Full or semi synthetic

[Tom85]

I'm thinking of changing the oil and filter in my bike ( zx6r c1h) and not sure what oil to use is semi synthetic ok or do i need full synthetic? I've looked in my hand book and all i can find is: Recommended oil: api se, sf or sg, api sh or sj with jaso ma.
Viscosity: sae10w40
I understand the viscosity rating but the rest means nothing to me, can someone explain or even recommend a good oil to use. Cheers.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Either or really.

Whatever oil you choose it's more important to use one of the correct weight and change it regularly.

Personally I'd also add make sure it's a bike specific oil.

Oil is like tyres, everyone has their own personal preference.

Advantages and disadvantages here;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_oil#Advantages

IMO for road use just chuck some decent semi-synth in of the correct weight and use the saving you've made over fully synth to put towards your next oil change. Also especially with the C1H make sure you pour some oil into the new filter before you attach the bike. It's good practice to do it on all bikes (and I always have), however some claim it can cause issues on the C1H if you start it with the filter empty after an oil change.
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[Dr. Quack]

Definitely use semi synth, because fully synth will wear your clutch down more or even burn it out.
Use quality oil like Putoline Sport 4 JASO/MA / API SG £10 a litre.
The techno moto additive system ensures it's specially engineered for bike clutches.

Personally I would not use the cheaper version of Putoline as it’s not API SG.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Dr. Quack]

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

Nabbed from wiki regarding synthetic oils.

Advantages
The technical advantages of synthetic motor oils include:[citation needed]
Measurably better low- and high-temperature viscosity performance at service temperature extremes
Better chemical & shear stability
Decreased evaporative loss
Resistance to oxidation, thermal breakdown, and oil sludge problems
Extended drain intervals with the environmental benefit of less oil waste.
Improved fuel economy in certain engine configurations.
Better lubrication during extreme cold weather starts
Longer engine life
Superior protection against "ash" and other deposit formation in engine hot spots (in particular in turbochargers and superchargers) for less oil burnoff and reduced chances of damaging oil passageway clogging.


Disadvantages

The disadvantages of synthetic motor oils include:
The lower friction[citation needed] may make them unsuitable for break-in (i.e., the initial run-in period of the vehicle), where friction is desirable to cause wear. However, improved engine-part machining has made break-in less critical than it once was. A select few cars (in general turbo- or supercharged) are factory filled with synthetic oil, usually to help minimize high-temperature oil degradation issues.
Potential decomposition problems in certain chemical environments (predominantly in industrial use.)
Potential stress cracking of plastic components made of polyoxymethylene (POM) in the presence of polyalphaolefin (PAO).
Synthetics do not hold lead in suspension as well as mineral oil, thus caution is advised when the engine is run on leaded fuel,[citation needed] which is still commonly used in aviation (avgas).[16]
In July 1996, Consumer Reports published the results of a two-year motor oil test involving a fleet of 75 New York taxi cabs and found no noticeable advantage of synthetic oil over regular mineral oil. In their article, they noted that "Big-city cabs don't see many cold start-ups or long periods of high-speed driving in extreme heat. But our test results relate to the most common type of severe service - stop-and-go city driving." According to their study, synthetic oil is "worth considering for extreme driving conditions: high ambient temperatures and high engine load, or very cold temperatures." [17]
Synthetic oils are not recommended in automotive rotary engines.[18]
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Kickstart]

Hi

To me the main advantage of synthetic oil is that it lasts longer and can put up with temp extremes better. First isn't really an advantage unless you leave the oil in far longer (hence very long oil change intervals on modern cars). 2nd is useful on things which can cook the oil, such as engines with turbos.

All the best

Keith
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[Fizzer Thou]

I only use fully-synth on the KTM race bike.For the road bikes I buy the Hein Gericke/Motul semi-synth oil as it comes with a free oil filter,which normally retails for about £9 or so.

I always soak all oil filters in oil before being bolted onto a bike - and it is surprising just how much and how long the oil takes to soak into it.
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Tom85]

Cheers for the replies. I never realised there was such a difference in price between the two so im pretty glad i dont need to be using fully synth to be honest. I'll go with a decent semi synthetic and see how it goes.

[sickpup]

[von1papen]

Look around for a wholesaler or a shop that sells drums of the oil, I managed to pick up a 5 gallon drum of fully synthetic 10w40 for 45 quid, so a litre of oil is pittance (which is all I need on the CG)

It ain't bike specific but on the other hand my bike engine was designed to run on cheap mineral oil lol so I don't think it particularly matters!

[Dazbo666]

I've previously only used Motul 10w40 bike specific semi-synth... if only because the original owner of my first bike used it, and it seemed to be doing the job so I didn't see a need to change.

However I've recently had to do an oil change on the Bandit while money was tight, so got some cheapie supermarket branded 10w40 semi synth (car oil), and thanfully the bike seems to be running just fine on it.
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[weasley]

[sickpup]

[weasley]

All true, except oils aren't blended at refineries, but at blend plants (some of which are co-located with refineries).

However, the possibility remains, however unlikely or unbelievable. It does happen.

I tend to agree though that that is a serious amount of under-claiming, making it unlikely.

One thing is for sure, HG don't make oil so they get it from somewhere, which could be a major supplier or might be an independent, unknown oil maker.
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[Dr. Quack]

That's the last time I put crap oil in my bike.

https://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/AbAeterno123/53-accident.jpg

[tahrey]

[Souleh]

The only noticable difference is the semi synth motul is a dingy colour wheras the fully synth is an awesome red.