Wow, amazing how often this subject comes up...so here's my .02...

The PO of my bike always took it to the stealership for service so for 9k miles the engine had never seen anything but dino oil and Denso filters. After doing lots of research, reading, cursing and discussing, I switched to Mobil 1 20w50 V-Twin and a Purolator Pure One filter. Wow, what a difference, the engine quietened down a lot and it's running about 10-15'degf cooler based on my infrared thermometer.

It cost me about $9 per qt. and $6 for the filter. At least for me, it was the right choice as my bike responded very well. As others have mentioned, I'd rather ride knowing I've got one less thing to worry about and that I've done a little extra to take care of my baby along the way.

Oil ain't just oil anymore, technology has changed the game. You decide what you want to do and do it.

tommyt wrote:
I just cannot see spending $8-11 per quart for Amsoil then $16.00 for a filter when you can get regular Motorcycle Oil for $3.99 per qt and a filter for $6. I am not a tightwad but I just cannot see why..... anyone explain that to me???
tt

I'm with Tommy on this one. Conventional oil and keep it clean!! In 25 years of owning motorcycles I've never used anything but Castrol 20W50 (not even "motorcycle specific" oil) and have never had any problems. I maintain my own bikes and make sure the oil and filters are changed every 3,000 miles. Someone mentioned the time-saving aspect of using synthetic oil because you don't have to change it as often.... Well, since I can do a complete oil/filter change in 30-45 minutes, I can't justify spending three times as much (or whatever it is) for synthetic oil just so I can go to changing it every 6,000 miles.

This may be comparing apples to oranges, but I found it interesting. When I asked an auto mechanic friend of mine about using synthetic oil he told me that the biggest mistake people make with their cars/trucks that are running synthetic oils is that they don't get the oil changed often enough. He said that synthetic oil doesn't break down as quickly as conventional oil, but just because it says you can double or triple the change interval, you shouldn't go more than about 1 1/2 times over the normal change interval regardless of what the oil manufacturerer says.


Like Musky said; Find what works and stay with it... This is one of those never-ending debates that I'm sure will come back around in another 3-6 months.

In The Wind,
Aaron