GSX600F Oil Change?

deputy · Scooby Slapper Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Karma :

The teapot is in need of an oil change and I was wondering what to oil to put in. I plan to run the bike all year, so it is going to rack up about 7500 miles a year.
The bike is a 1992(J) Suzuki GSX600F, 20K miles on clock.
Can I use car oil? Mineral, synthetic/semi?
Any help would be much appreciated.

Robby · Dirty Old Man Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :

Can, worms, open.

Everyone will have their own input and opinion in this thread.

My personal idea is to use a bike specific 10W40 semi synthetic engine oil with a new oil filter and change it every 4k miles.

You could use a car type 10W40 oil like castrol GTX (not magnatec), but I'd change this more regularly - every 3k perhaps. I'd always use a new filter.

It all comes down to whether or not you are comfortable putting car oil in your engine. The price difference is pretty small, maybe a fiver. Hardly a big difference over 3 or 4k miles.

Guest · Brolly Dolly Joined: 22 Apr 2004 Karma :

The Teapot engine was designed way before the 'bike specific synthetic oil' con was dreamed up. I run mine on 'car' 10/40 with a change every 3000 miles and filter on alternate changes. No touble in 45k miles and no clutch slip Wink

deputy · Scooby Slapper Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Karma :

Robby · Dirty Old Man Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :

The basic oily stuff is all the same, the difference is in the additive pack. All oils have some kind of additive pack, even mineral ones.

Modern car oils have additives to make sure its kind to catalytic converters, and can have assorted friction modifiers to make it all very slippy. These friction modifiers may possibly cause trouble in a bike clutch - a fair amount of anecdotal evidence against castrol magnatec on this forum because it causes clutch slip.

Generally basic cars oils and older ones are no trouble with bikes. Castrol GTX is a favourite because its a fairly cheap, good quality multigrade mineral oil.

As an aside, I have always wondered if it would be better to use a diesel spec car oil in a bike. They are designed to hold a lot more crap in suspension, because a diesel engine produces a lot of soot. Those properties might be quite good on an engine that wears faster than a car engine, and that has a wet clutch that will deposit powder into the oil as it wears.

sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

feef · Energiser Bunny Joined: 11 Feb 2002 Karma :

you want to put in some oil...

slippery is good, new stuff is preferred.

other than that.. no big difference..

the GSX-F engine isn't cutting edge technology, so don't think it woud benfit from anything too fancy...

a
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sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

feef · Energiser Bunny Joined: 11 Feb 2002 Karma :

deputy · Scooby Slapper Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Karma :

Thanks for the input, not entirely sure I am any wiser as to what to put in the bike. Think I will probably go for a bike oil in this instance and do some more research before the next change.

Think Robby was right about the can of worms!

Guest · Brolly Dolly Joined: 22 Apr 2004 Karma :

sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

A very interesting read thank you.

The problem with it is it doesn't seem to include oils with friction modifyers which have only really appeared in the last few years.

I actually agree that the oils are little different it's just the modifyers that bother me.

deputy · Scooby Slapper Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Karma :

Thanks for posting the article guest(whoever you might be), sounds like there shouldn't be any problem using car oil except magnatec etc.

Kickstart · The Oracle Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

Hi

I would say the most important thing is to change it regularly.

I have often used car oils and had no problems with clutch slip.

There are differences between bike and car oils, and one issue is that some of the best additives to protect an engine also happen to poison catalytic converters so are restricted in the latest API rated oils (the bit on the bottle that says SF, SG, SH, SJ or whatever). Hence the latest car oils are actually worse at protecting the engine internals.

However there are certainly people who have had problems with certain car oils in their bikes. Seems best to stick with one that people have tried successfully.

I tend to use BP oils (because I can get them for a decent discount in bulk) and have had no probkems with Visco 3000 (semi synthetic) or Visco 5000 (synthetic) oils.

All the best

Keith
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