[Rohnsman]

I'm hoping to do an oil change this weekend. At the risk of starting a "great debate", should I switch to a synthetic oil? I've been using good old Yamalube from the dealer in the past. I'd say the bike could shift a little easier than what it does. I've adjusted the chain and that helps, but occasionally find things a little rougher than I'd like. With Synth oil help? If so, which would be a good choice? Other than draining out the old stuff, if there anything else to consider when making the switch?



=-=-=-=-=-



No real need to reply I guess. I see I should've searched the topic before this post. There's more reading on the subject than I have time for already.

Reply if you like, but no sense in beating this horse anymore. I'd delete this post were that possible. Forgive the intrusion and return to your normal programming.

 

[qwerty]

Technological advances in cleaning up dino oils have brought base stocks pretty close to ester-based synthetics, but the cost has also risen. Pretty much the new technologies do a better job of removing impurities and rearrange the dino molecules closer to true synthetic. Any synthetic specifically for motorcycles in the proper viscosity for your weather and riding style will do. I use Mobil 1 because I found good quantities at a very good price. Royal Purple, Redline, and Amsoil are also very good, but prices are high. These four lead the pack in lab and real-world testing, but the others are catching up.



Avoid oils intended for diesels. Recent formulation changes have left these oils with insufficient ZDDP to protect TW cams and rockers, and additives that improve fuel efficiency put TW clutches at risk. Your national government at work, making life difficult.

 

[Point37]

my 00 had a little over 8k miles when i got it last spring...i wasn't even sure what the 2 previous owners used but i did an oil change right away using synthetic mobil 1 4t...i used this same oil in my 05 cbr 600rr...switching from regular oil to full synthetic made a difference in shifting smoothness on that bike so i figured i'd use it on this bike...i'd say do it but don't flip flop, if you go synthetic stick with it

 

[evan]

I have a bottle of mobil 4t racing sythetic on my counter. Hoping it will cure the hard to get in neutral when engine is really hot problem. Adding an oil cooler is on my to do list too.

 

[Roninboise]

I have put on about 500 miles since I purchased my TW 2005. I changed the oil as soon as I brought it home from Utah. It had 1000 miles on it and probably the original oil in it. I did the first oil change with Yamalube 20-50. Since most all of my riding is trail riding, I found that shifting from 1st to 2nd and back has at time left me in a predicament; neutral and a gravity induced reverse, usually when I am going up something very steep. Those times turned out to be the least fun time of that particular adventure.



I did research shifting on this forum and found the best recommendation to be a change to synthetic oil. Qwerty seems to be a very thorough in his research. So I have found that following his lead is a good way to go; so this morning I went over to O'Reily's and got a quart of Mobile 1 Racing T4 10-40 oil. As I type this, the old oil is draining. I will give an update on the Mobile 1 perfomance after our next ride which looks like next week.



Happy Trails All



Ron in Boise

 

[Rohnsman]

I have put on about 500 miles since I purchased my TW 2005. I changed the oil as soon as I brought it home from Utah. It had 1000 miles on it and probably the original oil in it. I did the first oil change with Yamalube 20-50. Since most all of my riding is trail riding, I found that shifting from 1st to 2nd and back has at time left me in a predicament; neutral and a gravity induced reverse, usually when I am going up something very steep. Those times turned out to be the least fun time of that particular adventure.



I did research shifting on this forum and found the best recommendation to be a change to synthetic oil. Qwerty seems to be a very thorough in his research. So I have found that following his lead is a good way to go; so this morning I went over to O'Reily's and got a quart of Mobile 1 Racing T4 10-40 oil. As I type this, the old oil is draining. I will give an update on the Mobile 1 perfomance after our next ride which looks like next week.



Happy Trails All



Ron in Boise

 

[Bagger]

Hey True,

No worries.

One vote for Amsoil here. I use it in 17 different vehicles and use their grease/lubes. In consideration of this, I have been a T1 certified dealer for 15 years.

No, I don't hawk the oil, but for the annual cost of my dealer license I get a significant enough price break that it makes Amsoil competitive with conventional oil costs.

I have several buds that use it as well, and we combine purchases which saves us more on shipping/group rates.

Along with the purchase price savings, I make more than enough commission off just my own purchases to more than renew my annual license . . . it's a good merry-go-round.

Just a thought on saving some money and still taking great care of your rigs. And it works even better if you have some friends local to share benefit/cost with.



Bag

 

[koonercat]

Yamalube out and Amsoil in just 2 days ago on my new '06 with 4K miles. Much quieter engine and much smoother shifting.

BTW I used 20-50 because I could get it local. $10 a quart.

 

[jbfla]

... should I switch to a synthetic oil? ...

yes...

 

[RTG]

Great topic!



I've been thinking of making the switch myself.



Does any one have any experience with Motul and or Bel Ray synthetic?



A TON of guys were using Motul Synthetic in there motorcross bikes when i was hanging around and riding some of the MX tracks in SoCal.



Kinda made me wanna put some in my TW and make the switch.



-Todd

 

[admiral]

2 weeks ago I changed oil with the last qt of Yamalubeski on hand, but just recently bought a qt of syn (before your posting), and was (still will) gonna try it at my next change.

 

[qwerty]

Great topic!



I've been thinking of making the switch myself.



Does any one have any experience with Motul and or Bel Ray synthetic?



A TON of guys were using Motul Synthetic in there motorcross bikes when i was hanging around and riding some of the MX tracks in SoCal.



Kinda made me wanna put some in my TW and make the switch.



-Todd

Are Motul and BelRay offering contingencies? Are these the brands hawked at the area shops? Over the years I've found most riders choose oils based on criteria other than actual performance of the oil.

 

[RTG]

Hmmmm.....



Ya know? I really don't know.



I was riding at this place called Mile Stone a lot, super fun vet track..



And when my buddies and I were in between rides we'd cruze around the pits and check out the other people bikes and just shoot the shit, talk about set ups, etc....



I noticed a lot of the guys running Motul, so much so that it stuck in my head..



Perhaps they sponsor the track or something..

 

[dhoenisch]

I have a probably dumb question... Mileage-wise, when would be the best time to switch to synthetic oil? I've read a lot of posts on oil, but I just get confused by it, at best. While my TW seems to shift just fine, I do notice I have to put in a bit more effort than I do on my Virago, so with what I have read, I think I ought to make the switch. My TW has 2,200 miles on it at this point, so it is broken in, though barely. Should I continue to run regular Yamalube in it, or have I worn the engine enough to safely switch to a synthetic?



Dan

 

[jbfla]

... My TW has 2,200 miles on it at this point, so it is broken in, though barely.

Your engine is broken in between 500-1000 miles depending on how you ride. You can switch when you like.



jb

 

[Rohnsman]

Decided to give this a try - part regular oil, part synthetic. Figured since it was Yamalube, I really couldn't go wrong. Anyone else run this in their Dub?

 

[TW_in_BC]

Decided to give this a try - part regular oil, part synthetic. Figured since it was Yamalube, I really couldn't go wrong. Anyone else run this in their Dub?

Word of advice...ditch the stock filter and go with a K&N-143. More pleats to catch more nasties!

As for the oil, I've run Mobil 4T since taking ownership, so I can't comment on the Yamalube. I have almost 25000 miles now and I attribute the (relatively) trouble-free longevity to the exclusive use of synthetic oil. And although I check them regularly, I haven't had to adjust my valves in almost two years now.



I don't understand why anyone would go "half in" by using a synthetic blend...either use the dino or go full synthetic!

 

[Roninboise]

I have put on about 500 miles since I purchased my TW 2005. I changed the oil as soon as I brought it home from Utah. It had 1000 miles on it and probably the original oil in it. I did the first oil change with Yamalube 20-50. Since most all of my riding is trail riding, I found that shifting from 1st to 2nd and back has at time left me in a predicament; neutral and a gravity induced reverse, usually when I am going up something very steep. Those times turned out to be the least fun time of that particular adventure.



I did research shifting on this forum and found the best recommendation to be a change to synthetic oil. Qwerty seems to be a very thorough in his research. So I have found that following his lead is a good way to go; so this morning I went over to O'Reily's and got a quart of Mobile 1 Racing T4 10-40 oil. As I type this, the old oil is draining. I will give an update on the Mobile 1 perfomance after our next ride which looks like next week.



Happy Trails All



Ron in Boise

We did 27 miles of single track and ATV trails yesterday. My conclusion is that this change has improved my shifting. When going down to 1st from second, I did not miss a gear and find neutral instead. I did have to double clutch it a few times going from 1st to 2nd. So far, I would say the change was very helpful for shifting.



My TW seemed to run quieter, smoother and the valves seemed happy with the change too.



Happy Trails All



Ron in Boise

 

[Rainman]

Thanks for the update Ron. I think I'll change my TW over to synthetic next time. Both my Dad's TW and mine have a hard time shifting when they get hot. I hope the synthetic helps that.

 

[SkiMan]

I've been experiencing the missing neutral as well and just this morning changed over to Rotella T 15-40(same as I run in my FJ1200) and the shifting issues disappeared. Noticably

quieter as well. Since I had just recently bought the TW and the previous owner said that he hadn't been having any issues with running 10-30, I thought I would give it a run for awhile on that, well.....this morning it got switched out. I will say this though, with the Rotella, you need to be on top of changing it regularly. 2500 to 3000 miles and it's done.