SuzukiSavage.com - Anyone use car oil in their bike ?

yamawho

Ex Member

Anyone use car oil in their bike ?
06/15/05 at 15:40:43

I always revisit this when I get a new bike.

For the past year I was using Mobil 1 15W50 in my Savage. Just wondering if you all use motorcycle oil or if some of you use car oil. I have posted links that discuss this issue and in most cases car oil was found to be just as good or better than motorcycle oil and costs much less.

Came across more info ...

http://www.suzukicavalcade.com/Maintenance/oil_test.htm

http://www.yft.org/tex_vfr/tech/oil.htm

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html

Anyone have some input on this ?

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short round Junior Member 2005 No Login Offline Posts: 88 mid Missouri Gender:	Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ? Reply #1 - 06/15/05 at 16:10:48 I use Pennzoil 10w40 in winter, 20w50 in summer. This has been discussed before, you might do a search for the prior threads.
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yamawho

Ex Member

Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ?
Reply #2 - 06/15/05 at 17:09:38

Well, I think I found proof ... leave it to BMW.
They used a Rotrode Filter Spectroscopy for their investigations.

Mobil 1 motorcycle oil: is it worth buying? The viscosity of this bike oil has been changed from Mobil 1's standard 15W-50 to 20W-50. This just happens to be what Harley specs for their bikes. If you smell a marketing ploy here, you may want to trust your nose. The additive package appears the same amongst all the 50 weight Mobil 1 oils.

http://www.ibmwr.org/otech/oilreport.html

This is a must read !

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WD Serious Thumper 2005 No Login Offline Professional "scooter trash". Posts: 5207 Rosemark TN Gender:	Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ? Reply #3 - 06/15/05 at 17:23:34 Good old Wal-mart sourced red-top Castrol GTX 20W50 car oil year round. $1.94 a quart versus $11 for motorcycle 20W50. Works fine. Read the filter box sometime if you want a good laugh...Suzuki says change filter every other oil change...filter is rated for 1500 miles... -WD
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bobo383 Serious Thumper 2004 No Login Offline Neck=Red Posts: 516 Arlington, TX Gender:	Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ? Reply #4 - 06/15/05 at 17:29:22 50wt car oil in the Savage, Castrol or Valvoline, whatever is available, year'round in Texas. Any lower viscosity makes the clutch slip.
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yamawho

Ex Member

Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ?
Reply #5 - 06/15/05 at 17:48:35

WD wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:06:

Good old Wal-mart sourced red-top Castrol GTX 20W50 car oil year round. $1.94 a quart versus $11 for motorcycle 20W50. Works fine. Read the filter box sometime if you want a good laugh...Suzuki says change filter every other oil change...filter is rated for 1500 miles... Angry

-WD

Mobil 1 red top or Castrol ?

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shawn_b Ex Member	Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ? Reply #6 - 06/15/05 at 17:52:27 i use castrol 10/40 clutch never slips that i know of auto zone has it for 1.77 hear in ohio shawn
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WD Serious Thumper 2005 No Login Offline Professional "scooter trash". Posts: 5207 Rosemark TN Gender:	Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ? Reply #7 - 06/15/05 at 17:54:17 Castrol!!! Mobil 1 has killed more than one of my engines... Wouldn't use it again if they payed me to. -WD
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bobo383 Serious Thumper 2004 No Login Offline Neck=Red Posts: 516 Arlington, TX Gender:	Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ? Reply #8 - 06/15/05 at 18:20:16 Last I priced Mobil1, it was near twice the price of Castrol/Valvoline/Penzz. That eliminates it for me.
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WD

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trash".

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Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ?
Reply #9 - 06/15/05 at 18:38:13

Castrol is less than 2 bucks a quart. Mobil 1 is over 7 bucks a quart. You pay 3 times more and change for a product you shouldn't run in older engines. The last batch I used was 94 CENTS a quart Wal-mart house brand. It works, any oil in pinch.
-WD

Regardless of the CDI system, the Savage is considered an older engine...air cooled, old style you adjust valves, 19-teens clutch design (Indian used this type on a couple of circa 1916 models), even belt drive was turn of the 20th century technology. Hmm, wonder if I can dump the CDI and go back to points... ???

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yamawho Ex Member	Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ? Reply #10 - 06/15/05 at 19:36:41 What about in a new sport bike ?
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bentwheel

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Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ?
Reply #11 - 06/15/05 at 22:42:41

Thanks for posting those oil links, Yamawho. I have read a couple of those reports in the past and realize some are dated so I want to update others on the claim that all 20W50 oils are not energy conserving oils so are safe for motorcycle use. This is no longer so, meaning one should closely check the container because I have spotted two out of five brands I recently checked and found that 20W50 viscosity does indeed come as energy conserving (not a good thing). If memory serves me correctly, Castrol GTX is now on the endangered list.
It was interesting to learn 20W50 is more stable than 10W40 by way of requiring fewer(of the vulnerable) V11 molecules. 10W40 should be avoided because it containes a lot of V11's which tend to shear in our transmissions. Combined with Dr. John Woolums' assertion that petroleum oils lost significant amounts of viscosity by 1,500 miles it seems 10W30 oils cannot be safely used in motorcycles beyond 1,500 miles.
The statement that air cooled engines are the most vulnerable hits home with us Savage owners and I got a chuckle about the 750 Commando with group 1 oil not lasting 75 miles in 100 degree heat.
For those not interested in reading your posted links allow me to summerize and make know the various authors reccommendation that the best viscosity for the Savage is 20W50 in the summer and buy a quality oil. If you want the best, buy synthetic.

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Bentwheel FSO
2006 Suzuki 650 V-Strom
1977 Yamaha XS360
1972 Honda CL175

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Oklahoma_Mike

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Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ?
Reply #12 - 06/16/05 at 00:32:27

WD wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:06:

Good old Wal-mart sourced red-top Castrol GTX 20W50 car oil year round. $1.94 a quart versus $11 for motorcycle 20W50. Works fine. Read the filter box sometime if you want a good laugh...Suzuki says change filter every other oil change...filter is rated for 1500 miles... Angry

-WD

I had Suzuki 10W40 in my bike and put Castorol GTX 20W50 in it today following WD recommendation before going to work. Road it in and back 45 total miles the motor has never been smoother the trans has never shifted better. It was like night and day.We'll see from here how it does. 8)

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bobo383 Serious Thumper 2004 No Login Offline Neck=Red Posts: 516 Arlington, TX Gender:	Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ? Reply #13 - 06/16/05 at 14:31:28 A few months ago, WD saved me the cost of a clutch with that 50wt suggestion.
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short round

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mid Missouri
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Re: Anyone use car oil in their bike ?
Reply #14 - 06/16/05 at 20:16:19

Do you all think the 20w50 would work okay in winter temperatures, say as low as the teens? Seriously, I ride year round here in south Missouri, just bundle up in warm clothes (mountaineering type) and with the windshield it's do-able. I do get a lot of strange looks but that's part of the fun, ha ha!!! I suppose some extra warm up time should be allowed but I always start out slow and easy anyway. I've been using 10w40 in winter, 20w50 in summer.

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Ron
South Central Missouri

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