Shinko tire travesty

[BA80]

Try talking about OIL!!!!!!

[Bonz]

So, my project 80G is using oil but not smoking, would that be oil control rings? i.e. 1 qt of 15w-40 every 800-1000 miles?

Would a switch to 20w-50 help the cause any?

This is a serious queery, thanks for the reminder about oil!

[BA80]

A quart about every 1000 miles is about the norm. You should be running 20w50 anyway. The lighter oils don't hold up well in the air cooled engines.

[Bonz]

I really dislike that "1 quart every 1,000 miles is the norm" stuff it's a bull crap catch-all that manufacturers use to cover their butt... Now, on a 34 year old bike I'm not looking to Yamaha, but then every other bike I've owned in the past (other 80's vintage bikes included), and my current other bikes, ZRX1200 and 80SG are totally outside of the norm, as they don't lose an ounce over an oil change interval...

This is a rapid loss of oil in my book, for the sake of discussion we'll say every 800 miles as I'm probably being generous stretching that to 1,000 miles.

So, let's say I switch to 20w-50, even though every other air cooled motor I've had lives on 15w-40 without consuming oil. If I have an oil control ring problem, does the 20w-50 stand a chance of stemming the oil use? That is the question...

Or do I have the perfect candidate for a BIG BORE to freshen things up?

[BA80]

It's your story, you tell it. If there is someone here that says they don't use any oil between changes I'll show you someone who nurses his bike or they would be lying in my opinion.

Like it or not that IS the fact. Try the 20W50. It might make you like it a little more.

[Bonz]

The problem with the 80G using a quart every 800 miles, is I AM taking it easy to see if that keeps it from consuming oil!

I run the bikes pretty much the same, defintely not nursing along. With runs to high rpm and up over the ton when safe, extended highway use at high rpm by virtue of the short gearing on the XS 11000's, safe and quick passes on two lane roads where lower gears are used and thus higher rpm attained.

I don't abuse my engine, but I sure use it and get a lot out of it. Maybe that is where the difference is in what kind of bikes burn a lot of oil as the norm and others that don't?

I guess I have higher expectations of equipment performance than most guys then? It's frustrating to have an engine consume oil at a rate of a quart every 800 miles when deep inside we all know these machines in good internal shape shouldn't do that.

To re-qualify, I would say that when I don't lose an appreciable amount of oil in the sight glass (1/4 or 1/2 loss in the sight glass from full at most) over an oil change interval, i.e. don't have to add oil, that an engine is not consuming oil. Technically there has to be some consumed, no qualms there.

Those bikes that are being called normal must be bikes that were run pretty hard and hung up wet or they had some poor maintenance along the way to create an image that a quart 800-1000 miles is normal.

[BA80]

Everyone I know and ride with that have presumably good engines, including myself, get about the same oil consumption. Some more, some less depending on riding habits. I've been known to bury the tach when I'm out playing.

Under normal circumstances I have to put in about 1 quart between changes but when we have a twisty fest somewhere sometimes I need to put in 2.

[Bonz]

Well, I still can use it as a reason to need a Big Bore, right?

[BA80]

You can. I know several people that have done that and they say it doesn't do much for extra power though.

I can PM you a link for an inexpensive 1196 kit if you want.

[Bonz]

Yeah, I have read a ton about it too, and most say what you just said about the power.

Is that the $150 big bore off ebay?

[BA80]

Yup, that's the fella. Bigfoot bought one and says the parts look like pretty good quality but he hasn't installed it yet.

[Bonz]

I've been lurking around trying to see who posts up first after installing one. Thanks BA!

[natemoen]

If there is someone here that says they don't use any oil between changes I'll show you someone who nurses his bike or they would be lying in my opinion.

I'll bit, after I broke in the new rings I would say I do not burn any noticable amount of oil. I don't really see the level go down and don't add any between changes.

Maybe it has spmething to do with using first over ring and filing the gaps to very tight tolerances. I don't know, but I don't use oil. I don't ride like Tod, but I certainly don't baby it.

[BA80]

Have you even ridden yours 3000 miles yet Nate? You never seem to go anywhere on it.

[natemoen]

I did about 11,000 last year. This year I have been too busy and have only done about 3500 so far.