Greetings board. First timer here.

I always have used motor oil. All the owners manuals in the old days recommended good old fashioned motor oil. Everything wasn't so specialized.

But then you could get a tooth filled in one appointment then too! It's a money thing.

I use Castrol 30W in my two-stroke gearboxes. For a 4-stroke it's engine and gearbox...it's a personal preference thing. (IE, straight weight or multi-grade.)

Cheers!

Cheap oil is cheap oil. Send the extra two bucks and buy good oil. Good oil is cheap insurance.

Note: Do not use automotive oil in a 1985 Yamaha 700, all of those have wet clutches.

And I do suggest supporting your local dealership, especially now, they really need the business.

Good luck and great riding!

Steve - Member since 1999

There is a LOT of discussion on different boards and forums on this and a lot oif articles on the web.

Many riders who use auto motor oil in their bikes with no problems. The potential issue of the slipping clutch comes from some of the  "friction modifiers" additives to more expensive auto oils. The trans shares crankcase oil and the other (discussed at length) issue is "shearing" supposedly, the gears in the trans actually cut the oil molecules ...but plenty of data that is contrary to whether that is true under normal riding or harmfull as well. There is now some pretty convincing info that says oil changes at 3000 miles are an incredible waste of money and the oil has only lost about 3% of it's ability to cool and lubricate at that point. Once a year or if it smells or looks bad is more in line with reality. 

I have a 2001 Harley FLHTC with 84000 miles. Engine has never been worked on. I use Pennzoil 20w50

There is now some pretty convincing info that says oil changes at 3000 miles are an incredible waste of money

It's beyond convincing, but then some people won't be convinced the Earth is round. 3000 Mile oil changes are a throw back to the 60's with nothing other than Jiffy-Lube and old habits suggesting they are still required. Oil has changed since the 60's and so have the Motors, but the mentality remains.

This subject was done to death on the motors board, and it did not matter what evidence was presented. Older motorists were having none of the evidence or advice from the people that build the engines, they were changing oil religiously up to 10 times more often than the engine manufacturer was suggesting was required.

When it comes to engine oil the best advice you can get is from the people who build the engines, certainly not from Jiffy Lube who will sell you some extras while you are there. I'm in Europe and I know precisely ONE person who gets her Oil changed every 3000 Miles despite her garage telling her it's really not needed, and she's American.

Under normal driving conditions her car requires an oil change at 20,000 Miles.

One of the best bits of evidence presented was Millions of vehicles around the World that absolutely do not partake of this 3000 Mile nonsense and last just fine, serviced as per manufacturers schedule. If there is another Country where 3000 Mile oil changes are required and done despite the vehicle manufacturer not requiring it, I don't know of it.

Your title onanysunday implies you know something about motorcycles, however your reply to my suggestion about checking  the cam tensioner shoes on a "twinkie", Twin Cam shows your total ignorance.

Real motorcycles are those that last 100 years and their modern day counterparts have spark plugs that can be changed in five minutes, without disassembling the motorcycle.

HA !

i ride a 1947 bsa and 1971 honda

i would love to have some kinda harley

i am not a racist,i hate all politicians equally !!

You know, I have been riding and driving more years than I care to remember, 10 years professionally for a motorcycle magazine, and I have NEVER known a plug to fail on a four stroke motorcycle. Never. I have known performance suffer from plugs that were not maintained on a bike that was astonishingly sensitive to dodgy plugs, but a failure? Never.

Who these days, tries to repair vehicles at the side of the road? Few to none, that is what the break down service is for. I do like the French laws requiring drivers to keep a spare bulb kit in the car at all times. I would just like to see some of the politicians behind such nonsense show me how to change that bulb without a tool kit and very often, a mechanic. And in the dark.

Going back to oil and this peculiar US habit of changing it every 3000 Miles and more, this came up on Friday where I was visiting a friends small business. Their company van was suffering from a flashing oil pressure light, a simple fault as it turned out. However, several people were convinced it was because the oil was in desperate need of changing as it had done 20,000 Miles since the last oil change.

So we check the manual....Change oil every 25,000 Miles or two years, which ever comes first. Your average American will be convinced that this is vehicular suicide when in fact it's just fine with a good margin for safety. It was a fascinating thread, the oil change thread. Said as much about human nature as it did about modern engines and Millions of completely unnecessary oil changes.

I

This 3000 mile oil change business is a mindset, a habit. If your vehicle is going to hit the 500,000 mile mark, it will do it on the manufacturers service schedule and changing oil before it being required is like changing tires that are 20 percent worn.

The rest of the World is astonished to see articles (google "3000 Mile oil change myth) that suggest that changes "could" be left longer than 3000 Miles and up to 6000!!!! Could! Hell fire, even Porsche now have 20,000 Mile oil change intervals that are respected on the rest of the entire planet, just not the USA!

The rest of the World have their jaw drop when they see advice, SERIOUS advice, to change oil every 3 Months regardless of the way the car has been used! Staggering!

"If we were foolish enough to follow Jiffy Lube's 3,000-mile change schedule (which is essentially the advice given by all quick oil change outlets and dealership service departments), the Fit would undergo four unnecessary oil changes per year (assuming 15,000 miles per year of driving), wasting $369 and 15.2 quarts of perfectly good oil. Over five years of the car's life and 60,000 miles of driving, this would amount to $1,847 and 125 quarts of wasted oil. This does not include other "upselling" items at each visit, such as cabin air filters."

http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/stop-changing-your-oil.html

It all comes down to whether a motorcycle is air or liquid cooled. Air-cooled motorcycles can reach 300 degrees at the head in hot traffic.

Liquid cooled motorcycles naturally run a lot cooler.

Oils meant for air-cooled motorcycles have additives that the EPA will not certify for automotive/highway use.

Synthetic oils are a bit different.