GStwin.com GS500 Message Forum

so...i'm coming up on my first (while under my ownership) oil change...was wonder what our little GS likes to eat...any preferred brands / weights?  thanks all...


- alex

also, this would be my first real tinkering of a motorcycle...any tips / tricks / stupid shaZam! to avoid doing?   :mrgreen:  thanks all...


- alex

Quote from: alexXxany preferred brands / weights?

For the "preferred" weight, see the oil filler cap:


The "preferred brand" question is a can of worms.  I used a full-synthetic for most of my 32K miles, but I recently saw the "error of my ways" and went with a mid-cost oil in the "preferred" weight:


But please understand that just about any 10W40 oil will work fine in the GS500.  It comes down to a largely emotional decision; kind of like choosing the fabric and pattern for your security blanket.

Quote from: alexXxany tips / tricks / stupid shaZam! to avoid doing?

* Unscrewing the filler cap may help the old oil drain out a little better.

* Make sure the new O-ring is properly positioned in the oil filter cover, and doesn't move out of place as you reinstall the cover (so it doesn't get pinched between the cover and the engine).

* Don't forget to put the spring back in between the oil filter and the cover.

* Replace the drain bolt (and tighten it) BEFORE you add the new oil.  :mrgreen:

* Pour in a little less than 3 quarts, run the bike for a minute or so, check the oil level and top off at that point.

Quote from: Kerry

Quote from: alexXxany tips / tricks / stupid shaZam! to avoid doing?

* Unscrewing the filler cap may help the old oil drain out a little better.

* Make sure the new O-ring is properly positioned in the oil filter cover, and doesn't move out of place as you reinstall the cover (so it doesn't get pinched between the cover and the engine).

* Don't forget to put the spring back in between the oil filter and the cover.

* Replace the drain bolt (and tighten it) BEFORE you add the new oil.  :mrgreen:

* Pour in a little less than 3 quarts, run the bike for a minute or so, check the oil level and top off at that point.

You are running regular car motor oil with friction aditives in your bike?!? Hows the clutch? I tryed car oil, my clutch didn't like that at all.

Car oil exclusively for 45K and no clutch related issues... BTW Kerry... you are the only guy that will post a pic of a bottle of oil on the shelf at the store... please tell me you didn't have that picture taken for fun so you know what oil you put...
BTW I use 10W40 by accel 74 cents a quart at walmart. Its SF rated... meaning its got loads of additives...
Cool.
Srinath.

My preference Mobile One 15w-50.  

Tips:

Clean the filter area well before removing the cover.  There is a lot of dirt in that area.  

Filter cover bolts do not require much torque.  I also use anti-seize on the filter cap bolts.  Just because.

MacDuff

Quote from: seshadri_srinathBTW Kerry... you are the only guy that will post a pic of a bottle of oil on the shelf at the store... please tell me you didn't have that picture taken for fun so you know what oil you put...

No, I took that pic along with several others so I could post a sampling of the 10W40 oils (and prices) out there.  You were aware that my camera has a "For GStwin use ONLY" sticker on it, right?  :roll:  (Not really.)

Quote from: seshadri_srinathI use 10W40 by accel 74 cents a quart at walmart. Its SF rated... meaning its got loads of additives...

So you're using THIS stuff, eh?   :mrgreen:   I just might give it a try one of these days....

Castrol SAE30. Clutch LOVES it. Seriously. After I switched to amsoil synthetic and my clutch started slipping the 30 weight cleared it back up. Been using it since.

damn, kerry...is there anything you DONT have a picture for?

:mrgreen:


- alex

Quote from: alexXxis there anything you DONT have a picture for?

I've "only" got 231 images in my MiscFotos directory.  There must be at least a few more that I need to take....  :roll:

so i'm getting the sense from a couple of your posts that synthetic oil ISN'T the way to go?  don't you have to do oil changes every 1000 miles with organic oil and 2000 with synthetic?  i tink i read that somewhere...

whats with this clutch slipping thing that varies with the oil?!? i didnt know that could be affected by choice of oil...

also another question...fill in the X...you should take your GS to get serviced every X,000 miles...


- alex

Quote from: alexXxso i'm getting the sense from a couple of your posts that synthetic oil ISN'T the way to go?  don't you have to do oil changes every 1000 miles with organic oil and 2000 with synthetic?  i tink i read that somewhere...

whats with this clutch slipping thing that varies with the oil?!? i didnt know that could be affected by choice of oil...

also another question...fill in the X...you should take your GS to get serviced every X,000 miles...


- alex

Multiply those numbers by 3 :p

Well In my case there is no need, typicaly every 100miles or so it uses up the entire 3 quarts... so its like a oil change... I add a third evey 100miles or so... hence cheapo oil, cant afford better...   :x
Cool.
Srinath.

you can affor better you are just a cheap bastard....
....i'll go dig up the oil link ...again

http://www.yft.org/tex_vfr/tech/oil.htm

The Accel crap is better... you should see it... its grey right out the bottle... loaded with additives and makes for an ashy residue when it burns... and that will kill sensors in new cars... hence it says do not use in cars made after 1990. Its the good stuff...
Cool.
Srinath.

i use Rotella T with no problems at all...

i'm gonna switch to castrol for my next oil change though...canadian winter is around the corner... :roll:

werase643, awesome link thanks...

srinath, what the hell does your bike do to all that oil?!?!?  :o


- alex

it's weird...it don't smoke  and it don't piss on his leg....but it uses the stuff

Quote from: alexXxso i'm getting the sense from a couple of your posts that synthetic oil ISN'T the way to go?

Strictly from a monetary viewpoint.  I have NO complaints after having used Mobil1 15W50 for all those miles - except for the high (and ever-increasing!) cost of the stuff.

Quote from: alexXxdon't you have to do oil changes every 1000 miles with organic oil and 2000 with synthetic?  i tink i read that somewhere...

Until now I have always run synthetic and I have still changed the oil around 3,000 miles.  I probably could have gotten away with going 4 or 5, but I chose not to.

Quote from: alexXxwhats with this clutch slipping thing that varies with the oil?!? i didnt know that could be affected by choice of oil...

I've heard / read about it, but I couldn't tell you what it's like.  If my clutch has been slipping, it's news to me.  But since I've basically been a one-brand man I couldn't really compare, except to say that the last couple hundred miles on my new Castrol Syntec 10W40 have felt  about the same as ever....

Quote from: alexXxalso another question...fill in the X...you should take your GS to get serviced every X,000 miles...

Ah, a trick question!

MY answer?  Service your simple-to-work-on-two-valves-per-cylinder-air-cooled-bike yourself according to the Maintenance Schedule.  A repair manual and a set of tools are a LOT cheaper than shop labor, and you will learn a ton.

Sure - if something comes up that you can't handle, go ahead and "shop" it.  But the only time I have done that (and I started out on my GS as a total "noob") was for reconstruction after I ... dare I mention it? ... pasted that cow.

The GS uses a wet clutch, meaning the clutch is immersed in engine oil. That's why oil choice affects the clutch. Synthetic oil is super slick - great for the engine, but makes the clutch's job more difficult. Kevlar based friction plates are made to work in a synthetic environment, standard cork based friction plates are not. Many people claim their stock clutches hold up just fine in synthetic providing you make the switch to synthetic early in the clutch's life. In my opinion, based on my personal experience, full synthetic is a bad idea with a cork based clutch (like your stocker). A synthetic blend, like Motul, would probably be a good compromise if you're looking for the benefits of synthetic without risking the clutch.

I just did an oil change and I used Shell Rotella T (http://www.rotella.com/products/rotella_t.html) - bike loves it!

Quote from: octaneThe GS uses a wet clutch, meaning the clutch is immersed in engine oil. That's why oil choice affects the clutch. Synthetic oil is super slick - great for the engine, but makes the clutch's job more difficult. Kevlar based friction plates are made to work in a synthetic environment, standard cork based friction plates are not. Many people claim their stock clutches hold up just fine in synthetic providing you make the switch to synthetic early in the clutch's life. In my opinion, based on my personal experience, full synthetic is a bad idea with a cork based clutch (like your stocker). A synthetic blend, like Motul, would probably be a good compromise if you're looking for the benefits of synthetic without risking the clutch.

so what happens to the clutch when its immersed in super slick oil?  how does it affect its operation?  just curious...


- alex

MMMMMM Rotella... tastes great on ice cream and easily adds 40 HP to the bike....

The purpose of oil in a wet clutch system is to cool the friction plates - not for lubrication as is it's purpose in the engine. Oil with better lubricating qualities is good for an engine, but will often cause the friction plates to slip in a clutch. That slippage is what you feel when you ride a bike with a slipping clutch. The more worn the friction plates are when you introduce synthetic, the more likely they are to slip - unless you're using kevlar friction plates which are designed to not slip in synthetic.

The slip usually starts gradually and will get worse over time - sometimes over a very short period of time. When mine started slipping the bike felt normal when riding casually, but if I grabbed the throttle at any rpm in any gear, the motor would wind up and it would take a few seconds for the clutch to grab and move the bike. I'm not talking when I released the clutch - I mean with the clutch engaged and in gear. If the friction plates don't create friction and grab, the engine shafts will spin up with the motor, but the clutch won't be able to transfer the power to the drive sprocket.

Why use synthetic oils that were designed 30 years later than the engine was. Just use 10-40 keep it on the cheap. Replace oil sooner than recommended, keep up on maintenence, and your bulletproof suzuki engine will run as long as you let it.

Extra-virgin olive oil....of course, this works best in Ducatis, Moto-Guzzis, and some Vespas.

A wet clutch will run into problems with any oil (syn or dino) that is labelled "energy conserving".  These tend to be anything in the xW-30 range.  They've got a high level of friction modifiers that cause the problems octane is talking about.

Synthetics like Mobil 1 15W-50, 5W-40, or any of the motorcycle-specific synthetics will not cause any problems for your clutch.  The 15W-50 (some call it "red cap" due to the bottle) is one of the most popular oils for bikes of all kinds - if it made even a small % of clutches slip this would not be the case.

Use anything that fits what it says in the owner's manual.  10W-40 is the standard suggestions (as it's printed right on the dipstick) but there's plenty of other options depending on the climate and whatnot.  

jeff