just wondering what kind of oil most guys are using??....also wanted to know what type of gas ,,,high test or regular, what is recommended in the manual...thx.

I saw no difference using regular, mid and high grade, so I'm sticking with regular.

Oil, you can go many ways.

after the break in period i switched to a semi.

After the break in I would use AMSOil 20W-40 for Motorcycles and see if they make an EA filter for the VERSYS yet.

I have run it in my VLX and Harley and it works great. Cools, lubes and protects.

After the break in I would use AMSOil 20W-40 for Motorcycles and see if they make an EA filter for the VERSYS yet.

I have run it in my VLX and Harley and it works great. Cools, lubes and protects.

You mean 20W50? The Versys runs on 10W40, also available from Amsoil in synthetic. As long as it's motorcycle specific 10W40 with the JASO MA (http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0308_oil/index.html) (Japanese Automotive Standards Organization - Motorcycle high friction applications) certification as specified in owner's manual. I'll switch to Amsoil synthetic oil (http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0310_oil/index.html) at 2000 kms after a good break-in and oil changes after the first day, and at 1000 kms; Break-in secrets (http://mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm)
Amsoil does list an EAOM103-EA, and the taller, larger capacity EAOM103C-EA oil filter for Versys/Ninja 650R/ER-6.

Some have noticed slightly better fuel mileage as well as better low end grunt on 91 octane, and less popping upon engine braking with a slip-on exhaust. A minimum of 87 pump posted octane (MON+RON/2) is recommended, higher if any pinging is perceived.

As far as types oil and break-in procedures are concerned there are as many opinions as fish in the sea. Not wanting to start a flame war let me just say what I have done to my V after owning it a month and just doing the 600 service last weekend. I followed the factory recomendation for break-in for the most part. Its really hard to absolutly stay under 4k and be safe in traffic. The reason I follow the factory's instructions is that I don't think they just pull these things out of the air. I think they have a lot of experience making and testing engines and spend millions on R&D to find how best to break them in. That is my opinion after reading much over the years about the subject.;)
As far as oil I went and bought the Kawasaki filter and a gallon of Kawa 10-40 oil. The filter was about $11.75 and the gallon of oil was $16.00.
Even though the factory filter is more expensive than going to Wal-Mart and finding a Fram that will work for much cheaper again I think what the factory reccomends is cheap insurance.;)
As for synthetic oil, I won't put it in my motor until at least 12000 miles. I think synth is just too slippery to let the rings seal properly if used too soon.
Again, this is my own opinion only:D.
I'll use different brand oils I'm sure over the time I own the bike. I don't think the brand is as important as using the right spec oil and changing it regularly.
Also after reading about some folks finding metal in the first change of oil I used a white, clean drain pan and drained the original oil into it and let it sit overnight. In the morning I slowly poured off about 3/4 of the oil and then looked for all the "metal". Hmmmm, no "shavings" or other large pieces of metal to be seen. I then took a magnet and swept through the oil and the bottom of the drain pan. The magnet did collect some very, very, very small
metal bits but they were almost too small to see.
Lastly I'm amazed at how little service these bikes need. I've had a number of BMW's over the years and the last one was a 2002 GS Adventure and for the 12,000 mile service you had to buy 4 quarts of oil (BMW synth was about 9 bucks a quart, maybe more now), a 15 dollar oil filter and 2 quarts of synth gear lube for the trans and final drive at about 13 bucks a quart. Over $70.00 total!! Yikes! I loved my Beemers but they really are maintenance Queens.
Oh, one more thing. Checked the mileage exactly on my last fill-up and it was 52.3 MPG. I think this will get worse as I explore the upper limits of the rev range in the future!
OK I'm done now, flame away!:eek:

I'm running Amsoil 20-50 year round. It flows so well at low temp, it just doesn't matter and mine shifts a little better with the extra cushioning. I am not am Amsoil dealer. That oil just kicks butt. Go out to their site and pull the test .pdf on their motorcycle oil. Testing aside, these little engines run smoother and shift better. You can just tell the oil is getting the job done. End of commercial.

Opening an old oil can of worms :)

But just like to share my experience using Diesel oil for the V. Not just a normal Diesel oil but one with JASO MA, API CI-4 Plus. Can a HDEO be compatible to motorcycles? Petro Canada Duron XL 15W40 semi synt does, according to their data sheet. (<$10/L)

http://lubricants.petro-canada.ca/resource/download.aspx?type=TechData&iproduct=199&language=en

Had the oil recently changed. Old oil was Rock Oil Guardian 10W40 Semi synt ($14 a liter). My first impression were:

1. 1st gear engagement is not as harsh but the klonk is still there.
2. No foam or bubbles formed right after I shut off the engine after a ride, not even 1 lonely bubble. I've noticed bubbles/foam forming on the surface of the oil on Motul 5100, Rock Oil, mystery factory oil and United Oil.
3. Best part of the oil, improved power/torque feeling at the same RPM level. Confirmed as I was in 5th gear rather than 4th gear (when with the older oil) on a familiar slightly ascending twisties road. Acceleration is indeed better especially in the short quick burst while passing cars in very tight twisties road condition. I don't feel that it was running out of breath as I accelerate.
4. Noticeable smoothness and quieter engine (a lot quieter). Me thinks the handlebars are vibrating lesser too.
5. Gear shiftings are smoother and definite.
6. Oil gets dark really quick but still transparent, under 50km. Heavy detergency, I guess.

Rock oil was in the engine for 4k km. Observations based on memory when I first put in the Rock Oil, which didn't gave any advantage over the mystery factory oil, and in fact, I found the engine to be louder than the factory oil.

Let's see how long this oil can last, given that is meant for Extra drain intervals and has high TBN acid neutralizing capabilities.

I am a 30+ year mechanic. I own a garage.

I have said to customers:

Your engine blew because it ran out of oil

Your engine blew because the oil was not changed.

I HAVE NEVER said your engine blew because it had the wrong brand of oil.

I think the factory interval of 7500 miles is too much. I change mine at 2,000 miles. You do as you wish. I find it to be cheap insurance. I do use store brand 10W40.

My BMW R1100RT has 130,000 miles using Napa 10W40 for the first 100,000 then 20W50 since changed every 3,000 miles. It holds 4 quarts with filter.

Opening an old oil can of worms :)

But just like to share my experience using Diesel oil for the V. Not just a normal Diesel oil but one with JASO MA, API CI-4 Plus. Can a HDEO be compatible to motorcycles? Petro Canada Duron XL 15W40 semi synt does, according to their data sheet. (<$10/L)

http://lubricants.petro-canada.ca/resource/download.aspx?type=TechData&iproduct=199&language=en

Let's see how long this oil can last, given that is meant for Extra drain intervals and has high TBN acid neutralizing capabilities.

Petro Can's Duron XL 15W-40 semi-synth specs look really good :thumb:, even compared to Shell's T6 synthetic 5W-40. (Semi-synth T5 is not JASO MA). Many use synthetic T6 or standard Rotella T 15W-40 with great results as well.

http://www-static.shell.com/static/can-en/downloads/shell_for_businesses/oils_lubricants/1-52.pdf

"I think the factory interval of 7500 miles is too much. I change mine at 2,000 miles."

Yep....its a pretty small engine. Im running AMSOil. I try for 2000 but I never go over 3000 but take your pick on brands there are many, many good brands.

I am a 30+ year mechanic. I own a garage.

I have said to customers:

Your engine blew because it ran out of oil

Your engine blew because the oil was not changed.

I HAVE NEVER said your engine blew because it had the wrong brand of oil.

I think the factory interval of 7500 miles is too much. I change mine at 2,000 miles. You do as you wish. I find it to be cheap insurance. I do use store brand 10W40.

My BMW R1100RT has 130,000 miles using Napa 10W40 for the first 100,000 then 20W50 since changed every 3,000 miles. It holds 4 quarts with filter.

Absolutely. I also change my Amsoil synthetic JASO MA oil at every 2000-3000 miles or so. It's only 2 liters taking care of engine, tranny and clutch... The BMW R1100RT does have a seperate dry clutch.

Opening an old oil can of worms :)

But just like to share my experience using Diesel oil for the V. Not just a normal Diesel oil but one with JASO MA, API CI-4 Plus. Can a HDEO be compatible to motorcycles? Petro Canada Duron XL 15W40 semi synt does, according to their data sheet. (<$10/L)

http://lubricants.petro-canada.ca/resource/download.aspx?type=TechData&iproduct=199&language=en

Had the oil recently changed. Old oil was Rock Oil Guardian 10W40 Semi synt ($14 a liter). My first impression were:

1. 1st gear engagement is not as harsh but the klonk is still there.
2. No foam or bubbles formed right after I shut off the engine after a ride, not even 1 lonely bubble. I've noticed bubbles/foam forming on the surface of the oil on Motul 5100, Rock Oil, mystery factory oil and United Oil.
3. Best part of the oil, improved power/torque feeling at the same RPM level. Confirmed as I was in 5th gear rather than 4th gear (when with the older oil) on a familiar slightly ascending twisties road. Acceleration is indeed better especially in the short quick burst while passing cars in very tight twisties road condition. I don't feel that it was running out of breath as I accelerate.
4. Noticeable smoothness and quieter engine (a lot quieter). Me thinks the handlebars are vibrating lesser too.
5. Gear shiftings are smoother and definite.
6. Oil gets dark really quick but still transparent, under 50km. Heavy detergency, I guess.

Rock oil was in the engine for 4k km. Observations based on memory when I first put in the Rock Oil, which didn't gave any advantage over the mystery factory oil, and in fact, I found the engine to be louder than the factory oil.

Let's see how long this oil can last, given that is meant for Extra drain intervals and has high TBN acid neutralizing capabilities.

Nice find Max, and guess your local bike shop recommended this to you. Need further details on availability and local price.

:cheers:

Hi Fasto, I got it from a fellow biker (Sarjan Tulang) in the Klang valley, mail ordered it.

http://malaysianbikers.com.my/forum/index.php/topic,79779.0.html

Nope, bike shops won't tell me these goodies, only fellow users and bikers would.

I switched from Kawasaki 10w-40 oil to Shell T-6 full synthetic last year. I waited until I had 9,000 miles on the bike. It seems to have increased my average fuel mileage by about 2 mpg. I had hoped it would smooth out the tranny shifting, but it did not. (But my paying better attention to my shifting has). I also noticed (as noted by another forum post) the oil in the sight glass turned dark, but clear, fairly early in the run. I always change the oil before I put it away for the winter, to reduce acid etching of the internal engine parts.

:thanx:

:cheers:

Anyone using Mobil 1 syn.racing oil? I used the longer Wix filter that I found referenced here. Bike has 2700 miles.

I use Rotella T6 full synthetic, currently 5W-40.
The longest I use a batch is 4,000 miles, at which point the shifting gets more clunky than otherwise.

There is no benefit to using higher octane gas than specified in the manual. Well, other than lightening you wallet more quickly, if that is a benefit to you.

I've been using Castrol Synthetic 5w-40 now for a few years. This primarily because it is easy to find on sale locally and also because I use it in my VW turbo diesel which has extremely specific oil requirements.

Basically any oil that does not have the "Energy Conserving" stamp that indicates the addition of friction modifiers, should be safe for the Versys wet clutch. The addition of friction modifiers, which can be found in some oils, negatively impact the oil immersed "wet" clutch.

I currently use Rotella T 15W40 "dino" oil. At this point, I don't really see any advantage to use the synthetic, although I'll have to check out the price of the Petro-Canada stuff.

It looks like the Duron-E 10W40 synth and Duron-E XL 15W40 semi-synth are both suitable (JASO MA, API SM)...any real advantage of one over the other?

Dave C

DaveC,

Fully Synthetic besides the price point, all others would be ++ against the XL. Frequent changes is more advantageous than relying on a good Synt oil and running it longer. Synthetics would have better shear stability and would keep its viscosity a lot longer than a semi. If the price difference is small, I'll take fully synt anytime but it's not.

To all Canadians, is this Petro Canada oil easy to get, like off the shelf in most shopping outlets and petrol stations? I have to mail order mine as there is only 1 distributor in my country. There is no such availability on Shell Rotella T6, but I can get R3 mineral (it is Rimula, no Rotella in my region). For Caltex, there is DELO400 15W40 but not available off the shelf, only through fleet bulk buy. And for Mobil, Delvac MX 15W40 mineral, readily available in Mobil stations. I was aiming for API CI-4 Plus spec for HDEO, and PetroCanada hits the nail right on the spot.

Motul 15/40 5100 semi is good oil, 17,000kms on my gas gas 450 of hard riding and after a blown head gasket and strip down to replace it the piston rings, big end all well within spec i replaced nothing other than the gaskets even my mechanic was surprised.

Wow. An oil thread on a message board and there's no bloodshed. Nobody has gotten all butt-hurt. Not even a single little hurt feeling. Amazing. Now I have seen everything. :clap:

Wow. An oil thread on a message board and there's no bloodshed. Nobody has gotten all butt-hurt. Not even a single little hurt feeling. Amazing. Now I have seen everything. :clap:

Yeah, this is that kind of forum with that kind of participants. :clap: indeed!

I am a 30+ year mechanic. I own a garage.

I have said to customers:

Your engine blew because it ran out of oil

Your engine blew because the oil was not changed.

I HAVE NEVER said your engine blew because it had the wrong brand of oil.

I think the factory interval of 7500 miles is too much. I change mine at 2,000 miles. You do as you wish. I find it to be cheap insurance. I do use store brand 10W40.

My BMW R1100RT has 130,000 miles using Napa 10W40 for the first 100,000 then 20W50 since changed every 3,000 miles. It holds 4 quarts with filter.

I couldn't of said it better.... I totally agree with you... changing your oil frequently with the right grade is probably the best thing you can do for your engine... Who makes the oil, is pretty much irrelevant....:thumb:

Richard

To all Canadians, is this Petro Canada oil easy to get, like off the shelf in most shopping outlets and petrol stations?

Well, there are 4 Petro Canada stations within a 10-minute drive of my house. Not a representative sample, but it's what I have. In checking, NONE of them carried the Duron-E synthetic or Duron-E XL semi-synthetic. And to my knowledge, that's the only way to get those oils. The closest they had was the Duron-E dino 15W40, and at $5.69/L, it is more expensive than the Shell Rotella-T selling at the Canadian Tire around the corner ($4.99/L).

Cheers,
Dave C

Canadian Tire often has 5L jugs of Castrol Synthetic 5W-40 on special at $29 (usually once a month or so - check their weekly flyer) - it reg. sells for $40 something. Between two bikes and several oil changes I've used it for ~15,000km.

Canadian Tire often has 5L jugs of Castrol Synthetic 5W-40 on special at $29 (usually once a month or so - check their weekly flyer) - it reg. sells for $40 something. Between two bikes and several oil changes I've used it for ~15,000km.

You mean Castrol Syntec 5W-40? It's actually an API Group III hydroisomerized (hydrocracked) petroleum base stock oil, and it's also not JASO MA rated... Oils of SAE 30 grade or higher are not 'Energy Conserving', but may still contain friction modifiers.

Castrol- "Note: The low friction characteristics of Castrol Edge (Group IV PAO synthetic) 0W-40 make it unsuitable for most motorcycles that incorporate wet clutches in combined engine and transmission systems. Castrol’s prime recommendation for this application is Castrol R4 Superbike."

http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp_internet/castrol/castrol_australia/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/e/EDGE0W40_B1971_05.pdf

When they're not on sale at Canadian Tire, you can get Shell's excellent JASO MA rated Rotella T6 5W-40 synthetic or Rotella T 15W-40 from Walmart.

http://www.walmart.ca/Automotive/Motor-Oils-Fluids-Filters/Motor-Oils/Synthetic-Engine-Oils/Rotella-T6-5W-40-5L

http://www.walmart.ca/Automotive/Motor-Oils-Fluids-Filters/Motor-Oils/Engine-Oils/Rotella-T-Triple-Protection-5L

Pretty happy and impressed with Amsoil 10W-40.

There's a lot of apprehension on an American oil like Amsoil here. I see more of the Euro oils sell better here.Thanks.

Yeah I like my Amsoil too and always use it... You can get any Amsoil product from Canada through http://www.woodsbrosracing.com/amsoil-online-store.htm for about 40% less than Canadian Tire with secret promo code (let me know if you want it, Sprocket). I get a couple cases and more (auto oil, grease, gear lube, etc), and pay about $10 total (shipped and taxed) per quart of AFF 0W-40, and it's at my door in a couple days. :thumb:

You mean Castrol Syntec 5W-40? It's actually an API Group III hydroisomerized (hydrocracked) petroleum base stock oil, and it's also not JASO MA rated... Oils of SAE 30 grade or higher are not 'Energy Conserving', but may still contain friction modifiers.

Castrol- "Note: The low friction characteristics of Castrol Edge (Group IV PAO synthetic) 0W-40 make it unsuitable for most motorcycles that incorporate wet clutches in combined engine and transmission systems. Castrol’s prime recommendation for this application is Castrol R4 Superbike."

http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp_internet/castrol/castrol_australia/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/e/EDGE0W40_B1971_05.pdf

When they're not on sale at Canadian Tire, you can get Shell's excellent JASO MA rated Rotella T6 5W-40 synthetic or Rotella T 15W-40 from Walmart.

http://www.walmart.ca/Automotive/Motor-Oils-Fluids-Filters/Motor-Oils/Synthetic-Engine-Oils/Rotella-T6-5W-40-5L

http://www.walmart.ca/Automotive/Motor-Oils-Fluids-Filters/Motor-Oils/Engine-Oils/Rotella-T-Triple-Protection-5L

It's no surprise to me that Castrol Syntec (fully synthetic) is Group III mineral oils but marketed as Synthetic. Read about the Mobil vs Castrol legal tussle on the definition of Fully Synthetic oil.....Castrol won and as a result, Synthetic is now a loosely used word. There is only 1 Castrol oil I love, and it is for cars, M-TEC semi-synthetic 10W30. Could feel it gives better torque/power and last 6k km before the engine harshness sets in. Too bad, it is now obsoleted and replaced with Magnatec, which barely last 4k km.

Amsoil is good oil, no doubt.

It's no surprise to me that Castrol Syntec (fully synthetic) is Group III mineral oils but marketed as Synthetic. Read about the Mobil vs Castrol legal tussle on the definition of Fully Synthetic oil.....Castrol won and as a result, Synthetic is now a loosely used word. There is only 1 Castrol oil I love, and it is for cars, M-TEC semi-synthetic 10W30. Could feel it gives better torque/power and last 6k km before the engine harshness sets in. Too bad, it is now obsoleted and replaced with Magnatec, which barely last 4k km.

Amsoil is good oil, no doubt.

"Car & Driver" had a column some years back by Patrick Bedard stating that Syntec was NOT synthetic. If they can win a lawsuit to call it that... (Shades of Orwell's "1984"....) :confused:

A good read on some of the oil properties and how they performed in tests. Link will download a Powerpoint file. I learned a bit more about oil testing and properties.

http://www.4shared.com/document/8YEvvoSB/Motorcycle_Oils_-_Duron_E_Syn_.html

Summary:
1. Petro Canada does not have a dedicated MCO and tests its existing HDEO formula and compares its performance against other established MCO
2. 10W40 Fully Synthetic oil was used.
3. Fuel Dilution can artificially cause the oil to behave as if it is 1 SAE grade lower. (40 to 30). After applying the correction, it appears the oil keeps within its SAE grade.
4. Different Bikes were used, V-Twins, large V-twins, 4-cyl super sports, 6 In-line. The ZX-6R Ninja seems to stress out the oil the most in shear stability testing.
5. Wear metals are far below the specs, as with additive depletion.
6. Conclusion, Fully Synthetic HDEO from Petro Canada is able to meet motorcycle needs.

2damax, how many KMs do you intend to run your petro canada? Do you change the oil yourself? I had just ran a semi synth motor oil, would love to try out petro canada in my next oil change.

Andrew, I plan to run it to 5k km but if it starts acting up like noisy engine, difficult gear shifting especially when the ambient is hot, then it is time to change the oil. What oil are u using now?

cant remember the brand exactly, something that reads like Pro-formance? anyway it was my first oil change after getting the bike from the previous owner and he has not been responding to my queries about his service records.

just to avoid taking risks i had it changed in a rush by Welly Klang and be done with it. next oil change is another 3k km, and a friend of mine is recommending me using that petro canada oil.

I have a new V, so I'm still using standard oil (Repsol). At 2K or so, I will switch to full synthetic Red Line. I've done this on other bikes and immediately noticed smoother shifting. The gearbox on the V is so notchy, I'm looking forward to smoothing it out.

CJ

My $0.02, based on my past experience, I recommend Shell Rotella T6 5w-40. After the first 600 miles, I used Rotella exclusively in my last bike, a '07 Honda XR650L. Being air cooled it naturally ran hot, in the summer I regularly saw oil temperatures of 275 degF and approaching 300 degF on the hottest days. I drove 80 - 90 miles daily. I changed the oil at 3000 miles (1000 more than recommended), oil filters every other change. Other than checking the valve lash, changing the spark plug, and cleaning the air filter, the engine was all original.

When I traded it in for my V, it had over 82,000 miles, and I'm quite sure it could have made it to 100k without any major engine work. I'm expecting 150k out of my water-cooled V!

I am considering using Penzoil Fully Synthetic 10W40 Fastrac oil (bike oil) since I can get a good deal off a dealer in my country. About USD$12 a liter for fully synthetic. I noted in the PetroCanada PowerPoint slides mentioned above that one of the tested oil was Penzoil, and they kept their viscosity pretty good.

+1

I am a 30+ year mechanic. I own a garage.

I have said to customers:

Your engine blew because it ran out of oil

Your engine blew because the oil was not changed.

I HAVE NEVER said your engine blew because it had the wrong brand of oil.

I think the factory interval of 7500 miles is too much. I change mine at 2,000 miles. You do as you wish. I find it to be cheap insurance. I do use store brand 10W40.

My BMW R1100RT has 130,000 miles using Napa 10W40 for the first 100,000 then 20W50 since changed every 3,000 miles. It holds 4 quarts with filter.

http://www.altrider.com/images/thumbnail/product_large/feature-castrol-act-evo-x-tra-20w50-4ltr.jpg

No Big Deal!

Point is noted earlier. Just sharing.

Oils are just not oils for one fellow KTM owner who found out. Try to skimp by using semi-synthetic oil rather than the recommended fully synthetic oil. Post mortem indicates sludge formation on top end. These LC8 engines run hot and are highly stressed. Don't treat it easy like it's a Japanese engine especially in a 365 days of hot weather. Oils ain't just oils in this case.