Motorcycle Oil?

Good afternoon,


What is a good oil brand for my 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic?





The first and last oil change was done at the dealer and I ended up paying a little over $100.00 for full synthetic, labor and filter. This time I want to do it myself just for the fun.





What type of oil would you recommend other than the Kawasaki one???





Can I use Mobil One 10/40 full synthetic but for cars on a motorcycle? I really don't know if there is any diff between the car and motorcycle oil (I know there is a diff on the price).





Any websites were I can find the filter? Maybe the oil too.





Thanks for your advise!Motorcycle Oil?
there is a difference in the oil additive packages. one thing that none of the answers have yet addressed is the ';wet clutch'; that most/many motorcycles have this being the multiple disc package that runs in the engine oil bath. that and also the fact that the engine oil also lubricates the transmission calls for additive packages taylored to that use. if you have a ';dry clutch'; motorcycle (BMW, Ducati etc.) the engine will do fine on an auto oil.Motorcycle Oil?
You can certainly open a can of worms asking a question like that in ANY forum. Actually Mobil One makes a motorcycle oil, I believe its labeled V-Twin 20-50, but, you should check your manual for the specified viscosity and use that.
Most auto oil 10 W 40 or heavier will work for you. Many Gold Wingers swear by Castrol





I use full sythetic auto oil, Mobil 1 (gold cap) and Rotella in my Hondas





If you prefer ';motorcycle oil'; check out Motul brand.





I've also been using K%26amp;N oil filters on my Hondas. They're made with a 17 mm nut on the end .





More important than the brand of oil is scheduled oil change.
I generally don't do Japanese, but one thing you don't want to mess with is your oil. I'm sure you don't read American Iron Magazine, but just a bout 6 - 8 months ago they ran an article on oil that said the Mobil 1 in 20-50 was just fine, and better than some made for bike oils.





If I'm not mistaken, your Kaw is air-cooled. an air cooled bike needs an oil that is resistant to thermal breakdown becasue of the extra heat generated by an air cooled engine. Car engine oil does not generally have this problem.





I live in Florida and ride in stop and go traffic. I have an FXDWG with 44,000 trouble free miles on it and I use Amsoil synthetic 20-50. Thing runs like a top, and I don't have an oil cooler or oversized filter. It gets a bit warm, but not to the point where it make for any trouble.





I also change my oil and filter every 2,000 miles, give or take a few miles, along with my tranny juice. And being an old fart, I don't dog my bike. There is a big difference between ';good'; motorcycle oil and car oils. Spend the extra pennies on oil now, or the big bucks on engine repair later! And about every third change, bring it back to the dealer for a full going over. They will spot stuff you miss.
Engineers recommend certain types of oil viscosity with the particular engine's specs in mind (valve Clearance, etc) These clearances are set to the oil's surface tension, if you do not ad hear to the specified oil viscosity the only way to compensate for this would be to change the entire engine's specifications. This is of course not recommended so stick with the regular oil viscosity.





Yes there's a difference between motorcycle and car engine oil. Understand that one of the main purposes of oil is to transfer heat. (One example) Cars will have an engine coolant that helps removes heat from the engine to be cooled by air. Many motorcycles are air cooled directly meaning their engine oil must stand up to a heavier heat range.
Mobil 1 makes a synthetic motorcycle oil. I would recommend not using car oil except in emergencies unless you like changing oil frequently. If you have to use car oil to get back home, change it out with motorcycle oil when you can. Please read the oil study report:





http://www.xlrator.com/personal/oil/defa…





Excerpt from the report:


Regular vs. Motorcycle Oils


It’s time for the big question: “Are automotive oils and motorcycle oils different?” The easy answer is “yes they are.” In tests that I’ve had performed, and in tests that I have seen reported, there is a difference in some of the oils. The problem here is that a difference in formula does not necessarily imply a difference in requirements. For instance, say Bob’s Auto Oil has 0.05% ZDDP, and Bob’s Motorcycle Oil has 0.02% ZDDP. Sure enough, in this case the motorcycle oil is not like the automotive oil. The problem here is Steve’s Motorcycle Oil may have 0.07% ZDDP. Just because Bob has a “special” motorcycle oil does not necessarily make it better.





Tests done by Motorcycle Consumer News indicated that there were substantial similarities in automotive and motorcycle offerings in many brands (Fig. 1, 2, 3). You could tell the difference, but the basic trends were the same with regards to additives. Most recently, I have people writing me telling me that their new motorcycle oil is reformulated and nothing like their car oil. Well that’s nice and all, I’m sure it’s different from their car oil, but what if it’s just like someone else’s car oil now? Until they tell me exactly what the changes are I cannot, make a decision as an informed consumer.





One area that might bear some fruit is oil’s ability to resist heat aging. All petroleum products have volatile compounds that will gas off, as well as others that will oxidize. It seems reasonable to believe that in some parts of a bike’s engine, the oil will experience higher temperatures than it would in a water cooled automotive motor. Aside from differences between synthetics and petroleum oils, there are no notable difference between motorcycle and automotive oils. One can either infer from this that heat aging is not a concern, or that there’s nothing that can be done within the blends’ parameters to significantly change this characteristic.
You can research this forever on line. My personal research seconds the advice that moto-specific is mostly hype. The analysis results are available, make your own decision. The many reports that I viewed, dealt with the clutch and transmission requirements. Mobil 1 auto oil held its viscosity longer than the moto oils. Shell Rotella T is a diesel/ universal oil that fares better than most. The fellow who said that the change intervals outweigh product choice, shares the philosophy of many who are knowledgeable. If you are really worried, choose the bike oil. It is a good choice. Educate yourself. You might as well tackle filters while you're at it. Oh boy, here we go.............
Use a motorcycle-specific, full synthetic oil. There are several good brands out there, some are availble at auto parts stores:





Mobil 1 MX4


Castrol Synthetic


Golden Spectro


Motul





All good oils, without any friction modifiers that will effect the performance of your wet transmission clutch. Usually between 4-7 bucks per quart.
go to any local motorcycle dealer and ask them they will hook you up with the best oil for bikes or read the owners manual go to auto zone and get an oil that is the same specs.your owners book should have all that info in it i would stick with kawasaski parts and oil.
No No No - don't use car oil in your bike. Car oil doesn't have the same additives and will break down too fast.





Mobil 1 full synthetic motorcycle oil is great, just a bit expensive. Any motorcycle oil is ok to use but some people don't like ';ester'; based oils which are used mostly abroad .





There will forever be differing opinions on what oil to use. Go on the internet under motorcycle oils and read all you can, talk to others that have had bikes a long time, then make up your own mind.





10/20 is good for cold weather, 20/50 for hot
Got to XS11.com and read the articles on oil.
My Virago 700: I just dump in some Castrol, usually 10w30 or 10w40. My motorcycle is way old now, so I put mostly 10w40 and mix in a little 20w50. *shrug* Whatever you do, do NOT overfill. Keep the oil level between the marks.





About 80,000 miles on this one (not sure, 'cause it's a ratbike and the speedometer cable was busted for more than a year). It has a busted stator now but otherwise runs okay.
I think auto and motorcycle oils are the same. Not even Mobil 1 can clearly explain the difference between the two! Check out the mobil 1 link below to see it for your self. They may say its different but then there is no facts to show.








This is what I found on the mobil one web from the FAQ:





So how is Mobil 1 for passenger cars different from Mobil 1 for motorcycles?





First, let's be clear about Mobil 1's overall benefits compared to those of conventional motor oils, whether for passenger cars or motorcycles:





Superior long-term engine protection.





Superior high-temperature stability.





Excellent low-temperature starting.





Outstanding engine performance.





Low volatility/low oil consumption





It's a little hard to generalize about the difference between Mobil 1 passenger-car motor oils and Mobil 1 motorcycle oils. That's because not all viscosities of Mobil 1 passenger-car oils have the same levels of zinc and phosphorus, and there are even greater differences among the three Mobil 1 motorcycle oils. In general, Mobil 1 motorcycle oils have:





Additive packages balanced differently for motorcycle engine and transmission operation. For passenger vehicles, fuel economy and emission system protection are higher priorities. These require low phosphorus systems and the use of friction modifiers.
Guys, I've used 20W50 and 10W40 car oil in my bikes and they ran fine. I run 'em hard too.





I believe all that 'special' motorcycle oil is a bunch of hype to make you spend more.





Sheez, $100 for a motorcycle oil change is just plain robbery.


3 or 4 quarts of oil and a filter should run about $10-$15.





It is always better to do you own oil changes. It guarantees you that some minimum wage bozo whose dad gave him a job at the motorcycle shop is not messing with your bike. It also gets you under the bike for a forced undercarriage inspection.





Seriously, how many of you out there REALLY do a full bike inspection before riding? Yeah, right. I didn't think so.