what oil are you running in your xlite?

[fire1998]

I've been running shell Rotella synthetic 5w-40. Change oil every couple of rides. No more than 150 miles between. I just bought Mobil 1 5w-40 full synthetic for my diesel and am wondering if I can run this as I have a couple of quarts left over. Any problem with diesel oil rather than bike only oil. I've been running regular rotella 15-40 in older rfs's and in gearboxes of my 2/s. What oil are you guys running?

I've changed oil 3 times and lower metal filter has been clean, not 1 speck of metal in there!! Heard dome guys are sering dirty lower filters. Maybe im lucky.

 

[MontyCarlo]

Xlites are really, really hard on oil. Whatever you put in there will shear out of grade pretty quick. If temps are low, and you are not hitting the motor hard, you are probably OK with those very short intervals.

At the risk of starting an oil thread , I usually run Maxima full synthetic 10-60 (cheap for full syn, good additive pack), 250-300 mile OCIs. Running Motorex right now since the shop I was at stocked it, seems OK, but WOW is that stuff expensive $$$$. I tried Motul semi-synthetic once, but the bike didn't seem to like it..

 

[mnb]

A good synthetic is far more shearing resistant than normal oil.

If it says "refined" anywhere on the bottle, it's Group 3 synthetic and is inferior to true synthetics, which are group 4. You pay more for good synthetic, but the base used for group 3 oils is much cheaper, so that's why the oil is cheaper. Considering I only put a quart in at a time, I'd rather buy the good stuff. But I'm not going to pay $18.95 for rock oil, when I can get Amsoil for noticably less. Especially through a friend that's a distributor.

 

[CJBROWN]

A good synthetic is far more shearing resistant than normal oil.

If it says "refined" anywhere on the bottle, it's Group 3 synthetic and is inferior to true synthetics, which are group 4. You pay more for good synthetic, but the base used for group 3 oils is much cheaper, so that's why the oil is cheaper. Considering I only put a quart in at a time, I'd rather buy the good stuff. But I'm not going to pay $18.95 for rock oil, when I can get Amsoil for noticably less. Especially through a friend that's a distributor.

+1 mnb knows his oil.

Anyone can by Amsoil at dealer cost by purchasing their 'preferred customer' membership. It's like $25 or something, gets you about 20% off the retail and they ship to your house. I get product in a day. Great product, have been using it since the 70's when it came out. I'll gladly give out my dealer number for a referral, always apreciate the business volume under my account. I don't sell oil for a living, I just have lots of vehicles and buy a lot of their product. Their motorcycle 20/50 full synthetic is jaso compatible and really great stuff. Run it in all my bikes.

 

[Tessier]

I have used Spectro fully synthetic in all of my bike an plan to keep using it on my husky. George at Uptite had mentioned to me once that he used Spectro as well.

 

[glangston]

Spectro OFF ROAD Semi-Synthetic, 20-50, which in So. California is fine. Colder, maybe want 10-60

 

[fire1998]

I can't see running $10-15 oil when I change it every other ride. The Mobil 1 is a full synthetic and $5 a quart. I also have a recluse in it. The Rotella T6 has been working good but it is not a true synthetic like Mobil 1. I notice the Rotella is black after a 100-150 miles. So......do you think the Mobil 1 will work or am I asking for trouble. Oh, and I change oil filter every 3rd oil change.
thanks

 

[RailwayRog]

Their motorcycle 20/50 full synthetic is jaso compatible and really great stuff. Run it in all my bikes.

Whats the dealer cost for a of quart of Amsoil 20/50?

 

[robertk61]

I run Motul 5100. if you use a diesel specific oil, it has added detergents which can be good for an older engine (cleans out the black gunk). As long as it has the same rating as a normal oil, it should be Ok, but you may get clutch slip?

 

[dave lindsey]

Spectro OFF ROAD Semi-Synthetic, 20-50, which in So. California is fine. Colder, maybe want 10-60

This is what I run as well...

 

[ray_ray]

I can't see running $10-15 oil when I change it every other ride. The Mobil 1 is a full synthetic and $5 a quart. I also have a recluse in it. The Rotella T6 has been working good but it is not a true synthetic like Mobil 1. I notice the Rotella is black after a 100-150 miles. So......do you think the Mobil 1 will work or am I asking for trouble. Oh, and I change filter every 3rd oil change.
thanks

$5 per qt sounds awfully cheap for a GRP IV (PAO) or GRP V (ester) based oil ... You sure this M1 oil is not advertised as a synthetic and is really a GRP III based dino oil? The mobile web site was very confusing to me on the subject ...

 

[OlderHuskyRider]

I can't see running $10-15 oil when I change it every other ride. The Mobil 1 is a full synthetic and $5 a quart. I also have a recluse in it. The Rotella T6 has been working good but it is not a true synthetic like Mobil 1. I notice the Rotella is black after a 100-150 miles. So......do you think the Mobil 1 will work or am I asking for trouble. Oh, and I change oil filter every 3rd oil change.
thanks

$5 per qt sounds awfully cheap for a GRP IV (PAO) or GRP V (ester) based oil ... You sure this M1 oil is not advertised as a synthetic and is really a GRP III based dino oil? The mobile web site was very confusing to me on the subject ...

There's a Oil Opinion thread over on TT that got pretty detailed. But to answer fire1998, I run Mobil1 15w50, the bottle says full synth, the TT thread poster, like rar ray, says it's not a full synth. It doesn't say refined any where on the bottle. I was running this oil when I rode 50 miles home at 65mph with zero coolant. Fried my intake manifold, a rad hose, and water pump seal, and loosened a head bolt, but the engine survived, 1500 additional miles now since the high heat incident, still runs right with a 2011 TXC 511 in a drag race. With a 2 quart sump, I prefer the $5 a quart oil. Not looking for any more detailed discussions about how stupid I am doing this, just putting it out there for those folks like me. Everybody's different.

 

[CJBROWN]

Whats the dealer cost for a of quart of Amsoil 20/50?

$9.20 plus tax and shipping.
I buy it by the gallon as I have four bikes. Just got one yesterday, $36.06, with tax and shipping it was $49.05.
My Dealer Number: 1185580 Please feel free to use it for a referral number if you order online and purchase the Preferred Customer option for dealer pricing.

One of the things I really like about Amsoil is they try very hard to formulate a lubricant for virtually every application. Powersports, vehicles, equipment, racing, they pretty much cover everything. Some guys don't like the MLM distribution concept and their cheezy marketing, but no one has ever said their product isn't top notch.

One of the main reasons to use a full synthetic oil is just for the reason Jake explains, where he almost burned up his bike. A synthetic offers much greater protection in the extreme. Mobil1 is, as far as I know, one of the few others that are formulated on a group IV base stock. Most of the others are not so you're not quite getting what you think you're getting. And it's cheap if you can buy it at walmart but of late I have not seen the heavier weight oil we use. Rotella and Delo are also very good conventional oils, and a diesel oil works well in a motorcycle engine. Yes, change often with a 1 quart capacity. The rotella syn is a group III base, it's fine, it's just not one of the best. But it's a good price and easy to get. Just watch out for that jaso rating which is important for good clutch action.

Spectro is a middle-line oil but it is high in zinc which is a very good anti-wear additive and prevents shearing from the gears meshing. Some of the euro oils are good but you're paying a premium for forumulating and packaging and shipping from Europe - so what's the point? Just to say you use Motorex, Motul, Agip, or Repsol? They are all really good product for motorcycles, no doubt.

Here's a whitepaper on the unique requirements for a motorcycle engine and testing that Amsoil did with their product and several of the others we've discussed. It's 26 pages but worth a read if you're really interested in hard facts. Download PDF: http://www.syntheticwarehouse.com/brochures/motorcycle_oil_study.pdf

EDIT: I just read thru this OIL STUDY whitepaper as it has been a few years since I've seen it. This is an updated test from 2009, and I was quite surprised at how thorough it is and how clearly Amsoil Motorcycle oil is superior to them all. Frankly, I don't know how one can read through it and not come to the conclusion that it's the best choice for our purposes. When it comes into the middle of the pack price-wise, it's just a no-brainer. For me, it's just not a difficult desicion to make. I put too much value in the performance and longevity of my prized motorcycles.

BTW, for the Mobil1 advocates, at least get the 4T motorcycle-specific product for your machine. Otherwise I think you're missing out on some of the key differences in formulations for general automotive specific lubricants and motorcycle specific ones.

 

[R_Little]

Since the 2010 x-lights blow a lot of oil out of the breather it's more important to make sure the oil does not disapear altogether!

I think on the 2010's just change it often and make sure the level stays up.

The 2011-2012's have that Rube Goldberg contraption on the drain plug that I guess put the blown oil back into the crankcase so they most likely do not have the blown oil issue......but...changing oil on the 2012 bikes is a PITA so you may want to use the super good stuff on the later bikes.

BTW, I've had 2 2010 x-lights apart and neither showed any wear at all.....one was raced hard and actually went on fire but the bottom end was clean.

I never had any metal in my screen or filter on my 2010. I use Spectro syn and once ran it down to 600ml after a long ride.

 

[ray_ray]

From the Mobil oil website and it is a confusing site ... Mobil 1 is spewed all over the place with 'racing' and other adjectives applied to the oil's M1 name ...

This cut&paste implies M1 is dino oil or at least some formulations of M1 are dinos ... Correct me if I'm wrong, but the term 'mineral' here is also mis-leading as true mineral oils are well down the chain in the cracking process ... OK for a babys' butt ( and your hydo clutch ) but not for any internal combustion engine of any size ... Most, if not all, dino engine oils today are GRP III... meaning the latest cracking process was used on the crude to refine it ...

Synthetic motor oils – such as Mobil 1 – contain more highly refined base oils than those used in conventional mineral oils, which can offer you better protection and performance. Synthetic oils provide a variety of benefits, such as excellent high- and low-temperature performance, that can provide excellent engine protection.

Synthetic Oil vs. Conventional Oils

There are two basic types of engine oil available:

1. Conventional mineral oil, the traditional engine oil and most widely used
2. Synthetic motor oil , which is steadily gaining popularity among auto manufacturers and consumers

(There are also synthetic blend motor oils, which are a blend of synthetic oils and conventional mineral oils. Synthetic blend motor oils are also sometimes called “semi-synthetics”.)

Both types of engine oil are made from crude oil that comes from the ground. The difference is that synthetic oils undergo numerous additional highly-advanced distilling, refining, and purification processes ( < -- This jargon is just the latest hydo-cracking process used on crude to make ~all GRP III oils today )

 

[Benriding]

Cost of an oil change is about the cost for one tank of gas on my X-Lite, it holds so little and for the abuse it gets it's worth $10 for good oil.
By the way I ran Rotella in my RFS KTM for years without issue, but that was lower rpm and held more oil.

 

[glangston]

$9.20 plus tax and shipping.
I buy it by the gallon as I have four bikes. Just got one yesterday, $36.06, with tax and shipping it was $49.05.
My Dealer Number: 1185580 Please feel free to use it for a referral number if you order online and purchase the Preferred Customer option for dealer pricing.

One of the things I really like about Amsoil is they try very hard to formulate a lubricant for virtually every application. Powersports, vehicles, equipment, racing, they pretty much cover everything. Some guys don't like the MLM distribution concept and their cheezy marketing, but no one has ever said their product isn't top notch.

One of the main reasons to use a full synthetic oil is just for the reason Jake explains, where he almost burned up his bike. A synthetic offers much greater protection in the extreme. Mobil1 is, as far as I know, one of the few others that are formulated on a group IV base stock. Most of the others are not so you're not quite getting what you think you're getting. And it's cheap if you can buy it at walmart but of late I have not seen the heavier weight oil we use. Rotella and Delo are also very good conventional oils, and a diesel oil works well in a motorcycle engine. Yes, change often with a 1 quart capacity. The rotella syn is a group III base, it's fine, it's just not one of the best. But it's a good price and easy to get. Just watch out for that jaso rating which is important for good clutch action.

Spectro is a middle-line oil but it is high in zinc which is a very good anti-wear additive and prevents shearing from the gears meshing. Some of the euro oils are good but you're paying a premium for forumulating and packaging and shipping from Europe - so what's the point? Just to say you use Motorex, Motul, Agip, or Repsol? They are all really good product for motorcycles, no doubt.

Here's a whitepaper on the unique requirements for a motorcycle engine and testing that Amsoil did with their product and several of the others we've discussed. It's 26 pages but worth a read if you're really interested in hard facts. Download PDF: http://www.syntheticwarehouse.com/brochures/motorcycle_oil_study.pdf

EDIT: I just read thru this OIL STUDY whitepaper as it has been a few years since I've seen it. This is an updated test from 2009, and I was quite surprised at how thorough it is and how clearly Amsoil Motorcycle oil is superior to them all. Frankly, I don't know how one can read through it and not come to the conclusion that it's the best choice for our purposes. When it comes into the middle of the pack price-wise, it's just a no-brainer. For me, it's just not a difficult desicion to make. I put too much value in the performance and longevity of my prized motorcycles.

BTW, for the Mobil1 advocates, at least get the 4T motorcycle-specific product for your machine. Otherwise I think you're missing out on some of the key differences in formulations for general automotive specific lubricants and motorcycle specific ones.

Read the oil study. Hard to figure why Torco scores so well in the bearing wear and fails in the gear wear.

I'm considering Amsoil for my Duramax

 

[Robert Gulden]

So it doesn't sound like anybody is using olive? Not even extra virgin?

 

[CJBROWN]

Read the oil study. Hard to figure why Torco scores so well in the bearing wear and fails in the gear wear.

I'm considering Amsoil for my Duramax

It's all I would run in mine. And torque drive atf in the allison. Those are great rigs. BTW, unless it's a new one, the opd fuel stuff was fantastic. I had a LB7. Sold mine about a year and a half ago.

 

[Indorider]

So it doesn't sound like anybody is using olive? Not even extra virgin?

I try to steer clear of virgins. They'll latch on to you like a remora...