Possible stup oil change question.

I was at a local auto parts store (not planned just swung by) and remembered that I needed to do my first oil change (in conjunction with my oil conversion kit)


I got 3 1 qt. bottles of

Full Synthetic Motorcycle oil 20w-50

Just want to make sure that I can use this with my xj700 and curious if its worth it to get the full synthetic.

I've seen specs that yamaha recommends an oil change every 2k miles and a filter (oil filter) every other change.

Guy at the auto parts who said he used to ride recommends going more like every 4k. with the change every other....

Surely oil has got better since 1985 and should last longer than 2k? However you guys know me. Want to make sure I am doing this right...

On an off topic off xj side... My car broke down. Thank God I have my xj or I would not be getting to work...

 

He also recommended the oil as well... Btw. I asked if he could look it up. And he said for an 85 yamaha that's more sporty this is what it takes... Maybe he was wrong. Better an exchange than a messed up bike.

 

If you have any clutch or starter clutch problems after the oil change, then it wasn't such a good idea.

I've been "evaluating" a semi synthetic (Castrol Act>EVO Xtra 4T for "high revving four-cylinder bikes") in one of the 550s and so far so good.

But if you have any starter clutch issues afterward; panic not. Just change back to dinosaur juice.

**Edit** once the bike has been back in service for a while ("short" oil changes no longer needed) I usually go 2500 miles, maybe 3000. 4K would be pushing it. High-rpm motors are hard on oil.

 

+1 on Fitz,
My 750 can handle full synthetic, my 900 can't.
You won't know until you try, but save your clean drainage for a car or mower.

I just scored 10 quarts of PEAK (antifreeze) Brand Full synthetic for $ 2.00 a quart !! From Advance Auto, I'll be looking for more!!

I run Synthetic in almost everything, and have for 14 years, ever since I understood the idea that conventional oil "cooks" at about 100 degrees cooler than Synthetic, giving me an almost unlimited margin for error.

 

well shucks, perhaps I'll give the semi synthetic stuff a chance when i do my next oil change in a couple weeks. always thought it was something that should be avoided, but hell, if its really true about having 100 degrees more protection then i may as well try it with such a high revving bike

 

You can legally call an oil "Semi-Synthetic" if it contains 3% Synthetic content.

This leaves LOTS of room for "creative advertising" to sell some kind of junk blend.

The 100 degree difference is for the good stuff. It's what lets Jet Aircraft run 10 hours non-stop.

 

Good info guys.

Poll question needs an additional answer: I do not use synthetic oil in my XJ's as they have a wet clutch.

 

This was full synthetic and pretty expensive.. So hopefully It's the good stuff. I'll look at it more closely tonight.

So the general consensus is that it should work w/o issues.

Bigfitz...

"If you have any clutch or starter clutch problems"

laymans terms what would that mean? Clutch so not shifting or engaging/disengaging properly I assume?


Timetoride...

Will that help the bike run cooler? Or just the same but "safer"?


Thanks guys!

 

Btw how do I edit a title? Stup? come on!

and add a poll option?

 

Hit the <Post Reply> button instead of just starting to type in the quick reply box.
You can then change the title.

To poll, on a brand new thread, below what you normally see on the screen, the option s there.

And, I don't think yiu got the consensus correct. Ii believe that it was said that someone is experimenting with *partial* synthetic and not having problems. It has been clearly stated by some like BigFitz that full synthetic will *damage* your bike due to it having a "wet clutch", whatever that means.

 

Re: Possible stupid oil change question.

Damn. Not quite sure what to do if that's the case that it's bad for the bike?

What should I use instead?

 

Re: Possible stupid oil change question.

Full synthetic isn't bad for you engine itself, it's actually really good. The problem is that these bikes (mine at least) have a "wet" clutch. What that means is that the clutch plates and discs are submersed in the engine oil as well. Since synthetic is so much slipperier than conventional oil, it can make your clutch start slpping... even when you don't pull the clutch cable Same for the starter clutch (It can start slipping and not turn your engine over as much).

Soo... if you start to notice your clutch start to slip, or your bike not turning over as fast, you know that the new super slippery oil is to blame. But fear not, just change the oil back to conventional and it should work itself back into working order.

The reason it's hard to say if it will work or not is because it depends on the clutch materials being used and the oil's being used. Is the clutch stock material, or aftermarket... some oils have different ingredients that could effect some clutches and not others... ect...

Personally, I'll stick to conventional oil. I'd rather change it out more often to keep it cleaner than pay the extra for synthetic that's supposed to last longer... I've had very good luck with semi-synthetic on my 09 YZ450F and it uses a wet clutch as well. I don't leave it in longer but since I ride the bike hard I like the slight added "protection". But I don't race my XJ...

 

I ran into this information on a Kawasaki forum. I have not researched this to see if it is true or not but it may be of some help.

 

Re: Possible stupid oil change question.

Thanks man I appreciate it. So should I just go get 20w-50 conventional?

 

It was me that said I'm evaluating a semi-synthetic.

In my case, it's Castrol Act>EVO X-Tra 4T for "high RPM four cylinder" engines; and I'm running the recommended 20W40. Castrol doesn't say what percentage is synth and what is dino juice.

So far so good; but it's only one bike, my relatively low-mileage 550 Seca.

If your clutch starts slipping under load or your starter clutch starts "misbehaving" then switch back to a conventional, motorcycle specific oil such as Castrol 4T.

 

You want oil that says 4T, your choice on 20w-40 or 50. Autozone had some on sale for $2.99 ... Kendall maybe?

 

Save yourself a lot of money and use basic oil. Semi-synthetic oil wasn't even around when these bikes were built. Apart from the possible slipping problems with clutch (due to additives) if you're going to be changing it every 2 or 3 thousand miles it's a waste of money. Just my opinion...

 

Thanks folks I appreciate it.. Time to go get some normal oil.. and $20.00 back. Hahah.

real quick doing the oil conversion kit and I do not have a torque wrench (yet)

It says 20 ft lbs of torque any good way to "guess"timate this?

 

Did I miss the first half of this thought/sentance?

 

Hahahah yes... My mind didn't put it out there. I got the conversion done fired it up no leaks or drips. I went with conventional 20w-50

Shifted around a bit in the neighborhood. Ride to work tomorrow will be the real test.


But so far all is good.


I had meant that if it's required to be at 20 lbs and I don't have a you're wrench should I just guess or do it kinda tight really tight.

 

dont go really tight, steel plug and into alloy thread could wreck your thread,with a new crush washer firm should do, after a couple of miles i always stop and have a quick feel around sump plug and oil filter housing and check for leaks with my glove on,gets hot, thats just for insurance/peace of mind and i do use a torque wrench. good luck, also be a bit carefull useing a big 1/2inch ratchet as they make it easy to apply a fair bit of power

 

I'll have to test with the torque wrench some time to be certain, but I would think that finger tight and then maybe a half turn should be ample. All you want is for it to be tight enough to stay in and seal the opening. Heavy metal action not required.

 

Alright guys I couldn't resist. "technically" I'm not supposed to ride at night yet (need to take that msf course) but I went out on some local roads (had to make sure it works right?)

Runs like a top no leaks. No drips in the garage before or after. And it seems to accelerate more smoothly and shift easier.. Maybe thats just in my head? Anyway glad I did the conversion will make future oil changes much easier

 

Lucky dog ...
Am so tired of fighting mine. It seems like 1 step forward and two back ...

 

Whats yours doing Mike?

I want to clean it up some. There is old oil and dirt by the drain bolt and my headlights, mc, exhaust are covered in bugs and grime. Whats the best way to clean this up and keep it clean-ish?

Still runs hotter than it should but when I flush the cooling system hopefully that will take care of it.

But the brakes will be done before that.

This was my first time taking a wrench to the bike myself and even though it was small work. It felt great!

 

After my internet research, I use a major brand CJ-4 rated conventional 15w40 oil. Usually Delo 400, but that's because it is handy where I shop--I'd be fine with Delvac 1300 or Shell Rotella. I'm not an expert, haven't done independent tests--but Internet Experts who appeared credible convinced me that using an oil favored by trucking companies made sense--CJ-4 testing is rigerous, the trucking companies do their own tests, and they want to maximize both engine life and oil change intervals.

They also recommended against Energy Conserving oils with friction modifiers due to potential clutch problems. I don't remember the wording, but they also recommended against non-synthetic multi-vis oil with a wide spread between the lower and upper numbers (5w40 for example), something about the gearbox breaking down the additives and reducing the viscosity.

 

Ryan,
mine has been a long series of "OMG! The PO did WHAT?!"

Most recently, I found out that the wiring harness had been hacked and spliced beyond belief and I had to purchase a replacement. In addition, the Flasher unit: relay, flasher, auto cancel all-in-one, had been damaged so badly, the outer case was melted and warped to the point I could actually see the solder points for the connections to the outside. I just received a replacement today. Fortunately I found one at a fairly reasonable price compared to the ones everyone else was selling for around $100 ...

I need to see now if it will turn over, as it wouldn't when I didn't have the flasher or tach disconnected. I have been over all the other wiring connections fairly thoroughly, cleaning each with the spray electric contact cleaner and then using dialectric grease in every connection. At that point the lights would come on, but that was it. Side stand is up and bike in neutral. It doesn't have throttle or clutch cables connect, nor any source of fuel, but I was simply trying to see if the starter would try to start and I could see if cylinders #2 and #3 were getting spark ... one of the orignial problems. The PO had yanked the airbox, put in pods, put on Harley sportster pipes to get that Harley sound ... (you can tell he was a real genius thinking he could accomplish that with an inline 4 ...) and a few other things. After switching to PODs, he was having problems (DOH!) and even drove the thing with no air filtering at all. What a moron. It was obvious why the bike wasn't running right and he was selling it at a price so cheap I couldn't believe it, that I went ahead and got it. He had paid $1200 or so when he got it, spent some $300 or $400 on shop work and then done the POD stupidity and such. Then he lost the title from the seller and he had never submitted to the state ... so was selling it as a parts bike for $400. I tracked down the PO before him, explained the situation, and he then got a replacement title from the state and signed it over to me ... I have restored pretty much everything he had changed back to OEM but there are still a few little demons lurking somewhere that have changed this from a work of joy and excitement to a task of disappointment and tedium ... Unknown at this point is if the tach works at all and if it is not functioning will it keep the bike from turning over/running/firing cylinders 2 & 3. Someone had said that it would run with the tach disconnected, but I am not sure that is the case.
Of course, it could be some other demon I don't know about as well ... I need to go back over the starting circuit and test all the voltages/ohms and what not.

I ache to get back out on the road ...

 

Geez Mike that is rough! If you lived closer I'd let you take mine out for a spin.

 

Only automobile synthetics contain the friction modifiers. Synthetic oils do have a higher threshold for thermal breakdown and will allow you go much farther between oil changes. Read the packaging and see if the oil (whatever it is) is recommended for use with wet clutches. I get better gas mileage when running synthetic. Use whatever works for you as the differences aren't as significant as say crappy fuel vs. good gas.