Looking for a good hot weather oil

[joe02151]

Well guys I've got a 2006 Yamaha R1 that I've only ever put Amsoil 10w40 in and it has 89,000 miles and it's running great.
I got a brand new 2017 R1 in april and I've put 11,000 miles on it so far. After the break in period on the bike I started running Amsoil and I noticed the clutch didn't grab quite as hard taking off from a dead stop, so this past oil change I decided to try a different oil and went with Motul 300V 15w50 since the weather has been so hot here in Florida, the clutch engaged very firmly with the 300v and I was very happy with that, however the gearbox was VERY notchy and I noticed the bike heats up much quicker than with the amsoil, the notchy shifting bothered me so much that I only put 600 miles on the 300V before I switched to Maxima Extra4 15w50, I just changed it tonight so I haven't had much of a chance to ride with it, but the shifting is much smoother, the clutch feels grabby like the 300v did. I do feel kind of weird not running Amsoil after using it for so long, I've read some good things on this forum about the Maxima and it's addatives so I hope it works well for me does anyone have any experience with this oil?

 

[PimTac]

Whew.

What does the owners manual call for?

 

[oldhp]

In something like that I would use what Yamaha recommends and be done with it.

 

[joe02151]

Manual says Full Synthetic 10w40 or 15w50
JASO standard MA
API service SG or higher

 

[khittner]

You’ve using 10w-40 Amsoil—-was that their motorcycle oil in that weight, or another variant? If you’ve gotten 90K miles on an R1 (or was it more like 360K 1/4-miles?) using their cycle oil without problems, I wouldn’t be anxious to switch, but if you want something heavier, they offer other motorcycle oil viscosities, like 10w-50, etc.

 

[Papa Bear]

Joe, what does your dealer say about your situation?
Did Yamaha change clutch design/material?

 

[02SE]

You said Motul 300V. Is that the car specific 300V, or the Motorcycle specific 300V 4T? I run 300V 4T in my heavily modded 'Busa, and more lightly modded S1000RR, and will likely run the same oil in my Duc when it's time to change the oil next. I ride in 100°+ F temps fairly often, and sometimes run the engines hard. They both run and shift excellently on the Motul 300V 4T.

I've tried the various Maxima oils and didn't have as good of an experience.

Having said that, if you are happy with the Maxima oil, why not just go with it?

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
Whew.

What does the owners manual call for?


Remember, this is BITOG. NO ONE uses what the manufacturer recommends.

 

[kawie_guy]

I just drained my Maxima Extra 4 15w50 out of my vtwin quad this evening, and put some in a bottle to send off to the lab.
I'll have to wait to see what they say, but I liked it enough to put more in to finish off the summer/fall.
I will post the uoa when I get it.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted By: joe02151
Well guys I've got a 2006 Yamaha R1 that I've only ever put Amsoil 10w40 in and it has 89,000 miles and it's running great.
I got a brand new 2017 R1 in april and I've put 11,000 miles on it so far. After the break in period on the bike I started running Amsoil and I noticed the clutch didn't grab quite as hard taking off from a dead stop, so this past oil change I decided to try a different oil and went with Motul 300V 15w50 since the weather has been so hot here in Florida, the clutch engaged very firmly with the 300v and I was very happy with that, however the gearbox was VERY notchy and I noticed the bike heats up much quicker than with the amsoil, the notchy shifting bothered me so much that I only put 600 miles on the 300V before I switched to Maxima Extra4 15w50, I just changed it tonight so I haven't had much of a chance to ride with it, but the shifting is much smoother, the clutch feels grabby like the 300v did. I do feel kind of weird not running Amsoil after using it for so long, I've read some good things on this forum about the Maxima and it's addatives so I hope it works well for me does anyone have any experience with this oil?


Keep it simple Joe,

20w50 Valvoline synthetic 4 stroke motorcycle oil.
I think you will be glad you did.

It may bother you that it is so reasonably priced and cheaper then Amsoil or many others, but whatever ) ... can bring a horse to water ...

 

[joe02151]

thanks guys, I just got home from work and the bike felt great, I could tell it's thicker oil than the amsoil, sitting at a light while the bike heats up to 230 degrees then taking off in first there's no more clutch basket noise and the shifting feels very very good. I was surprised because I've only ever heard good things about 300v and it was the 4T. I wasn't aware that amsoil made 10w50 motorcycle oil, ill look into that and keep the 20w50 valvoline in mind too because the maxima is pretty expensive.

 

[dbeau]

Originally Posted By: alarmguy

Keep it simple Joe,

20w50 Valvoline synthetic 4 stroke motorcycle oil.
I think you will be glad you did.

It may bother you that it is so reasonably priced and cheaper then Amsoil or many others, but whatever ) ... can bring a horse to water ...


Intrigued... Will give Valvoline a shot next oil change. Even a good deal on Castrol is ~$8 a qt. I just saw this on Walmart for ~$6 thanks

 

[BrocLuno]

I'd try any and all on this list that are available locally. Find the one you like best and stick with it

Allison

All tested for high torque and wet clutches, etc. All tested in high heat like slow moving mine trucks with 100 ton payloads on steep grades for hours on end.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted By: dbeau
Originally Posted By: alarmguy

Keep it simple Joe,

20w50 Valvoline synthetic 4 stroke motorcycle oil.
I think you will be glad you did.

It may bother you that it is so reasonably priced and cheaper then Amsoil or many others, but whatever ) ... can bring a horse to water ...


Intrigued... Will give Valvoline a shot next oil change. Even a good deal on Castrol is ~$8 a qt. I just saw this on Walmart for ~$6 thanks


Yup,
Most underrated oil in these forums.

I think if Valvoline increased their price a few dollars more a quart, they would get much more respect from the guys who think paying $12 a quart for oil gives them better oil ... )

 

[LoneRanger]

Spectro Platinum 4 15W50 always lasted longest in the Ducati's I used to have (2013 and 2016) w/ the 1198cc motor. From a shifting-staying-nice-the-longest, point of view anyhow.

 

[dbeau]

Originally Posted by alarmguy
Originally Posted by dbeau
Originally Posted by alarmguy

Keep it simple Joe,

20w50 Valvoline synthetic 4 stroke motorcycle oil.
I think you will be glad you did.

It may bother you that it is so reasonably priced and cheaper then Amsoil or many others, but whatever ) ... can bring a horse to water ...


Intrigued... Will give Valvoline a shot next oil change. Even a good deal on Castrol is ~$8 a qt. I just saw this on Walmart for ~$6 thanks


Yup,
Most underrated oil in these forums.

I think if Valvoline increased their price a few dollars more a quart, they would get much more respect from the guys who think paying $12 a quart for oil gives them better oil ... )



Just reporting back that I've been running the Valvoline synthetic now for about 2000 miles and boy is it starting to shift rough. I think I'll go back to Castrol Power1 after this. The Castrol is just a bit more expensive but still reasonable and it seems to have "lasted longer". By that I mean the bike shifted smoother longer.

 

[Bonz]

As an example of another option, Mobil1 4T 10w40 went just under 5,000 miles in my modded ZRX1200 with nary a problem. 145-150 hp and 85 ft/lbs based on the build specs. Ran in some dang hot temps in the middle of the Colorado summer last year at our altitude (7,000' and above) where the air is thin and doesn't cool well uphill in silly tourist traffic. Analysis showed very little shear, superb TBN remaining, and great shifting. The bike chews through dino 15w40 much sooner.

Another good oil as well... Currently running Mobil1 20W50 V Twin and the bike really does well so far. 2300 miles into the OCI with the hot months yet to come. Will change at the end of the riding season, want to go past 5,000 miles on it and will as long as shifting doesn't fall off. Based on the 4T 10w40, I see no reason why this oil won't do that too.

I believe Mobil uses some ester as part of the base in each of these oils, and may hold up better than synthetics that don't, as possibly shown by Valvoline 20w50 syn losing shift quality.

 

[dbeau]

I should mention I was using the Valvoline 10w-40 synthetic rather than the suggested 20w-50 as I used it going into winter. I may give it another chance in the 20w-50 flavor for this summer just because of the price.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted by dbeau
I should mention I was using the Valvoline 10w-40 synthetic rather than the suggested 20w-50 as I used it going into winter. I may give it another chance in the 20w-50 flavor for this summer just because of the price.


Thank you for your honesty.

 

[berlyn]

Bonz,

+1 for the Mobil 1 V-twin. The most shear resistant oil I ever tried, with superb clutch engagement. Only minus, hard to find where I live..if I was asked to select one oil for the rest of my motorcycle's life, it would be it.