Oil Change: motorcycle-specific or regular?

[AK Baller]

Time for an oil change:

Went to buy some oil for my bike and as it turns out there are 2-varieties: motorcycle-specific and regular. My question is whether motorcycle-specific is a way to go or would the regular work as well. Manual doesn't mention anything other than certification and viscosity of the oil.

Also, has anyone noticed a difference between synthetic and typical blend?

Any help would be appreciated, didn't see this item in search for oil change (it's probably in there somewhere).

[twocool]

Short answer:

Walmart.....Valvoline 4 stroke motorcycle oil...10 w 40......$4.00 a quart...get in store (in motorcycle section, not car oil section)...or mail order to your house.


Long answer:


You can use ANY oil which meets the specification listed in the owners manual..........This includes car oil, motorcycle oil, diesel oil, etc...AS LONG AS IT MEETS THE SPEC. 

There are far more than "two kinds of oil"!!!

Many modern oils have "friction modifiers"....do not use these...GS500 has wet clutch...same oil that is in engine also is in transmission........friction modifiers will make clutch messed up!

Synthetic oil now has its place for some applications...but for GS500 it is not necessary, no improvement will be noted, and needless extra expense...but synthetics CAN be use if you so desire...


Valvoline also makes a nice synth motorcycle oil...or other brands available...

Go withany brand,  MOTORCYCLE oil..conventional 10 w 40...you can't go wrong with that


Cookie

Time for an oil change:

Went to buy some oil for my bike and as it turns out there are 2-varieties: motorcycle-specific and regular. My question is whether motorcycle-specific is a way to go or would the regular work as well. Manual doesn't mention anything other than certification and viscosity of the oil.

Also, has anyone noticed a difference between synthetic and typical blend?

Any help would be appreciated, didn't see this item in search for oil change (it's probably in there somewhere).

[Suzuki Stevo]

"Must click on Oil Thread...." << in Zombie like voice <<

Go to WallyWorld and pick up a gallon of Rotella T3 15W-40 for like $13-$14? (varies with Sales)  My bikes shift well with it, there are allot of options, having said that....changing your oil on time is more important than what oil you use.

Almost forgot: Rotella T3 meets the Jaso MA Specification for Motorcycle Use

http://www.oilspecifications.org/articles/JASO_MA_JASO_MB.php

[gsJack]

My 02 GS500 has gone 100,000 miles on Rotella T 15W-40 oil.  Works for me.   

[AK Baller]

Thanks everyone, 100K mi would be awesome.

[BockinBboy]

Normally, I bow out of oil threads - I tend to agree with the statement 'checking and changing your often is far more important than what oil you use provided it meets minimum specifications' - and I still do!

Having drank the Kool-Aid recently... I wanted to try synthetic in my GS500.  This was purely because I was doing long highway rides, high RPMs, etc... I put around 5k miles on my bike this summer using the same 600 mile round trip over and over.  Using an oil change interval of 2500 miles - the first had my regular Valvoline motorycle 10W40, the second I used Mobil 1 race synthetic 10W40 motorcycle. 

Comparing before (Valvoline 10W40 motorycle) and now (Mobil 10W40 synth motorcycle) I noticed shifts are smoother in general all the way up to the change interval. Oil consumption was up to the change interval before was about .5 quart, and consumption was not even noticeable using the Mobil 1.  I'm confident I could increase the interval for this oil vs my regular Valvoline.  Oil still smells 'fresh' compared to the Valvoline after 2500 miles. 

But regardless of the possible increase in mileage between changes, the cost of the Mobil 1 would not beat the Valvoline, not even close - Its apparent the Mobil 1 is was better quality (difference from dino oils compared to synthetic is truly a mismatch) and its more suitable for conditions prone to oil consumption (prolonged high rpms and others), but I still stay checking your oil often and changing often is just as effective on the GS500 and would be cheaper than using more expensive oil.

- Bboy

[enrgizerbunny]

I found tractor supply carries Valvoline 10W-40 conventional ATV oil for $5 a quart. It says it's designed for wet clutches and the $4 extra is worth it for the proximity to my house compared to wal-mart.

Also- buy 4  quarts if you don't have a partial, you'll probably need to top up between changes.

From what I've read, any problems making the switch from conventional to synthetic usually has to do with your clutch. If you have a clutch with 20k miles running on conventional oil, you could have some issues with that switch. If your clutch is brand new it's likely that you'll have few/no problems.  Synthetics do have the temperature advantage over conventional oils, that's what I've read to be the biggest difference. While the syn oils don't break down/burn off as easily you should still be changing it at the regular interval- even if you could go further.

PS- Oil threads can blow up fast.

[BockinBboy]

I guess I might clarify, and also add that its good to note the debate about 'switch' (though it was little concern to me after reading about it myself and considering my particular bike). 

Suzuki's recommended interval for the GS500 is 3500 miles - So my 2500 mile interval is definitely on the short side - I only mentioned possible increase of the interval on the synthetic comparing to my own interval, I would not go over the recommended interval regardless of the oil type.  I think most GS500 riders find that 3500 mile interval involves topping up the oil at least once for even the lowest of mileage bikes - I found that once I had to top off oil, consumption increased to the end of the interval - that seemed to begin around 2000 miles with my riding style, so I shortened the interval...  The little amount I top off with the 2500 mile interval is the remainder of the 3 quarts I use for an oil change, so it works out really well.  I feel like the synthetic I used is up to the task of a full 3500 mile interval with minimal topping off, as so far I haven't noticed a level change on the dipstick worth noting beyond a difference in temperature when checking it.

Also, my bike has 12k miles on it - had 9500 on it when I switched and was not concerned about any supposed issues of switching. There is plenty of conflicting info out there on the topic of 'the switch', I only recommend to take a look and decide for yourself as I did - the conflicting info does seem to involve bikes with more mileage than mine has seen, plus my bike has always had a short oil change interval (bought it with 2500miles). So I'll just say that it was easy for me to decide.

And yes, bunny, oil threads do blow up LOL - that's why I usually stay out of em.  But I wanted to comment since I recently tried a large difference in oil myself.  I noticed an apparent difference that may provide a certain level of convenience and reliability over conventional, but it depends on what that is truly worth to you - as noted by gsJack and other previous members can testify that cheaper conventional oils will get your bike to tick over on the odometer.

- Bboy

[EdChen]

I've actually never used a motorcycle specific oil in my bike, only Castrol GTX and Rotella Triple-T, all without problem. What I have noticed is that the shifting tends to get notchy well before the actual 2-3000mi oil change interval. I assume that's due to the oil shearing, but I wonder if a motorcycle specific oil  would shear less and keep the shifting smoother.

For that reason though, I tend to change the oil much earlier than the prescribed interval, so I haven't found value in going with a synthetic for longer interval reasons, although I'm considering it for the first time for the upcoming winter to help with starting. If I do end up trying a synthetic, I'd probably try out the Rotella T6.

Like everyone else says, changing and checking oil levels are a lot more important than what kind of oil you use!