Engine oil

[Neil G]

Hi all.

Once again I ned to pick the brains of more informed folks than I.

My prehistoric '87 VH Transalp has now covered 46,500 miles with the startings of some cam chain noise - not too bad but just noticeable (is it a big job?). I've been using Silkolene Comp 4 10/40 but was considering switching to a slightly more meaty grade, perhaps 15/50 given that I ride all year with a daily commute of around 35 miles total. I also change the oil & filter every 2000 miles. Any thoughts?

I changed the front fork springs just before Christmas and fitted a set of Hagon progressive springs and their supplied 10 grade oil. Made quite a difference to the old barge - feels much more "planted" at motorway speeds now and matches the Hagon shock at the rear quite well handling wise. Now that I've also found out where the damping adjust screw is and what it does.

Thanks all.

Neil.

[YEN_POWELL]

Hi all.

Once again I ned to pick the brains of more informed folks than I.

My prehistoric '87 VH Transalp has now covered 46,500 miles with the startings of some cam chain noise - not too bad but just noticeable (is it a big job?). I've been using Silkolene Comp 4 10/40 but was considering switching to a slightly more meaty grade, perhaps 15/50 given that I ride all year with a daily commute of around 35 miles total. I also change the oil & filter every 2000 miles. Any thoughts?


Neil.

Bit early for camchain noise. Are you sure one of your sparkplugs hasn't worked a little loose, the noise is very hard to trace and was responsible for me having my camchains changed at 70,000 miles when I found they were still in good condition. I got mine done at Galea Camchains near Basildon and it cost about £200

[robelst]

Are you sure it is the cam-chain and not anything else like for example a worn clutch basket? (annoying but not really serious). I believe 50k is a "typical" interval for this part, but many last (much) longer than that (120 k on my old NTV with same engine).

I would not expect much improvement by using a heavier oil. Even if you would notice a difference, it does not really solve anything it just hides it. It may also make cold starts and low-temp lubrication more difficult.

Oil changes of 2000 mls seems a bit overly generous since Honda recommends 8000. It does not hurt to do it a bit more than the recommendation but unless you only ride really short distances only (10 miles or less) it doesn't seem useful either.

[piguglyshandydrinker]

I wouldn't use the heavier oil unless the old girl is drinking the stuff.

You can chack camchain wear by removing the rocker covers and measuring how much movement is left on the tensioner, can't see there being a problem at that milage.

Have the carbs been balanced recently? As this can cause a motor to rattle/chatter a bit, particularly at low revs.

Phil