Just bought a 08' Red Versys and want to change oil, what brand and weight of oil are you guys using? I heard Rotella T synthetic 5w-40 is really good. And help would be great. Thanks-Robert
Congrats on the new V from a fellow red rider! Right now I am using Amsoil, but I think next change is going to be the Rotella T synthetic. I change every 5K miles and the Amsoil is $$$. Read good things about Rotella. Search around, enough oil threads to really confuse you! I think the answer is "Just do it!" Ride safe!
I have used Rotella T with great luck. $19 for a gallon at Wal-Mart. The gallon is kind of a pain because the bike typically takes 2.1-2.3 liters, so I always have an open jug in the garage.
I use the PureOne oversized car filter also. About $6 at my local Fleet Farm. Forget the part number, but if you need it I can go look it up.
It's at my door in a couple days for over 40% less than from Canadian Tire. For a case of 12 'AFF' 0W-40, it comes to $8.61 usd per quart, including taxes and shipping to BC or Ontario. ($9.27 usd for 'MCF' 10W-40)
Mobil 1's Racing 4T 10W-40 goes for $15 per liter including taxes at Wal Mart (Canada).
I use fish oil from the local Japanese restaurants. The stuff they dump mid week meets JASO MA (it is a Japanese restaurant after all) and is environmentally friendly. Don't go to restaurants that use MSG, though, not good for the bike and the exhaust smells funny.
Gustavo
PS - Before you guys start complaining, yes, this is now the standard answer to "what oil" questions... :devil:
I really did use oil from local Japanese restaurants for a while. But that got filtered, dewatered and then burned as fuel in my veggie-oil powered diesel Mercedes, though. :yeahsmile:
Amsoil makes a synthetic that is specifically designed for engines that have a crank case that shares the oil with the transmission and have a wet clutch. Their website has some pretty persuasive info. I use it in my street and dirt bikes. If it wasn't so expensive, I would likely use it in my cars too.
Standard Rotella T oil in everything: works great, readily accessible, and cheap. I've used all the expensive stuff for years, and I used the Rotella synthetic for a while. I just don't believe it to be worth the extra money.
Is it possible to mix different oils? On my second oil change I went with the Kawasaki blend. However these things come in the 1 gallon jug and as such I have less than half leftover for my next change.
Will it be ok to use that blend and top it up with a full synthetic on the next change?
Question, I'm planning on using 10w-40 and switching to synthetic around 3000 to 5000 miles, though for the break in, what oil should be used or is recommended?
Thanks antman, but I was going to use dino/mineral oil for the break in and then switch. It looks like your recommendation is synthetic...or were you just refering to the site. Many thanks.
You can switch to synthetic oil by 2000 miles. I did at 1300 miles without any problems after a good solid and progressive break-in, redlining it by 100 miles... Meanwhile, you can use any mineral JASO MA 10W-40 motorcycle oil.
My local Wal-Mart sells the Mobil 1 Racing 4T synthetic for just over $8/qt. That's what I've run in the past, and what I plan on switching to @ 3000mi.
Edit: Read the "stickied" oil thread and the new T6 Rotella synth conforming to JASO spec. Might give that a try, depending on which is cheaper ;-)
OUCH (!!!) on that filter price, the oil seems reasonable though. I'm a believer of running conventional for at least the first 2000mi of motorcycle service. Got's to let everything wear-in a bit.
What I've done with my superbikes in the past (granted, they turn bazillions or RPMs) is fill with a high quality conventional (like Motul 10w40) at 600mi, then synth at 2000mi on. For the Versys, since it turns relatively low RPMs, I plan on taking the 600mi fill until 3000mi just to stay synched up with the book.
Online, the cheapest I can find is $8.99 + $6.00 shipping. So $12.99 worked out as a better deal and local. I know there are cheaper options but using OEM filters have been a habit of mine for years.
I use OEM filters, Or the purolator motorcycle filters. I am lucky as both my machines run the same filter, so I need purchase only one type and thus , buy them in 6 packs , saving on shipping . I get them from Bikebandit for OEM and through the STN store for PURO..
I use 10w40 motorcycle oil made by Vavloline or Pennzoil. I would also consider running Rotella, Standard 15w40.
First off to the guys that are thinking that the price of Amsoil is too much. Are you considering apples and apples.
Be sure to take into account the Extended Drain intervals. Which can be found HERE
from 7500 miles to 35000 miles and up to a year.
THIS is a little chart that I love to show. Based on 25000 miles.
And as far as the 20 to 35% discounts are concerned, if you do not want to go through the dealer that is paying to advertise on this site. And you do not believe you are going to spend enough to recoup your $10 for a six month preferred customer discount. I will see what the best route would be to take to get you set up as a Amsoil customer. Be sure to Mention the Versys forum some where in the contact form.
Sorry Bob, I don't want to bust your chops, but here is my analysis of the Amsoil recommendations you posted.
Based on the PDF Amsoil publishes, they recommend a 15K mile (or one year) oil change interval for bikes. How many of the Amsoil using members here run 15K miles on their oil? I'm not saying it couldn't go 15K miles, but I don't get the feeling that even the Amsoil users are convinced they can run that long. So, is it apples to apples? If you do 15K miles per year, yes, maybe it could be cheaper than it seems. How many people ride 15k per year?
Same with this chart that compares costs:
It may be true for a commercial driver, or some one that covers lots of miles/year in their car. How many people ride 25K miles per year? I wish I did, but I don't. Obviously it's different for other people based on their circumstances. Heck, even our family car doesn't accumulate that kind of mileage per year. We have been averaging 10K/yr in the car. Based on the manufacturer's recommendation, to preserve the warranty, I change the oil every 5K miles. It wouldn't matter if I used Amsoil, because I have to show that the oil was changed every 5K miles for warranty purposes. But let's say that after the warranty expires I switch. Given that I only drive 10K miles a year, I need one Amsoil oil change or two generic ones. Using the numbers in the example above, two oil changes would cost $42 vs. $60 for the Amsoil one. Even if you fell into the American average of driving 12-15K/year, it's almost the same, but not cheaper. I will be the first one to say that it's not a significant difference, if you believe Amsoil gives you better protection, use it.
Sorry, but apples to apples, does not really save you money unless you drive a significantly higher mileage than average....
:cheers:
Gustavo
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