| Author | Message | ||
     Firewhirl |
Had the wife stop by Walmart for some oil. Told her to get the Mobil 1 15W50 for my 2003 XB9R She came home with Mobil 1 20W50. Is that too thick. I was looking for the V-twin oil in 20W50. Is there any difference between these | ||
| M1combat |
I have used both. I didn't detect any difference, but I try to stick with the V-Twin stuff when I can. The manual suggests 20W-50. I don't think it'll be too thick. Maybe move to 15 when it REALLY cold... | ||
| Vaughn |
Look at your manual. It says to use 20w50, not 15w50. The V-Twin oil is the right stuff, sounds like your wife knows what she is doing. | ||
| Tpoppa |
15w50 will work fine and it will provide superior performance for cold starts. I have always used Mobil 1 V-Twin 20w50 but am switching to Mobil 1 15w50 SuperSyn Extended Performance on my next oil change. (Message edited by tpoppa on April 07, 2005) | ||
| Geoffg |
Two things I'm having trouble believing here: --Your wife is willing to go out of her way to buy motor oil for you! --You're willing to trust her to do it! Sorry, couldn't resist. I can't get my wife to buy motor oil for her car, never mind my bike! (She pays for her car's oil, just prefers to have me pick it up--I prefer it that way too) | ||
| Vaughn |
I've used the 15W50 (Red Cap) in both Engine and Tranny and 20W50 V-Twin. The 15W50 shifted a bit easier while the 20W50 seemed to quiet down some engine noise. With summer coming and as hot as the rear cylinder gets on V-Twin, I would use 20W50. I don't have any problems in the cold (30deg this morning) with 20W50. BTW: Mobile 1 15W50 is no longer the same blend as the old red-cap stuff. I'm not sure it's safe for tranny use with wet clutch. Big talk of it on my KTM forum and consensus is not to use it anymore with wet clutch. | ||
| M1combat |
You should be using M1 75-90 gear oil in the trans. | ||
| Glitch |
I agree with M1 on both points. | ||
| Tpoppa |
This has probably been discussed before, but... Could you engineers out there explain what advantage 20w50 oil would have over 15w50? It seems to me that at temperature the performance would be the same, with 15w50 giving better protection when cold. | ||
| Whodom |
If you were talking conventional (non-synth) motor oil, the 20W-50, having a "narrower" viscosity range than the 15W-50, would require less viscosity index (VI) improvers and would therefore be less prone to thermal breakdown. The 15W-50 oil would flow slightly better at low temperatures. However, you are talking synthetic and I assume Mobil-1 V-twin 20W-50 vs. Mobil-1 15W-50 car oil. Mobil-1 V-twin is SUPPOSEDLY "true" synthetic oil, made from PAO base stock. Mobil-1 15W-50 is SUPPOSEDLY made from "Group III" base stock, which is highly refined petroleum oil (i.e.- much higher than conventional motor oil). PAO's are SUPPOSED to be somewhat more resistant to high temperature breakdown and are SUPPOSED to flow better at low temperatures than Group III oils. How much better is a PAO based synthetic than a Group III based synthetic? It seems to be largely a matter of opinion. All this stuff is pretty esoteric, and there is LOTS of info about it on the net if you want to read through it. I can post links if you are interested. So, do you pay ~$5/quart for a REALLY, REALLY good oil, or pay ~$8.50/quart for a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY good oil? That's up to you. I paid the $8.50/quart for my last change, but I am seriously considering switching to $5/quart for my next change. | ||
| Firewhirl |
I don't have a manual for the bike, just picked her up sat. I have also read alot about these debates within the last day. Seems like there is no clear cut answer on which is best. I have Mobil 1 75/90 for the trans. Noticed when i got home that she purchased Castrol Syntec full synthetic 20w50 and not mobil 1 in 20w50. I'll use the M1 15w50. | ||
| Brucelee |
In simple terms, the 15W oil will flow better when cold than the 20W. In theory, both oils will have similar high temp performance, ie flash points etc. More useful is to look at the VI for each oil. This indicates how stable the oil is as it heats up. According to the Motor Oil Bible, the 20-50 has a higher flash point and about the same VI. If I were riding in Vegas in summer, I would use the 20-50 Mobil 1. If I were riding along the coast of CA, the 15-50 would be fine indeed. Interestingly, Castrol 5-50 has a much higher VI that either Mobil 1 oils and seems like the deal for winter cold starts. I will be switching to this one next winter. | ||
| Whodom |
Bruce- the thing about the Viscosity Index is that it's rated when the oil is fresh. Oils with a wide spread (e.g.- 5W-50) usually require the addition of a lot of "viscosity index improvers", chemicals which help give the oil this wide range. These chemicals tend to be subject to thermal breakdown. So, the oil may be 5W-50 when new but only ~5W-30 after a couple of thousand miles of service. I know that full synthetics require less viscosity index improvers to get a wide range, but it still seems like a valid concern. The best way to see how an oil holds up after time is via a used oil analysis. This site has forums with lots of them posted, as well as new oil analyses and discussion threads on anything and everything about all kinds of lubricants: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com | ||
| Tpoppa |
Many of us have been around motorcycles long enough to know that once the word "Motorcycle" is on a product, the price instantly doubles. Motorcycles are a niche market for many types of products. Generally people who own motorcycles have disposable income and are willing to pay extra for Premium Products. Marketers are aware of this and target us with expensive, premium produts (e.g. motor oil for $8.50/quart). These products have high profit margins and many companies don't want to give that up. I have not seen much evidence that premium motorcycle specific oils have any real benefits over premium car oils. So, I am switching to Mobil 1 15w50 SuperSyn Extended Performance. ($23.50 for 5 quarts at Wal Mart). This article is a little dated but contains good information. http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/oiltest1.htm | ||
| Brucelee |
"Bruce- the thing about the Viscosity Index is that it's rated when the oil is fresh. Oils with a wide spread (e.g.- 5W-50) usually require the addition of a lot of "viscosity index improvers", chemicals which help give the oil this wide range. These chemicals tend to be subject to thermal breakdown. So, the oil may be 5W-50 when new but only ~5W-30 after a couple of thousand miles of service. I know that full synthetics require less viscosity index improvers to get a wide range, but it still seems like a valid concern. The best way to see how an oil holds up after time is via a used oil analysis." I don't disagree with your statements. However, as you pointed out, quality synthetics usually hold their VI much better than any dino oil. I would say that this concern is especially negated if you change oil frequently ( I change oil at the 2500 mile mark). Hence, I see no issue with using Castrol 5-50 in winter and then going to 20-50 in summer. Red line has a very impressive VI and my understanding is that its VI holds very well past the 5000 mark. Having said all that, I am way too cheap to pay for an oil analysis. (Message edited by brucelee on April 09, 2005) | ||
| Jlnance |
I used to change my own oil, in my truck, back in the 80's. I stopped doing my own oil changes when I realized that throwing the used oil away in the trash was not a good thing to be doing. I'd like to start changing the bike oil myself, but I don't know what to do with the used oil. Any suggestions? | ||
| Brucelee |
In CA, anyplace that sells oil MUST take it back by law. I would hope that places in your area would take waste oil from you. DONT drop it in the drain. That is very very bad. I know you won't, I just had to say it.  | ||
| Kootenay |
Take it to a used oil depot, and recycle it! Some gas stations are equipped to accept used oil, some auto parts stores, and most automotive shops. Currently, I take my oil to my local "Canadian Tire" store, where they have a tank to accept oil for recycling. Unfortunately, some of these programs have shut down--like the Mohawk gas station I used to take my oil to--due to idiots dumping fluids other than used oil in them (for instance: anti-freeze, old paint, etc). This can render a whole tank of oil unrecoverable, or so I'm told. Anyways, check around for a local used oil recovery depot. I always prefer to change my own oil, for a whole bunch of reasons (a friend recently took his car to a garage for an oil-change special--the $28.95 "deal" became a $90.00 bill after the mechanics were through--they charged him a half-hour labour to change a license plate bulb, for one thing!). | ||
| Thansesxb9rs |
Most automotive stores will take your old oil, try going to advanced auto, o'reily's, napa, autozone, they all usually will let you deposit 5 gallons of oil a day. I think even some walmart's that have an oil change facility attached will take your old oil. Just ask around it's not to hard to find a place. | ||
| Whodom |
Jlnance, in SC, I know at least Autozone and Advance take used oil. I'm pretty sure you have those same chains around Raleigh. | ||
| Buell_by_buhle |
According to a highly placed Buell exec (who I cannot say in print, but who you'd instantly recognize) "Use Mobil 1" was his suggestion, way back when I was putting mileage on my S2. I've used Mobil 1 20W-50 (car) oil for ~100K miles between both of my bikes (S2 and XB9R), but the most important thing to remember for H-D motors is to use an oil that has high anti-foaming properties. I used Castrol Syntec briefly, and had big problems with foaming (visible via the clear head breather lines I'd installed in my S2). The gunk buildup in the rocker boxes and heads due to the foaming is pretty bad (according to one of my mechanics) so please try Mobil 1! |
