Golden Spectro fix

[Lonerider62]

Back in about 1986 or so I had a SX650 that had what I would describe as clunky shifting. I bought some Golden Spectro after seeing an advertisement for it say it would make the shifting on your bike smoother. I put it in the next oil change and I was amazed at how much better the shifting got. My XS1100 has been pretty clunky since I got it and I was checking out the parts at the local Yamaha dealer and noticed that they carried Golden Spectro semi-synthetic 10-40 so I decided to get some and give t a try. Lo and behold, I noticed the difference immediately. All transitions are now better and 3 to 4 and 4 to 5 are now completely smooth and quiet. The rest are a lot better by a factor of 2 or 3, smoother and much quieter. If I hadn't experienced it myself I wouldn't have believed it.

[BA80]

Waiting to see how it affects the clutch.

[tweeleft]

Yep that was going to be my question

[jetmechmarty]

Waiting to see how it affects the clutch.

Golden Spectro is motorcycle specific and designed for use with a wet clutch.

[cywelchjr]

I'm waiting to see how oil consumption goes, these engines were not designed for 10wt oil at the temps we normally ride at, and will tend to use oil with anything less than 15wt oil (not always but quite often, and even 15wt at the low end will often be consumed). I find that with anything less than 20w50 mine uses oil, with 20w50 oil consumption is negligible. So my concern is a bit less the clutch and more the oil slipping by things and getting burned. I also notice that with GOOD shifting habits and a WELL adjusted clutch that shifting isn't all that bad (matching engine speed pretty much to the point of the clutch not being needed).

[mxmikie]

Golden Spectro is motorcycle specific and designed for use with a wet clutch.

dont tell them .... they wont have any thing to whine about

[Lonerider62]

Oil consumption

I measure my oil when I do an oil change just to see how much the machine is using. On the last change I used a Castrol 10/40 and ran it about 1700 miles before this change. I had 3 Qts in and 3 Qts out so it didn't use much of the castrol. I'll report on the use of this Golden Spectro on the next change.

[motoman]

I had 3 Qts in and 3 Qts out so it didn't use much of the castrol.

That's good...........for starting out a quart low from the get-go.........

[natemoen]

That's good...........for starting out a quart low from the get-go.........

3000CC (which is what should be put in) equals 3.17 quarts, so no not even close to a quart low.

[Lonerider62]

I understand that the instructed amount of fluid is in metric measurements but it's sold by the Qt. and my preference is not to have a bunch of oil sitting around left over. I'd rather be .13 Low than have .87 left over, especially when the sight glass shows full with 3 Qts. in the case. It's just my preference and the bike still doesn't burn oil.

[DAVINCI]

The clunky shifting is one of the signs (for me) that an oil change is needed. It doesn't seem to care WHAT type of oil I use, as long as it's fresh, the bike always shifts smoother right after a change. So, I'll bet some of the improvement is just because of the new oil.

[motoman]

Just goin' by what the original(yellow) owners manual states Nate..........with filter change, 4.2 for the Special/4.4 for the Standard. Think most of us just pour in 4qts. and ride for the most part....

[cywelchjr]

Just goin' by what the original(yellow) owners manual states Nate..........with filter change, 4.2 for the Special/4.4 for the Standard. Think most of us just pour in 4qts. and ride for the most part....

Maybe 4.4 with the oil cooler, but mine without oil cooler is 3 liters, and at least around HERE the MC specific oil is sold in 1 liter bottles, and 3 of them put me just a little below the upper line on the site glass which is where I prefer to keep things, and when it's oil change time it's generally still very close to the same spot on the site glass still. I could certainly see the oil cooler adding over a quart of oil to the overall capacity of the engine.

[motoman]

I could certainly see the oil cooler adding over a quart of oil to the overall capacity of the engine.

Actually not that much with the cooler..........re-read capacities of both, post *12

[cywelchjr]

Actually not that much with the cooler..........re-read capacities of both, post *12

Umm, I just checked the manual, without filter change 3.2 quarts or 3 liters, and with filter change 3.5 liters or 3.7 quarts, neither of which are 4 quarts. While 3.5 liters with filter change puts the oil level right at the top line of the site glass, I find that actually lowers fuel mileage, and with ALL my vehicles I actually aim for between the lines, generally a little above the halfway point between the lower and upper lines to be more precise. I've seen on a lot of forums where reports have been made that when riders fill right to the full line they experience decreased fuel economy, and get better if they leave it a little bit low. This has been MY experience thus far, and not just with my bike so I tend to aim for less than all the way full because of that.