Rocket engine oil

[scot in exile]

20/50 10/40 15/50 which ever is on sale

 

[Fingers]

Imho using 20-50 helps to shift smoother

 

[Steel]

I remember reading that once, but had forgotten about it. I'll look into it. How long have you been using that oil?

Since September.

So doing wheelies is bad for the engine? How about once in awhile?

Depends on how high, and the duration of the wheelie. Apparently the return line is in the front of the oil tank, so you can imagine once the bike is upright how it would be hard for the pump to get oil for the engine.

 

[mully95]

Well that sucks

 

[Joseph James]

Thanks everyone!

 

[blip]

Thanks everyone!

I often wondered about this too. 20w 50 for the high intensity use or 10w 40 so the engine is well lubricated soon after startup (and because I live in Canada) .....

So yesterday I stumbled upon a full synthetic 10w50 from ipone at my local shop. I figure this might be the best of both worlds.
FULL POWER KATANA 10W50

Before I go and change the oil on the bike I was wondering if any of the Guru's around here have any experience or thoughts on this oil.

It meets the JASO MA and API SH standards that our manual recommends. Will this work well? stack up against amsoil or not? Can I push oil changes a little longer than stock (like you can with amsoil).

Cheers

 

[Buck-off]

Harleys use heavy oil because their clearances demand volume not pressure to float the crank and do all the other nice things oil does. Japanese engineered their engines to tighter tolerances, and you need higher pressures to squeeze oil into those spaces. A thinner viscosity makes that possible. I reckon Triumph has adopted the close clearance type of engineering since they do spec a moderately weighted oil. But I do think they will recommend up to 15w50 for severe service. I suppose southern Florida and indeed the entire far South could qualify there. I don't think 10w40 would be a problem in those extremes since we are water cooled, and that keeps everything hopefully to a happy medium stress wise.

Harley recommends 20/50 because it’s air cooled not because it has larger tolerance. That’s not an accurate statement.

 

[atlsrt44]

20/50 10/40 15/50 which ever is on sale

How about olive oil? That's what I put in mine

 

[Gregger]

Gents. My recommendation for what it's worth. Use any motorcycle specific full synthetic oil whether it be 5W-40, 10W-40, 15W-40 or 20W-50 etc etc depending on the ambient temp and riding mode you enjoy. Hot weather, 20W-50. Very cold, 5 or 10W-40 (Canada). Full synthetic.... yes simply because the viscosity doesn't break down in our engines as quickly as semi or non synthetic.

If you want to use non synthetic to save a buck, be ready to change your oil more often because that 20W-50 will rapidly become a 20W-20 as the viscosity is chopped up by the transmission gears.

Remember, simply put, the first set of numbers represents the viscosity of the oil in winter. That's what the W stands for. 5W-30 is thinner than 10W-30 at 0C. and will allow for easier starts in very cold weather. So, if you are regularly starting your vehicle in very cold weather, go thinner on the first set. The opposite is true. That's why Triumph gives a range. 10W-40 or 15W-50. I run 10W-40 Amsoil/Mobile or 5W-40 Shell Rotella T6 full synthetic in Canada (depends on what's cheapest)

The second set of numbers represents the viscosity of the oil once warmed to operation temp. 100C. Lower numbers represent a thinner oil. Use a higher number for severe use (high ambiant temps, pulling a trailer, sustained high speeds etc).

 

[Gregger]

Concerning Harley engines or any air cooled engine for that matter, a higher viscosity is usually recommended because the engines run considerably hotter at slow speeds causing the oil to become even thinner resulting in potential lubrication breakdown. Water cooled engines can run a thinner grade simply because they maintain a more constant engine temp through water cooling.