advice on oil

[bruno6r]

Im going to be giving my bike an oil change this week or the next and itll be the first time i do it on my own. Im looking for advice on whats the best oil to use. its a 2013 yamaha fz6r so i know they recommend yamalube but is that really the best i should use ? Or is there something better ?
Thanks in advance for any help.

[Obviouslykk]

Rotella t6 and a k & n oil filter is what I use

[ars0n]

Which oil to choose is like which color socks should you wear today. SO many options. But it really depends on a couple small things..

A- what type of oil do you plan on going with? Most people go to full synthetic after 1500-3000 miles.. some even after their first oil change. I waited till I hit 3k..
B- Is the bike brand new? Has the engine been broken in? If so, make the move to synthetic.
C-Want to not have to deal with syn vs regular oil and all the other bs, just get the stock oil and filter at any local moto shop and get to it!

I then went with what ever known brand names that are avail and cost when I went full synthetic.

AMSOIL
MOBILE
ROTELLA
HONDA

I have used mostly Rotella and amsoil and go back and forth depending on deals/costs.

Oil filter is standard k&n filter. Nothing special.

Have about 80-90k miles on my engine..

[Rev. That Guy]

Oh no... another oil thread.

I use in my own bike (1984 Honda V65 Magna and 2002 Honda RC51) Rotella T6 5-40 full synthetic DIESEL oil.

In motorcycle engines you want to use a full synthetic oil for a few reasons. I wont get into the science too much as I am by no means a chemist, but the gist of it is, that with conventional, or dyno oil, the base oils are generally very inconsistent and thus they need to add synthetic polymers to the oil to achieve the correct viscosity. Synthetic oils are developed with the base oil as a consistent viscosity and as a result, they do not need to add as many polymers to it to get the same result.

Why does any of this matter? Well conventional oils developed for automobiles do not undergo the smashing and shearing in a car engines like they do in a motorcycle transmission from the gears (in motorcycles the transmission and engine share oil). Motorcycle transmissions can break down the conventional oils VERY (alarmingly really) fast, sometimes in just a few hundred miles because those polymers that are added to thicken the oil are broken and sheared apart.

What are these polymers you ask? Well basically imagine them as microscopic snap bracelets like you used to play with as kids (you know, those spring like things that would be straight but then you could slap them around your wrist and they coil up - like that only backwards). When the oil is cold, those polymers are all coiled up basically giving the oil its base viscosity (the 5w- or 10w- part of the oil) and as the oil warms, the polymers uncoil and straighten out, thickening the oil (the -40 part of the oil viscosity). So, when you break down the polymers, suddenly your 10W-40 oil becomes 10W-30, or 10W-20. Thinner oil at running temps and high speeds is a BAD thing.

All that being said, thats is the main reason you want to run synthetics.

Now looking at the viscosity of the oils, you ask yourself, "my bike says 10w-40 but rotella t6 is 5w-40, is that safe?" For the most part, yes. That number is not really that crucial in motorcycle engines although one should nt deviate lower than 5w-. It, in some cases, can actually be beneficial. The slightly thinner (negligibly at best) will flow a little quicker than the thicker oil on those cold startups and can coat the moving parts better initially and allow a slightly higher oil pressure at low RPMs.

now onto the vehicle type of oil. Run ONLY motorcycle specific or DIESEL oil. DO NOT run regular automotive engine oil designed for cars. The reason being that diesel oils and motorcycle oils are basically the same chemical makeup, whereas automotive oil for cars have many many friction inhibitors designed to allow better lubricity and less friction (as the name would suggest) for better economy and less parasitic drag. This is a VERY BAD thing in motorcycles that use wet clutches. those friction inhibitors soak into the soft clutch material and cause them to slip and then you have a ruined clutch. They can also cause problems with one-way bearings and cam systems in starter clutches.

Motorcycle and Diesel oils do not have those friction inhibitors added, allowing them safe use on wet clutches and one-way bearings found in starter clutches.

as far as what brand of oil is better, that is for you to decide as everyone has a preference and its just, frankly, one of those things to no debate in an online forum as you will come out more confused and frustrated than before you asked because everyone's choice of oil is different for different reasons.

but again, personally, I use Rotella T6 in everything I have and that is 95% of what I put into other riders bikes as well and never a SINGLE complaint. It is also one of the more reasonable priced full synthetics if not the most when you can find it on sale. It is also readily available at any walmart.

this does not mean it is any better or worse than any other brand out there. FWIW, in my 4 wheel vehicles I run Mobile 1 religiously and never had a problem. I sold my last car (a 92 pontiac grand prix) with 273K miles and it ran like it was brand new and one of the healthiest motors the emissions people have ever seen. Mobile 1 for motorcycles is just too damn expensive for me.

And all of my engines see red line and the rev limiter (including my truck) on a regular basis.

- Justin

[Dougk35]

Ask ten people what oil to use and you will get ten different brands. Any of the oils mentioned above will be fine. I like the K&N filters due to the nut on it. But I wouldn't hesitate to use an OEM filter. I favor Castrol ActEvo X-Tra 4T Semi-Synthetic 4-Stroke Motor Oil.

[Rev. That Guy]

Filters.... pretty much anything EXCEPT FRAM!!!!! NEVER use fram filters. they have been scientifically proven to be inferior and use cardboard endcaps that like to just fall apart and allow debris and most of the cardboard to enter the critical engine components. Most others use metal.

K&N filters are excellent. Purolator Filters are very good (thats what I use), WIX are also excellent. Mobile 1 Filters are great. If in doubt, go with stock yamaha filters.

- Justin

[bruno6r]

Thanks for all the info guys
im gonna be using a k/n filter and probably rotella

[LVBrokr]

$22 for Rotella at Walsucks.

[got2go]

Rotella T6 5w-40 and purolator filters.
Save your money for other more worthwhile things.

[doz]

Rotella T-6 here as well.