Synthetic or Mineral Oil

[HondaVTR250]

Hi,

I just did my first oil change on my 1998 Honda VTR 250 using Motul10W50 synthetic.

I understand synthetic oil is not best for some motorcycles and would like to know if I have chosen correctly.

Are synthetic oils OK to use on a 1998 model?

Thanks,

[Easy Rider 2]

Originally Posted by HondaVTR250

I understand synthetic oil is not best for some motorcycles and would like to know if I have chosen correctly.

Are synthetic oils OK to use on a 1998 model?

I understand no such thing.

Some CAR oils are not good for bikes, conventional and synthetic.

Was the Motul you used specified for motorcycle use ??

If so, it should be OK.

If not .......??????

It is really best if you ask questions like this BEFORE you do it, rather than after !!

[A Star Ride]

I personally do not believe in synthetic anything (including breasts, but that's another topic). I think regular oil is & always has been good enough to do the job & most people change it too frequently adding to maintence cost & creating work.

[Morbo the Destroyer]

I started using synthetic oil in my bikes as soon as it was available, and I've never used anything else since. I had a Shovelhead then, and the guys at the shop swore it would "spin the bearings," "over-lubricate," blah blah blah. Total BS, it dropped the engine temp by 20-30 degrees and worked perfectly. It was a real laugh when HD finally put their synthetic on the market after years of telling owners not to use it.

Either one is fine, just change it regularly.

[Easy Rider 2]

Originally Posted by Morbo the Destroyer

I started using synthetic oil in my bikes as soon as it was available, .......

I was a little later to the party than you.......but not much.

I think it is interesting to note that most of the "synthetic" on the market now really is NOT.

Most is Group 3 petroleum, that is, more highly refined than conventional oil products.

True synthetic is Group 4 or 5 and has no petroleum in it.

Although I still use Mobil 1, I question if it really still has the advantages of a "real" synthetic.

[A Star Ride]

Not meaning to change topic, but I will, lol I heard a radio commercial for a motor oil that has 50% recycled content. Soon we're gonna have:

conventional oil
synthetic oil
true synthetic oil
synthetic blends
recycled oil
recycled blended with conventional oil
recycled oil blended with synthetic oil
natural oil
maybe someday domestic oil?

[The_AirHawk]

Originally Posted by A Star Ride

Not meaning to change topic, but I will, lol I heard a radio commercial for a motor oil that has 50% recycled content. Soon we're gonna have:

conventional oil
synthetic oil
true synthetic oil
synthetic blends
recycled oil
recycled blended with conventional oil
recycled oil blended with synthetic oil
natural oil
maybe someday domestic oil?

"Recycled Oil" has been around for decades. When I worked as a Dept. Mgr. for Mal~Wart nearly twenty-years ago, it was an item I had a hard time keeping stocked. I have no idea what it was being used in, I never actually saw someone take a case of it - it would just "disappear" from the shelf.

[Morbo the Destroyer]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider 2

I was a little later to the party than you.......but not much.

I think it is interesting to note that most of the "synthetic" on the market now really is NOT.

Most is Group 3 petroleum, that is, more highly refined than conventional oil products.

True synthetic is Group 4 or 5 and has no petroleum in it.

Although I still use Mobil 1, I question if it really still has the advantages of a "real" synthetic.

I read up on this stuff a few years ago. What I recall about what makes synthetic better than conventional is that the molecules are (or form) long, uniform chains that produce a better film, don't shear, last longer, etc. The base stock was indeed petroleum, but the synthetic oil is no more similar to regular motor oil than plastic is (plastic being petroleum).

[Buzglyd]

Man! First Seruzawa and now an oil thread!

MO just keeps getting better and better!

[pushrod]

Originally Posted by Buzglyd

Man! First Seruzawa and now an oil thread!

MO just keeps getting better and better!

Seruzawa? Wassup wid dat?


Re: the oil thread. One has been somewhat overdue, don't you think?

To the OP: As was stated above - if the oil is either "Motorcycle Specific" or is an automotive oil that is non-"Energy Conserving", you're fine.

That being said, some bike clutch systems show a preference for one oil over another. So, if yours acts differently (or not as nicely) with the new oil, you should try another.

Of course, the above applies to the bikes with 'one oil bag'.