synthetic or regular???

[zenlakin]

Just got a 1996 yamaha yzf600r and was curious if it would be a good idea to go to synthetic or just get plain motorcycle oil?? Thanks.

[Mel]

You know, this is a much debated subject. Princess on here had a link to a GREAT article explaining the differences, and the conclusion was that synthetic is the best (I personally use synthetic).

[onepoorstunna]

Just got a 1996 yamaha yzf600r and was curious if it would be a good idea to go to synthetic or just get plain motorcycle oil?? Thanks.

Whats wrong with plain old cager oil? Excluding the stuff marked "energy conserving" of course.

[RAGrote]

Whats wrong with plain old cager oil? Excluding the stuff marked "energy conserving" of course.

Absolutely nothing....

[rforsythe]

I've found that Synthetic oil tends to make the motor run smoother... It has been lab-proven to give a little more power too (just a couple HP). It also lasts longer, so you don't need to change every 3K miles. So yes, it's better oil... Do you need it? No.

[zenlakin]

Where do you guys get your synthetic oil and how much is it per quart? Thanks.

[Airreed]

You are going to get a million answers to which "brand"....

I buy Mobil 1(the car brand) full synthitic from Wally-World. It's abour 20 bucks for 1 gallon. I can't remember the price, but I knew Sams Club had a pretty good price on a case of Mobil 1 too.

And keep asking questions because there's alot of people on here that can answer them for you.

Be safe out on the roads!


Jason

[~Barn~]

Carquest will hook you up with a CSC discount. I (along with a lot of others) personally use the Mobile 1 15w50 synthetic car oil. It's equally as good as any top-shelf "motorcycle specific" oil, and costs less anyway.

I can't tell you what your exact price will be, but with the CSC discount, I can't see a better value.

[rybo]

Best bet in my opinion is to use the car version of Mobil 1 in the 15w 50 Weight. Currently in a gray bottle with a gold cap and about $4.50 a quart at almost any autoparts store in addition to wal mart.

Also you can save money by using car oil filters on your bike. Your YZF uses filters that also fit on Mazda's (I think) Here is a list of filters that fit on your bike that you can easily get at the autoparts store. If you have room for the larger filter use it. If not the smaller ones work fine. Purolator filters are available at Advance Autoparts stores, Bosch at Autozone and Super tech at Wal Mart

About 2.5 inches long.
Purolator Pure One PL14612, about $6.
Mobil M1-108, about $12.
Made by Champion.
Bosch 3300, about $6.
Made by Champion.

About 3.25 inches long.
Purolator Pure One PL14610, about $6.
Mobil 1 M1-110, about $10.
Made by Champion.
Bosch 3323, about $6.
Made By Champion.
WalMart SuperTech ST7317,
about $2. Made by Champion.

[zenlakin]

That is good to know and will save me some money for sure. and 15w50 is the viscosity I should always use or should I change that at any time. That is some thick oil. LOL!!

[rybo]

Standard weight for a 4 cyl motorcycle is 10w 40. If you were riding in the dead of winter I would probably go thinner, but I run it year round on my bikes without issue. I commute all year and rode all 12 months last year, some days were as cold as 18 F.

Motorcycle engines are quite a bit harder on motor oil than car engines because the engine oil is shared with the transmission and the clutch. They also tend to run a bit warmer than car engines, so the added thickness ends up being a good thing. Warm your bike before riding and all will be well.

Mobil 1 is available in 10/40 as well, so don't be afraid to use it. DO NOT use oils marked as "Energy Conserving" on the back label in your bike. They contain friction modifiers that MIGHT cause your clutch to slip.

Good luck to you and enjoy the new bike

Scott

[rforsythe]

Actually, filters are one thing you don't want to skimp on. You can have the best oil in the world, and a shit filter will still make you spin a bearing.

The Wix filters are quite good, and also pretty cheap cost-wise. They go by NAPA-Gold and CarQuest Premium, among other things.

[zenlakin]

Very good to hear and thanks a ton for the good in. So I can get the filters from napa or carquest right? I will have to go there and see what I can come up with.

[Player 2]

Carquest filters rule!

[rybo]

Actually, filters are one thing you don't want to skimp on. You can have the best oil in the world, and a sh!t filter will still make you spin a bearing.

The Wix filters are quite good, and also pretty cheap cost-wise. They go by NAPA-Gold and CarQuest Premium, among other things.

Just an awareness thing, but all of the filters I listed are high quality synthetic media filters. The Purolator filters in particular are extremely high quality. The others are all made by the same company that makes Mobil 1 filters. There is a whole list of other filters available that fit this application I chose to only list the best of the best to recommend to our esteemed members. BTW the listed filters also fit all honda applications with spin on type filters.

The Wal Mart Supertech filters are a bargain amongst filters. Cut apart you would have a hard time telling them from the Bosch that preceeds them in the list. The Mobil one has slightly more filter media than the other two and the Purolator Pure One filters have considerably more filtering area than the others.

There are a variety of filter qualities out there from basic paper media to a full synthetic fiber media that looks a bit like fiberglass when you tear it apart. Fram, for example, uses only a paper media in their filters, and not much of it. The filter surface area is small and the filters somewhat ineffective. The Wal Mart and the Bosch filters seem to use a combination of media, paper first and then synthetic media later in the filter. There is quite a bit more filter surface area in these units. Finally the Mobil and the Purolator use a full synthetic media and appear to be the best thing going.

I've cut a bunch of filters apart to satisfy my curiosity regarding the quality of construction and the amount of media. My observations were confirmed by and engineer who posted his results on the web along with the list of recommended filters I posted above.

I don't want to pee in anyones cheerios, but the NAPA filters I cut apart were paper media filters. They had high quality cases and good anti drainback valves, but the media wasn't anywhere near the quality or quantity of the Purolator, Bosch or Mobil filter. I have not cut apart a Carquest or a Wix filter, so I have no information on them.

[Fly boy]

I read something about filters a while back, and the Fram and NAPA filters were crap, and that the supertec from wal-mart was cheaper, and better quality. It is a high qual name brand that they produced for walmart.


also a side question, is mobil 1 = to GN4 bike oil? or synthetic bike oil? the GN4 is 3.95 a quart up here. Is it worth running one or the other?

[Nick_Ninja]

Check it out:

[web:53385807e1]http://www.ducatimeccanica.com/oil.html[/web:53385807e1]

[Fly boy]

WHOA!!! to much brain hurts uggg....
ok, so
get mobil one, CHECK
Get oil filter:


Standard oil filter from Honda dealership is ok? or should I look at http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/...SCOTTS-46.html

[rforsythe]

I read something about filters a while back, and the Fram and NAPA filters were crap, and that the supertec from wal-mart was cheaper, and better quality. It is a high qual name brand that they produced for walmart.


also a side question, is mobil 1 = to GN4 bike oil? or synthetic bike oil? the GN4 is 3.95 a quart up here. Is it worth running one or the other?

Fram is crap. And there is a difference between NAPA, and NAPA Gold. The GOLD filters are made by Wix, and don't suck.

Anyway, on the other post about OEM or Scotts - the OEM's are fine, and some people do like the Scotts reusable filters - and some don't. The jury's still out on those.

[rybo]

Cool, the MCN test supports the advice that I (and others) have been giving on this board for a couple of years!

[Nick_Ninja]

Oh, and Purolator filters are the best

[Fly boy]

where the heck can I get a purolator? never heard of it. are they for cars and bikes? I use the supertec in muh truhk

[rybo]

Ben,

You can get Purolator filters at Advance autoparts stores. The one that fits your bike is

Purolator Pure One PL14612. Should be about $6

It is a car filter, but has the correct dimensions to fit your Honda

The supertech is also a fine choice for the purple and pink. The one you are looking for is the ST7317. It is about 1 inch longer than the stock Honda filter, so make sure you have adequate clearance first. The Supertech is about $3

Scott

[Dr. Joe Siphek]

Hey scott...are you using a book to cross-reference??? I need to find the correct one for my 03 ZX6R...any ideas?

Travis