DCSportbikes.COM

Which do you all prefer???

 I have been using regular oil but I am now thinking about using synthetic.......

 Does it help your bike run better???
 

There are alot of advantages to synthetic. A couple are lower operating temp, less frequent oil changes, and no gunking. Some people will say its not worth it because of the higher cost but less frequent changes make up for that. Also some people don't know that conventional oil takes a certain amount of time to start to work at optimal performance. Sometimes that is past 1000 miles so if you are changing your oil every 3000 miles only 2000 of those are when the oil is working at peak performance. Synthetic works at peak levels from the get go. With all that said I run it only because of the lower operating temps all the rest of it I didn't find out until later. Bonus for me.

Aboogie:

Which do you all prefer???

 I have been using regular oil but I am now thinking about using synthetic.......

 Does it help your bike run better???

 I use Motul Syn., started using it because it's what my mechanic uses and recommended. I can't personally say there was a noticeable difference, because I'm neither a professional rider nor a certified mechanic, I guess it's more a piece of mind than anything else.

$45 for oil and filter, and 30 minutes of my life isn't too bad right?

For my bike I just use reg oil. My mechanic said synthetic is great, but for my own bike it won't really make a noticeable difference ('05 SV650 12k miles).

I think it really depends on how frequently you're going to change your oil. Frequent oil changes won't necessitate synthetic oils. However, I usually change my oil after 2 track days and whatever street miles in between. I guess it's just piece of mind to have synthetic in there for the demands of riding around the track. But if you're pulling down street miles only and you're in the habit of replacing frequently, stick with the conventional oil. If you're going extended change intervals, go and use synthetic. Just make sure it works with your clutch. Some high moly oil may cause some clutches to slip.

Synthetic! Especially the latest formulations!

It has far too many advantages for me to ignore and pass over.

- More viscosities to choose from

- Better lubricity

- It doesn't acidify or breakdown as quickly.

- Longer service life

- Lower operating temp

- Gets to optimal operating temperature more quickly.

There's just far too many advantages compared to crude dino juice and it's only a few bucks more per quart. For a motorcycle especially, the increased cost is negligible. Go with synthetic every time.

I use full synthetic because that's what the manufacturer specifies mostly. But I've read the oil manufacturers hype and believe some of it, and agree with heist's post that for the little added cost, why not?

 Couple of things I've overheard and maybe the folks on here can confirm or deny.

 "once you use synthetic you can't go back to conventional" (at a delaership)

"synthetic oil leaks easier (i.e. if you have an older engine that has developed a small leak, the leak will be worse with synthetic)" (on a different forum - guy with an older bike asking if synthetic would be beneficial)

I have a hard time believing either one... Aren't the "high mileage" oils recently introduced for cars with say 75k+ synthetic blends at least?

sooperman12:

I think it really depends on how frequently you're going to change your oil. Frequent oil changes won't necessitate synthetic oils. However, I usually change my oil after 2 track days and whatever street miles in between. I guess it's just piece of mind to have synthetic in there for the demands of riding around the track. But if you're pulling down street miles only and you're in the habit of replacing frequently, stick with the conventional oil. If you're going extended change intervals, go and use synthetic. Just make sure it works with your clutch. Some high moly oil may cause some clutches to slip.

What do you mean by replacing frequently? I'm asking because at the present time I'm strictly a STREET rider, i think I put a good amount of miles on my bike, I use Motul Synthetic, and change my oil every 3k-4k miles.........am I changing it too frequently for Synthetic oil?

dbomb1050:

I use full synthetic because that's what the manufacturer specifies mostly. But I've read the oil manufacturers hype and believe some of it, and agree with heist's post that for the little added cost, why not?

 Couple of things I've overheard and maybe the folks on here can confirm or deny.

 "once you use synthetic you can't go back to conventional" (at a delaership)

"synthetic oil leaks easier (i.e. if you have an older engine that has developed a small leak, the leak will be worse with synthetic)" (on a different forum - guy with an older bike asking if synthetic would be beneficial)

I have a hard time believing either one... Aren't the "high mileage" oils recently introduced for cars with say 75k+ synthetic blends at least?

Both of these are true to a certain degree. If you use synthetic in an engine before you can go back to using conventional oil you would need to flush the engine to rid it of any synthetic in there. But think about this if synthetic oil and conventional oil could not be mixed how do they make blended oils. That is kinda wrong to say though because special additives are put into blends to keep the syn and dino from emulsifying. (sp.) 

The whole your car will leak thing has to do with when synthetics started to hit the market. People would put synthetic into a car that they had for years which by this point had gunk built up in it. The seals would be gunked and when the new synthetic would hit these seals it would clean them out really well due to the detergents in the synthetic (another good reason to run it).  Of course after the gunk that was actually acting as the seal had been removed the seals would leak, badly. This myth has been replayed many times. It is true for cars and trucks that if you have put more than 10,000 miles on it that you should stick with conventional oil. Also for your bike you may want to run it through a couple oil changes before you switch to synthetic.

I run convetional oil in my truck because it was to late to switch. But I will run synthetic in all my vehicles from now on.

 

robby23rd:

sooperman12:

I think it really depends on how frequently you're going to change your oil. Frequent oil changes won't necessitate synthetic oils. However, I usually change my oil after 2 track days and whatever street miles in between. I guess it's just piece of mind to have synthetic in there for the demands of riding around the track. But if you're pulling down street miles only and you're in the habit of replacing frequently, stick with the conventional oil. If you're going extended change intervals, go and use synthetic. Just make sure it works with your clutch. Some high moly oil may cause some clutches to slip.

What do you mean by replacing frequently? I'm asking because at the present time I'm strictly a STREET rider, i think I put a good amount of miles on my bike, I use Motul Synthetic, and change my oil every 3k-4k miles.........am I changing it too frequently for Synthetic oil?

The average synthetic can handle up tp 8,000 miles before the next change.

NucleaRR:

robby23rd:

sooperman12:

I think it really depends on how frequently you're going to change your oil. Frequent oil changes won't necessitate synthetic oils. However, I usually change my oil after 2 track days and whatever street miles in between. I guess it's just piece of mind to have synthetic in there for the demands of riding around the track. But if you're pulling down street miles only and you're in the habit of replacing frequently, stick with the conventional oil. If you're going extended change intervals, go and use synthetic. Just make sure it works with your clutch. Some high moly oil may cause some clutches to slip.

What do you mean by replacing frequently? I'm asking because at the present time I'm strictly a STREET rider, i think I put a good amount of miles on my bike, I use Motul Synthetic, and change my oil every 3k-4k miles.........am I changing it too frequently for Synthetic oil?

The average synthetic can handle up tp 8,000 miles before the next change.

Thanks for the info!!!

I get less mis-shifts with full synth.

A.

NucleaRR:

dbomb1050:

I use full synthetic because that's what the manufacturer specifies mostly. But I've read the oil manufacturers hype and believe some of it, and agree with heist's post that for the little added cost, why not?

 Couple of things I've overheard and maybe the folks on here can confirm or deny.

 "once you use synthetic you can't go back to conventional" (at a delaership)

"synthetic oil leaks easier (i.e. if you have an older engine that has developed a small leak, the leak will be worse with synthetic)" (on a different forum - guy with an older bike asking if synthetic would be beneficial)

I have a hard time believing either one... Aren't the "high mileage" oils recently introduced for cars with say 75k+ synthetic blends at least?

Both of these are true to a certain degree. If you use synthetic in an engine before you can go back to using conventional oil you would need to flush the engine to rid it of any synthetic in there. But think about this if synthetic oil and conventional oil could not be mixed how do they make blended oils. That is kinda wrong to say though because special additives are put into blends to keep the syn and dino from emulsifying. (sp.) 

The whole your car will leak thing has to do with when synthetics started to hit the market. People would put synthetic into a car that they had for years which by this point had gunk built up in it. The seals would be gunked and when the new synthetic would hit these seals it would clean them out really well due to the detergents in the synthetic (another good reason to run it).  Of course after the gunk that was actually acting as the seal had been removed the seals would leak, badly. This myth has been replayed many times. It is true for cars and trucks that if you have put more than 10,000 miles on it that you should stick with conventional oil. Also for your bike you may want to run it through a couple oil changes before you switch to synthetic.

I run convetional oil in my truck because it was to late to switch. But I will run synthetic in all my vehicles from now on.

 

 

 

My bike has 18,500 on it.......  Is it 2 late for me to switch to synthetic........... 

there are more opinions on this than there are azzholes in this world.

i have yet to hear about an oil-related failure...unless there was too little oil, or too much.

the only oil that is BAD to use is oil of the wrong viscosity, and oil that is marked "energy conserving" and/or that has molybdenum in it...friction modifiers will have your clutch slipping.

i use rotella T syn 5w40...it's a dino oil that is labeled synthetic due to having as good or better properties (viscosity/detergents/temperature handling) as the real synthetics.  it has NO MOLY and packs way more detergents, buffers, and viscosity maintaining compounds than pretty much anything out there.  i'll use the 15w40 rotella T in the summer if my change intervals have me doing the next oil change when it's still warm out (likely not this year.)

it's also cheap at $17/gallon...and it goes in my cage too...so much easier to buy oil...one stop shopping.  neither vehicle complains...the cage has over 200K miles...the bike is at 14,500 and still running strong, no leaks, no oil consumption.

googs

going back and forth between synthetic and dino is ok in my book...never had a problem.

when you compare price/performance...a good diesel dino kicks azz. just think about the vehicles the stuff is meant for...million-miles and they're just broken in.

googs

use the semi -synethic... get the best of both worlds I guess...I use the reposl semi synthetic, and it seems to work great...not to say I ever had any issues with regular oil either...but a shop guy said he runs it in all his bikes, so I started using it when I didn't feel like driving to another shop one day...lol...but whatever..I think the engineers design the bikes to run on reg oil, so it can't be too bad...just my 2 cents

I've learned not to give my opinion anymore on .com

Carry on. LOL

 

I need a vacation BAD!  Everytime I see Synthetic I think of Symantec Anti-Virus,Corporate Edition.

umm.. I would NOT, I repeat NOT switch back and forth or you are asking for a cr@pload of trouble...

 While most of what I have seen here is more or less accurate - I haven't seen anyone mention gaskets... One of the other reasons to use reg oil for the break in - is to swell the gaskets that are inbetween your motors componets.. Synthetic has detergents in it and isn't soaked by your gaskets during breakin as much as reg oil. After the gaskets are seeted properly - good and solid - switching to synthetic can help you from blowing a gasket - as it will keep them wet - but won't continue to soak into the way regular oil does.. If you switch back and forth - the gaskets will continue to swell with reg oil and can retract if you go back to synthetic. Switch it up enough time and you can wind up with a lotta little leaks....  

If you are running synthetic and find yourself in need of oil - it's better to add reg than run it light - but I would change it right away. .Since the KTM require full synth - I carry it with me most times... When I had street bike - I ran the semi sythetic and changed my oil at the 4k mark - This way if I was out on a trip - I could find something that would do me untill I got home with little to no impact..

PR4YME:

I need a vacation BAD!  Everytime I see Synthetic I think of Symantec Anti-Virus,Corporate Edition.

hahahaha don't even get me started on that ish

thankfully, the rotella 5w40 is "synthetic" in name only.

it has "synthetic" properties when it comes to burn temps, viscosity retention...but it is made from a base of dino oil.

googs