View Full Version : What weight oil do you use?
Just went for mOT and tester suggested using 20W 50 instead of the 10W 40 I have been using (I think) as he said clutch was a bit heavy......so what do most people use?
petevtwin650
11-04-07, 03:16 PM
What Cr*p!
10W40 for me.
Cheers for the replies, I thought I had the right stuff in there but he seemed to know what he was on about, what differenct would 20W 50 make?
10w40 also.
As for the clutch, change the clutch cable and/or grease up the worm drive
20W50 is basically a thicker oil. 20 being its viscosity at cold, 50 when warm...i think.
petevtwin650
11-04-07, 03:25 PM
Dunno who uses 20w50 these days.
The engine is designed to run on the thinner oil. Would imagine that the thicker stuff would take longer to lubricate everything on the critical cold start up. Plus you might lose half a horsepower.
Just guessing though.
Bluesteel
11-04-07, 03:27 PM
Where can you get bike oil? Halfords?
What about all the varying standards like synthetic and so on?
I'm so confused...
injury_ian
11-04-07, 03:31 PM
20w 50 is used on highly tuned cars as it can deal with ultra high temperatures, the down side being its a bit thick when cold. example the escort cosworth used that stuff out of the factory.
There is an oil man chap the frequents all the car forums, surprised he hasn't posted here yet, i will dig up one of his many informative posts, He sells oil mail order too btw.
Oh and Suzuki recommends 10w 40
EDIT - A little light reading for you :rolleyes: http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34707&highlight=
petevtwin650
11-04-07, 03:32 PM
Hein Gericke for oil but I think they have stopped doing the free air and oil filter with it.
Semi synthetic I believe as full may make the clutch slip.
Where can you get bike oil? Halfords?
What about all the varying standards like synthetic and so on?
I'm so confused...
Halfords sell it, like many others. Basically, never, ever, ever, ever put car oil in your bike. It's not good for a wet clutch, so don't do it. Ever. (got the point yet?)
Doesn't really matter about synth/semi-synth, but personally, I prefer semi-synth in the engine, mineral on the chain.
Bluesteel
11-04-07, 03:36 PM
Superb! I'm off to brave Brixton Halfords on my home then!
Halfords sell it, like many others. Basically, never, ever, ever, ever put car oil in your bike. It's not good for a wet clutch, so don't do it. Ever. (got the point yet?)
. BUT, what if.........................:-dd
Halfords sell it, like many others. Basically, never, ever, ever, ever put car oil in your bike. It's not good for a wet clutch, so don't do it. Ever. (got the point yet?)
Doesn't really matter about synth/semi-synth, but personally, I prefer semi-synth in the engine, mineral on the chain.
You can run car oil, it'll probably be ok, (There was a courier getting 150,000+ to a bike engine using cheap car oil, but couriers do big miles with few cold starts and rarely go racing). I'd rather put a cheaper bike specific oil in there.
The important thing is that it meets the relevant standards such as SG / SH. Mineral, Semi or fully synth will all be ok but I tend to stick to semi synth.
yorkie_chris
22-06-07, 12:12 PM
Sorry to post on such an old topic. BUT:
Car oil will not damage your clutch, they are basically the same oils, neither will synthetic oil have any effect on your clutch.
This myth comes from the fact that *some* car oils have anti friction compounds as part of the additive pack, these are usually marked as "energy saving" or "saves gas"
Synthetic oil is made from esters and such, these won't damage your clutch, the engine can't tell the difference as long as the viscosity is correct, even so if you were to use a 5w40, which looks very thin when cold, the hot rating (40) is still sufficient to keep your oil pressure up.
Anyone else get miffed paying a fortune for "bike-specific" oils? I have always used good quality car oils in everything (including cars :P) and it doesn't seem to cause instant seizure as some people think...
(I don't work for castrol and could well be talking complete bull$hit)
Moffatt666
22-06-07, 12:57 PM
I'm currentky running Motul 10W 40 semi-synth (with free filter from Gericke) with gearbox oil on the chain (it smells a bit but is the best lube for the job).
SoulKiss
22-06-07, 01:30 PM
Well with the AR coming up I thought I needed every advantage I could get, so 4 litres of Castrol Power 1 Sport Fully-Synth bought and waiting to go in.
Should be worth another tenth of a horsepower I figure :P
(Ok so I was in Halfords buying supplies and I paniced, didnt know what to buy and grabbed the shiniest bottle on the shelf)
I was in Halfords the other day, appears Catrol have re-branded all their oils. The Semi is now Power 1 GPS, and the fully synth is Power 1 Race. I couldn't see a Power2....Either way it'll be red & shiny for several yards to match your bike;)
Ceri JC
22-06-07, 01:53 PM
10W40 semi-syn for me. I have used car oil in a pinch before, without any evidence of clutch slip/unusual results.
Sorry to post on such an old topic. BUT:
Car oil will not damage your clutch, they are basically the same oils, neither will synthetic oil have any effect on your clutch.
This myth comes from the fact that *some* car oils have anti friction compounds as part of the additive pack, these are usually marked as "energy saving" or "saves gas"
<snip>
(I don't work for castrol and could well be talking complete bull$hit)
Not bull$h!t, but slightly misinformed I suspect. I spent some time as a sales rep for Motorex Oils, so I know a little about the subject.
The crucial thing when buying oil for a bike is to find the ones that have JASO MA approval, and then work out which grade you require, and then whether you want mineral, semi-synth or fully synth. JASO MA approval specifies that the oil is suitable for use in a wet clutch without slipping. There are very few exceptions to this rule, the most common being the use of fully synth oil in Aprilia V-twin engines. Put fully synth of any variety in a Mille and the clutch will slip, so Aprilia and all oil manufacturers recommend a semi-synth at best for these engines. Some fully synths are not suitable for certain engines.
For an SV650 I'd recommend a good quality semi-synth 10W40 oil with JASO MA (you'll see this printed on the container somewhere along with the other specifications it's made to.) By good quality I mean Motorex, Silkolene, Putoline, Castrol, Motul etc, not Comma, Motorway or something you'll pick up at Harry's Used Car Parts Emporium.
For normal day to day use a semi-synth will be fine, I've used it in the majority of my bikes over the past 20 years with no problems, and I'm not kind to my engines. You only really need fully synth if you spend most of your time keeping the needle just off the redline or run a highly tuned engine that runs hot most of the time. My SV trackbike will be running fully synth because it'll be caned to death every time it's ridden, but if it were my roadbike I'd use a semi synth and not worry about it. I only use fully synth in my Daytona because that's what Triumph recommend.
If you put 20W50 in your bike it won't make the clutch lighter, lubing the cable or changing it will though. It might even be the worm gear requires a clean out and re-lube.
By the way, find another MOT tester, yours is a **** if he gives out that kind of advice. God only knows what faults he might be missing if he's that clueless
toonyank
22-06-07, 10:42 PM
What Cr*p!
10W40 for me.
Exactly.... they don't know what there saying. Even in a warm climate which is not here even with global warming
The others are right.
If you want to understand a bit more about oils (and other things technical) you can do a lot worse than browse this
http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/index.html?menu.html&mainpage.html
If you just want to know what oil to use in your SV, then a well known brand 10W-40 semi synth with JASO-MA will do fine. Fit and forget.
yorkie_chris
24-06-07, 12:52 PM
JASO MA spec is fine, any oil with this will probably be about the same as the API SF/Sg standard (usually applied to car oils), which is what haynes reccomends for the SV, even relatively cheap car oil which is about £2/liter meets the API standard.
(Personally I'm going for a semi-synth car oil, im not paying double the price for something which is IMO rebadged and overpriced)
chazzyb
24-06-07, 01:09 PM
I've been using a Vauxhall-branded semi-synthetic 10W-40 for the past 12K miles with no clutch probs. Approx £10 for 5 litres. If it were only the SV I used oil in, I might splash out a bit for JASO-labelled dino juice. However, I put it in a couple of bikes and the wife's car, so just one oil is a help. Then there's the Duckhams Q 20W-50 which goes in my old Beemer...
yorkie_chris
24-06-07, 02:27 PM
Like I say, its not car oil which buggers clutches, its the friction reducing additives that very few car oils have that do the damage.
The most important thing is to change it as regularly as you can, no engine was ever damaged by running fresh, clean oil.
JASO/API, similar standards, same stuff, just very different prices!
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