Which engine oil?

[Cie]

Right, well I need to top my engine oil up, and I realise that I need 10W40, but which type? API SE?

Might as well make this into a list for the wiki too, so what oils do you use, not just for the engine, not just AT?

[africatijn]

I think SAE.

I always go for the bottles which clearly show a bike, 10W40 and 4 stroke and say "suitable for wet clutches".

Over here Halfrauds does castrol GPS and a cheaper version (GP?).

Just don't use the highest tech oil on the @, waste of money.

Gdluck,
T.

[Richie B]

Must admit, I use cheap Halfrauds stuff - but change it very often. I found that even the expensive stuff turns to black water after a few hundred miles.

[Chad]

i think this has been done before but just for the record i allways used castrol gps in the @

[Cie]

Interesting stuff.

I've been reading up about the API mark, and it's all down to the year of manufacture apparently.

SJ - Current - Introduced in the API Service Symbol in 1996. For all automotive engines presently in use.

SH - Obsolete - For model year 1996 and older engines. Valid when preceded by certain C categories.

SG - Obsolete - For model year 1993 and older engines.

SF - Obsolete - For 1988 and older engines.

SE - Obsolete - For 1979 and older engines.

SD - Obsolete - For 1971 and older engines.

So I have some Castrol GTX, API SJ, which should be just fine, even though the owners manual says SE,SF or SG.

Anyone violently disagree with that?

[Austin]

Anyone violently disagree with that?

This is what I wrote in this thread in May [http://www.xrv.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtop...=4541&start=15 ] so I think I disagree with u!!

yeah, since I wrote that last post I have looked it up. I think it was simpler in the past: 1st get the viscosity right [twenty/fifty, ten/forty etc ['scuse the long hand - key board probs], then get the API spec right and generally speaking the later the letter the better - API - SE, SF, SG etc, and generally speaking the latest spec was backward compatible with the ealier specs.

Since read though that car makers and oil makers conive and get a new spec to suit a particular engine or technolgy - turbo's being the latest culprit I think - super slippy oil that doesn't break down in high heat and pressure. Good for a turbo, bad for a wet clutch. So API-SJ not necesarily better or even compatible with API-SH, just different spec.

Also oil manufacturers go for the marketing hype - making all sorts of claims about special additives make one type better for one application than another - bike oil being a case in point.

Transalp (and I assume AT] have a quite old and low spec for Oil 1Ow/forty API-SE/SF/SG. I think this reflects that the engine was designed in the eighties and that was the oil spec back then. There's not many oils out there that don't meet this spec.

However nowt like a bit of marketing confusion to make you believeyou have buy the latest bestest to be sure you are loving your bike properly.

me, I use the cheapest semi-synthetic the local car-care sells that meets the SG spec. I Don't worry about bike specific or not as I really really think that is marketing hype. I also change at 8K miles as per honda manual.

[Maverick]

me, I use the cheapest semi-synthetic the local car-care sells that meets the SG spec. I Don't worry about bike specific or not as I really really think that is marketing hype. I also change at 8K miles as per honda manual.

I use rock oil 10w40 from the local bike shop and the cheapest I can get. Also only change oil every 8000 miles as per the Honda manual. It is a proven fact that over years cars/bikes service intervals was altered depending on the availability and prices of oil. The AT and Transalp technology certainly will not benefit from fully synthetic oil which will cost you over the odds.

[GeoBloke]

i think this has been done before but just for the record i allways used castrol gps in the @

oooh, he said "used". It's all in the past now.....

[Chad]

i think this has been done before but just for the record i allways used castrol gps in the @

oooh, he said "used". It's all in the past now.....

funny you should say that but whren i bought the GS the guy said to use gps but i will investigate further its got a dry clutch so i shouldnt have to worry about the oil=slipping situation

[Jenna]

not sure if you guys are aware a large amount of the 'cheap' oils on the market are second user, they are waist oil that has been filtered and then 'blended'.... personally I wouldn’t touch this crap with a barge pole.

The Sae is no guarantee of quality it merely is a reference on its viscosity. Stick to the top brands and if you see Comma on the label run like buggery. Tests showed that Comma 'recycled' oil was less effective than using milk!

Also remember that a full synthetic will last twice as long as a mineral oil so its actually half the price but twice the quality!!