synthetic oil ? | GTAMotorcycle.com

synthetic oil ?

cantello

Member
I'm about to do my 1st oil change on my v-star 1100, was just wondering what people prefer in relation to regular oil or synthetic and why
 
Is this the bike's first oil change as well, or just your first on the oil change?
I think you don't want to break in on synthetic...
 
i wouldn't put synthetic in 'till 5-10k km on a new bike , surfaces(pistons-sleeves) won't mate properly/as well with synth
 
There is no technical reason in the world not to use synthetics from the first moment your bike engine turns over. Synthetic is not any more slippery than normal oil and the parts off your engine will break in just fine with it.

Go ahead and use whatever oil relates to the viscosity your engine needs, just don''t use an "energy saving" oil if your engine has a clutch that runs in the oil.


Oil threads tend to go downhill very quickly and the truth is it has all been said before.

If this thread goes the way I think it will (debate over which brand of oil is better or worse) then I'll probably close it tomorrow or merge it with an existing thread in the technical area.

..Tom
 
What does the manufacturer say? My new bike is synthetic only as outlined in the manuals, and recommended by the techs as well.
 
As long as it specs to the manufacture's recommendations and you change it within the proper intervals, pick a brand or color bottle that you think is best and change it out.

Syn is generally regarded as better than dino. As for which brand, that is a can of worms you can find with a search or two of the forum.

V Twin cruiser folks tend to swear by Mobil 1 and Amsoil (but at $14.99 to $20 per litre I'll pass thanks) or their recommended brand from the dealer/manufacturer.

I'd be a little more picky if I was racing (ya right) on the weekends but, since it's recreational use and don't put too much demand on the engine, I stay middle of the road in terms of price and brand.
 
Synthetic is better, but super expensive.
If you expect to keep the bike forever, i guess you could splurge.

Semi synthetic is a good choice, not too expensive, offers the same qualities.
I use it.

You could continue using regular oil, as long as you keep it clean.

The only exceptions would be Synthetic specific vehicles.
 
I found on my old bike ('92 EX500) that regular oil would last about 2000-2500kms before shifting would get very notchy and vague. I switched to Rotella synth and I could easily hit 5000kms without any shifting issues.

Does it mean someone can go twice as far with synth than regular oil? Probably not, but I think it proves synth oil definately keeps its lubricating properties longer than regular oil.
 
I ride similar bike to yours, except smaller (650), and I did notice it shifts better with synthetic. Just like the other comment said - make sure it's not "energy conserving" - I've put that thing once and couldn't shift into neutral, unless the bike was rolling...
 
Why??? Normal mineral oil is formulated to to meet heat, wear and emission requirements for your bike. As long as you change the oil at recommended intervals, use the correct grade, AND change the oil filter, synthetic is not required.
Oil companies love the over protective wanna be techies who spent all the money on expensive unnecessary oils.
 
ride on what is in for 5-6k then switch to full synthetic. Only respect the SAE number
10-40 or 20-50 which ever is in your specs.

You would not believe the difference in smoothness and operation, especially gear-box and shifting. If you ask your dealer the will tell you to use what is prescribed exactly by the User manual, of course.
But this is noit the case as long as you go by SAE number.
 
mineral oil is just fine especially if it is a high grade like kendal ect... change at intervals new filter ect... but synthetic if you have a clunky gearbox does make a big difference. smooths out alot of the harshness.
 
went with the synthetic on this oil change, was well worth the money spent. This is my 1st bike that I'm running the synthetic in and really noticed the difference, thanks everyone
 
I have a 2001 Vstar 1100 and I use EPX 10W-40 sem-synthetic for years. Never a problem.
 
They don't make a 50W synthetic...So I'm out
 
I would run synthetic all the way. On your vstar the exhaust must be removed to change the oil. You can run an amsoil oil and filter at a 10000km change interval on that bike. The money that you spend on oil will be saved on labour.
 
I would run synthetic all the way. On your vstar the exhaust must be removed to change the oil. You can run an amsoil oil and filter at a 10000km change interval on that bike. The money that you spend on oil will be saved on labour.
Having to do this for an oil change would be enough for me to use synthetic just to stretch out the oil change intervals.
 
So I'm confused. In my MINI I use synthetic (of course because it is recommended) and the oil changes are required every 12months or 25'000km. Personally that 25'000 freaks me out, so I change every 10'000 which actually is about a year for me. So the fact that you can basically go more than twice as far with synthetic, why do people say it's a waste of money? I buy 5L of Mobil1 for about 70$, wouldn't 5L of dino oil cost about half that, and therefore would be about the same price considering the synthetic goes at least twice as far.
 

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