Oil Be Taking you For a Ride??

Discussion in 'UK Motorcycles' started by vernon, Apr 10, 2007.

  1. vernon

    vernon Guest

    Strolling aimlessly through Halfords yesterday I came across Halfords own
    brand semi-synthetic 10w40 motocycle engine oil at £21 for 5 litres. Then I
    spotted Halfords' semi-synthetic 10w40 car engine oil at £14 for 5 litres.
    Are these the same products in different packaging? I can't imagine the
    motorcycle oil containing an extra £7 worth of processing additives. Is
    there any reason why I should use the car engine oil in my CB500?

    Cheers

    -=V=-
     
    vernon, Apr 10, 2007
    #1
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  2. vernon

    Hog Guest

    I expect the additive package will be different but some of the cost will be
    in lower production volume of the packaging. I use the car stuff too.
     
    Hog, Apr 10, 2007
    #2
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  3. vernon

    vernon Guest

    Well spotted Champ.
    £7 quid for a different coloured plastic container and labels?

    Anyway, thanks for putting my mind at rest. Niche marketing of lubricants
    is a clever way of increasing revenue.

    -=V=->
     
    vernon, Apr 10, 2007
    #3
  4. vernon

    Molly Guest

    I've always been told that car oil is no good for bikes?
     
    Molly, Apr 10, 2007
    #4
  5. vernon

    Ace Guest

    With what reason given? It's only in relatively recent years that
    specific bike-oil has existed anyway; before that you just went on the
    gradings.

    --
    _______
    ..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
    \`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3 (slightly broken, currently missing)
    `\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
    `\|/`
    `
     
    Ace, Apr 10, 2007
    #5
  6. Friction modifiers in *some* synthetic car oils don't like wet clutches
    in bikes. Or rather, wet cluitches don't like them, and slip.
     
    The Older Gentleman, Apr 10, 2007
    #6
  7. vernon

    Molly Guest

    message
    This is basically what I've been told. Any idea what car oils don't have the
    modifiers?
     
    Molly, Apr 10, 2007
    #7
  8. vernon

    Lozzo Guest

    Molly says...
    Ones with JASO MA written on the side of the container.

    --
    Lozzo
    Triumph Daytona 955i SE (Black with added black bits)
    Suzuki Bandit 600S (Green with added shit bits)
    Yamaha SR250 Delusion (It's "Special")
    I ride way too fast to worry about cholestorol.
     
    Lozzo, Apr 10, 2007
    #8
  9. vernon

    Hog Guest

    What is this "Wet Clutch" you speak of ;o)
     
    Hog, Apr 10, 2007
    #9
  10. Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Hog
    SORRY. CAN YOU SPEAK UP? I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE RATTLING NOISE!

    --
    Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer as featured in
    Performance Bikes and Fast Bikes

    WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
    SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
    Honda GL1000K2 (Falling apart) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
    Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer
     
    Wicked Uncle Nigel, Apr 10, 2007
    #10
  11. vernon

    Mark Olson Guest

    Due to the high loading of the camshaft lobes in my ZG1000 (two valve
    springs per lobe, plus working against the mechanical disadvantage
    of the forked rocker arms) I have made a deliberate choice of Shell
    Rotella T Synthetic 5W-40. It's great oil, has no friction modifiers
    and has plenty of ZDDP which is phased out of the new spec car oils.

    http://www.shellusserver.com/qa/answerresult.php?rowid=169

    "Can heavy-duty diesel oil be used in motorcycles?

    Motorcycle gasoline engines may not seem in the same league as the big
    displacement diesel engine under your hood, but they share some of
    the same lubrication requirements. So yes, in many cases, a premium
    heavy-duty universal oil capable of serving both diesel and gasoline
    engines is the best choice for your bike.

    The high power-to-displacement ratio of a motorcycle engine means
    rod and main bearings are subjected to loads that are not normally
    found in passenger car engines. The valve train is also highly loaded,
    and requires extreme pressure boundary lubrication. The same can be
    said about gears in the transmission, which are normally lubricated
    by engine oil. Oil additives containing phosphorus protect these
    highly loaded extreme pressure areas (in both gasoline and diesel
    engines). Because diesel engines have higher loading of components,
    more of the phosphorus-containing additive is present than in typical
    passenger car oils. And with advanced catalyst systems for gasoline
    engines, the phosphorus content has been declining in passenger car oils."
     
    Mark Olson, Apr 10, 2007
    #11
  12. <snip>

    Good choice. I've been using a common diesel semi-synth engine oil for
    my vehicles for years now and nothing's broken yet. Actually, it's an
    agri-diesel oil (various makes), largely because it's the most
    convenient, but I've always taken the view that hard-working engines in
    combines, earthmovers, tractors, etc have a requirement for a better oil
    than most tin boxes and are probably closer to bikes that way.
     
    Grimly Curmudgeon, Apr 11, 2007
    #12
  13. vernon

    darsy Guest

    what do you mean "most"?
     
    darsy, Apr 11, 2007
    #13
  14. vernon

    Hog Guest

    is that why you didn't reply to me!
     
    Hog, Apr 11, 2007
    #14
  15. Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Hog
    Reply?

    --
    Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer as featured in
    Performance Bikes and Fast Bikes

    WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
    SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
    Honda GL1000K2 (Falling apart) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
    Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer
     
    Wicked Uncle Nigel, Apr 11, 2007
    #15
  16. vernon

    Hog Guest

    Does your number still end 335. It was only a query regarding joining
    Christo and I for the ride over to Snett. You were probably flying Sharon or
    something fixed wing.

    On a different tack, I could *really* do with mounting a couple of (single)
    bolt bar risers on the ST top yoke to take Jota bars before any continental
    touring..... :eek:)

    It might require some very lite milling as well as simple drilling.
     
    Hog, Apr 11, 2007
    #16
  17. Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Hog
    Ah. Odd. It does.
    Okey-doke. Let me know when.

    --
    Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer as featured in
    Performance Bikes and Fast Bikes

    WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
    SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
    Honda GL1000K2 (Falling apart) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
    Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer
     
    Wicked Uncle Nigel, Apr 11, 2007
    #17
  18. vernon

    TMack Guest

    Some car oils are not good for some bikes with wet clutches as the additives
    can cause the clutch to slip.
     
    TMack, Apr 11, 2007
    #18
  19. vernon

    toad Guest

    I've been using Halfords 10w40 semi synth car oil in a Divvy 600 and a
    Bandit 12 for a year with no problems. My father has never used bike
    oil in 50 years of biking. Halfords Car Semi-Synth is identical spec
    to the bike oil IIRC. (API SL, ACEA A3 IIRC).

    I stopped believing all this shit ages ago. I can't really understand
    why people would think the number of road wheels affects the required
    oil anyway. Many cars have wet clutches and/or very high performances
    engines, many bikes have low performance engines and dry clutches. So
    if there was a difference why not have wet clutch standards and dry
    clutch standards rather than identical standards and then just leave
    the oil retailer to indicate a "difference" in oils using their
    packaging based on the number of road wheels?

    (Of course the JASO MA standard *is* specifically aimed at wet
    clutches if that's important to you.)
     
    toad, Apr 12, 2007
    #19
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