Oil preference

[bmagnant]

do anybody use 20w-50 oil?
any comments (good or bad)

[Frost]

i'm guessing the temperature in Rochester is similar to that in Toronto...for summer use you should be fine...but for cool summer days or rainy days...it might be too thick...

[sprint_9]

I ran 20w50 in mine last year and didnt have any problems, it is pretty thick which does have its advatages and disadvantages, I think this year Im going to run 15w40, Shell Rotella, Ive read some good things about that.

[The Antibody]

Woah, woah, the manual says 10w 40. So that is what we should run. My foot is down.

 -Anti

[GregoryTheriault]

OK,

The guys that made the bike...You know, the ones with the engineering degrees....they recommend an oil for a reason.

Now sometimes ( with light cars ) a thinner oil is chosen to increase fuel economy ( by maybe 1% ??) anyway, there are journals and ports in your engine that oil has to fit through or between. There are "flat" bearings on your rods, if the oil doesn't flow well, you see the problem, but if it doesn't flow well, areas will also be subject to heavier depositing and you could block off an oil journal or gallery.

It's tempting, but a good rule of thumb is not to second guess 10 guys with masters degrees.

Stick with the manufacturers recomendations.

[JLKasper]

It's also important to keep in mind that certain parts of the engine (wrist pins and cylinder walls) depend on oil splash for lubrication.  A heavier weight oil won't splash as readily, so nothing is really gained by the higher pressures generated by thicker oils.  10 or 15W-40 is the way to go.  If you're compensating for excessive engine wear by using a thicker oil, it's a false economy.

[Turkina]

The official Suzuki service manual recommends anything from 5W-30 to 20W-50 (I think) depending on the outside temperature.  10W-40 covers the range the bike is most ridden in, but 15W-50 and 20W-50 is fine for summer riding, or whenever the temp is above freezing I would say.  I am too lazy to crawl out of bed and get the manual right now  

[yamahonkawazuki]

i use castrol gtx (car oil) in mine. no ill effects yet, (in over 1500 mi.)
10/40 i believe. :dunno:

[Jace009]

yes the cylmadar [however it's spelled] manual suggest 10-40 for best overall performance and engine life. However If you live in a desert climate or one in which it is commonn for the tempeature to be around 90* then the 20-50 will perform better in higher engine tempeatures.

Essentially the 20-50 thins out in the higher temps while the 10-40 becomes supper thin. And antoher thing is that some of us with 15+k miles on the motor the seals arn't all that great and I know that my bike will burn some of the 10-40 if I use that all summer..It's not alot of burning but enough to be a consideration

[luke1645]

ok since out motor is air cooled would it make any sense to run a thicker weight oil when racing? the motor does get pretty or more so than on the street. to me that would make sense that you could or have to run the thicker oil in that situation :dunno: