or Petro based in your Versys?

I'm using royal purple 15/40 I think, I also use the walmart brand 3.5 inch filter... I changed the out the royal purple oil at 5k miles and it was still really quite clean...

Walmart sells a filter that fits!?!

Walmart sells a filter that fits!?!

http://www.kawasakiversys.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96

WalMart SuperTech ST7317, about $2. Made by Champion
its 3.25 inches I lied sorry...

Wal Mart also sells Mobil 1 Racing 4T synthetic 10W-40 motorcycle oil. I use Amsoil synthetic Formula 4-Stroke PowerSports 0W-40...

i currently run valvoline 10w 40 4 stroke motorcycle oil, i have 950 mi. later on i'll switch to amsoil..... after a few thousand mi.

What is the advantage of synthetic? What are the pluses and minus of fossil vs. synth?

synthetic has less friction to it, reduces wear to parts , less thermal breakdown...on a motor like the V that only uses a few quarts it's a nice advantage.....my local bike shop mechanic swears by amsoil, uses it exclusively.....i'ven used it with great results, more money , but i like the peace of mind

I have read that synthetic oil should not be used before 5000 miles to assure proper wear-in of the parts. Any one??

plenty of opinions on that subject.....personnally i agree with my mechanic and good friend...if your rings haven't seated in 2000 miles...they won't... after that you want to slow down the wear process....just one opinion....

plenty of opinions on that subject.....personnally i agree with my mechanic and good friend...if your rings haven't seated in 2000 miles...they won't... after that you want to slow down the wear process....just one opinion....


I am by no means an oil expert , but after much studying and many inquiries amongst the folks I do trust , I would have to agree with tsunami whole heartedly . Although to my understanding , your rings are what they are quite early in the game , much earlier than even 1000 miles . I did run Kawasaki oil up to my 4th oil change which was right at 1000 miles .
Seems to be doing wonderfully .


I use Rotella T Synthetic and change my oil every 400-500 miles . I did do the hard set on my rings and the amount of noticeable powere is amazing .
I know , I know , changing the oil that often is nuts . LOL . But hey , I never said I wuzzunt nuts anyway . LOL

if your running rotella synthetic and are still changing the oil every 500 miles....why not just run the same oil but change the filter? your still gonna have to top off the oil after a filter change, that way after about the 4th filter change you've completely cycled all the oil in the motor?

Rotella T Synth every 4000 miles.

I switch to synth on my new bikes at their first regular service oil change (usually 4000 miles). Why add another oil change just to switch?

It's true, a new engine will not break in properly running synthetic. Bike engines are usually broken in by 1000 miles.

I am by no means an oil expert , but after much studying and many inquiries amongst the folks I do trust , I would have to agree with tsunami whole heartedly . Although to my understanding , your rings are what they are quite early in the game , much earlier than even 1000 miles . I did run Kawasaki oil up to my 4th oil change which was right at 1000 miles .
Seems to be doing wonderfully .


I use Rotella T Synthetic and change my oil every 400-500 miles . I did do the hard set on my rings and the amount of noticeable powere is amazing .
I know , I know , changing the oil that often is nuts . LOL . But hey , I never said I wuzzunt nuts anyway . LOL

Changing your oil every 400-500 miles is just nuts, waste of money..

I am by no means an oil expert , but after much studying and many inquiries amongst the folks I do trust , I would have to agree with tsunami whole heartedly . Although to my understanding , your rings are what they are quite early in the game , much earlier than even 1000 miles . I did run Kawasaki oil up to my 4th oil change which was right at 1000 miles .
Seems to be doing wonderfully .


I use Rotella T Synthetic and change my oil every 400-500 miles . I did do the hard set on my rings and the amount of noticeable powere is amazing .
I know , I know , changing the oil that often is nuts . LOL . But hey , I never said I wuzzunt nuts anyway . LOL

dern sloke.......u better slow down..... u gonna wear the threads out of the oil pan !!.

Yep
4-500 miles for oil
air filter every 3rd oil change
bleed brake lines every other oil change
radiator fluch every 4-5,000

My 4 wheelers get the same treatment
My Pickups , every 2,000 for oil with same program on the air , brakes and radiator .

Obsessed with fluid changes ? Maybe so . BUT ........ My stuff is not gonna suffer due to grime or poor maintenance for sure . LOL
I mean , can you really change it to often ? The answer is NO NO NO . LOL . If there were harm to be done by changing fluids like I do , I can assure you I would not do it . I have asked every single TRUE engine guru I have ever met if there was any notable harm in that sort of maintenance . They all say the same thing . Harm to my wallet is about it . LOL

Although , I have considered the wear and tear on a oil pan . Therefore I use extreme caution when tightening and always use a NEW crush washer at every change . LOL

Amsoil 10w-40 full syn is the way to go. I've just made my second oil change with amsoil. Amsoils recommendation is 4000 mile oil change interval. I put about 2000 miles on my first full synthetic oil change instead of the recommended 4000 because there was probably still a little residual left of the "break-in" oil that mixed with the full synthetic. I can attest to the fact that there is a notable difference in clutch feel and response. It is soooo much smoother than using crappy petrol based oil. Since one of the versys main issues (for some people) is the engine braking / tight gearbox, I feel as if it makes these two issues much easier to cope with due to smoother clutch operation. Its well worth the extra $$. Plus, if you ever want to send your oil off to be analyzed, amsoil offers a service at a small charge for this. Pretty cool if you ask me.

That's nuts man..... Following the maintenance schedule layed out by Kawasaki is not "poor maintenance".

But hey, it's your money. By my calcs you have wasted almost $100 to my every oil change.

Man , the last thing I want to do to my Kawasaki is go by the Kawasaki maint manual . LOL . That's like feeding your dog the recommended amount of dog food on a bag . Your dog will out weigh you in a years time and live about half as long as it should . They just want to sell me another bike , I want to keep this one . LOL
To me , it isn't wasted money , it is a clean engine . Maybe I should start recooping some of my cash and reselling my oil to other bikers . LOL
I really did not say anytong about poor maint., but now that you mention it , I suppose it is IMHO , of course . I just really like to know it is all clean in there .

I would not even remotely venture to say my way is right and yours is wrong . Neither am I saying my way is wrong . Savvy ? My bro ?

Simply put , folks were stating their oil preferences and I stated mine . That's all . I sure didn't mean to offend or draw any ill will bro . I didn't agree , disagree or otherwise . I just stated mine . Didn't say I was right . Just said .

No prob man, it's all money.

It aint so bad... I can get any Amsoil product from http://www.woodsbrosracing.com/amsoil-online-store.htm at 20% off US prices with secret promo code, and end up paying 35+% less than from Canadian Tire, including shipping and no taxes. It's still shipped from Canadian depot in Toronto, and at my door in a couple days.

I have read that synthetic oil should not be used before 5000 miles to assure proper wear-in of the parts. Any one??

That is accepted policy from most of the gearheads I know.

Has anyone read this yet ?????????????

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

It aint so bad... I can get any Amsoil product from http://www.woodsbrosracing.com/amsoil-online-store.htm at 20% off US prices with secret promo code, and end up paying 35+% less than from Canadian Tire, including shipping and no taxes. It's still shipped from Canadian depot in Toronto, and at my door in a couple days.



Most awsome . A guy needs a deal once in a while for sure .

I changed it at 140 miles (redlining it by 60 miles) with non-synthetic, then it didn't burn any oil till I changed it again at 1250 miles with Amsoil synthetic, just a bit earlier than 1500 miles recommended by http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm and others... I believe about 1500 miles is enough to switch to synthetic oil.

Okay, I'm gonna dredge up an old thread to ask a question here to make sure I'm thinking straight:

I can go buy Rotella T 10W40 synthetic, use it when I change the oil, and expect no problems?

I have just under 12,000 miles on my bike now and change the oil every 2,000 miles. I ride it hard on the road and off the road. I've never noticed anything in my oil since I've had the bike.

I have just under 12,000 miles on my bike now and change the oil every 2,000 miles. I ride it hard on the road and off the road. I've never noticed anything in my oil since I've had the bike.

Jim, sorry to hijack the thread but I wanted to let you know that I really liked the pics you posted of your ride last week. In the one pic where you shot the bike from behind on the dirt road covered in leaves...not sure which is prettier, the V or the leaves in their Fall colors:thumb: Those must have been some sweet rides. PA is looking beautiful this time of year.

I have just under 12,000 miles on my bike now and change the oil every 2,000 miles. I ride it hard on the road and off the road. I've never noticed anything in my oil since I've had the bike.

Are you using Rotella T?

I run Amsoil syn. in all my bikes. Filter at 5k and top off oil, filter and oil at 10k. I have never had any wear or break down problems, and some bikes have over 60k now. Most times oil still looks good.

I'm using Mobil 1 racing 4T and the Walmart filter. I changed to the Synthetic at the 600 mile oil change. I now have about 3,000 and it runs great with no signs of wear or smoke.

i have 2100 mi.on my v.....need to switch to mobile 1.....will 2qts be enough with a filter ???.........thanks.

Ok, so.........for the Rotella T users:

Have you been running Rotella T 10W40 without problems?

I run Mobil 1 synthetic, but I want to know if I can run the cheaper Rotella T synthetic without problems.

Been running Rotella T 5W40 for years with no problems,switched the V at 1200 miles to Rotella and now have 3500 with no problems,run it in quads,dirtbikes,riding mower and anything else I can find to put it in.

i have 2100 mi.on my v.....need to switch to mobile 1.....will 2qts be enough with a filter ???.........thanks.


yes.

:thumb:

Been running Rotella T 5W40 for years with no problems,switched the V at 1200 miles to Rotella and now have 3500 with no problems,run it in quads,dirtbikes,riding mower and anything else I can find to put it in.

Sweetness!

Sam's club has a pretty good deal going on: $32.00 for 3 gallons of Rotella T, which works out roughly to $2.67/qt.

Ok, so.........for the Rotella T users:

Have you been running Rotella T 10W40 without problems?

I run Mobil 1 synthetic, but I want to know if I can run the cheaper Rotella T synthetic without problems.


I switched at 600 miles. Change every 4000 with a new Purolator Pureone filter. Have 9850 on the bike, runs great.

Many high end performance cars come from the factory with Mobil 1 in the crankcase. Why would a manufacturer risk their name or warranty claims like that?

PO-SLOKE's regime may be obsessive to some but it's his. If I tried that it would mean two or three changes a month. I'll trust a good filter and oil to do their job.

Dan

Im going to change out to synthetic here at seasons end . Was going to go with amsoil but decided to try Repsol instead from bluestreakracing http://www.bluestreakracing.ca/bluestreakracing_motorcycle_accessories/bluestreakracing_motorcycle_accessories/repsol_motorcycle_oil/index.html

I switched at 600 miles. Change every 4000 with a new Purolator Pureone filter. Have 9850 on the bike, runs great.

Many high end performance cars come from the factory with Mobil 1 in the crankcase. Why would a manufacturer risk their name or warranty claims like that?

PO-SLOKE's regime may be obsessive to some but it's his. If I tried that it would mean two or three changes a month. I'll trust a good filter and oil to do their job.

Dan

I'm not going to begin that kind of regime. I just want to cut cost from $8.00/quart to $2.67/quart.

I have the Rotella T in two bikes right now, hard to argue with thousands of truckers that go 100's of thousands of miles without rebuilds.

Dan

Ok, so.........for the Rotella T users:

Have you been running Rotella T 10W40 without problems?

I run Mobil 1 synthetic, but I want to know if I can run the cheaper Rotella T synthetic without problems.

it only holds 2qts........why not run the best..imo... Mobil 1 T4 synthetic made for motorcycles . easy to get at your local walley world.:thumb:

As anyone thought of using Hourmeters? With an hourmeter you can do your maint per runtime not miles. Isn't that a less subjective way to measure maint intervals? Oh and for the record I did my first oil change at 40 miles and my second at 400 miles. I'm using Repsol 10/40 mineral now with a WIX filter, but I'll be switching to Amsoil or Rotella synthetic at 2k.

it only holds 2qts........why not run the best..imo... Mobil 1 T4 synthetic made for motorcycles . easy to get at your local walley world.:thumb:

Yeah, true. However, when I use the Mobil 1 (the stuff I already use) it also costs me as much to change the oil on my bike as it would on my Dodge.

So, I think I'll just convert to Rotella, and save some money up front and in the long run. If it's good enough for the high-compression diesels used in the commercial rigs, it's good enough for me.

Does / has anyone used Silkolene? It's what the Ducati dealership near me recommends. I used the Kawasaki oil and filter for the first 6500 miles and then switched to Silkolene (I think it's called 4T race (?) - fully synthetic) with a K&N filter. I changed out the Silkolene for the first time on Sunday after 3100 miles and it was pretty black (starts red, dunno if they all do - had someone else do the 3 Kawi oil changes...). There were no bits of anything in it, it was just black. The first oil change was at 531 miles, and the engine was broken in "hard" - on the track. :D

I like the sound of the $2 Wally World filter - it really works? As some of you know from other threads, I'm NOT a motorcycle techie type person (I'll help you fix yer computer, tho!), so I don't even really know what qualities I want in a filter. I just want to ride my motorcycle hard, do minimal maintenance (as in take care of her but not spend hours doing it), and not have her break. :)

If Amsoil or Mobil 1 is better for my little girl's engine, I'll switch. Tomorrow will be exactly 6 months since I bought her and I should cross 10,000 miles on the way home tomorrow... I want her to stay happy!!!

Thanks!
Jen

I changed the stock stuff out at 600 miles for Amsoil 10W-40. Have approx 4600 miles on it now with no issues whatsover. I would have changed it earlier if I had it earlier. I truly believe that any, new, modern engine is broken it a lot sooner than you think. As a matter of fact, more than likely in the first few minutes of operation....and..the first oil change is the most important. All the bearing surfaces, cylinder walls, rings, gears, clutch parts, etc, wear in and all the particles are free to roam your motor. Another reason to use synthetics.....they are superior to petroleum oils. Thermal breakdown is the demise of any oil, it just happens MUCH slower {if at all} in the synthetics. Being in the Marine Industry, Mercury claims 50% longer gear life than the "regular" stuff. I am a testimonial to that fact as some of my {past}gearcases ran on the surface, generated a lot of heat, and after a few 10,000 rpm runs, the gears and bearings were perfect. Similar abuse sends the 'case to the graveyard on petroleum......I use Amsoil in everything I own, and have zero issues. It also happens to be the only "true" synthetic on the market to the best of my knowledge. Use what you like, change it when you want, but read all the info and make a smart decision. My "V" is going to stay for awhile and plan on putting a bunch of miles on it. By the way, Hi all, new here!! :)

I used whatever the bike came with until the 700 mile service, then whatever they put in till about 4500 miles. After that, I used Royal Purple for the next 3k miles, it was a bit heavy feeling as temps dropped (20 50 wt.). Switched to Amsoil 10-40 full synth till about 10,000 miles, oddly enough, despite some testimony in here about others loving this stuff, I absolutely loathed the garbage and will never use it again!!! My shifter would miss several times a ride, especially early in the ride, it would go all the way up, but no click, as if there just wasn't a gear there...? Sometimes several times in a row!!! I rarely miss upshifts, but with this oil, i did constantly!!! No clue what the correlation is, but it did this the entire time I had the oil in, and it seemed like there was a tiny amount of foam in there as well. It seems the old phrase "one man's trash is another mans treasure applies here. I am not trying to dissuade anyone from using Amsoil, that was just my experience. I have currently switched to Fuchs Silkolene Pro 4 SX Off road motor oil, full synth. This has been the oil I have liked best, even with the temps around here dropping, my V. runs and shifts smoother and easier than ever before. I love this oil. High Five!!!
Redline, please define "true" synthetic, as this sounds untrue. But by the way, welcome to the forum!!!
Aus,
Erik!!!

P.S. And yes, I know it's "off road" oil which I suspect means virtually nothing and according to the shop guys, pretty much means nothing as well.

The Amsoil products are manufactured with a synthetic BASE stock, and I believe that this is the only oil to make that claim. Not sure about the others, but most synthetics are made from a petroleum base stock......maybe it's not the only one anymore??

As I understand there are five types of passenger vehicle lubricants. I'm not an oil expert, so I may not be 100% correct.

They are...

Group 1 - Standard quality conventional base stocks. This group is rare today because they require a costly additive pack to meet the latest API requirements (SM).

Group 2 - High quality conventional base stocks. These are the typical conventional oils you buy from Pennzoil, Valvoline, Mobil, Castrol, etc.

Group 3 - Refined Group 2 oils that are hydro-cracked to remove slack wax. While not "true" synthetics, they can be marketed as such and are. These are you Castrol Syntec, Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline SynPower, Shell Rotella Synthetic, etc.

Group 4 - POA (olefins) and a true synthetic. These are the older Mobil 1 formula (the newer formulas are rumored to be Group 3) and Amsoil.

Group 5 - Ester based oils. These are the top-of-the-line boutique oils like Motul 300v and Redline. The esters in these oils provide the best lubrication with the bonus of engine cleaning, but at very high cost.

True story, there is a video on Youtube that shows the story of the Le Mans Corvettes (sponsored by Mobil) and at one point in the video, you can see a team mechanic filling the oil tank with Redline oil.

When switching from fossil to synthetic, after draining the dinosaur juice, is there a need to flush the petro-based oil residue from the engine before filling with the synthetic? If so - ya got a recommended method?
Also, do any of you fine folks have a prefered brand specifically for the clunky shifting in first and second that my bike (and other Versees) seem to experience. My clunkiness comes and goes - that seems weird to me.

Just use regular oil and have it changed every 5 thousand miles.

Have 32,000 miles on the bike and it runs great.

Does anyone have any opinions on Repsol synthetic oils???? I just changed mine over to Repsol

In reading all of these posts and doing a little searching it appears that as long as you use the proper grade oil and keep it clean, it doesn't matter all that much what brand you use. Synthetic should maintain its' viscosity longer. The key is proper maintenance.

Does anyone have any opinions on Repsol synthetic oils???? I just changed mine over to Repsol

My opinion of Repsol is great marketing, not so great oils. The only definitive way to determine an oil's performance is to have a sample analyzed.

As far as I'm concerned, bobistheoilguy.com is the internet oil site of record.

Here are some examples...

Link 1 (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1174533&Board=49&fpart=all&gonew=1#UNREAD)

Link 2 (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1157596#Post1157596)

In a nutshell, they show high wear metals and have thinned well out-of-grade. Motorcycles with shared engine/transmission lubrication are tough on oils and most take a beating. However, given the cost of Repsol and average to below-average performance, I'd try something else at the next change.

+1:thumb:

The Amsoil products are manufactured with a synthetic BASE stock, and I believe that this is the only oil to make that claim. Not sure about the others, but most synthetics are made from a petroleum base stock......maybe it's not the only one anymore??

What a line of BS you have been fed. Don't believe half of that bull you hear from anyone selling some brand of oil. Believe me if it says its JASO MA certified it will run in your bike for many many miles. Oils now are so much better than they have ever been and I know folks who have ridden hundreds of thousands of kilometers using oils from a long time ago. Yes one oil may be the best there ever has been but getting only 200000 kms using the cheapest oil available out of your engine rather than 210000 using the best is no big deal. 99% of everybody never keeps a bike or a car for that matter longer.

Kawi Full Synthetic and a OEM filter, Im a Honda Warranty Guy and I will always use the OEM Filter not the aftermarket filters

it only holds 2qts........why not run the best..imo... Mobil 1 T4 synthetic made for motorcycles . easy to get at your local walley world.:thumb:

Yeah, but "the best" is the question, and not whether one should use it.

I run Rotella T synth is my Dodge Cummins, wife's Subaru, my Husaberg (a high stressed motor,) the Versys, wife's bike, and 2 generators. I'm thinking of mixing a bit into my dogs' food also.:D

What a line of BS you have been fed. Don't believe half of that bull you hear from anyone selling some brand of oil. Believe me if it says its JASO MA certified it will run in your bike for many many miles. Oils now are so much better than they have ever been and I know folks who have ridden hundreds of thousands of kilometers using oils from a long time ago. Yes one oil may be the best there ever has been but getting only 200000 kms using the cheapest oil available out of your engine rather than 210000 using the best is no big deal. 99% of everybody never keeps a bike or a car for that matter longer.

Not sure what "line" you are referring to. I too, have seen many engines run many miles with conventional oils, but the question might be raised that if that same engine was used in the same manner with synthetics, the longevity might be increased. Using your example I would agree, that if the difference was "only" 10000kms, the cost-to-benefit ratio would not make going synthetic pratical....but.....I've not torn two engines down that were run identically over the long term to see any long term benefit from synthetics, except in Marine motors. Some small block MerCruisers with close to 1000 hours still have cross-hatch in the cylinder walls, virtually no bearing wear, good compression and excellent leak-down results, that I have been witness to. Similar engines with half that run on conventional oils cannot make the same claim. Why is it that Corvette, SRT Dodges, and Mercedes {just to name a few} come with synthetics from the factory? Mercury Racing products use a synthetic blend oil. All of the high-perf gearcases run synthetic. As I said in an earlier post, 50% longer gear life. I also would have to bet that ALL motorcycle race teams use someones synthetic. I do use it {Amsoil} in everything I own because of the peace of mind I get from using what I consider to be one of the best oils I can get. I can't afford to buy a new bike every couple of years, and even though I seem to trade before my bikes get to 20,000 miles I never really reap the benefit, but the person who buys my bike might. I guess it's all personal preference, but when the Manufacturers engineers test these products and then recommend them, and the results get backed up in the field, that is enough proof for me.