Motorcycle oil is fairly new,to me anyway.When I first started riding Harleys there was only car oil.It may have said something else on the cans but it was car oil.Think about all the aircooled motors out there using car oil.

 

The bigger thing to me is not whether it's motorcycle or car oil but rather the frequency of the oil change. Keep it changed on schedule and you should be ok.

Bubba

 

No mention on using old cooking oil?

 

I find that if I pour in about a half quart of warm bacon grease with every oil change it really seems to make it run right. Smells tasty when it's running too...



I use regular Royal Purple 20w50 in my bike with no troubles. I know it is far superior to the dino that it was shipped from the factory with and from researching online I have concluded that it isn't worth it to pay nearly twice the price for the max cycle stuff. I still use regular old HD primary oil because it isn't as much of a high intensity application as the engine (found supporting info here on the forum). In the tranny I am currently running Red Line Shock Proof Heavy gear oil and the viscosity is escaping me as I am a little intoxicated at the moment. I change the engine oil more frequently than the others so that is where I'm most concerned with saving money. $11 a quart can be a hard pill to swallow when you're broke.

 

At the risk of pissing all ya'll off If I run some oil, speced for a gasoline cage, that ya'll say is ok to use in either bike, will you pay for the necessary repairs if it fails? If you are, let me know and I will give it a shot. Just want the repair costs up front. Come on guys, you will spend a bunch on chrome but think you need to skimp on oil. And FYI it was 23.21 for a chrome filter (9.00) and 3 quarts 0f HD oil for my sporty. What's that? 4 something a quart? Big deal

 

Mobil1 full synthetic was around when the tests were done. Syn3, which I used for one case worth of oil changes ran hotter than the Mobil1 and took much longer to cool down after the engine was shut down. Yes, things have changed and not just in terms relative to oil, Think about the high tech coatings we're using on modern cylinder walls or the Si3N4 bearings we can now use to eliminate friction, increase horsepower and reduce weight. Some of the new technologies are outright unreal.

 

I will but there is one catch, when it doesn't fail, you pay all the money back with interest in a lump sum. Why do I say this? Easy, I use Mobil1 15W50 automotive grade full synthetic oil in 3 street bikes and 4 dirt toys. If there was an issue it would have shown up a long time ago. To me, buying motorcycle specific oil is like putting premium fuel in a ride that uses regular just fine with no adverse effects.

 

Some of you guys make a great argument for never buying a used bike unless it has notarized service records from the dealer.

 

+1.

I would think motorcycles with water cooled radiators and oil coolers could use car oil without to much concern, being cautious of particular automotive additives etc... I think I've read somewhere that motorcycle specific oil has a higher viscosity resistence to break down to heat then car oil.

And in a pinch, any oil is better then no oil. If I needed to top off or what ever and there was no motorcycle oil I would without blinking put in a similar SAE car oil as I was using. But when ever possible I will always try to use MOCO oil.

 

Twenty years ago I would have agreed with you in a heart beat. However, the modern full synthetic oils can take heat in the 400 degree range and are very high tech in terms of their respective VI and breakdown. Their respective wear resistance is unreal.