Semi Synth 10w40 £1.99 litre!

[grr666]

That's my take on it too, spend 1000's on a bike and then skimp on sundries? I don't get it.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[tom_e]

I'll stick with Motul 5000 5L for £25 isn't going to break the bank.

[P.]

[andym]

Oil is oil regardless of brand, as long as it stops metal parts sticking together then who cares what brand name is on it.

I've always bought the cheap shit and never had an issue, so far the only bike I've actually changed the oil in was the VFR, and that was cheap shit that was changed after 12k miles.

Same with my cars, 5 years without an oil change..... or checking the level at that (longest car I've owned)

[Shinigami]

[Pigeon]

I used some halfords fully synth in my SV a year ago and again in the last 500 miles (as still had half the bottle left). It was API SN so had low zinc (used to help prevent metal on metal wear) levels compared to SJ/SL (many motorbike oils are still based on older API approved oil, perhaps because more zinc is needed, or maybe there is no money in it for the extra R&D or just not worth spending on new advertising / packaging etc).
It also had high Calcium (used as a detergent).

On both occasions, the oil turned black very quickly and the gearbox never felt as nice, made it feel clunky.

In between the Halfords stuff, I used Total Quartz 9000. Same API SN, but with added Boron (anti-wear agent used to replace missing zinc from newer API spec) and less Calcium. Night/day in terms of feel. Beautifully slick gear changes.


My SV became unwell while on the Halfords stuff, but I'm not really drawing any direct correlation as it sounded fecked from day 1


I'm running the Total Quartz in my Striple too. Again, its a lovely slick gear change.


The newer API specs are more rigorous in their cam wear tests. That's not to say that an API SL Motorcycle oil won't also achieve the same, just that its not been tested / paid for.


Being moderately OCD / Spergy, I want to know (as close as possible) exactly what I'm putting in the engine. But that doesn't mean going for motorcycle oil for the sake of it. I think many car oils are better and cheaper. But halfords fully synth is not one of them

[Matt B]

[weasley]

[RhynoCZ]

[Rogerborg]

[davethekwak]

[grr666]

[Waaarrrggghhh]

I literally just popped to Halfrauds today to get the same thing for £10.

It looked like a gooey version of IrnBru as well, rather than actual oil.

engine runs smooth as butter though now.

[Matt B]

[Northern Monkey]

[Pigeon]

[RhynoCZ]

You could try the engine flush, to clean the insides of your engine, but the rings or rich mixture would be the most probable cause. I bet you've seen carbon deposits, in you life, that stuff is somehow (around the rings) getting to oil, contaminating it. That is also why you have a crank case breather. I think you English call it ''blow back/by'', when the combustion gets passed the rings to the crank. Not having a breather would result in a explosion.

Being a V2, I bet the rear cylinder runs richer mixture, to keep it cool.

EDIT: Dark oil is nothing to worry about. It's not like you get a lot of blow back/by (talking about worn rings). It's just years of use and carbon deposits lying somewhere in your engine. The engine flush could help.

EDIT: If you poured in water (please don't), it would turn black as well.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[Pigeon]

[M.C]

[thosoneill]

[thosoneill]

[Ed Case]

I use Home Bargains 10w/40 semi synth in my old 250RS on the principal that whatever oil I do use has to be much better than virtually any oil supplied 35 years ago. All cheapo oil is supplied and packaged by major producers for any number of retailers who flog it with small profit margins relying on quantity selling. Read the 'spec', if it agrees with your bike manufacturer's recommendations use it no matter how inexpensive. Lotta bullshit about oil.

[Rogerborg]

[Petemate]

[tom_e]