OK,  John C  --   I'll get rid of the Bill mouse and give you the 3 cent straight answer.

Our Savage motorcycle uses a 1970-80's era antique flat tappet split rocker system to actuate the valves.  

Modern oils, motorcycle and car oils, are now formulated for catalytic converter equipped, roller tappet actuated, fuel injected engine systems --
Oil in general no longer has the levels of ZDDP necessary to support your 1987 designed Suzuki Savage.   It can't, the EPA and CAFE regulations no longer permit it.

There is still debate as to the true minimum needed ZDDP level for getting the best life out of the antique Savage cam and split fork rocker tappet system.  The current debated number is somewhere between 1,200 and 1,850 ppm of ZDDP with only the lesser number being available locally in a oil product without requiring the use of a mail order ZDDP booster (or a mail order oil).   Most of us boost the Rotella products as that is the least cost way to get up to the higher ZDDP levels.  Rotella is the only "affordable"  JASO MA oil that still hits 1,200 ppm right out of the bottle.

The key thing here is for you to use the recommended high ZDDP oils (and a ZDDP booster as you likely do need it) as all of the currently bottled locally available "motorcycle oils" have abandoned the old Savage engine and are now formulated to meet the needs of modern catalytic converter equipped fuel injected motorcycles.  

As far as your question thread turning into an oil war, it is no reflection on you.  All oil questions turn into oil wars -- 'ol Bill makes sure of it.  Normally we do oil wars on the churned turf of a WW1 fixed trench battlefield, but this time (since Bill was flat out fishing for responses) we took a fishing motif for this one.

The mouse was Bill, struggling to answer all them little fishies that he had called up on purpose.

But I can see how you could personalize it, seeing that you had no idea what sort of chaos that could come from your innocent question.   But remember,  it wasn't you in the water, it was Billum.

And, this was a nicer kinder oil war BTW -- no flame throwers nor nuclear weapons were used as was done in times past.


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And for those who have lingering doubts about the one legged guy in the float chair, do you have any idea at all how DURN BIG them little swarming toothy fishies can get once they get 10 or more years of age on them while living in a larger river?

Scary, ain't it?

This is the swarming red belly pirana "all growed up" at 10-15 years old  .....


..... and this is it's deep river cousin, the tiger fish
(which just keeps on growing and getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger)

 
Bill, do you remember what the last guy who went to a Suzuki dealership and asked them about a ZDDP rich oil got told?

"Huh?"

Suzuki brand oil is a 800 ppm SM car oil, currently rated at MA2 (good for catalytic converter equipped bikes, but not any good for the split rocker flat tappet Savage).


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Dude, you are also voting +1 and +2 at the same time on your own comment.     This is sorta cheat'n ain't it -- especially since there was only one white mouse and he isn't around any more to do any voting.  

Or are you voting once for each of the major mouse pieces?   If so, you can wait a day and vote lots & lots more times.        

I would use suzuki oil before a oil developed for a diesel engine depending on the fuel to help lubricate the engine,Its just common sense.

I went to Wal Mart today,Went up to the automobile counter ask if they had motorcycle oil,they said no they used to but there wasn't enough demand for it.Went over and looked at the oil,And guess what they had OF's diesel oils. .I didn't tell them I new of a guy that used that in motorcycles,Didn't want them to laugh  at me and think I was dumber than I look.

rfw2003 wrote on 09/07/12 at 16:32:12:

Look up Shell
diesel oil see what you come up with,Look up shell motorcycle oil see what you come up with. That OK, Klotz has motorcycle oil and they have diesel oil too.

rfw2003 wrote on 09/07/12 at 16:32:12:

If it weren't for this, no would talk to bill, so...

Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 09/07/12 at 17:54:10:

I looked up your walmart motorcycle oil they showed motorcycle oil then a diesel oil5w/30w rotella,Thats what I've been telling you.