help with synthetic

[dr death]

Ive looked at the oil posts but cant seem to find what i'm looking for.
Do i need motorcycle specific synthetic for the bike or just one that doesnt have special additives?
I see a lot of people going to walmart for their oil but i didnt see any motorcycle specific oil.i bought quaker state 10/30 but for regular automotive and i'm worried about putting it in there.
Any help will be appriciated.

[boooya]

Yes you need Motorcycle synthetic. NOT CAR..... I think its 10-40

[1badbaker]

Mine's not motorcycle specific. As long as there's no friction modifiers you should be fine.

[ghostadv]

I've been told to go with motorcycle specific since car oil has additives that can mess with your cycles clutch (er something like that.)

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by dr death

Do i need motorcycle specific synthetic for the bike or just one that doesnt have special additives?

Yes and yes !

Depends more on your wallet than anything else......well, maybe how paranoid you get about your bike too.

If you are not strapped for cash, visit Auto Zone. Most of them carry Mobil 1 Synthetic bike oil. One is 10W40, labeled "racing oil". The other is labeled for "V-twins" and is, I think, 15W40 or 20W50. You may have to ASK for it as they get kinda creative about what shelf they put it on.

Take your pick. Either will work fine with no ill effects.

If money IS tight, (if money is really tight, use a good dino oil) any major synthetic of the proper weight that is NOT labeled "energy conserving" should be fine.

I can't really believe that a search here for "synthetic" wouldn't get you what you need to know.......including a lot of guys who use Rotella-T, which appears to be good stuff and a reasonable price.

You do, of course, need to dismiss the occasional "MY GOD don't do it. Your bike will blow up........."

[Clint]

This again? *sigh*

Search "synthetic". It's been covered dozens, if not hundreds of times. NO, you do not need "motorcycle" oil. YES, you do need to use the weight recommended by the manufacturer, or slightly heavier if it's not available in the brand of choice.

NO OIL OF THE RECOMMENDED WEIGHT WILL HAVE FRICTION MODIFIERS.

And please, for the love of all things holy, stop passing speculation and second-hand advice as fact. Way too many people are spending way too much on specialty oil because of the Chicken Littles regarding "car" oil. (What is "car" oil anyway?)

[dr death]

Originally Posted by Clint

And please, for the love of all things holy, stop passing speculation and second-hand advice as fact. Way too many people are spending way too much on specialty oil because of the Chicken Littles regarding "car" oil. (What is "car" oil anyway?)

huh?speculation?second hand advice?i think you got the wrong thread.i'm certainly not advising anybody.i seen the hundreds of threads and i still didnt have a clear cut answer.kinda like this one.some say yes,some say no but i dont understand the "sigh".if i'm boring you,dont reply.so we talk a little more oil.its still related to the bike and these people were interested enough to reply to me.
oh well,thanks for the info.i appriciate the help.

[old codger]

Originally Posted by Clint

This again? *sigh*

Search "synthetic". It's been covered dozens, if not hundreds of times. NO, you do not need "motorcycle" oil. YES, you do need to use the weight recommended by the manufacturer, or slightly heavier if it's not available in the brand of choice.

NO OIL OF THE RECOMMENDED WEIGHT WILL HAVE FRICTION MODIFIERS.

And please, for the love of all things holy, stop passing speculation and second-hand advice as fact. Way too many people are spending way too much on specialty oil because of the Chicken Littles regarding "car" oil. (What is "car" oil anyway?)

Good Post, when is doubt read the manual for the motorcycle, that should be the final authority.

Old Codger

[geeker]

I use Mobile 1 Synthetic for Motorcycles specifically for V-Twins ... changed my
oil and filter last weekend, bike is loving the new oil.
(3231 kms on it at the time of change)
Oil filter I bought specific K&N KN-138 $24.99 CDN
Mobile 1 20W50 $13.99 CDN per 1 litre (x4)
3000 ml + 400 ml for oil filter (actually put in 600 ml)
^-- 3000 ml engraved on engine case underneath circle window

[07M50zAllDaWay]

Avoid using dino 10w-40 for cars. It can't handle the shearing from the tranny, and quickly loses viscosity(so it quicky breaks down to less than the recommended 10w-40 weight recommended by Suzuki). Avoid anything with anti-friction additives(they will say "energy saving" on them), they can cause your clutch to slip. Beyond that, oil is made to lubricate, it doesn't know what it's lubricating, nor does you bike know what it was intended to lubricate.

[hammersfan]

I was using Amsoil in my M50 and then in my C90. My C90 developed a knocking in the engine on cold start ups, it went away after she was warm but would return next morning. I consulted the Intruder/C90 owners forum and discovered a lot of owners using Amsoil had the same problem. The problem went away with the use of Shell Rotella T 5W-40 Synthetic (Blue Jug). It took a few hundred Kilometers but it did the trick.

[dr death]

Originally Posted by hammersfan

I was using Amsoil in my M50 and then in my C90. My C90 developed a knocking in the engine on cold start ups, it went away after she was warm but would return next morning. I consulted the Intruder/C90 owners forum and discovered a lot of owners using Amsoil had the same problem. The problem went away with the use of Shell Rotella T 5W-40 Synthetic (Blue Jug). It took a few hundred Kilometers but it did the trick.

hey hammers,is that amsoil and rotella for motorcycles?
i put the quaker state in and took it for a quick trip and everything seemed to work o.k.
no clutch slipping or anything out of the ordinary.

[hammersfan]

Originally Posted by dr death

hey hammers,is that amsoil and rotella for motorcycles?
i put the quaker state in and took it for a quick trip and everything seemed to work o.k.
no clutch slipping or anything out of the ordinary.

The amsoil was bike specific but the Shell Rotella is actually diesel oil! But if you do some searching you will find a lots bikers are using it in there bikes.
I was a little hesitant to use it but it works well.

[cyclesinct]

Easiest solution ever, go to local Suzuki dealership, go to parts desk, so "good day sir, I need to change the oil in my M50, could you please give me what I will need." They will, and you will walk out knowing you have the correct oil and filter and no worries. If you're unsure about what you need, do you really want to walk into Wal-mart because your going to save $10 or do you want to know that you have exactly what you need and you will not be causing damage to you or your bike? I don't understand why people angst over this, pay a couple of extra dollars and go to the dealership for your supplies if your unsure. I look at it this way, it costs me $30 to buy 4 quarts of oil and a filter, the dealership would charge me $80 to do an oil change, I'm saving $50! Do that and just be happy instead of trying to weed through the million plus discussions and opinions on here about oil just to save a couple more dollars.

[Clint]

LOL. I've had auto parts guys sell me the wrong parts more times than I can count. That's the last approach I recommend.

[cyclesinct]

Originally Posted by Clint

LOL. I've had auto parts guys sell me the wrong parts more times than I can count. That's the last approach I recommend.

That's why I don't go to an auto parts place for a car or a motorcycle, I go to the dealership and talk to the head of the maintenance dept. The dealership I go to the guy is usually out front, and I flag him down, his names Brian, and I say Brian I want to do xyz with the bike, and he gives me the stuff I need. Never steered me wrong, and it can always be compared to what is in the manual if your still paranoid. But your comment is part of my little rant, I wouldn't even mention "auto" parts anything to someone unsure about what to do with their motorcycle. I know what you meant by your comment, I just wouldn't want someone now thinking they could go to autozone and use whatever the drooling cashier that can't even learn how to properly tuck in his shirt says they should use in their bike. Besides I would like to think you might be able to hold the dealership to some responsibility if they sold you the wrong product, maybe not, I'm not going to get into that debate with anyone. But ask yourself this, do you want to ask the guy in Wal-mart of the certified suzuki tech at your dealership? There is always a chance the tech would be wrong, but I'd rather take my chances with them.

[Clint]

Yeah, it's nice if you have a guy you can trust. There's one dealer in town, and they're just ok.

Good point about auto parts vs. the dealer.

[cyclesinct]

I'll step off my high horse now. Sorry guys and thanks for listening.

[hammersfan]

Originally Posted by Clint

LOL. I've had auto parts guys sell me the wrong parts more times than I can count. That's the last approach I recommend.

Yeh right, I always trust my dealers service and parts department! NOT! best to get educated about the bike and what it takes to look after it.

[cyclesinct]

Originally Posted by hammersfan

Yeh right, I always trust my dealers service and parts department! NOT! best to get educated about the bike and what it takes to look after it.

Good point, you should learn as much as possible about your bike, but sometimes you gotta trust someone to give you the info initially. Thats why we all post here, for the most part, we trust each others opinions and suggestions.