Do you use full or part-synthetic oil?

[droog]

Just out of interest - do you guys shell out more for the extra benefits of full-synthetic bike engine oil or are you happy with part-synthetic?

Also - do brand new higher-spec/higher-value bikes specify full synthetic oil in the service manual? My bikes have all been 20 years old - would be interested to know if newer engines demand higher spec oil than in the past.

Cheers.

[Islander]

I use Comma Eurolite which is a semi-synthetic. I've never had a problem with it TBH.

[droog]

[blurredman]

To be fair, I do use 10w40 semi MA2 on my bike when the 'oil change' occurs.

But the bike burns so much, that between the oil changes I top up the burnt oil with 20w50 mineral in the summer, and 15w40 mineral in the winter only because that's what I have. Basically whatever is cheap and on offer I buy. £3 for 2litre here, £10 for 5litres there.. When there's a deal, I buy it and bulk up.

At a pint burnt every 3 to 4 hundred miles, cheap is the way to go for me!


The other bikes use transmission oil so they're not much of a bother for annual changing.
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S.
Current: 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (bored to 295cc) - 38k, 1990 MZ ETZ251 - 49k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 9k, 1972 MZ ES250/2 - 17k.

[droog]

[arry]

[c_dug]

[redeem ouzzer]

For four strokes I use whatever semi synth happens to be on offer.

This includes in my GSXR400 race bike which revs to 15500 rpm.
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Be a REAL MAN!

[arry]

[xX-Alex-Xx]

Usually aim for full synth, but have no issue with semi. It's changed every 3-4k anyway so not like I need it to last forever.
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DILLIGAF

[droog]

[MCN]

OEM recommended Synthetic.

Specifically Castrol Power 1 Racing 5w 40.

Both bikes get it.

OEM had Since changed allegiance to another Brand. The other brand is now the best oil to use in your Beemr. Whankirs.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Tdibs]

Shell did (might still) have a full synth 4L that was only 2-3£ more than their semi offering so whenever the price is good, full synth.
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Previous : 09 Vanvan 125| 02' Sv650s || Current: 1999 Xj600n | 1992 DR650 RSE | 2005 Fazer 1000

[Fisty]

[Nobby the Bastard]

Depends on the bike and what the manufacturer recommends.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[to v or not to v]

i use what Yamaha recommends, 10w40 semi.
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
its old and fat, but its a damned good ride. the bikes not bad either.

[Fizzer Thou]

Been using specified by the factory fully synthetic in the KTM since I bought it.The clutch plates are holding out well despite several enduros,H&H races and lots of green laning in between.

Oil is cheap as against an engine rebuild,so I tend to change the oil every 1000 miles.
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Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[Simon13245]

In my NSR I use full synthetic, it's just better in every way. The same with my car. It's a little more expensive option but I want my engine to last as long as it can.

Quality oil filter is also an important thing. In my car for example (Ford) cheaper oil filters weigh less and have less dense filtering material than the OEM ones.
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Honda NSR 125R (1999)

[ThatDippyTwat]

Viffers and 125's are not fussy.
Cheap JASO MA2 10W40 semi synth. Usually Westway. Changing it regularly (4K on Viffer, 2K on 125) is fairly cheap and decent insurance, and happily is about 5L in volume.
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'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[JackButler]

Jack has enjoyed very many pints of real ale with John Rowland of Silkolene fame.

John's claim to fame is inventing oil, or at least re-inventing it. Interestingly, for very many years & despite what it said on the fairings & bodywork, almost every top flight race team used Silkolene products !

If you want the truth about lubricating oil then seek out one of the few interviews John has done with germalists that lasted longer than 2mins.

They are out there.

Whatever you do, don;t ask John "so, what oil should I use".
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I clean my guns with the tears of the snivelling, left wing scum.

[wr6133]

I use whatever I have on the shelf. That depends on what I spot cheap. Sometimes that's fancy branded synth sometimes it's pikey brand semi. Currently got huge amounts of vavoline in semi and synth from when Halfords were doing it mega cheap.

I did 60k+ miles on an old ZZR using home bargains cheapest so I don't think being fussy on oil actually matters.

[arry]

[arry]

[Zen Dog]

[weasley]

In truth very few OEMs demand "synthetic" or "semi-synthetic" or whatever - they usually ask for a viscosity grade (eg 10W-40, 15W-50 etc) and a performance specification (API SH, JASO MA etc). It is up to the oil companies to come up with whatever formulation will hit the specification's test limits and this includes what type of base oil/s is/are used. The use of base oil descriptors is also somewhat subjective and not defined in any specification or other protocols so is best considered to be interesting information, but I wouldn't use it as a primary selection criterion.

To answer the question, I use a full-synthetic oil in mine because to get a 10W-50 with the performance needed that's what it takes; my bike runs hot, hence the need for a higher viscosity (some run 10W-60 in them). In my previous bike I used a 10W-40 which happened to be semi-synthetic.

As for how the base oil affects the engine's running - any noticeable effect will not strictly be because of the base oil type (eg synthetic vs semi) but will be because of the viscosity and therefore oil film thickness of the oil at a given temperature. Fully-synthetic oils tend to have a higher viscosity index (VI), meaning their viscosity changes less with temperature compared to a semi. The SAE viscosity grades are essentially determined at 100°C - so at this temperature you can expect any oil that is 10W-40 to be approximately the same viscosity. However if you get hotter than 100°C a synthetic oil will tend to be thicker than a semi; go cooler and it will be thinner than the semi. These differences may be enough to notice, particularly on viscosity-sensitive engines.

What a synthetic oil does offer over a semi is better cold flow, better high temperature oil films, reduced oxidation hence longer oil life and reduced volatility. This comes at a cost though, to your wallet - synthetic base oils are more expensive than mineral base oils (I mention mineral base oils because that's what a semi-synthetic oil contains, a mix of some synthetic and some mineral).

Where a choice between semi or fully synthetic exists (eg at 10W-40 there are plenty of options) it comes down to use - the fully-synthetic oils will be targeted at high performance use (track days for example) because of the VI benefit and thermal resistance I mentioned before.
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Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE