Well... Two days ago I was at the shop rushing to get home in a hurry and picked up 10W40 Motul. Rode home and didnt think anything of it. Got home. Drained the oil. Funny thing is I check the oil and tire pressure every day as the GS is main transportation and it has been on the F for the past 2K. Only 2.2q came out of the engine. Come to learn you dont check the bike on the side stand but in this case I cant figure out why it would show full if the dip stick is on the right and the bike leans to the left... Changed the filter, bolted it back up then noticed the oil i got was 20W50. Confused I checked the receipt and sure enough, 20W50 is what I bought. After checking the forum for posts on heavier oil it seems that 80% of GS's run 10W40 and 10-15% run other weights to include heavier 20W50. Either hot weather, old seals or clutch issues were the most common justifications. Seeing as it stays above freezing here in FL I figured I would give it a shot. You never know it may make a difference. So, added 2.5q, blipped the starter for compression, ran it to warm up, cut it, measured while sitting on the bike balanced level and it took just about all the 3q. Great! Oil changed, time to ride. I've been wearing ear plugs since my last long distance run, only 220miles, and while on the highway at my usual cruise of 80mph started to hear what I can only describe as crickets. Like a faint metal on metal noise, almost what a valve shim sounds like clicking on my calipers when changing shims. I have never heard this noise on the bike prior to the oil change.... Back to the forums... Some say 20W50 does not get to all the places the 10W40 does. I cant verify on any bike but my own. This but the bike sounded different, about 8% more vibration through 6-10K, to the point I noticed my foot pegs vibrating my boots, never noticed before. Needless to say after that ride I stopped in the shop again to get 10W40. Went home. This time drained the bike but did not change the filter. I hope that a little 20W50 in some 10W40 would be ok. Started same process as before but... did not measure on level ballance as it was late, rushing, needed bike to go to school, then you get calls from everyone and their mother not to mention my neighbor continually asking how much longer I was going to make noise, 11PM by that time. I added 2.8q to the GS.... Wouldnt you know, I over filled. I checked, rechecked, checked again, and yep... to much oil. I didnt have a any way to get the oil out of the crank handy so I figure, I'll loosen the drain plug just enough to let it trickle out and close it when enough has been removed. I get it to a trickle which is about 1/8th of a thread to falling in the drain pan. Drip, drip, 10 min later... decided to let it all the way off then screw it back in.... Well I dropped the plug after 5-6 seconds of hot oil draining over my hand.... Everything drains into the pan and I start to curse . Needing the bike in the morning to take a 7AM final with no stores open I start off to the shed and come across some Accel 10W40 from.... the late 90's I think. Well I check the forums again on auto oil. No one really seemed to care so long as oil is in your GS so... I take my time. Fill it up right and im finally done 5.6q 3hrs later. After riding today the chirping has gone away, the bike feels smoother, no vibration other than what I am accustomed to before and the clutch is fine. I guess my bike doesnt like 20W50. I'm going to change the oil and filter again this week just because I dont want accel in my GS so... lesson learned. Sorry for the rant... I guess everyone has been there before and  I got an A in Honors Economics to. Lifes good 

A few questions..

I know these bikes burn oil, I've seen other posts on it but is .4-.5q normal for 2k miles on a 2000 GS with 5k on the clock?
Was the chirping most likely valves not getting enough lubrication?
Does anyone know if Accel in specific has any adverse effects on the clutch? I didnt see any indication of detergents or additives on the bottle.

Thanks guys 

stay away from "energy conserving" on the bottle

If you drain into a clean container, you can put the oil back in the bike. 

Yikes ... I cannot read through that ...
But 20W50 is fine. I would definetly put it in a higher mile GS. 15K and up is definetly 20W50, summers are also 20W50 else 10W40.
I use that accel 10W40 in all my bikes. Good stuff. No idea what else you said. Over filling - as long as you didn't do it by a ton ... its OK.
Cool.
Srinath.

We use 20w50 in all of our bikes.  and we use 5w20 or something in the cars.  My dad was telling me its cause we ride the bikes hard and we drive cars normal, and they rev more than twice the rev limit of a car.  We have always used 20w50 with no problems.  Are you sure it isnt a mind trick? 

Quote from: 94suzuki500 on December 13, 2006, 10:49:58 AM
We use 20w50 in all of our bikes.  and we use 5w20 or something in the cars.  My dad was telling me its cause we ride the bikes hard and we drive cars normal, and they rev more than twice the rev limit of a car.  We have always used 20w50 with no problems.  Are you sure it isnt a mind trick? 

Cars don't have wet clutches.

ummm, should I be using 20W50 since my 99 has 25k miles and an oil leak that Scratch is gonna try to help me find?

Oh no not another oil additive post ...
OK fine ...
Some guy on the maxim website did a blurb about that lucas oil additive thing.
Its made oil clingy and what not and made it climb gears etc. OK but when he did it for a long time, it turned that oil into a foamy material that clung to walls and generally got so much air that it was a mess.
That was supposedly very very very bad.
Now here is my question. His experiment didn't involve temperature. if it got hot, will it be more fluid and hence settle into the pan and not stay as foam on the walls.
And 2, isn't it actually better for the bearings and cylinder walls which are definetly spalsh lubricated (fancy word for ... we dont spray oil there, it gets there due to crank and rods spinning in the stuff) ...
Does anyone think it will work well in that scenario.
Cool.
Srinath.

An oil change takes 2.9 quarts as stated in the manual, when the bike is level.  Just dump in the three quarts, that way you don't have to measure for a whole week. 

I have a 93 w/ 28k and I'd say .5 quart is not too far from on par between oil changes.

-ash

Heat increases the solubility of oil. Meaning more air could potentially be in solution with the same amount of oil. Just my $.02

I ran 20W-50 summers and 10W-40 winters for years in the four Hondas I had prior to the GS's, but never have used the 20W-50 in the GS's.

My 97 GS500 Owner's Manual approves the use of 20W-50 oil for ambient temps above -10C(14F) same as the old Honda ones did.   

I ran 10W-40 dino juice in that 97 GS for 5k miles and then went to the 15W-50 Mobil 1 full synthetic until 60k miles when it was starting to use more oil and so I changed to 15W-40 Delvac HD truck oil, about half the cost of the Mobil 1 and used the HD oil till I parked the bike with over 80k miles on it.

I've used the same 15W-40 Delvac HD oil in the 02 since I got it with 4k miles on it and it now has about 45k miles on it.  Last week we had a real cold snap and it was barely cranking over and running the battery down so I decided to change to the 10W-30 Delvac HD oil for the winter but couldn't find any of it anywhere.

So I settled for the 5W-40 Rotella full synthetic HD truck oil and changed to that for the winter.  The 02 GS sounds better and runs noticeably smother on the 5W-40 syn than it did on the 15W-40 dino, both of them the same class of heavy duty truck oils.  I attribute it to the change to the thinner oil more than to the change from dino to syn.

When I changed from the 15-50 synthetic to the 15-40 dino on the 97 GS, I found the bike ran signficantly cooler on the 15-40 and that I could go back to regular grade gasoline year around.  I had progressed from regular to mid grade to premium in the summer to eliminate gasoline knock under heavy throttle in hot summer weather on the 97 GS same as I had on the old Hondas that I had use the 20-50 in.  Also the 02 GS has run thru three summers so far on regular gas on the 15-40 oil without gas knock.

Best to use the lighter oils approved by the bike mfg in my opinion unless oil consumption becomes bad enough to require the heavier 15-50 and 20-50 oils.  The engine oil not only lubricates but it also carries the heat away from the cylinder head to the sump for cooling and the heavier oils reduce the oil flow and cause a hotter running engine.

Quote from: Egaeus on December 13, 2006, 11:20:13 AM

Quote from: 94suzuki500 on December 13, 2006, 10:49:58 AM
We use 20w50 in all of our bikes.  and we use 5w20 or something in the cars.  My dad was telling me its cause we ride the bikes hard and we drive cars normal, and they rev more than twice the rev limit of a car.  We have always used 20w50 with no problems.  Are you sure it isnt a mind trick? 

Cars don't have wet clutches.

Dude you are absolutely right!! I never said they did. 

Quote from: 94suzuki500 on December 13, 2006, 07:59:19 PM

Quote from: Egaeus on December 13, 2006, 11:20:13 AM

Quote from: 94suzuki500 on December 13, 2006, 10:49:58 AM
We use 20w50 in all of our bikes.  and we use 5w20 or something in the cars.  My dad was telling me its cause we ride the bikes hard and we drive cars normal, and they rev more than twice the rev limit of a car.  We have always used 20w50 with no problems.  Are you sure it isnt a mind trick? 

Cars don't have wet clutches.

Dude you are absolutely right!! I never said they did. 

But you never said they did, which is the primary reason you can't use the thinner, slicker oils. 

You dont sound like you know much of what you are talking about.  I never referred to the clutch, I was saying that with the 20w50 we hadnt any problems in the bikes, he mentioned vibration.  I made the comment we use the 5w30 or whatever in the cars, not meaning because of the clutch. 

Quote from: 94suzuki500 on December 13, 2006, 09:16:59 PM
You dont sound like you know much of what you are talking about.  I never referred to the clutch, I was saying that with the 20w50 we hadnt any problems in the bikes, he mentioned vibration.  I made the comment we use the 5w30 or whatever in the cars, not meaning because of the clutch. 

Read your post.  Closely.  Especially the part that goes.

Quote from: 94suzuki500 on December 13, 2006, 10:49:58 AM
My dad was telling me its cause we ride the bikes hard and we drive cars normal, and they rev more than twice the rev limit of a car. 

That's not the primary reason you use thicker oil in motorcycles.  Get it yet?

And you point is?  I wasnt trying to be an oil guru.  Just naming a couple reasons I was told.  Its one of those things that you read but dont comment on because it is alittle off topic, but rather read that I use the 20w50 with no problems.  not that somehow you think I put the other oil in my car for the clutch.....I dont see how you could have thought that. 

Did I say you put it in your car?  No, I amended your reasons for putting thicker oil in bikes to include the most important one.

Quote from: ajaxgs on December 13, 2006, 08:37:25 AM
stay away from "energy conserving" on the bottle

Ditto!


I have ridden my 2005 GS with Motul 10W-40 oil, but on my first change I put Castrol 10W-60 Synthetic and the engine runs nice and smooth, and has a slightly deeper exhaust note.

I have not had to add any oil with nearly 7000 km's on the clock

My '00 has burned ~.7qt per 1K miles since new.  Now has 24K, still burning at same rate.

Yamalube 10W40, mixed half n half with 20W40 by same maker, semi-syn.  I ride it pretty hard and clutch still looks good.