Contact Overland Solutions for all your custom modifications and setup for overland travel.               Discover the extraordinary with Compass Expeditions.

Go Back   The HUBB > Technical, Bike forums > Tech
Mineral vs Synthetic oil Mineral vs Synthetic oil
Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Tech ALL bikes: "Generic" tech questions and answers. Maintenance, general discussions etc.
With more than 58 destinations worldwide, Edelweiss Bike Travel is Number 1 in guided motorcycle tours!
Reply
Page 3 of 3 1 2 3
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #31  
Old 30 Oct 2009
colebatch's Avatar
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: London
Posts: 1,106
I have the same 650cc rotax engine in my X-Challenge (and same clutch) and use ONLY full synthetic oil. (have done since the 10,000km mark)

As long as you use a motorcycle specific synthetic oil rather than a car synthetic oil, you will not get any clutch slip. A motorcycle synthetic oil is, after all, specifically designed for wet clutches!

The BMW manual says only that they do not recommend synth oils ONLY for the first 10,000k. I now have 50,000k on my engine, had it pulled apart a couple of weeks ago to check the head, and the mechanics actually asked me if it was a new cylinder. After 50,000k it still had that factory honed look.

For whats its worth, I took the advice of an excellent bike mechanic and use only Motul 300V (double ester) ... its expensive (10 quid a litre in the UK), but you have a several thousand dollar investment and you pour thousands more of dollars of fuel into it over its lifetime. There is only one thing that protects it from wear all its life, and that is the oil. Spend a couple more bux and get a good oil.

Oilman ... is this your site?

Motul 300 V 4T Factory Line 10W-40 Racing lubricant for race bikes 100% Synthetic – Double Ester

If so, I shall be buying form you in the near future.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertrand View Post
Depends on what type of clutch you have- dry or wet -
My Dakar has a multi-disc oil-bath clutch, mechanically operated and I use Silkolene semi-synth whereas the R1200GS has a single plate dry clutch hydraulically operated- I use a Castrol fully synthetic in that.

It is the additives in some of the fully synthetic oils that can cause wet clutch bikes to slip. I do not know what type of clutch the Africa Twin has.
__________________
......
Sibirsky Extreme DVD available here
Reply With Quote
  #32  
Old 30 Oct 2009
HUBB Advertiser
HUBB regular
  
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Cornwall, England
Posts: 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by colebatch View Post
I have the same 650cc rotax engine in my X-Challenge (and same clutch) and use ONLY full synthetic oil. (have done since the 10,000km mark)

As long as you use a motorcycle specific synthetic oil rather than a car synthetic oil, you will not get any clutch slip. A motorcycle synthetic oil is, after all, specifically designed for wet clutches!

The BMW manual says only that they do not recommend synth oils ONLY for the first 10,000k. I now have 50,000k on my engine, had it pulled apart a couple of weeks ago to check the head, and the mechanics actually asked me if it was a new cylinder. After 50,000k it still had that factory honed look.

For whats its worth, I took the advice of an excellent bike mechanic and use only Motul 300V (double ester) ... its expensive (10 quid a litre in the UK), but you have a several thousand dollar investment and you pour thousands more of dollars of fuel into it over its lifetime. There is only one thing that protects it from wear all its life, and that is the oil. Spend a couple more bux and get a good oil.

Oilman ... is this your site?

Motul 300 V 4T Factory Line 10W-40 Racing lubricant for race bikes 100% Synthetic – Double Ester

If so, I shall be buying form you in the near future.

That's us. Good post and well put

Cheers
Guy
__________________
www.opieoils.co.uk

Horizons Unlimited members get 10% off at Opie Oils
Reply With Quote
  #33  
Old 30 Oct 2009
Ekke's Avatar
HU CanWest Meeting Organiser
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Redwood Meadows, AB, Canada
Posts: 320
Nice post Oilman.

I'm using full synthetic in my VW diesel and BMW car and have just switched over to synthetic in my R1200GS after the 10,000 km recommended by BWM. My R100GS has had nothing but dino oil in the engine and mostly synthetic in the transmission. The reason I stuck with dino oil is that I thought it would be more practical to do more frequent oil changes in developing countries where synthetic is not readily available. What would you suggest for a trans-Africa journey? Run synthetic as long as possible and then swap out to whatever is locally available, carry enough oil for a change half way down or simply run dino oil from the start, changing as often as practical?

I think we've all heard stories of synthetics causing more oil leaks in an older engine that has grown up on mineral oil. What is the current state of affairs with synthetics? Would putting synthetic in my 230,000 km R100 cause the pushrod tube seals to start leaking?
__________________
Ekke Kok

'84 R100RT 141,000 km (Dad's!)
'89 R100GS 240,000 km (and ready for another continent)
'07 R1200GS Adventure (sitting in Germany waiting to go RTW in 2012)


www.ekke-audrey.ca
Reply With Quote
  #34  
Old 30 Oct 2009
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Dreaming of travelling and riding bikes in general..
Posts: 445
I like it here..[bear with me]
This is why I like the info that comes through Horizons - people are driven by the necessity of high mileages and the inconvenience of cost. A perfect situation to find out, practically at least, what works and what doesn't.

The average annual mileage of motorcycles in the UK is something like 1 or 2 minor service intervals and model ownership is probably a couple of years. So it stands to reason that the average post about oil/observed failure on any given forum has such a biase due to low mileage experience as to render its validity entirely questionable and highly influenced by the statistical 'bathtub' curve of mechanical failure (e.g. bad day at the factory etc.) than any real difference between one motorcycle oil and another.

What do you lot think? I sense an 'elephant in the room'.
__________________
Find out details of my recently completed 2011 trip to Siberia on a lightweight dirtbike:
www.brighton2expeditions.co.uk
Reply With Quote
  #35  
Old 1 Nov 2009
HUBB Advertiser
HUBB regular
  
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Cornwall, England
Posts: 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ekke View Post
Nice post Oilman.

I'm using full synthetic in my VW diesel and BMW car and have just switched over to synthetic in my R1200GS after the 10,000 km recommended by BWM. My R100GS has had nothing but dino oil in the engine and mostly synthetic in the transmission. The reason I stuck with dino oil is that I thought it would be more practical to do more frequent oil changes in developing countries where synthetic is not readily available. What would you suggest for a trans-Africa journey? Run synthetic as long as possible and then swap out to whatever is locally available, carry enough oil for a change half way down or simply run dino oil from the start, changing as often as practical?

I think we've all heard stories of synthetics causing more oil leaks in an older engine that has grown up on mineral oil. What is the current state of affairs with synthetics? Would putting synthetic in my 230,000 km R100 cause the pushrod tube seals to start leaking?
The stories about leaking seals are based on older synthetics, not modern ones, so no need to worry about that. The only other reason for a synthetic to leak more is that if the engine has not been particularily well looked after and there is a lot of wear. If the synthetic is thinner than the mineral oil, there may be some leakage.

If you are worried about that, go for one of the hydrocracked synthetics, something like the Silkolene Comp4 or Motul 5100 as they are highly refined and modified mineral oils.

Cheers

Tim
__________________
www.opieoils.co.uk

Horizons Unlimited members get 10% off at Opie Oils
Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 3 of 3 1 2 3

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes
Linear Mode Linear Mode

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Synthetic Oil who's using it, does it make a differance? jv3 BMW Tech 9 27 Jul 2009 13:58
semi-synthetic oil in Ulaan Baator sue Northern Asia 5 12 May 2005 23:46
Synthetic sleeping bags? llanelli Equipment Reviews 4 10 Feb 2004 13:57
Sleeping Bags: Down or synthetic? Two wheels good Camping Equipment and all Clothing 6 26 Dec 2003 01:23
Synthetic oils for desert use Andrew Baker 4WD Overland Tech 9 28 Mar 2003 12:08


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 09:02.

Contact Us - Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Website - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top