SR500 oil temp

I commented in a post a while back that the oil temperature gauge on my
SR500 normally ran about 150 degrees. Someone said that didn't appear to
be likely and suggested that my gauge was faulty.

Today I went for a ride in 85-90 degree weather. My oil gauge got up to
about 175. So it does sometimes exceed 150. However that is the
"normal" reading for cooler days.

It's possible that the gauge is reading low. However I offer the
following in its defense. The gauge is in the frame tank, not in the
sump. I do have an oil cooler installed. And I use Golden Spectro oil.

When I was using ordinary motorcycle oil the temperature was often over
200. Many years ago, another rider suggested Amsoil semi-synthetic. I
tried it and the temperature went down to the 175-200 range. Then I
tried Golden Spectro and the temperature went down to the 150-180 range.
Also, the engine got noticeably quieter.

So, FWIW, I strongly recommend the Golden Spectro. And I'll continue to
trust my temperature gauge barring any evidence to the contrary .

 

Thanks for that. 150 did indeed seem a tad low, even for a gauge stuck
in a dry sump engine's oil tank.

No idea what Golden Spectro oil is, nor its viscosity. The SR500 is one
of few bikes for which 20/50 (rather than the ubiqutous 10/40) oil is
recommended. As you probably know.

 

I think 150 Fahrenheit is way too low for the oil temp. 180F to 210F would
be much better. I suggest the OP do some googling, and specifically,
check out the forums at http://www.bobistheoilguy.com for some discussion
as to why an oil temperature that is too low can be just as bad as too high.

Yamaha originally recommended 20W-40 for the FJR until they stopped selling
Yamalube in that viscosity. Now they recommend 20W-40 or 20W-50. I usually
use 15W-40 Rotella T, which unlike many car oils, is JASO MA certified.

 

Well, that's what I thought originally. Krusty, of course, thought
otherwise. Which was why I queried whether the gauge might be faulty.

I'll check that site out when I've got a moment. Right now, I'm about to
go into a conference.

I remember my SR500 as demanding 20/50, and until then, the only other
bike I'd encountered for which it was specified was Yamaha's XS650.
Actually, I have a feeling my XS750 triple used 20/50 as well, but cba
to Google right now.

No coincidence that both the XS and SR seemed to run hot, especially if
the oil wasn't topped right up.

On the XS650, when they attached the electric start (on the XS2 - the
XS1 was kickstart-only) they lost half a litre of oil capacity, which
wasn't a good thing. Of course, that was a wet sump engine and the SR500
was/is[1] dry sump.


[1] One of the longest-lived Japanese bikes. Still on sale as a 500 in
Europe right into the late 1990s and (I think) still sold in Japan,
albeit as a 400, for Japan's licence laws.

 

If you want to check your gague, check out electronics suppliers for a
digital multimeter that also incorporates a K-type thermocouple thermometer.

Its a fancy extra that costs a bit more than a rock bottom basic DMM but if
you shop around it shouldn't be too bad.