oil consumption

[graybird78]

are our bikes known for using oil?. ive owned my sg for 13 yrs.had 14k on when i bought it .it now has 45k on it, and still uses oil. not leaking it ,plugs dont show evidence of burning it.but will always use 2-3 quarts between oil changes.not that it matters to me oil is cheaper than motors.have used different oils over the years. been using rotella 15-40 for yrs with lcas oil treatment for extra protection.any thoughts.

[BA80]

Running Rotella and Lucas Oil Treatment it really suprises me that your not on here complaining of a clutch slip. Either one by itself can cause a slipping clutch.

My bike uses about 1-1 1/2 quarts between oil changes. More or less depending on how hard I push it. Always has.

[jetmechmarty]

will always use 2-3 quarts between oil changes.

How many miles between changes? 1 qt or so every 1,000 miles doesn't seem unreasonable to me. I'm not much of a fan of additives, and I prefer to use 20W50. I usually use oil designed for motorcycles. I still probably add a qt about every 1000 miles.

There's a good read about engine oil in issue 12 of Iron & Air Magazine.

[tinman905]

I usually have to add 1/2 to 1 litre/quart of 20W/50 oil between oil changes depending how I ride and Km between changes. I have been using Lucas oil for a few years without any clutch slipping.

[trbig]

Mine is more hit n miss. Sometimes I'll have to use a half qt between changes, but most of the time, I'll not have to add any, though most of the guys I ride with that have XSs will have to add a little on trips, so it seems fairly common. Well over 100k on this rebuild, so I feel pretty lucky, especially since I haven't babied it very much.

That being said, I think you'll find if you use a good 20/50 oil and quit using additives, your consumption will go way down, as Marty suggested. Most report quiter motors and smoother shifting after going to the 20/50.

[graybird78]

when i first got the sg i used only bike spec oil. always had missed shifts and false nuetrals.finally ended up with rotella and lucas .never any clutch slippage ever. i have hammered the crap outta this thing till i thought i would fly apart. the trans shifts quit and smooth oil ussage depends on temps and how hard i ride. anywhere from 1-2 1/2 qts every 2k.beleive me i have not been nice to bike at times.she will take everything i can through at her and has.

[graybird78]

2k on oil changes.oils cheap.motors are not. has always used oil no matter what im using .even swithed to 20-50 havoline motor cycle spec oil no difference.

[Crusty Snippets]

Oil

My Yami uses oil. Not a lot so I never bothered to measure it. Have about 40,000 miles on him.
Unkle Crusty

[skids]

I don't know for sure WHY, but 100% synthetic oil is "consumed" the fastest. This was before I knew about clutch slippage issues. Blends are much better for both issues.

[jetmechmarty]

I believe synthetic and consumption to be a myth. It will find it's way through certain kinds of paper gaskets, but it wouldn't be enough to be seen as consumption. Synthetic oil should have higher film strength and the viscosity will not break down as quickly as so-call dino oils. If the synthetic oil is motorcycle specific, the clutch won't be an issue.

I've switched back and forth between dino oil and synthetic without issue. My XS650 and XS1100 don't mind either type. I have used gallons of Rotella or other diesel product as well. They all worked just fine for me. Right now, I'm using Yamalube 20W50 because it's the most economical option. I get it for about $18 per gallon online. I'm not using synthetic because I'm a cheap smack as are some of you out there. After spending a small fortune on engine oil, I tend to not want to drain it.

The best oil is clean and slippery!

[BA80]

With that question as with any you are hit with a barrage of conflicting answers everyone believing theirs to be correct. And, they are for them.

If your bike uses oil, it will use oil. If your bike's clutch slips or not with certain additives or oils, it will slip.

There are too many variables between riders and conditions for there to be a definitive answer.

It is what it is.

[jwhughes3]

On my 7000 mile trip last summer I used a quart every 1000 miles like clockwork. I was using Mobil 1 15w50 (goldcap Extended Life - not V-Twin) and had neither slipping clutch issues nor XSive consumption problems.

John

[TopCatGr58]

Oh boy, another oil thread!

Hey there Greybird,

Okay, you got the bike with some miles and some age on it. No telling how long it would sit before it was ridden, and then apparently not for very long trips when ridden. So...there's the possibility that the oil rings may have gotten gummed and partially stuck??

I would suggest an experiment of putting in some(1/2 bottle or so) MMO just before your next oil change, gently bring the engine up to normal operating temps(fan blowing across headers) and do NOT perform any strong full throttle blips or Ride/Drive/put any load on it. Then after normal temperature is obtained, run for another 5 minutes. Then turn off, drain, change filter, and put in fresh oil....as suggested 20/50 range vs. 15/40, thicker on both ends, and ride and check your consumption.

The tolerances on these are not as tight as modern cars/bikes, and so there's more room for the oil to slip by the rings, so as several have stated some usage is probably normal, again dependent upon bikes age/engine miles, etc.. I have rebuilt my topend some 10 years ago with Wiseco kit, had a bike racing shop perform the boring/matching of pistons/rings to bores, and did the gentle version of the breakin procedure, and I rarely have to add oil in between changes, and I now have some 15-20k miles on the topend rebuild!
Also running just Castrol GTX 20/50.

T.C.

[mikubuilder]

I think on my bike I use some oil due to valve seals being dried up(bike sat for 20+ years), and I always got some smoke out of exhaust on start up...

[skids]

I believe synthetic and consumption to be a myth. It will find it's way through certain kinds of paper gaskets, but it wouldn't be enough to be seen as consumption. [/IMG]

Well, you can claim it to be a myth, but when I switched from Mobil 1 Syn to Castrol Dino juice, the oil consumption dropped dramically. Maybe it is something other than viscosity ratings that allows it to slip by the rings(?)