So.....

[oseaghdha]

No question about it

EVO is the way to go!

[Elevener]

I figure if it was good enough for my old Dodge truck then it must be good enough for the XS when the truck is done with it. plus Im recycling.

[79XS11F]

With the tire threads back up and the "What's your bike worth" posting, I just thought I'd ask....


What is your favorite oil to use on these bikes?



Tod

Is this a trick question Tod?
I don't use any oil "on" my bike. I try real hard to keep all or at least most of the oil "in" my bike.
I use major brand name products when they are on sale and I'm not loyal to any given brand.
Rob

[Montreux_Blue]

well tod;; no wonder you have so many posts seems like when you have absolutely nothing to add you resort to the lowest form well have fun painting a picture of yourself for me to pin a tail on ,,slow mo

Hey slow mo, he's making fun of my old tire thread too............ which will never die!!!!!!! He's just jealous.

[motoman]

I'm not loyal either 79xs, only to whatever oil knows which end of piston to stay on, and keeps things quiet. Quiet= cushion.

[kirmit77]

I think Im going to switch to CASTROL

[trbig]

Well, how about this one? Does oil have a shelf life?

A buddy said he ran across some of the old cans of oil. Jeremy and Kermit might not understand, but you used to have to use a can opener on the metal lid to open it. My buddy asked if I thought the oil would still be good to use, and I didn't know.


Tod

[Guy_b_g]

from: The Engine Oil Bible: http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

Engine Oil Shelf Life.

I couldn't decide whether to put this in the FAQ or the main page, so it's in both, because I get asked this question a lot. Typically, the question is along the lines of "GenericAutoSuperStore are having a sale on WickedlySlippy Brand synthetic oil. If I buy it now, how long can I keep if before I use it?"
In general, liquid lubricants (ie. oils, not greases) will remain intact for a number of years. The main factor affecting the life of the oil is the storage condition for the products. Exposure to extreme temperature changes, and moisture will reduce the shelf life of the lubricants. ie. don't leave in the sun with the lid off. Best to keep them sealed and unopened.

Technically, engine oils have shelf lives of four to five years. However, as years pass, unused engine oils can become obsolete and fail to meet the technical requirements of current engines. The specs get updated regularly based on new scientific testing procedures and engine requirements. But this is only really a concern if you've bought a brand new car but have engine oil you bought for the previous car. An oil that is a number of years old might not be formulated to meet the requirements set for your newer engine.

If your unopened containers of engine oil are more than three years old, read the labels to make sure they meet the latest industry standards. If they do meet the current standards, you might want to take the extra precaution of obtaining oil analysis before using them. An oil analysis will check for key properties of the oil and ensure that it still meets the original manufacturing specs. Of course the cost of getting an analysis done on old oil is probably going to outweigh going and buying fresh stuff. So it's a double-edged sword.
As a general rule, the simpler the oil formulation, the longer the shelf life. The following is a guideline under protected conditions:
Product Shelf Life
Base Oils, Process Oils 3 years
Hydraulic Oils, Compressor Oils, General Purpose Lubricating Oils 2 years
Engine Oils and Transmission Oils 3 years
Industrial and Automotive Gear Oils 2 years
Metal Working and Cutting Oils 1 year

The following are signs of storage instability in a lubricant:

* Settling out of the additives as a gel or sticky liquid
* Floc or haze
* Precipitates/solid material
* Colour change or haziness

Water contamination in a lubricant can be detected by a "milky" appearance of the product.

I take this with a grain of salt...I have used oil much older than the guidelines.

[TomRodgers]

I use whatever oil my avatar likes applied to maintain the proper "bounce" factor !

On my Vmax i use Mobil 1 20/50. So far on my XS i have been using el cheapo oil. Reason being. Both my bikes sat for some time. After draining the molases out of every hole, i filled it up with cheapy oil, and new filter. just to "flush it out". I have done this twice now on each bike. Mind you, Ghost was a daily rider last year until electrical issues sidelined it. The last oil change on the Ghost had the Mobil 1 in it. Didnt notice any slippage. On BlackSunshine i still havent gotten it on the road since picking it up a month ago. But trying to get the carbs tuned in, it has been running in the ManGarage quite a bit. First change like i said was molases. 2nd was like regular used oil. black and nasty. 3rd change dark brown, and current oil is still transparent after about half an hour of running. next change i will probably go back to my Mobil 1. For me that is the sh!t for synthetic. Valvoline for conventional. My $.02

[tarzan]

I have used twenty year old oil.I got a derby car and the trunk had old oils and fluids.I opened the oil and it looked fine so I used it.It was still viscous and I saw no signs of deterioration.
That article above addresses mostly technical requirements,however my engines ran on the old stuff before and never got that memo.
Some oil company engineer can claim what he wants to sell more oil,but I'm thinking that oil sits in the ground for years and then gets pulled out and refined.
What would they put in it that would "spoil" overtime?What I understand kills oil, is heat and contaminants.JMHO
Rick

[fredintoon]

- - - A buddy said he ran across some of the old cans of oil. Jeremy and Kermit might not understand, but you used to have to use a can opener on the metal lid to open it. My buddy asked if I thought the oil would still be good to use, and I didn't know. - - -Tod

Hi Tod,
that stuff was underground for hundreds of millions of years (or if you are one of those fundamentalists, underground from the time God created the world back in ~4,000 BC) so how can a decade or so in a sealed can cause it to go bad?

[Montreux_Blue]

A buddy said he ran across some of the old cans of oil. Jeremy and Kermit might not understand, but you used to have to use a can opener on the metal lid to open it.

You mean like the one I found in Arizona last weekend?

[devilschld]

God I hate you guys!

hate is such a strong word. but u know u love us.