Discussion
Assuming Halfords or somewhere I can buy oil and a filter is open, I shall be changing the oil in my ZX6R.
My question is, what is the best oil to use on her?
And seeing as its the first time I've changed oil on a bike, do you do the same as a car; fill the filter with oil to stop the timing going out, etc?
Thanks in advance.
Cad
My question is, what is the best oil to use on her?
And seeing as its the first time I've changed oil on a bike, do you do the same as a car; fill the filter with oil to stop the timing going out, etc?
Thanks in advance.
Cad
From the TriumphTiger FAQ....
16. What Oil should I be using ?
From: dper <dper@pacbell.net>
Date: Fri Oct 5, 2001 8:33 pm
After much perusing of web articles and rider testimonials, I had
decided I would use Mobil 1 car oil in my new Tiger. But the fellow
who checked me out from the dealer said this was a no-no, that a
motorcycle-specific oil is required.
The manual says "Semi or fully synthetic 10W-40 motorcycle oil which
meets API SH specification" and recommends Mobil 1 Racing 4T at $45
per gallon, but I see nothing in the warranty book that demands oil
with "motorcycle" on the label.
Certainly Mobil 1 synth SJ (which meets both SH and SG spec) car oil
is better than a typical semi-synth SH 'motorcycle' oil and
shear-strength tests have proved it. Until recently I didn't know
there were MC-specific oils and have used Castrol GTX 20W-50 car oil
in 3 previous bikes with never a clutch or shift problem.
From: "Rob Tayloe" <nukemoto@earthlink.net>
Date: Mon Oct 8, 2001 7:59 pm
--- In TriumphTiger@y..., "Lance Renshaw" <LRenshaw@w...> wrote:
> From what I understand, the Mobil 1 for cars has a much higher
> level of molydnium in it than the motorcycle oil...moly being
> a friction reducing agent...<snip>
Motorcycle Consumers' News (MCN) did a comparison of various oils
a while back. The comparison included having the oils tested
for elements used as extreme pressure and corrosion resistance
additives.
The Mobil 1 motorcycle oils had essentially the same additive
package as did the car oils.
I've been using Mobil 1 15W-50 synthetic oil in my 99 Tiger
and 96 T'bird (and a few other bikes). No problems and no
clutch slippage. As an interesting side note; when the T'bird
was quite new, with under 1000 miles, I put the Triumph Mobil
Racing oil in the bike. I did feel the clutch slip and dumped
the oil even though the oil was used for less than 50 miles.
I then used Golden Spectro 20W-50 semi-synth oil for a few years.
Last year I decided to give Mobil 1 car oil a go. As I said
no problems.
The relevant issues of MCN regarding the oil testing are:
Vol. 31, No. 8, Aug 2000; Vol. 31, No. 10, Oct 2000; and
Vol. 31, No. 11, Nov 2000.
The web page for mcn is www.mcnews.com/
From: "Erik Astrup" <erik@teamiguana.com>
Date: Fri Oct 5, 2001 11:00 pm
>I phoned Mobil and talked with a tech rep who had the same argument.
>All Mobil 1 car oils are now 'energy-conserving' oils, not just the
>low-viscosity ones.
The last bottle of 15/50 I looked at this past weekend was not
rated "EC". And Mobil's own product spec sheet says it's not.
This is a huge URL -
https://dallnd6.dal.mobil.com/GIS/MobilPDS.nsf/26b7c4b33367a4a086256665004e4266/9337c5cedcf5e32e852567b60056db77?OpenDocument
The table on the page clearly shows 15/50 not rated "EC". Go figure.
From: Blake Mantel <bmantel@snet.net>
Date: Sat Oct 6, 2001 2:09 am
Lance Renshaw wrote:
> >From what I understand, the Mobil 1 for cars has a much higher level of
> molydnium in it than the motorcycle oil...moly being a friction reducing
> agent...apparently it collects in motorcycle clutches and causes some to
> slip, hence the motorcycle-specific blend of Mobil 1 with less moly in it...
> Lance Renshaw
Sorry Lance, but it aint so....
BTW I have used Mobil1 15w-50 all year long (Connecticut winters too!) since
mile 300.
- Is This The Right Oil For MyBike
www.ibmwr.org/otech/oilreport.html
- The Great Oil Debate
http://ericgorr.com/mototech/mototech_june_1999.htm
- Gasoline Octane for your VFR (an oil report, really)
www.yft.org/tex_vfr/tech/oil.htm
- Motorcycle Oils vs Automotive Oils
www.xs11.com/stories/mcnoil94.htm
>> Edited by barry sheene on Monday 28th March 00:57
16. What Oil should I be using ?
From: dper <dper@pacbell.net>
Date: Fri Oct 5, 2001 8:33 pm
After much perusing of web articles and rider testimonials, I had
decided I would use Mobil 1 car oil in my new Tiger. But the fellow
who checked me out from the dealer said this was a no-no, that a
motorcycle-specific oil is required.
The manual says "Semi or fully synthetic 10W-40 motorcycle oil which
meets API SH specification" and recommends Mobil 1 Racing 4T at $45
per gallon, but I see nothing in the warranty book that demands oil
with "motorcycle" on the label.
Certainly Mobil 1 synth SJ (which meets both SH and SG spec) car oil
is better than a typical semi-synth SH 'motorcycle' oil and
shear-strength tests have proved it. Until recently I didn't know
there were MC-specific oils and have used Castrol GTX 20W-50 car oil
in 3 previous bikes with never a clutch or shift problem.
From: "Rob Tayloe" <nukemoto@earthlink.net>
Date: Mon Oct 8, 2001 7:59 pm
--- In TriumphTiger@y..., "Lance Renshaw" <LRenshaw@w...> wrote:
> From what I understand, the Mobil 1 for cars has a much higher
> level of molydnium in it than the motorcycle oil...moly being
> a friction reducing agent...<snip>
Motorcycle Consumers' News (MCN) did a comparison of various oils
a while back. The comparison included having the oils tested
for elements used as extreme pressure and corrosion resistance
additives.
The Mobil 1 motorcycle oils had essentially the same additive
package as did the car oils.
I've been using Mobil 1 15W-50 synthetic oil in my 99 Tiger
and 96 T'bird (and a few other bikes). No problems and no
clutch slippage. As an interesting side note; when the T'bird
was quite new, with under 1000 miles, I put the Triumph Mobil
Racing oil in the bike. I did feel the clutch slip and dumped
the oil even though the oil was used for less than 50 miles.
I then used Golden Spectro 20W-50 semi-synth oil for a few years.
Last year I decided to give Mobil 1 car oil a go. As I said
no problems.
The relevant issues of MCN regarding the oil testing are:
Vol. 31, No. 8, Aug 2000; Vol. 31, No. 10, Oct 2000; and
Vol. 31, No. 11, Nov 2000.
The web page for mcn is www.mcnews.com/
From: "Erik Astrup" <erik@teamiguana.com>
Date: Fri Oct 5, 2001 11:00 pm
>I phoned Mobil and talked with a tech rep who had the same argument.
>All Mobil 1 car oils are now 'energy-conserving' oils, not just the
>low-viscosity ones.
The last bottle of 15/50 I looked at this past weekend was not
rated "EC". And Mobil's own product spec sheet says it's not.
This is a huge URL -
https://dallnd6.dal.mobil.com/GIS/MobilPDS.nsf/26b7c4b33367a4a086256665004e4266/9337c5cedcf5e32e852567b60056db77?OpenDocument
The table on the page clearly shows 15/50 not rated "EC". Go figure.
From: Blake Mantel <bmantel@snet.net>
Date: Sat Oct 6, 2001 2:09 am
Lance Renshaw wrote:
> >From what I understand, the Mobil 1 for cars has a much higher level of
> molydnium in it than the motorcycle oil...moly being a friction reducing
> agent...apparently it collects in motorcycle clutches and causes some to
> slip, hence the motorcycle-specific blend of Mobil 1 with less moly in it...
> Lance Renshaw
Sorry Lance, but it aint so....
BTW I have used Mobil1 15w-50 all year long (Connecticut winters too!) since
mile 300.
- Is This The Right Oil For MyBike
www.ibmwr.org/otech/oilreport.html
- The Great Oil Debate
http://ericgorr.com/mototech/mototech_june_1999.htm
- Gasoline Octane for your VFR (an oil report, really)
www.yft.org/tex_vfr/tech/oil.htm
- Motorcycle Oils vs Automotive Oils
www.xs11.com/stories/mcnoil94.htm
>> Edited by barry sheene on Monday 28th March 00:57
rsvmilly said:
Erik Astrup. Theres a name I remember from many hours wasted on alt.motorcycle.sportbike.
He started the triumph tiger list back in 96, then moved it to yahoo in 99 , then got totally cheesed off with the abuse from listers in 2001, so I took over running it, still do but I got 2 more people in to share the abuse^H%^H^H^H^Hmoderation responsibilites
He still helps out now and then, so if you want to get hold of him that's the place to do it
www.tigerlist.org/
barry sheene said:I didn't really know him - I was mainly a lurker and occassional poster.
Erik Astrup. Theres a name I remember from many hours wasted on alt.motorcycle.sportbike.
He started the triumph tiger list back in 96, then moved it to yahoo in 99 , then got totally cheesed off with the abuse from listers in 2001, so I took over running it, still do but I got 2 more people in to share the abuse^H%^H^H^H^Hmoderation responsibilites
He still helps out now and then, so if you want to get hold of him that's the place to do it
www.tigerlist.org/
I just remember 'sportbike as being full of 'squids' talking about wheelieing in shorts.
In contrast, ukrm would be in-banter interspersed with newbies asking 'Which first bike' to which the response would be 'Read the
FAQs'rsvmilly said:
In contrast, ukrm would be in-banter interspersed with newbies asking 'Which first bike' to which the response would be 'Read the
It still irks me when we get those, and we do , especially as it took me bloody ages to write the FAQ.
What ever happened to old fashioned nettiquette, y'know, lurk a bit, get a feel for the group then wade in
>> Edited by barry sheene on Monday 28th March 13:02
barry sheene said:It's the AOL generation ...
In contrast, ukrm would be in-banter interspersed with newbies asking 'Which first bike' to which the response would be 'Read the
It still irks me when we get those, and we do , especially as it took me bloody ages to write the FAQ.
What ever happened to old fashioned nettiquette, y'know, lurk a bit, get a feel for the group then wade in
>> Edited by barry sheene on Monday 28th March 13:02
And the other mistake a newbie usually made was to top-post. It was the first newsgroup I'd been on where they were so rigid about it.
So you prepared the FAQs?
Do you still go on ukrm? I haven't been on it in years - ever since I discovered PH and could therefore go on it at work and at home.Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff