Well today I finally got around to changing the oil. I decided to use the AMSOIL 20W-50 seeing how I couldn't find any MOBIL 1 Vtwin around locally. Most of the stealerships were only carrying a blend like Spectro or whatever. I wanted to go full synthetic. After researching online it turns out the AMSOIL tested best. I took the bike for a 100 mile run today, being a perfect fall day. The bike seemed much quieter and shifted a lot better. I was much more confident taking it up to 70 on the highway than before. I'll check my gas mileage as I go along this week. In fact the engine noise is so reduced all I can hear is the stupid headlight rattling. If it aint one thing it's another. So far thumbs up on the AMSOIL but it cost me $9.50 a quart. Yeesh!

Wow.  That is a pretty powerful testimonial for synthetic oil.  Makes me want to try it.  Thanks.

Generally speaking, friction modifiers cause clutch slippage in m/cs not synthetic oil.  Then again, if your steed has some stout clutch springs compared to hp you could be ok even with friction modifiers...

I'm an Amsoil dealer, just to get discounts for myself.  With the high $ stuff that translates to about $2-3 less per quart.

barry68v10 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:


Barry, my man! Dude! Sahweeet! How bout a 3 quart sample for free gratis? Friend to the end!  

Thanks guys ... my bro and I had that conversation about synth & wet clutches when he mentioned considering becoming an AMSOIL rep ... he'll be very happy to hear y'all's take on the product when I talk to him tomorrow!

One further question 10W-40 vs 20W-50? I've always run the 10W-40 Suzuki dino juice. What are the advantages of the 20W-50 over 10W-40 (which my MOM reccomends ...)?
Thanks in advance!

Ok, here's the straight scoop with oil...
The weight ratings 10-40, 20-50 etc were created to specify how an oil reacted to temperatures with viscosity modifiers added.  In cold temps, oil would get too thick, then in hot temps the oil would be too thin, thus the multi-weight rated oil.
However, synthetics are TOTALLY different and really don't follow the same rules as dino juice.  For instance, 20-50 Amsoil synthetic has a pour point below -40 f!  That's much lower than any 10-30 dyno juice on the market!  In addition, since synthetic has MUCH higher resistance to thermal breakdown 20 weight synthetic "acts" thicker than any 50 weight dyno juice at 500 f.  So why does synthetic even have multi-ratings?

Well, one reason is for the size of the oil passages, tolerance of bearings, etc.  Where the oil rating gives the user/manufacturer an idea of how fast the oil will flow and how resistant it is to being "squeezed" out of place under pressure.  Thus, 10-40 will flow faster at a given temp than 20-50, but 20-50 will resist being squeezed out due to pressure.  Therefore, when running full synthetic oil you don't have to worry about the whole summer/winter debate.  It's best to use the grade recommended by the manufacturor unless you've made modifications.  

I'm installing an oil cooler on my bike, which suzuki didn't take into account when they spec'ed 10-40, so I'll likely run 30 wt. full synthetic year round since my oil will be cooler than the design spec under all operating conditions.  I could go on here, but I'm afraid I'm explaining how to build a watch at this point when somebody only mentioned what time it was...

Bottom line:10-40 full synthetic is MORE than sufficient for the hottest temps your Thanksgiving turkey will encounter.

Check out this white paper on oil.  A number were tested, both synthetic and conventional.  The Mobil 1 failed the gear lube test which might be where the '95 needs the most help, and is a specific weakness of Mobil 1 10-40... (foam control and acid neutralization were other relative weaknesses of Mobil 1 10-40.)

http://www.amsoil.com/lit/g2156.pdf

If you REALLY like Mobil 1, I'd recommend running 20-50 year-round...

Right on. I'm a full synthetic guy myself, but I run Royal Purple. At the time I raced tough trucks it was found to be the best by numerous independent testers, and they did right by me a lot with their sponsorship of me and what not. I still use them today, albeit due to brand loyalty. I know lots of guys that run AmsOil and RedLine and Mobil1 with similar testamonies.