I did my first oil change on my M696 @ 3500 miles.
I bought synthetic, looked at the manual and it didn't mention anything about requiring Synthetic oil (then I again i really don't read but rather skim at numbers and look for keywords on a page) so I returned the synthetic oil and bought castrol 10-40
did the oil change w/ the regular oil (cus of my inpatients) and then decided to call the Duc Shop where i bought my bike asked them what they used on the 600 mile service...they said 10-50 full synthetic. [bang]
I rode it about 250 miles on the regular stuff.
Should i be worried or concerned? should i drain it and put back the syth oil? :-\
It's absolutely fine as long as you didn't use energy saving car oil. That'll make your wet clutch slip.
It used to be that people insisted on non-synthetic oil for the break-in period because the synthetic didn't allow the metal parts to mate together. That's since changed, but your bike is just fine on regular.
It's utterly ruined... you should just sell it now - I've got a stack of shiny quarters I'll trade you, and you're totally getting the better end of the deal... let me tell you!
;D
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeetness
Yea, I was wondering the same thing. I have a 695 and I'm due for my oil to be changed (~3500 miles now) and I called my buddy with an '08 CBR600RR and he said he uses regular oil, not synthetic. He said the synthetic can become too thin in the Florida heat and not lubricate as well as regular oil. Personally, I bought expensive synthetic for my bike for this oil change and will use it since that is what was used at the 600 mile service, but for the future, I was considering switching.
Quote from: iamhybris on November 05, 2009, 11:32:00 AM
He said the synthetic can become too thin in the Florida heat and not lubricate as well as regular oil.
That is utter rubbish.
It sounded a little weird to me as well, but he had heard it from another guy and wasn't completely sure of what he was telling me...he implied it was a rumor.
Either way, I can't see why regular oil would be better for the bike other than lowering cost. I don't wana hurt my baby.
That's how urban myths get started... time for the Mythbusters.
In this day and age, no oil is going to get extra thin just because it's hot out, syn or dino. Sure if it's hot out, it'll reach it's upper limits - but it won't just keep getting thinner ad infinitum.
I did pretty much the same thing in 2007; had a perfect-running 2005 S2R and decided it was time for the ol' oil change. How different can synthetic be? It's still only oil after all. The inflated price is just for fools to pay!
I put in dino 10-40 and called it good. Not for long. The poor bike rattled, farted and clattered like a complete shit box. Gear changes were scary clunking affairs - I was sure the transmission was going to fall off. I would hesitate and cringe before downshifting into 1st. It got worse when the temp started to climb.
I drained that shit out, paid $60 for 4 quarts of Motul 300V 15W50 and thanked the Lord Almighty the bike didn't explode. Been paying out for Motul 300V ever since.
Had kind of the opposite experience. I was using Mobil 1 synthetic. I switched to Motul bike specific oil wanting to see if it would smooth out the tranny. No noticeable difference. I'll go back to using Mobil 1.
I like synthetic oil for air cooled bikes since they break down a little less at high temps and air cooled engines get hot, but it's mostly peace of mind. As mentioned, the energy conserving auto oils can be bad for wet clutches but these are mostly in weights you wouldn't use on a bike, like 0W30, or high mileage oils. Regular auto oil shouldn't hurt your clutch.
Also, oil being thin is a good thing. Thinner oil gets to more places and coats wear surfaces more easily. Any modern oil that's in the recommended range for your bike in the air temperatures it runs in should be fine.
tangueroHondo has one of the only valid points I think I've ever seen for moto specific oil, it made an obvious and noticeable difference immediately. If that were me I'd buy it too.
Scott