need a little help

[nazareth]

just bought a 1996 yamaha virago 1100. has 11k miles. gonna change the oil and not sure what weight to use. summer is pretty much here in phoenix already been up to 110f. its got a vtwin. dont wanna spend a fortune on oil. thinking about rotella 5w40 synthetic ir mobil delvac 15w40 but was wondering if that oil was 2 thin for the az heat. should i use 20w50? just want some opinions on what would be best 2 use. thanks in advance

 

[Ausfahrt]

What does the owners manual recommend?

 

[daman]

I would stick with the mobil delvac 15w40 or Rotella 15w40

 

[nazareth]

didnt come with a owners manual unfortunately

 

[TucsonDon]

My guess is the owner's manual -- if you had a copy -- would recommend Yamalube 20W-40. It's a V-Twin, but it's water-cooled, correct? That's the key ... with a water cooled engine, the internal temperature ranges will be moderated. Phoenix is hot in the summer, but not *that* much hotter than Tucson where I live. I've settled on running Rotella T 15W-40 dino oil in my 2007 Goldwing year round. See the series of UOAs here. The 5W-40 synthetic HDEOs are terrific oils as well. But in my opinion the value of those lies in cold weather starts, as well as the potential for extended changes. Synthetics are also better at very high internal heat, but a water cooled V-Twin, even in a Phoenix summer, isn't likely to stress that aspect of the oil. So ...

• I don't think you'll need a 20W-50 oil ... unless your bike is air-cooled, but that would surprise me for a Yamaha.
• My opinion (based on experience) is that a conventional HDEO will work just fine

 

[Ausfahrt]

 Originally Posted By: nazareth

didnt come with a owners manual unfortunately

I don't know the specifics of your bike but I think your Virago has a wet clutch and I believe that the virago is air cooled only. So you live in a warm climate with an air cooled bike and a shared sump. If it was my bike I would contact my nearest Yamaha dealer to see what they advise. Beware of car oils with friction modifiers.

 

[daman]

I know the 750's are air cooled and shared sump,my BIL has one and he runs Delvac or Rotella 15w40 always in his..

 

[nazareth]

its air cooled. personally not a fan of yamalube. but i guess that may be the best option 4 this bike.

 

[coffee]

I would use Rotella 5w40 for syn or Castrol 20w50 for dino.

 

[TucsonDon]

 Originally Posted By: coffee

I would use Rotella 5w40 for syn or Castrol 20w50 for dino.

Yeah ... what he said. I was poking around the Internet seeing if I could turn up an online version of the owner's manual for that bike ... I found it, but it required a payment. Other places spoke of 20W-50 oil for warmer temperatures. I'm sure the Rotell 15W-40 would work, but a 20W-50 seems to be the oil for air cooled V-Twins.

 

[daman]

 Originally Posted By: daman

I know the 750's are air cooled and shared sump,my BIL has one and he runs Delvac or Rotella 15w40 always in his..

With out issues.....

 

[heavyhitter]

I'd take the Delvac between those two. My experience is that the dino Rotella 15w40 shear less in a wet clutch system than the 5w40. I have a 1700cc air cooled Vtwin and I ride in many HOT days. We rarely go gover 100 here in Nebraska but see alot of 98-100 degree weather. I run Rotella T 15w40 in my bike. No issues. Rotella, Delvac or Delo, which ever one is cheaper.

 

[Propflux01]

Delo or rotella 15w-40.

 

[nazareth]

Well I sold out bought mobil 1 20w50 vtwin oil found it for sale 5 bucks a quart at walmart probably run this through the summer then rotella 5w40 synthetic when it cools off

 

[daman]

 Originally Posted By: nazareth

Well I sold out bought mobil 1 20w50 vtwin oil found it for sale 5 bucks a quart at walmart probably run this through the summer then rotella 5w40 synthetic when it cools off

$5 at WM!?!???? mine has never sold it. is it with the other oil's??

 

[nazareth]

Its a local walmart down the road. They have a motorcycle section with all kinds of [censored] pegs blinkers chrome goodies helmets jackets mobil 20w50 vtwin oil mobil 10w40 racing oil ect. I've never seen a section like this at any other walmart. A lot of bikers in the area.

 

[eljefino]

I have an 82 XV750 and cyl head temps measured with an IR gun aren't too outrageous... 200'F on a 70'F day. And the temp rise above ambient I've observed is linear so you may see 230'F on a 100'F day. Am comfy running amalie 10w40 (got it cheap) and will switch to a HDEO "just because" next change. 230 is seen by my water cooled saturn when the rad fan kicks on, as a point of reference. However, you can do no harm with the 20w50! Have fun.

 

[TucsonDon]

 Originally Posted By: nazareth

Its a local walmart down the road. They have a motorcycle section with all kinds of [censored] pegs blinkers chrome goodies helmets jackets mobil 20w50 vtwin oil mobil 10w40 racing oil ect. I've never seen a section like this at any other walmart. A lot of bikers in the area.

What part of Arizona? The Wal-Mart in Marana, AZ ... just northwest of Tucson ... used to carry Mobil 10W-40 and 20W-50 motorcycle oil. But it didn't seem to move well, so they apparently discontinued it. One of the things about Wal-Mart is they do offer their individual stores a certain autonomy to serve local markets. All within certain boundaries of corporate consistency, of course.

 

[daman]

 Originally Posted By: nazareth

Its a local walmart down the road. They have a motorcycle section with all kinds of [censored] pegs blinkers chrome goodies helmets jackets mobil 20w50 vtwin oil mobil 10w40 racing oil ect. I've never seen a section like this at any other walmart. A lot of bikers in the area.

Thats cool..

 

[02zx9r]

 Originally Posted By: nazareth

Well I sold out bought mobil 1 20w50 vtwin oil found it for sale 5 bucks a quart at walmart probably run this through the summer then rotella 5w40 synthetic when it cools off

Thats a great price, I would buy it if I found it at that price. Very stout oil with a great add pack