Mart, lol.

[GSrookie500]

I would like to use a Castrol oil or Mobil 1 because they're the ones with higher zinc levels in ALOT of tests I read about, and they maintain there viscosity longer.....I'm just going by what I read in the past......Diesol oils I read about, they have more zinc in there's compared to all the regular oils, not sure on holding it's viscosity.

All I know is that over the past 10-20 years, zinc levels have been low because of emissions, and muscle car boards were searching for alot of ZDDP-leveled oils to keep there old engines from damages.

But now since I have a bike that shares the transmisson with the engine, I don't know what to use these days...........I'm leaning towards the Rotella side.

[Roadstergal]

I used Mobil 1 car oil in my GS.  Now I run motorcycle Castrol.  My engines don't blow up.  I've always preferred synthetic in my bikes, but I wouldn't be surprised if any difference in clutch feel was in my head.

Are you running the same weight of Castrol as your bro was running in Mobil?

[joshr08]

im not sure but i think once you go syntetic you have to stay with it because other oils wont mix with it and will cause the oil to break down but im not sure just something i think i have been told.

[GSrookie500]

I used Mobil 1 car oil in my GS.  Now I run motorcycle Castrol.  My engines don't blow up.  I've always preferred synthetic in my bikes, but I wouldn't be surprised if any difference in clutch feel was in my head.

Are you running the same weight of Castrol as your bro was running in Mobil?

Yes, the same weight 10w40...........I wish I could get Castrol's MC oil around here. Do you use the Castrol 4T?

Yeah you might be right, the clutch feel might be in my head , but when I was doing my searches, I came across this one: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=40591.0 He was using Castrol too.

[GeeP]

Noooooooooo!  Not an oil debate!

Regardless of what oil you run, the GS engine will need new valve seats long before it loses compression or shows signs of cam spalling.

Why shove money down a rathole?

[GSrookie500]

Noooooooooo!  Not an oil debate!

Regardless of what oil you run, the GS engine will need new valve seats long before it loses compression or shows signs of cam spalling.

Why shove money down a rathole?

HAHA, yeah sorry. Well I made my mind up for now with using Rotella.

[GeeP]

Noooooooooo!  Not an oil debate!

Regardless of what oil you run, the GS engine will need new valve seats long before it loses compression or shows signs of cam spalling.

Why shove money down a rathole?

HAHA, yeah sorry. Well I made my mind up for now with using Rotella.

  That will work fine. 

[ohgood]

Noooooooooo!  Not an oil debate!

Regardless of what oil you run, the GS engine will need new valve seats long before it loses compression or shows signs of cam spalling.

Why shove money down a rathole?

HAHA, yeah sorry. Well I made my mind up for now with using Rotella.

cool. you stopped an oil debate ! woot !

rotella (or ANYTHING) is fine provided it doesn't have friction modifiers and it's the right weight/viscosity. spending $10 a quart is just silly to me. what do i use you say ? 10w40. usually castrol, but i don't really care anymore. a few thousand oil changes and you won't either

ride on.

[Skeets]

Wow, let me chime in real quick.


I started using Castrol, it was ok....I didn't really know any better, so i thought it was suppose to be like that.

AND THEN...

I got Rotella...I liked Rotella a lot until I found out it wasn't doing very well in the heat. I probably needed to go thicker but oh welll, lets say it's an OK oil for an OK price.

And THEN...

I got Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic....And OH MY!!! So much difference. The gears are easier, clutch is nicer. And no this isn't in my head.

[makenzie71]

Oil, in general, is oil.  Motorcycle oil may have a few more little additives in there that claim to help motorcycle engines but it's nothing more than the variety of stuff you'll find in the fuel injector cleaner section.  Synthetic oil is the same all around except with "motorcycle" synthetic oil they have to remove compounds designed to reduce friction (motorcycle synthetic oil actually has a lower lubricity level than dino)...which is funny because the people who like to use motorcycle synthetic claim it's what you're supposed to use in your dry-clutch Ducatis.  Essentially, putting "motorcycle" on the label is a way to make you pay twice as much per quart.

Now, this isn't to say that any one of these varieties is inferior...I have about 30 reports from Blackstone that pretty well verify that if you're maintaining a proper oil change interval ALL varieties of oil work just fine when used in a healthy engine.  Lubricity levels in all the tested varieties, while varying a tremendous amount, were FAR higher than the necessities of an internal combustion engine...even Wal-Mart SuperTech.  I've got about 10 dyno charts that also verify there's little difference in performance...of course I'd like more but that got way too expensive to keep testing.

So, basically, use what puts your mind at ease.

Now there is a trick to synthetic oils, though.  They're solvents.  Not strong ones, but still.  If you decide to throw synthetic oil into a 10 year old engine without having known it's full history, you may be surprised at the number of leaks that will develop.  I've changed many bikes over with now issues, but there has been one case (best example) in which I changed a 1969 CB750 to synthetic at the owner's request and against my better judgement.  The result was splitting the case and rebuilding the engine because the synthetic, over the course of the next 3000 miles, completely stripped the inside of the engine of the carbon and soot deposits of neglect that were holding the thing together.  By the time I got the bike back it was leaking a quart a day between the output shaft and the center case.

The moral is...just because it's more expensive doesn't mean it's any better, and just because it's better doesn't mean you should use it.

Oil FILTERS, though...completely different story.

[qwertydude]

A good oil with minimal additives is actually Walmart oil. I f Walmart runs out of the Rotella I like my second choice is the regular 10w-40. Never had a bad experience with it. I never liked GTX because it made shifting more difficult, as in more false neutrals, and overall notchier feel.

[yamahonkawazuki]

Oil, in general, is oil.  Motorcycle oil may have a few more little additives in there that claim to help motorcycle engines but it's nothing more than the variety of stuff you'll find in the fuel injector cleaner section.  Synthetic oil is the same all around except with "motorcycle" synthetic oil they have to remove compounds designed to reduce friction (motorcycle synthetic oil actually has a lower lubricity level than dino)...which is funny because the people who like to use motorcycle synthetic claim it's what you're supposed to use in your dry-clutch Ducatis.  Essentially, putting "motorcycle" on the label is a way to make you pay twice as much per quart.

Now, this isn't to say that any one of these varieties is inferior...I have about 30 reports from Blackstone that pretty well verify that if you're maintaining a proper oil change interval ALL varieties of oil work just fine when used in a healthy engine.  Lubricity levels in all the tested varieties, while varying a tremendous amount, were FAR higher than the necessities of an internal combustion engine...even Wal-Mart SuperTech.  I've got about 10 dyno charts that also verify there's little difference in performance...of course I'd like more but that got way too expensive to keep testing.

So, basically, use what puts your mind at ease.

Now there is a trick to synthetic oils, though.  They're solvents.  Not strong ones, but still.  If you decide to throw synthetic oil into a 10 year old engine without having known it's full history, you may be surprised at the number of leaks that will develop.  I've changed many bikes over with now issues, but there has been one case (best example) in which I changed a 1969 CB750 to synthetic at the owner's request and against my better judgement.  The result was splitting the case and rebuilding the engine because the synthetic, over the course of the next 3000 miles, completely stripped the inside of the engine of the carbon and soot deposits of neglect that were holding the thing together.  By the time I got the bike back it was leaking a quart a day between the output shaft and the center case.

The moral is...just because it's more expensive doesn't mean it's any better, and just because it's better doesn't mean you should use it.

Oil FILTERS, though...completely different story.

Yesiree bob. 

[GSrookie500]

Wow, let me chime in real quick.


I started using Castrol, it was ok....I didn't really know any better, so i thought it was suppose to be like that.

AND THEN...

I got Rotella...I liked Rotella a lot until I found out it wasn't doing very well in the heat. I probably needed to go thicker but oh welll, lets say it's an OK oil for an OK price.

And THEN...

I got Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic....And OH MY!!! So much difference. The gears are easier, clutch is nicer. And no this isn't in my head.

A good oil with minimal additives is actually Walmart oil. I f Walmart runs out of the Rotella I like my second choice is the regular 10w-40. Never had a bad experience with it. I never liked GTX because it made shifting more difficult, as in more false neutrals, and overall notchier feel.

See so i'm not crazy for thinking the shifting feels harder.

[qwertydude]

Considering I change my oil almost once a month because of the miles I put on my bike, 2000-3000 a month, I think I'm qualified enough to say that different oils behave differently. It's not just in my head because I'm the type to really compare by switching back and forth between months and aside from the synthetics there's probably no better oil than Rotella. Synthetics run a little smoother. But strangely enough I love Rotella "synthetic", really just a really refined dino oil, except for the fact that oil consumption is higher on it I can't go 3000 miles without it burning more than the hash marks on the dipstick whereas Rotella 15w-40 barely uses 1/4 of the hash marks at 3000. I change oil enough to notice and remember trends like that. Also that some oils become "notchier" faster than others, the most obvious one was actually mobil 10w-40 motorcycle oil, mobil 10w-40 car oil kept my tranny smoother for longer. The synthetics do tend to make clutch engagement just the slightest bit more slippery, which with the GS's shorter friction zone may actually be a help. I still would never dare try a friction modifier energy conserving oil though. My first bike was a rebel and it was bought from a guy who used it and within 14,000 miles needed new clutch pads. I bought it at 11,000.

[galahs]

I use Castrol Edge 10W-60 Synthetic

All is good here in the land of the hot summers, down under 

[natedawg120]

I used Castrol full synthetic in my GS and now my GSXR.  I was told by a dealer one dealer synthetic in the GS would render it useless because the clutch would slip, I still call BS.  That was the first question i always asked, not because i didn't know the answer but i wanted to know if they did.