Oil debate

[beardo]

http://www.xs11.com/xs11-info/tech-t...he-xs1100.html

[James England]

On the other hand, does a question like that really need to be asked?

Isn't the answer already in the owner's manual?

The weights are given, for the environment (temperatures) that the machine is intended to be used in.

Unless he just crawled out from under a rock (not likely since he has a motorcycle and is using the 'inter-web') a question like that is pretty ridiculous...

This post is completely unnecessary, offensive and not what members of this forum want to see. Firstly, referring to other XSives in the third person, in public, as if they aren't privy to the post, and secondly, saying someone else's question is "pretty ridiculous".

You yourself are a new kid on the block, mate, and nobody has responded to you like that, have they?

[beardo]

This post is completely unnecessary, offensive and not what members of this forum want to see. Firstly, referring to other XSives in the third person, in public, as if they aren't privy to the post, and secondly, saying someone else's question is "pretty ridiculous".

You yourself are a new kid on the block, mate, and nobody has responded to you like that, have they?

I'll bow out of the thread. My apologies to everyone I offended...

[Bonz]

I remember when I joined this forum, I duplicated some good threads in my excitement to jump in and be active when I got my 80 SG. With that said, I don't see the search function as useless? Type in a key word(s) and I scroll down to pick out the titles that look promising. Is there something I am missing?

For oil, I like a 15w-40 year round. Many guys like 20w-50. Pick one of them based on your climate and ride!

[BA80]

oil

http://www.xs11.com/forum/search.php?searchid=1420057

[BA80]

tires

http://www.xs11.com/forum/search.php?searchid=1420059

[Bonz]

Ok, for my simple mind... Those threads show the ease of typing in a word and scrolling through, or is that to show the stuff that is not directly related to oil that comes up?

[BA80]

That shows that there are 20 pages (obviously the limit on the forum) and 500 posts/threads for each key word.

IMHO it's much easier to ASK than to try and sort through that pile of info, related or not. Probably not.

tires , oil

[Bonz]

Totally understand. It does take some time to weed through all that stuff for sure. There is a really good tech section that has lots of info for those types of questions too. Maybe those should/could show up when a search is done?

[BA80]

If you do a search for tires or oil right now, this thread will be at the top of both because I typed tires, oil at the bottom of my answer to you.

Did that for the purpose of demonstration here.

[Radioguylogs]

I have always used Castrol 20-50W.

I felt vindicated when I noticed the same oil in a picture in the service manual.

[trbig]

If you do a search for tires or oil right now, this thread will be at the top of both because I typed tires, oil at the bottom of my answer to you.

Did that for the purpose of demonstration here.

Might as well throw "Tyres" in there to mess with those folks' searches over on the other side of the pond as well..

[LoHo]

"Tyres" would create an even bygger mess, mate...we don't want to myx the lad up, do we?

[TopCatGr58]

Hey David/DBMB and Xsives,

Well, I just reviewed our "tech tips" in the Maintenance section, OIL section, and was surprised to say the least. They are all 13 year old posts!

Here's a quote from one of them!

What Oil to Use?

Third, oil tends to be a religious issue. There are those who swear by motorcycle-specific oils, those who swear by synthetic, and those who swear they get by fine with generic 10w40.

Most among us have switched to a synthetic oil. Yamaha recommends 20w40 for the XS11. Many of our riders are running Mobil1 15w50 with good results. Mobil1 is highly rated and fits well with the viscosity recommended by Yamaha. Others have used 5w50 synthetic as well. Since synthetics typically have better flow when cold and resist heat better than conventional oils, the viscosity range can be a little wider than with conventional oils. Good old conventional 10w40 is not a recommended oil, however.

Running a heavier weight oil in the XS11 (e.g., 20w50), especially early in the riding season with cool weather, can make the bike difficult to start. Some owners have reported apparent starting problems early in the season that were solved by switching to a lighter weight oil or a synthetic.

SO...it looks like we need to do some updating before we can instruct folks to review the tech tips before asking a question!

Okay, as has been stated, depending on your climate and riding, DINO 20/50 or 10/40 for very cold activity, no friction modifier statement in the lower half of the API seal, brands from Walmart to Pennzoil, etc. as long as they meet the above criteria.

Synthetics are usually a waste of $$ for the engine oil due to the loose ring/cylinder tolerances that allow for contamination of the oil fairly early in the 2-3k mile range, so trying to get extended duration/mileage(5-7K+) use from them isn't possible.

Also, if/when the clutch and/or springs are worn and performing marginally, using SYNTH has also contributed to slippage. Folks with properly maintained and well within wear limit specs have reported no slippage with the use of SYNTH....YMMV.

Synthetics ARE a good thing for the middle and final drives, 75-140 range type.

Hope you're still reading and not pissed off from our previous posts.

T.C.

[HalfCentury]

My initial experience with an 82 XJ650 was gear slippage and difficult shifting until the first oil change when I used Walmart Supertech 20W50 at the recommendation of the xjbikes.com crowd. That cured slippage and shifting problems.

I rode that bike 4 years and always used Supertech 20W50. I rode it in 10 deg F weather often the first year of ownership. The winter of 2008/2009 was very cold in Maryland. I was thrilled to have the bike and rode it in every temperature as long as the roads were dry.

I am now using the same 20W50 in the 82 XJ1100.