synthetic or regular???

[Toe Dragger]

That was me with the leaky bike.

I had put in the Mobile1 motorcycle oil and had only ran it for 500 miles.

It started out as a slow drip from the stator cover which I had removed to replace the stator. I thought "No big deal, I'll just take it off and seal it again."

Well, I went through three gaskets and half a tube of Honda Bond and it would not stop leaking.

Finally on last weeks Saturday ride it started hemorraging oil. By the time I got home I was two quarts low.

So I took her apart and started looking real close.....almost every seal on my engine had oil residue leaking around it. Some were worse than others but the damn thing was spilling its guts.

So....I put in some regular Honda brand "racing" (yeah right) 10W-40 oil and not another drop has come from my bike. Instant fix.

I don't think the Honda oil is any better but it was only $12 for a gallon so I couldn't pass it up.

Something to keep in mind if you start leaking after putting in synthetic.

[livinlife2themax]

hey you talkin shit about honda in general or just the oil ?

[Lee]

So....I put in some regular Honda brand "racing" (yeah right) 10W-40 oil and not another drop has come from my bike. Instant fix.

I don't think the Honda oil is any better but it was only $12 for a gallon so I couldn't pass it up.

That is a good price on that particular Honda oil, if it was HP4. (Was it HP4?) Where did you buy it?

I've never used Mobil 1. I have no complaints about it; I've just never used it.

I am using Castrol R4 5W-40 pure synthetic racing oil in my GSX-R1000 with not a drop of leakage. You may want to try it but it is expensive. If you want to try it, let me know and I'll tell you where you can buy it for less than $7 per quart instead of retail $12+ per quart.

Lee

[Toe Dragger]

That is a good price on that particular Honda oil, if it was HP4. (Was it HP4?) Where did you buy it?

I've never used Mobil 1. I have no complaints about it; I've just never used it.

I am using Castrol R4 5W-40 pure synthetic racing oil in my GSX-R1000 with not a drop of leakage. You may want to try it but it is expensive. If you want to try it, let me know and I'll tell you where you can buy it for less than $7 per quart instead of retail $12+ per quart.

Lee

Hey cool man thanks...yeah let me know about that. I'd rather run synth but the whole leaking thing kinda gave me a headache.

I got the Honda oil at Fay Myers. Not sure if it's HP4, I'll check it when I get home. It's got a red label and says Honda "racing" oil on it.

I may be mistaken here....but it seems that if the Mobile1 10w-40 leaked, then the 5W-40 would leak that much worse?

You think brand might have something to do with it?

[Lee]

I am baffled about the leaking. I've never heard anyone complain about Mobil 1. Would 5W-40 leak worse? I don't know. My GSXR doesn't leak at all.

You can buy Castrol R4 at Cycle Gear for $7.99 right now. I've bought it as low as $6.49. It retails for $12+.

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1...em=VAN_57-4782

If they have a store in the Denver area, you could go to their store to buy it and save shipping costs.

Lee

P.S. Castrol R4 oil is kind of interesting. It is made in Italy and imported into the USA. Castrol will not comment on its composition. SportRider magazine did some very comprehensive oil tests last year. On a dyno, a bike running R4 would actually gain 5-7 horsepower as the oil got really hot. There's something different about it.

P.P.S. If your bike leaks oil while using R4, try Honda HP4 10W-40 semi-synthetic oil. It is also made by Castrol for Honda. It's been a great oil in the bikes I've used it in.

[vmax2003]

will syn. oil work well on a vmax?

[Lee]

I can't imagine why not although I've never owned a VMAX.

To address any concerns you might have, call Yamaha and ask them for an opinion:
Customer Relations
(800) 962-7926

Lee

[Toe Dragger]

Thanks Lee....yeah it baffled the hell outta me too. I'll give yours a try next time I change the oil.