Correct oil for GS500

[Gcook57]

What is the correct oil for the GS500F oil change synthetic or regular

[user11235813]

Synthetic is overkill. I use a semi-synthetic or normal oil is fine, basically as long as it doesn't have any friction modifiers you're good to go. 10W40 covers you for almost all conditions possible. Change every 4,000miles with a new oil filter. Don't bother with m/cycle oils you're paying waaay over the top.

https://www.penriteoil.com.au/products/hpr-diesel-10-10w-40-semi-syn
https://www.penriteoil.com.au/products/hpr-gas-10-10w-50-semi-syn good for a hot climate

Rotella diesel is popular in the States.

[Gcook57]

How do I tell if the oil has friction modifiers

[Gcook57]

Also how much oil does the engine hold with the filter

[mr72]

Actually you need an oil with the correct friction modifiers otherwise the clutch will slip to much and gear engagement may be challenging. Rotella is a pretty good choice if you are going with a non-motorcycle-specific oil, and the Rotella full synthetic (in a 10W40 I think? T5?) works well and seems to be a reasonably affordable choice.

IME it holds about 3 qt of oil. I'd buy 4 qt so you have enough to top up later and pour 2 qt straight in and then start checking the level after about the 2.5 qt mark to make sure you don't overfill, as overfilling even a tiny amount may cause an annoying leak at the crankshaft seal on the right side. For me this takes close to exactly 3 quarts but I'm no expert, only done this twice on my bike.

[Bluesmudge]

I use regular Rotella oil or semi synthetic. Changed approximately every 4,000 miles or once per year with OEM Suzuki filters. Only 39,000 miles on my bike so I don't yet know how my maintenance is effecting the total life of the bike. Just about any oil that is kinda slippery should work and if you don't plan on keeping the bike to 100,000 miles you should not be very concerned. Most important thing is keeping the correct oil LEVEL.

Amount of Oil
The GS500 requires:
2.9 litres of oil to refill the engine after draining the oil and replacing the oil filter.
2.6 litres if you are not changing the filter (WHY!!!).

Checking the oil
0. The owners manual states that first, you should: start the engine and idle it for a few minutes. Then wait 3 minutes.
1. Always check the oil level of the bike with it held upright (not on the side or centre stand)
2. Unscrew the oil cap dipstick, wipe it on a clean rag
3. Place the dipstick into the opening so it rests gently on the screw threads, but don't screw it in.
4. Withdraw the dipstick and read the level of oil.
5. If needed top the oil up until it reaches the full mark on the dipstick. Your bike relies on oil for engine cooling. For this reason it is recommended to keep your engine full to its maximum at all times. The greater the volume of oil your bike has, the cooler it will run.

Can I use Car Oil in My Motorbike
Yes! As long as it isn't labeled "Energy Conserving" or "Friction Modified". Also try looking on the label to see if it contains the ACEA European Standards.
ACEA Specifications For Petrol Engines:
A1 Low friction/low viscosity, fuel economy. AVOID this one it contains Friction Modifiers
A2 Standard performance level
A3 High performance &/or extended drain

[sledge]

In simple terms you need a 10/40  that meets with the JASO  MA standard, this means it's suitable for use in 4 stroke bikes with a combined engine and gearbox lubrication system and a wet clutch.
Classes than comply with JASO MA are.....

API class.... SF and above
ILSAC class...... GF-1, GF-2, GF-3
ACEA class....... A1/B1, A3/B3, A3/B4, A5/B5, C2, C3.

Put something in there that doesn't fall into one of these classes and you really are on your own.

As for mineral, synth, semi-synth, thats  up to you but remember the GS5 engine is 29 years old and worked just fine on what was available back in the day 

[Watcher]

Keep in mind that while you CAN use car oils in your bike you probably SHOULDN'T, especially if you like to ride hard and/or don't keep on top of oil change intervals.

Oils are very specific with the additives and such, and can be manufactured for specific purposes.  In a car you use engine oil, and it functions to cool and lubricate the engine.  You also use a transmission oil that specifically handles the sheer forces from the gears meshing together.  You don't put transmission oil in the engine, nor do you put engine oil in the transmission.

A motorcycle has an engine, transmission, and clutch system all in one.  If you use engine oil in this system, you aren't using an adequate oil as it won't last as well as an oil designed for a transmission.  Vice versa, if you use a transmission oil in a motorcycle it isn't going to perform as well in the engine related duties.


Motorcycle oil has specific additives and is engineered to both function as an engine oil AND as a transmission oil, so it will specifically resist the sheer forces related to the transmission, and doesn't have excess friction modifiers that may harm the clutch.

Diesel oil is the most similar to motorcycle oil, and is a recommended alternative.  It has the same certifications as motorcycle oil, and believe it or not was specifically mentioned in the manual for my Buell as an alternative to the proper oil,  but it still isn't the same as using proper motorcycle oil and likely won't last as long nor function as well.
That being said, the GS isn't exactly a high performance machine.

If you want to do it right, use a motorcycle oil.  It's not as cheap as motor oil or diesel oil, but you can still find good deals, and the comparative price of a whole oil change compared to your average car is about the same.
Castrol ActEvo is a nice semi-synthetic that is about $8/qt.  For an extra $2 you can run Mobil1 full-synthetic from Walmart, and in that case I'd push the change interval to 5000 miles.

[gregjet]

A while ago I was linked to a Ducati site where several oil engineers were discussing which oil to use in their Ducatis. Now remember these are a) oil engineers so tend to know what they are talking about when iot comes to oil and b) ducati riders, who tend to be ocd about their bikes.
The majority used ...ready...sure...full synthetic  oil for diesels . No friction modifiers, cold viscosity depending on where they lived ie. thin in cold places/think is hot places, and it last MUCH longer than most motorcycle oils as diesel is designed to still lubricate as carbon builds up in the oil.
After I read that I went and had a look at a auto shop with lots of oils. It is surprising how many oils with "Diesel cars and trucks" have also a JASO lable. Cheaper than motorcycle oil of the same "quality", especially if you buy is bulk.
The GS500 motor is very low tech , low compression medium revving for a motorcycle engine , and relative low fuel wash surface because it is a twin. Synth oils should last a VERY long time.

[sledge]

"The majority"

I know several Ducati owners in the bike club I am a member of who would laugh their bollocks off at that statement!!

If I had just spent a shed load of money on a new high tech, high performance Ducati and was fastidious about its upkeep I would be filling it up with what Ducati themselves, you know, the people who actually designed and built the thing!!! recommend, which in my part of the world is Shell advance. Not something that a bunch of faceless internet so called experts say is the best choice and that is in fact designed for diesels.

[sledge]

In fact....will someone please explain to me how and why an oil designed and formulated to perform in a slow revving, low operating temperature, high sump capacity, dry clutch, diesel engine with a separate gearbox can actually function better in a high reving, high temp, low sump capacity, wet clutch, petrol engine with a gearbox and all built to the tightest tolerances possible function BETTER than an oil designed specifically for that purpose?

Don't all rush at once!!!

[Bluesmudge]

In fact....will someone please explain to me how and why an oil designed and formulated to perform in a slow revving, low operating temperature, high sump capacity, dry clutch, diesel engine with a separate gearbox can actually function better in a high reving, high temp, low sump capacity, wet clutch, petrol engine with a gearbox and all built to the tightest tolerances possible function BETTER than an oil designed specifically for that purpose?

Don't all rush at once!!!

Those diesel oils don't function better. They just function mostly the same for less cost. I can't speak to the needs of Ducatis but for the dinosaur sewing machine engine in the GS, if it stays liquid at high temperatures and make the metal parts slippery you will be okay.
I say this considering my GS still runs quite well after having been run for several miles with so little oil the low oil pressure light was coming on at idle, and in a separate incident the GS sent its own starter clutch bolts into the oil sump in the form of hundreds of metal shards. I would say the GS doesn't really care what oil you put into it. Before I made enough money to care one way or the other I would often put the absolute cheapest oil from the auto parts store in my GS. I even went 3,000 or 4,000 miles on one oil change before realizing that the leftover oil from my sister's car I used on my GS actually had those scary friction modifiers in it. In the end the GS just kept plugging along getting me from point A to point B. Now I know a little better and use Rotella diesel oil. 39,000+ miles on the GS and counting. If it drops dead tomorrow I'll know its my fault.

[user11235813]

Does anything get the juices flowing better than an oil thread of a m/cycle forum?

[J_Walker]

mine seems to enjoy gear oil. only way it doesn't leak or burn it. 

[1018cc]

I've been using 10W-40 Diesel engine oil for the last 30,000kms. It still seems to be going strong at 70,000kms. I put way too many kms on it / year to consider using fully synthetic motorcycle oil from the stealership. GS' are cheap and are not the pinnacle of technology / highly strung so why would you bother paying top dollar for special oil? Unless you have a mint bike that you want to keep that way.

[mr72]

IME with numerous cars over 4 decades using the very best synthetic oil is the answer for longevity of any engine. For many years I used Mobil 1 and only switched in the past few years to Pennzoil platinum and have no regrets.

For a GS that rarely sees the top side of 8k rpm I see no reason mechanically that the engine wouldn't fare as well as my 240Z and Miata did with the synthetic oil, except the transmission and clutch changes things. There's a ridability element as well as considering the wear on the oil caused by running in a wet clutch transmission.

Rotella full synthetic gets the job done for me without breaking the bank and I don't cringe every time I have to top it up. But I do have occasional clutch slip that could either be 25k of wear on the clutch or maybe the oil choice. Others have issues getting their GS into 1st gear and I suspect oil choice plays a part.

[Suzuki Stevo]

IMHO Full Synthetic or Synthetic Blends are ideal for an air/oil cooled bike, and as I have said before...changing your oil at the right time is more important than what oil you use.
It's an oil thread...I just had to click, and spit my 2 cents of opinion   

[Watcher]

Rotella full synthetic gets the job done for me without breaking the bank and I don't cringe every time I have to top it up. But I do have occasional clutch slip that could either be 25k of wear on the clutch or maybe the oil choice.

Clutch slipping at 25K I would be inclined to blame the oil (or it's just out of adjustment).  Clutch should get you at least twice that.

[The Buddha]

25K and clutch slip is likely not the oil. Could be adjustment of course, but it also can be cluelessness.
The thing about a manual clutch is - @ start up and take off - you need to have the revs just high enough and let the clutch out just fast enough that the motor is on the verge of stalling. Once you let it out, all further shifts have to use the clutch in an instant, as fast in/out and shift as fast as possible with rpm synch to speed in both gears.
You do that, you'd have the clutch outlive the motor.
You do the opposite, and you can destroy a clutch in an afternoon.
Cool.
Buddha.

[mr72]

My clutch is adjusted right. It slips when the engine is hot when upshifting, right as soon as I shift and release the clutch it slips for 1 or 2 seconds, especially if I shift at slightly higher revs than normal. But I usually shift at like 6k, if I shift at 8k it will usually slip.