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Emgine oil

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5K views 43 replies 27 participants last post by  bennice  
#1 ·
Im currently putting Mobil 1 10w-40 fully synthetic oil in my kawai, but its too expensive. Costs me $13 a quart. Can anyone givee me some cheaper alternatives on sythetic oil?
 
#3 ·
castrol act evo 10w-40 motorcycle oil, costs half of what mobil 1 cost and seems to work great. sorry to go against the grain but im not sold on the shell rotella T diesel engine oil, ya im sure its good oil but the last time i checked a diesel motor turns a 1/4 of what a high revving sportbike does and i have somewhat peace of mind with motorcycle specific oil.
 
#6 ·
The OP asked for a cheaper alternative, so I gave him one. There are tons of oil threads here and around the net with all kinds of info.

In short, the difference between m/c specific oil and auto oil is generally about the additives and friction modifiers that many auto oils contain. Those will trash a wet clutch. Diesel oils generally don't have those. There really aren't many other appreciable differences, and lots of peeps, including myself, have tested the theory time and time again with no ill affects.

In the end, it's up to you. If you want to spend the extra cash, then go with what you're comfortable with. If you want to use what others have proven works well, then there are alternatives. Its your bike and your money. You decide. :)
 
#8 ·
and how many quarts do i need to buy for zx10r? I used to buy 4 quarts for 929.
 
#20 ·
:spit:LOLOL!


On a (slightly) more serious note, I've used Rotella T in all of my bikes and my 7R has 60K, my 10R has 22K and my Duc has 8500 miles on them and they all run like tops. So I believe it works and works well in bikes. The price has gone up some however which makes it not as attractive as some motorcycle specific synthetic oils out there, and I may change to one of those later but for now I'll stay with it.
 
#14 ·
I use AMSOIL 10w-40... I mean, I will when I my 10r hits 1-2k miles... I break the motor in on dino oil. First oil change at 50 miles, then 600, then somewhere between 1k and 2k miles I switch to AMSOIL, then regular oil changes at 2500k miles.

Yes everyone tells me I'm nuts spending so much on oil and so on and so forth, but at my first valve service (this on a 636) the mechanic said my engine was as clean as a brand new motor, and at 36k miles his jaw dropped at how clean everything still was. regular oil changes and redline injector/valve gas treatment every now and then is the best bang for the buck you can get for your engine's health.

Cheaper then repairing a blown motor :mrgreen:

Stefan
 
#18 ·
Where the heck are you buying M 1 oil that's $13 a qt? It's 7 bucks / qt round here all day. You didn't say anything about the MC specific oil so I'm assuming you're talking about regular M 1 automobile oil.

As for the diesel skeptics, don't look at it from an RPM basis. Yes they turn very low RPM compaired to our bikes but, if that was the case they would use something like honey or syrup. The oil pump still has to provide flow and volume. so it would probably have a hard time moving something so thick.

If you want peace of mind about diesel oil, think of it this way: most diesel engines you run accross in automobiles are turbocharged, which creates more pressure in the cylinder and produces a greater potential for "blow-by". Diesels also operate on much higher compression than your standard gas engine. Along with longer oil change intervals, diesel oils have to be formulated to withstand the extra stress, compression and blow-by (that will dilute oil to nothing short of colored water) that comes from operating in such a harsh envireonment.

Oh, and for those that were wondering, 15w-40 ( the "w" is for "winter" not "weight" ) is your standard diesel oil, our bikes require 10w-40, Shell doesn't make that in synthetic but, they do make a 5w-40 which will cover our bikes' need and since the majority of us want to run synthetic, this is what we use.
 
#19 ·
Another comment regarding "diesel motor oil" is the fact that the oil does not know what engine it is being put into. The reason it has this tag is that manufacturers such as cat, cummings etc have certain requirements for "engine oil" that is to be used in the engines they make in order for them to meet warranty requirements...actually the oils could rightfully be called "super, extra, or heavy duty"

as said before these oils have higher standards and additives in them to meet "extra duty" needs that diesel engines have.....generally meaning they contain more additives, one being zinc which is a high pressure anti wear additive, that is being reduced or eliminated in most auto oils because it negatively effects catalytic converters.........

Check the following site for any info you would like regarding oils or lubricants..


http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/
 
#21 ·
I currently have Castrol Rs R4t in my bike and once its gone i will be going back to the synthetic blend Castrol GPS... For some reason she just was much wuiter and smoother with the Gps.. I buy it by the case for about $90GPS & $120/RS
 
#22 ·
I can't speak for anyone else, but I've never heard of anyone's engine blowing up because they used one oil type over another. Blown engines due to abuse and neglect? Sure. If you're on one wheel most of the time riding WFO then no oil type will save your engine. If you're constantly redlining and you're down 2 quarts then it won't matter if the remaining 2 qts are synthetic or dino oil.

If you don't know how much oil your bike needs then you should probably read the manual...or at least read the label right next to the level window on the right side of the bike. And only after you've done these things and are comfortable you probably shouldn't even think about changing it yourself. :heyyou:

Getting the service manual is much more valuable than saving a few bucks on your first oil change. And just having the service manual isn't enough. That thing isn't gonna read itself and solve everything by itself. :mrgreen:
 
#27 ·
my choice...
And what ever is lft goes on my :popcorn2:,not forgetting how good it smells and is bio degradeable plus its an alternative fuel so i can fuel up the bike too..lol :lol::crackup:
 

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#31 ·
Dead dinosaurs in my bike. 10/40 3 quarts. kawasaki filter. change it whenever I feel like it. (between 1500 and 2500 mi) synthetic oils, different weights fancy names bla bla bla.

I suggest motorcycle oil due to the fact that cars and diesel engines dont use the engine oil to lube the clutch or trans. but if you want to, go ahead I dont care. I wonder what the space shuttle uses for oil? mabe that would be the best. That thing goes like 18000 mi per hour.