regular oil VS 'motorcycle' oil: WTF?

[buickyouth]

Is there really a difference between the two.
I've heard mixed responses from so many people.
From "what are you NUTS?' to
'just get the right weight'

Whats the consensus on the board?

[MartyA]

http://www.xs11.com/tips/maintenance/index.shtml

Scroll down to the Oil and Lubrication section.

You can also search this site for lots of opinions.

[Jerry]

At the risk of extending another oil thread...

Consensus is to use any well-known brand of regular (not synthetic) or semi-synthetic in the correct weight range, and change oil and filter every 3K miles or so. (More often if you do a lot of city/stop-and-go miles.)

Castrol GT semi-synthetic, Mobile Delvac, and Shell Rotella are all commonly used by riders on the list. Get an oil that is 'Diesel servivce rated" as they more closely match the oils in common use when our bikes were designed and built.

Oil level and regular changes are more important than brand name. Pick a good oil and go with it.

[rover]

Motor oil is just that; motor oil. Any good grade will be good for your engine. Unfortunately, our cycles also use the engine oil to lube the transmission, and it's gears and bearings, and the clutch. Regular motor oil does not offer the clinging ability to lube ball and roller bearings and gears. And, it is not the best environment for the clutch. I used Castrol racing oil in my XS, and at 36,000 miles, the main shaft bearing failed and wore the place it sits in oval shaped. So, I just got another engine from a bone yard. (16,000 miles on it) Since then (after I did extensive research on oils), I have used Yamalube, which has additives to help the oil "stick" to gears and bearings, and also properly lubes the clutch plates. After another 60,000 miles, and a lot of trailer pulling, I have had no more problems with gears, ball, roller bearings, or clutch. I will ALWAYS use an oil that is formulated for motorcycles. However, this is only an opinion that I have arrived at after researching different types of oils. My experiences tell me that I have the right opinion of what oil to use. Yours may differ.

[foxjohnc]

Hey there rover, you use Yamalube? What type and weight. I bought some from my local dealer and it made my clutch slip like crazy when it did not before. Looked on the container and surely it said "includes non-friction modifiers". Maybe my clutch was just on its way out, but it sure worked good before.

[rover]

I use 20W40, never had a clutch problem. What did you use before? I used some other brand of cycle oil once, and no problem. I got about 80,000 on the clutch in my SF, and still the original. I put a 16,000 mile engine in at 36,000, now has over 96K, I don't know what was in before I got the engine, but used Yamalube except for 1 change ever since, and must have about 30K pulling a trailer. Like I said before, it is ONLY my opinion that Yamalube is the best for me.