07-08-17, 12:55 PM
Haven't had a go in a good oil thread for years. This is just like old times! :lol
As you rightly say, if an oil meets Yamaha's specs and stays 'in grade' for whatever oil change interval you work to, then it doesn't matter what pictures are on the can.
When I first moved here a typical bike synthetic oil was three times the price of the same oil in the UK. It was also twice the price of an auto synthetic over here. I was aware that loads of US FZ1 forum members used auto oil in their bikes (typically Rotella-T) and so I researched online to find out more and to determine which European (ACEA) oil specs matched the API ratings.
I settled on Carrefour supermarket own brand diesel synthetic and have used that for over a decade now. It used to come out of the Mobil facility in Rouen. Latterly it's been suggested that it's an Elf or Total product which suggests that the supermarkets bulk buy from whichever major refinery gives them the best deal. Friends here have used the same oil in a range of bikes and none have had any clutch issues. I learned this morning that the Spanish Africa Twin community love the Carrefour 5w/50 stuff, too. Nowadays it's sold as 'Essence & Diesel' meaning that they've stopped packaging it separately for petrol or diesel motors.
The stuff I have in the Fazer right now is actually 5w/50 and rated ACEA standard A3/B3/B4, and API SL/CF. A word of caution.
If you decide to investigate using auto oil, too, don't confuse ACEA C-ratings with API C(Commercial) ratings. They don't mean the same thing.
The running-in article is a new one on me and made interesting reading. I've always subscribed to the idea of breaking in a motor fairly briskly, if you get my drift. My Fazer was an ex-demo bike so would have had numerous heat cycles and some fairly regular excursions beyond 6k rpm before I got hold of it. It runs beautifully.
The info from Castrol on the use of synthetic oil too early in the life of an engine was the first I've seen to support the 'not before 10k miles' line. Not because it's too slippery (which would be bollocks
) but because of the unknown chemistry factors somehow at play.
Super unleaded? Super stuff. But not in my Fazer ...
As you rightly say, if an oil meets Yamaha's specs and stays 'in grade' for whatever oil change interval you work to, then it doesn't matter what pictures are on the can.
When I first moved here a typical bike synthetic oil was three times the price of the same oil in the UK. It was also twice the price of an auto synthetic over here. I was aware that loads of US FZ1 forum members used auto oil in their bikes (typically Rotella-T) and so I researched online to find out more and to determine which European (ACEA) oil specs matched the API ratings.
I settled on Carrefour supermarket own brand diesel synthetic and have used that for over a decade now. It used to come out of the Mobil facility in Rouen. Latterly it's been suggested that it's an Elf or Total product which suggests that the supermarkets bulk buy from whichever major refinery gives them the best deal. Friends here have used the same oil in a range of bikes and none have had any clutch issues. I learned this morning that the Spanish Africa Twin community love the Carrefour 5w/50 stuff, too. Nowadays it's sold as 'Essence & Diesel' meaning that they've stopped packaging it separately for petrol or diesel motors.
The stuff I have in the Fazer right now is actually 5w/50 and rated ACEA standard A3/B3/B4, and API SL/CF. A word of caution.
If you decide to investigate using auto oil, too, don't confuse ACEA C-ratings with API C(Commercial) ratings. They don't mean the same thing.
The running-in article is a new one on me and made interesting reading. I've always subscribed to the idea of breaking in a motor fairly briskly, if you get my drift. My Fazer was an ex-demo bike so would have had numerous heat cycles and some fairly regular excursions beyond 6k rpm before I got hold of it. It runs beautifully.
The info from Castrol on the use of synthetic oil too early in the life of an engine was the first I've seen to support the 'not before 10k miles' line. Not because it's too slippery (which would be bollocks
) but because of the unknown chemistry factors somehow at play. Super unleaded? Super stuff. But not in my Fazer ...