Have a 2000 Kawaski Drifter and it was noted that Shell makes a 10W50 synthetic diesel oil that'll make the bike purr with long usable life to boot! Good for both Summer and Winter riding. This was found on a drifter owners group. I was told to wait till 2500 miles and I'm still at 2200. My question is.......... Does this sound feasible? -- Band site http://psy-ops.org MP3's http:/www.voicenet.com/~dallas25/Psy-Ops/Psy-Ops.mp3 Journal http://psy-ops.journal.iwarp.com
I wouldn't use diesel oil in a bike. It's unlikely to do any harm, but it's equally unlikely to reap any measurable benefit and it costs more. Just use plain old semi-synth 10/40. It's not a super-high-revving tuned-to-hell-and-beyond sports bike for Christ's sake.
I use Mobil Delvac 1300 15W-40, which is a very high quality oil, it is about $6 per US gallon (3.785 liters) at Wal-Mart. Mobil refer to it as their 'million mile oil'. It's not a synthetic[1], but I change oil in my bikes very frequently. Conventional auto oil sold by the quart is roughly the same price, but has dramatically lower levels of zinc and fewer of some other key additives compared to diesel oils, which do not have to conform to the requirements of catalytic converters on gasoline engines. I use Delvac 1300 15W-40 in all my bikes, and *if it meets the viscosity range specified in your bike's owner's manual*[2], it is an excellent choice. Semi-synth isn't bad, nor is full synth. But in my opinion, it isn't worth even the small difference in price over a high quality oil like Delvac 1300, Chevron Delo 400 or Shell Rotella if you change often. I'm pretty sure one of the three diesel oils I mentioned were included in the latest Motorcycle Consumer News oil test (within the last year or so, not the first one), and compared very well with the very expensive bike-specific oils. [1] Mobil does make a Delvac 1 full synthetic diesel oil, but it's much harder to find and quite a bit more expensive. It's still probably cheaper and better than synthetic bike oil, though. [2] It does for all three of my bikes.
I'm partial to AMSOIL which they backup with research. Makes my engine run 20 degrees cooler and I get about 2 miles more to the gallon. Info at: http://www.amsoil.com/products/streetbikes/index.htm I don't sell the stuff so the web site reference is only given so you can make an informed decision about what's best for your bike. I would never consider putting diesel oil in my bike. For starters it doesn't have all the needed additives that a bikes engine needs. Good information on the Q&A section even if you don't use their produce. Good luck!
This is correct, It's called Shell Rotella (T?) and it comes in synthetic and non-synthetic. The synthetic version is probably the best synthetic bang for the buck you can get and from what I have heard a very good oil ! yes, you can use it in the motorcycle Remove NO-SPAM from email address when replying
Lets say the manual for a certain bike calls for e.g. SH or higher grade motor oil. And there are no more specific demands in the manual. Now, you find a reputable oil that has the required grade. Is this a reasonable oil to use ? How do you know that a certain oil does not have the needed additives. You don't. The only evidence here is that the oil conforms to the demands set by the bike manufacturer, the company that has to back up a warranty and has their reputation at stake. If the oil is rated for diesel use is neither here or there as long as it has the correct petrol engine grade. To pass the grading system, the oil needs to pass a number of tests that will test key performace areas. The tests show performance, not the precence of any "magic" component. As to the rediculus Amsoil reference to research, how do they think that their competitors develop and evaluate products ?
