Cheap Oil

[bbolesaz]

The "friction modifiers" thing only applies to wet clutches which share the same oil as the engine. 

 

The "zinc" thing has some basis in fact, as it is a lubrication enhancer to help with metal to metal contact when the oil film is missing.  So, if you let your motor sit for a month or two, then fire it up and immediately rev the shiz out of it, you might need some zinc.  Or, you can just turn the motor for a few seconds on the starter or idle.

[LowRyter]

for better or worse, I  run this.  I costs somewhere from $25-$30 a gallon,  Castrol Actevo 20-50 Motorcycle part synthetic oil.

 

Which I am not allowed to post a photo of the bottle.  

[swooshdave]

for better or worse, I  run this.  I costs somewhere from $25-$30 a gallon,  Castrol Actevo 20-50 Motorcycle part synthetic oil.

 

Which I am not allowed to post a photo of the bottle.  

 

 

Not sure why you were naughty and not allowed to post a photo.

 

Semi-synthetic motorcycle oil or full synthetic car oil? Hmmm... interestingly motorcycle oils are typically designed for gearbox and/or clutch, neither of which are an issue with the MG. Which makes the MG engine oil requirements more like a... car.

[Chuck]

It's SG, though..

[LowRyter]

 

for better or worse, I  run this.  I costs somewhere from $25-$30 a gallon,  Castrol Actevo 20-50 Motorcycle part synthetic oil.

 

Which I am not allowed to post a photo of the bottle.  

 

 

Not sure why you were naughty and not allowed to post a photo.

 

Semi-synthetic motorcycle oil or full synthetic car oil? Hmmm... interestingly motorcycle oils are typically designed for gearbox and/or clutch, neither of which are an issue with the MG. Which makes the MG engine oil requirements more like a... car.

 

The alphabet soup:

• API SERVICE: Exceeds API SG
• JASO (T903): JASO MA-2
• VISCOSITY: SAE 10W-30 // 10W-40 // 20W-40 // 20W-50
• JASO (T903): JASO FB

[68C]

I thought aircooled engines run hotter than water cooled sp we should be carefull using cheap oil. Perhaps a 'turbo ' engine car oil OK. I agree we do not have wet clutches so friction modifiers should make no difference.

[swooshdave]

I thought aircooled engines run hotter than water cooled sp we should be carefull using cheap oil. Perhaps a 'turbo ' engine car oil OK. I agree we do not have wet clutches so friction modifiers should make no difference.

 

Keep in mind that this oil is full synthetic so not actually cheap, just cheaper than buying it by the quart. And way cheaper than what they charge for "motorcycle" oil. 

[Scud]

Hey, $20 is $20, right? And I don't like paying more for anything than I have to, just as a matter of principle.

 

But let's put this topic in perspective. Assume you could buy cheap oil for $20, and expensive oil for $40. So you pay a $20 premium for the "good" stuff.  If you change the oil every 5,000 miles, that adds 4/10 of one cent ($0.004) to your per-mile cost of operating the vehicle.

 

Meanwhile, you used 125 Gallons of fuel (assuming 40MPG over 5,000 miles). Assume $4.00 a gallon and that's $500 spent on gas compared to $40 in oil.  Oh, and you burned up a set of tires in those 5,000 miles, so there's another $300 or so...  by comparison to almost anything else, premium oil is still cheap oil.

 

It does seem that a V11 pushrod motor is more like a car engine than other motorcycles with a single sump for engine and tranny.

[swooshdave]

I still contend that the "cheap" oil is nearly identical to the "premium" oil so is it a case of paying more for no reason? What am I getting for 2x as much cost? Additives for a clutch and gearbox that I don't need?

 

Mobil 1 is rated for 500˚ regardless of additives.

[Scud]

I still contend that the "cheap" oil is nearly identical to the "premium" oil so is it a case of paying more for no reason? What am I getting for 2x as much cost? Additives for a clutch and gearbox that I don't need?

 

Mobil 1 is rated for 500˚ regardless of additives.

 

That makes total sense to me, but I don't understand all the letter ratings and what they mean. I've already gone to cheap organic car oil in my BMW K75. Incidentally, I think the prototype K-bikes were powered by Peugeot car engines.  The V11 engine is like one slice off a 4.4 liter 1960's small-block V-8 car engine.

[Chuck]

FWIW No less than Dr. John told Dave Richardson to use SG oil in Guzzis. That's good enough for me. 

[GuzziMoto]

FWIW No less than Dr. John told Dave Richardson to use SG oil in Guzzis. That's good enough for me. 

It is what they were built to run.

Use whatever oil floats your boat.

I use SG oil in my motorcycles. Which SG oil varies, but I only use SG oils. In part, because that is the oil formulation they were built to run.

Will using any other oil cause my motorcycles to blow up? No, probably not. But I think they will last longer and perform better if I run the oil they were made to run.

I tend to keep my motorcycles for a long time. We don't put the miles per year on them that some do, but over the long haul we do put a good bit of miles on them.

[footgoose]

From Thumper Talk. An article about engine break in. Hits on some basics of friction and oils.

 

https://thumpertalk.com/articles/engine-break-in-truth-lies-and-what-you-really-need-to-know-r707/

[swooshdave]

FWIW No less than Dr. John told Dave Richardson to use SG oil in Guzzis. That's good enough for me. 

 

https://www.rymax-lubricants.com/news/api-specification-this-is-how-it-works/

 

Also from the V11 Sport owners manual:

 

"Good engine offer special features.Only use oils with high detergent power, certified as equivalent or superior to SE, SF or SG duty (this is marked on the container)."

 

SL is superior to SG, thus should be acceptable.

[LowRyter]

Dave, I don't think the consensus is that SL is acceptable and to continue to use SG.