Oil

Just changed oil and went to Rotella T synthetic 5W-40. Bike has 4800 miles on it. Done a lot of research and this new synthetic Rotella T rates right up there with all the best money can buy plus Wal-Mart carries it making it convenient.

 

That he does..

10-40 Amsoil here.

 

I had previously tried Royal Purple m/c synthetic- too expensive for me. I am running Rotella synthetic in my 03 VFR800, 05 DR650, and 89 Transalp with no problems. This is my third VFR- I had an 86 VFR700, then a 94 VFR750, and now the 800.

 

I have had my 3rd gen for 3 yrs and 12 K miles. I have been using Castrol 10-30 for years in cars I care about and all my bikes. I change it every 3 K miles. When fresh the bike shifts smooth, but after 1500 miles the shifting gets notchy. I have considered changing to Syntec. Any issues I should consider?

 

Amsoil 10W-40 fully sythetic motorcycle oil

 

I am not personally familiar with Syntec but have heard it is good oil. As katat58 says above, I did a lot of net research on Rotella-T synthetic and it has high ratings. It has no adverse effects on the clutch and the VFR shifts nicely after 3,000 miles of use. The price is reasonable especially for synthetic. Hope this helps...

 

Here's my experience with different oils. I own a 1996 Ducati 900 SS. I only used fully synthetic oil. At 12,000 miles it started smoking. Heads had to be pulled. Valve guides had worn and had to be replaced.

Had a 1994 Kawasaki 600. Only used fully synthetic oil. Had to have the shift forks replaced twice and the drumb replaced once in 30,000 miles of mostly highway riding.

I have a 1988 Chevy S-10 with a POS 2.4 liter 6 cylinder. Had the oil changed every 5,000 miles at quicklube joints using standard bulk oil. It now has 238,000 miles with no engine issues.

I have a 2001 VFR. I've used Honda synthetic blend all but one change. Accidentally used standard Honda oil that change. It quickly used a quart of oil that change. Other than that, it has never used any oil. I think it needs synthetic blend because the engine tends to run at higher temperatures.

I've changed oil between 3-5,000 miles on all these vehicles.

My feeling is no oil will prevent a bad part from wearing as with the Ducati and Kawasaki. If you follow manufacturer's recommendations you should be fine.

One other point. I've spent countless extra dollars using full synthetic oil in various bikes and never got a better price when selling than if I had used standard oil. I think you should consider how long you expect to keep a bike before paying for the full synthetic oil. Few people actually keep a bike until its completely worn out. If you plan on selling sooner, then why spend the extra money? All the extra money you spend is just for the benefit of the next owner.

 

It would be great to hear from some high mileage VFR owners and find out their routine and mileage. Anybody got 40, 50 75K miles on your bike? And what did you use for the life of the bike?

 

On the Ducati I was told it was a production problem. Too soft material used for the valve guides. Must have been because they agreed to fix it for free even though the warranty had expired. I now have 21,000 miles with no more problems (with smoking at least).

I got the same story on the Kawasaki shift drum. The original part was too soft. It was replaced with an upgraded item. No more problems with it.

I have 26,000 miles on the VFR changing oil/filter ever year or 3,000 miles using recommended Honda H4 synthetic blend. Not a single problem with this bike. By far the most reliable ride I've had in 40 years of riding. I still love the sound of the gear driven valves!

 

I got 40K on mine and the first 16K miles (oil change @ 2k Miles, 8K, 16K) I used Honda MC Dino oil but after that I went full synth (Amsoil) with oil changes every 7K miles.

The bike still runs great and the only maintenance item that had to be done was adjust valves (8 were out of spec) at 32K miles. That's not too surprising though as I do ride the bike hard and fast as it's designed for.

 

I used extra virgin Olive oil imported from Italy.......double pressed and strained to get the pit particles out......

I actually don't know what oil I used the last time I changes it.. I walked into the Stealership and said "what oil do you reccommend that I use in my old bike?" he handed me a gallon and a quart and said "this one right here."

 

Yes Indeed oil is a big subject. There are so many new choices. How long do you intend to keep the bike is a issue to be considered. I have long been of the mind that any motor does not need to outlive me. Castrol dino oil has been good for me, although I one put straight 30 weight in 1986 FZ 600 and the motor would not rev very well. After that I have stayed with 10-30W. I have never had a oil related failure on any thing I have owned. Since Red Line made my BMW shift better, I am still curious if performance can be improved using synthetics with out causing oil leaks or other failure. I guess there are some who will put tranny fluid in the forks and any old 10-30 in the crankcase. And others running Amzoil and the expensive Honda oils. These motors are known to go 40-60K miles, but how many with only valve adjustments and on what oil?
By the time mine gets to 40K in 3-4 years I think I will be lusting after the 2010 VFR 1200 What a bike! So much for the VFR 1000