Intereting, I have stayed away from syntheric, completely based on my experience with older motors and weeping from gaskets (just my personal experience).I use Rotella Dino 15-40 and did not notice a variance in shift quality. I have noticed that I can feel a slow deterioration in shift quality as the oil gets older. Generally I change it as soon as the shifting feel changes. This is usually after a out 250 miles of off road riding. I assume it is all the shifting and clutch use, low speed, high temps vs. on-road use.

 

I switched he'd back to yamalube yesterday from mobile 1 for the same exact reason. I was going to post up on it today but you beat me to it.
Yamalube works way better for me, much less rattling of the cam chain, shifts better, way quieter internally. If you get yamalube by the gallon of Amazon it's not so bad but worth it in my opinion.

 

Thank you for sharing your opinions guys, but please realize that you are leaving out the specifics. Yamalube what? Conventional, synthetic, semi? Weight?

 

Yes, that's true.
If you're talking about oil, you have to talk about the specifications.

 

 

I have always used Castrol 10w40 motorcycle oil but will have to try the Yamalube next time.

 

My experience was just the opposite from the OP here. Nothing but goodness all the way with the 4T Racing Oil.

 

I wish I could say the same because I bought a case of it. My TW engine is too noisy with it. I'm sticking to the Yamalube and my lawn mower will run the Mobile1! Well and my jeep...

 

I use Mobil 1 4T in all of my bikes and have nothing but good to say about it. Weeping gaskets is a reaity but isn't that a problem with the gasket rather than from the Oil? Yes, full synthetic is thinner and flows much better so if your timing chain is lose then it could be a bit more pronounced going to synthetic. My bikes shift much better, smoother and easier with the Mobil in them so I can't understand why yours don't.

Oil threads are a dime a dozen here as are the opinions about them. Some guys love corn ethanol gas and I absolutely hate it in all of my seasonal equipment. To each his own is where I fall with a lot of these discussions so use what ever seems to work best for you. Our TWs don't know the difference except they do require oil and very regular changes. For those who live in a cold climate I would always suggest the change to full synthetic simply because it gets to the head a lot quicker on start up which is when most engine wear occurs. A cold engine where the oil has drained down and that oil is cold and thick takes some time to get to where it needs to be up in the top end. Thick oil in the lower sump does not get warmed up and flowing freely for quite a while until you get going and the gears slosh it around while the top end once the engine gets running heats up pretty fast and needs lubrication right away.

GaryL

 

Lighter oil in the winter makes sense as does "to each his own". I ride slow in deep sand quite often in the summer, it really heats up the engine, strait synthetic will last longer at high temps but I like the heavier semi, it keeps the rattling down. . , especially when it's over 70 degrees out. I change it every 300 miles because it needs it. I can tell by how it shifts, the same as when I run mobile1. My timing chain is definitely not loose or stretched but there is a sound difference, more so with the idler gear up by the starter but I just mic'd it and the gear and shafts are in spec. I'm sure the wear is a toss up no matter the oil assuming it's changed often enough but I prefer semi dino. If I rode when it was real cold I'd use the mobile1. I'm sure Yamaha could have specified strait syn but they specified semi. I wonder what their reasons where?

 

I use 4T 10W40 in the cooler weather and change to VTwin 20W50 for the warmer months. Seems to work well, shifting id about the same as with Yamalube 20W40.

 

I ran the vtwin mobile1 last summer, shifting was good. Still a bit noisy compared to Yamalube performance though. Don't get me wrong, I'm a mobile1 guy, I run it in my ford raptor and my jeep rubicon exclusively.

 

I use Yamalube 10-40 and my bike and clutch plates thank me.

 

OK,
Yamalube 10-40 is what was in there
Now Mobile 1, 4T also 10-40,
I liked the yamalube better,
In my BMWs I run Mobile 1 and will continue to do so,
The TW goes back to Yamalube next oil change,
Peter B

 

So what your saying is: "To Each Bike His Own"... I AGREE..