Mobil 1 or Something Else?

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I have a couple of questions about Mobil 1 motorcycle oils. I am currently using Mobil 1 20W-50 V-Twin oil in my Suzuki V-Strom. I chose the 20W-50 on the advice of a friend because I was told it was superior to the MX4T. Also, I was also under the impression that my bike would shift slightly better if I used the heavier 20W-50 oil.

However, the Suzuki owner’s manual recommends a 10W-40 oil and I’m afraid that I’m using an oil that’s too thick for colder temps (40-50 degrees) and could do damage to the engine. Is there any reason for me to fear this? Would I be better off just to run the MX4T or should I just continue using the V-Twin oil?? I’m no oil expert so I’ll leave it up to you guys to point me in the right direction.

I’ve also heard that Mobil will no longer be offering it’s MX4T in quart size bottles, is this true?

If I can't get the MX4T 10W-40, do you guys have another brand to suggest? AMSOIL?
 
I'm no expert but I would not use 20/50 in cooler temperatures. In my air cooled bikes I ran 10/40 all year except for summer when I used 20/50.

You can't go wrong with any synthetic rated Jaso Ma or synthetic diesel oils like Rotella synthetic 5/40. Diesel oils with Allison C4, Caterpillar Powershift, or Clark Transmission ratings are fine for bike wet clutches too.

Amsoil, Mobil, Motul, and Silkolene make great bike oils.
 
The 20W50 will work ok in your liquid cooled twin but I would run the 10W40. I liked the XW40's better in my '97 TL1000 over the XW50's. But either work just fine.
 
Hiya RiverRat,

I'd stick with the primary weight recommended by Suzuki (40-weight in your case). Running a 20W-50 down in the 40's (F), especially a good synthetic like the Mobil, won't really hurt much. You may see slightly more initial wear at startup, especially if you don't keep the RPMs down until the bike oil is fully warmed up, however.

Shell Rotella T 5W-40 is a good, inexpensive Group III synthetic that doesn't cause clutch problems. You can find it for about $14 a gallon at most Wal-Marts. The 5W would help even more with your cool weather startups and wear. Rotella is targeted at diesel engines, so it has a lot of anti-wear additives that really help out a highly stressed motorcycle engine. It'd be great for 3,000 mile OCIs.

If your service intervals are longer, I'd step up to Mobil 1 Truck and SUV, which is basically a version of Delvac 1--probably the best diesel oil on the planet. You can buy this in gallon jugs at many Wal-Marts for about $24. It's a 5W-40, also, but is thicker than the Rotella and is made from Group IV/V oils, meaning its higher quality and more shear stable. A lot of motorcyclists who used to use red cap (Mobil 1 15W-50) have switched to the Truck and SUV instead of paying even more for the new EP version of red cap.

Motorcycle-specific oils, in my opinion, are overpriced and don't offer any advantage over the good diesel (HDEO) oils I mentioned above.
 
Thanks for the replies......so far.
smile.gif

I'm considering these oils:

Shell Rotella Synthetic 15W-40
Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5W-40
Mobil 1 Extended Performance 15W-50
Mobil Delvac 1 5W-40

Is anyone going to tell me I shouldn't be using these in a motorcycle with a wet clutch? What is the additive package like for these oils compared to the Mobil 1 bike specific oils? Which one comes the closest to matching the performance of the Mobil 1 bike specific oil?
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The Shell Rotella 5W40 is a good choice, no moly, so no clutch issues there.

The Mobil 1 15W50 is a thin 50 weight, and it's got a low cold viscosity (15 weight) so that would be a good choice as well.

By the way, the Mobil cycle oils all have moly in them. Presumably, Mobil has determined that moly in modest amounts (under 200 ppm) isn't a problem for wet clutches--old wives tale it would seem.

The 15W50 Mobil 1 car oil has less moly than the cycle oils do--see VOA's posted here by Butler Labs...

Since the Rotella is only 13 bucks a gallon at Walmart, that's what I'd use next time around.

Go on and put 3 or 4 thousand miles on the Mobil 1 V twin since you've already got it in there, and since summer is practically here--it'll do just fine.
smile.gif


Dan
 
quote:

Originally posted by Baveux:
Castrol 10 w 40 Grand-Prix 4 stroke motorcycle oil, thats all you need, stop worrying and go riding !!!

I prefer a synthetic oil and I'm not a big fan of Castrol products. YMMV
 
With the 20w50 you causing excess drag from that thick oil.

You will have more responsiveness, better fuel economy and more power.

I've used the 10w40 Amsoil in a variety of bikes, even BMW twins that call for 20w50 with great results.

The new Amsoil product should prove to be even better with a more updated additive package to adress transmission performance in multi-sump bikes as well as harley davidsons that call for motoroil as a tranmission lube.
 
I tried Delo 400 in my Triumph sprint. Shifting went to pot in about 1500 miles. I'll stick with motorcycle oils from now on. I was using the Delo as a break-in oil before going to synthetic.
 
quote:

Originally posted by RiverRat:
Thanks for the replies......so far.
smile.gif

I'm considering these oils:

Shell Rotella Synthetic 15W-40


Er, the Rotella 15W-40 is not synthetic, BTW. Only the 5W-40 is.

You can check out the virgin oil analysies on these oils in the VOA section to see what they're made of.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Blake Sobiloff:
I'm considering these oils:

Shell Rotella Synthetic 15W-40


Er, the Rotella 15W-40 is not synthetic, BTW. Only the 5W-40 is.

You can check out the virgin oil analysies on these oils in the VOA section to see what they're made of. [/QB][/QUOTE]

Yup on the 5w40, but only to the tune that it's a Group III. FWIW.
 
Thanks for the clarification about the Rotella 15W-40 guys.
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I'm a nOOb to this oil stuff and a little confused about most things....but I'm learning.
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I might just use the new Mobil 1 Extended Performance 15W-50 instead of the Mobil 1 V-Twin or the MX4T. I did notice the 15W-50 EP has less Phosphorus and Zinc than their Moto specific oils, should I worry about that?
dunno.gif


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DO NOT worry about the less zinc / phos that is in the M1 15w50 EP as it is still pretty high, in fact, higher than many motorcycle specific oils. Don't believe me? Look up some oil analysis's of Honda GN4 MC oil and you will see.
 
Amsoil AMO 10W-40 will deliver year round protection, fantastic shifting, cooler running temps, higher gas mileage, etc.

There is no downside to using AMO except that it costs a little more than Rotella T 5W-40. Also note that it is doubtful your owner's manual spec's any 5W-XX oil, though this particular oil is not a bad choice at all.

I just happen to like the AMO better for a bike application. My ZX-11D loves it!
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Cheers!
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quote:

[/QB] Er, the Rotella 15W-40 is not synthetic, BTW. Only the 5W-40 is.
[/QB]

Er neither is synthetic BTW
grin.gif
The 5w-40 is better but not synthetic in my traditional view of things, not influenced by marketing hype
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BTW the V-strom run on 20w-50 is certainly already trashed, I'll give you $1000 for it, it's an ugly useless bike anyway
cheers.gif
 
quote:

Originally posted by Vstrom:

BTW the V-strom run on 20w-50 is certainly already trashed, I'll give you $1000 for it, it's an ugly useless bike anyway
cheers.gif


Yeah it is a sucky bike anyways.
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quote:

Originally posted by Vstrom:

Er, the Rotella 15W-40 is not synthetic, BTW. Only the 5W-40 is.
[/QB]

Er neither is synthetic BTW
grin.gif
The 5w-40 is better but not synthetic in my traditional view of things, not influenced by marketing hype
shocked.gif

[/QB]

Yeah, yeah, guys.
smile.gif
Sorry I forgot the "pseudo" in front of the word "synthetic" when referring to Rotella 5W-40.
 
I switched from Mobil 1 red cap to Valvoline Motorcycle oil after Mobil changed there synthetic and increased it's price. It's avail in both 20w-50 and 10w-40.

I paid $3.09 per qt from AutoZone.

 -

 -


Valvoline's product info stated that this oil contains:

Zinc: .12%
Phosphorus: .11%
Calcium: .23%
Sulfated Ash: .70%
Flash COC: 230 c.
Total Base No: 7.9

Meets or exceeds JASO MA

Here is the web site: http://www.valvoline.com/pages/products/product_detail.asp?product=76

Here are the rest of the specs: http://www.valvoline.com/products/4-Stroke Motorcycle Oil.pdf

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$3.09 for a dino oil (motorcycle or not) is riduculous.

quote:

Originally posted by Turbota:
I switched from Mobil 1 red cap to Valvoline Motorcycle oil after Mobil changed there synthetic and increased it's price. It's avail in both 20w-50 and 10w-40.

I paid $3.09 per qt from AutoZone.

 -

 -


Valvoline's product info stated that this oil contains:

Zinc: .12%
Phosphorus: .11%
Calcium: .23%
Sulfated Ash: .70%
Flash COC: 230 c.
Total Base No: 7.9

Meets or exceeds JASO MA

Here is the web site: http://www.valvoline.com/pages/products/product_detail.asp?product=76

Here are the rest of the specs: http://www.valvoline.com/products/4-Stroke Motorcycle Oil.pdf

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