I've heard mixed opinions about synthetic oil being used on motorcycles.
Firstly, is the 87 hurricane 1000F a wet or dry clutch?

My bike was about 1/2 qt low, (first time ever checking it since owning it) and I added some generic motor oil in to make up the difference.
I noticed that my clutch slipped a little bit at WOT sometimes (ONLY AFTER I ADDED THE OIL), is it because of that oil? Or am I in need of a new clutch disk? (Bike has 39k miles on it, clutch service unknown)

I want to do an oil change, using 10w-40, and would like to use fully synthetic, but is it ok on our bikes?
What did our bikes use as far as api back in 87? SF?
I thought as long as I use SF, SG, SH, SJ, SL, or SM, the engine would be fine because the newer oils are backwards compatible with the newer additives for older applications.

Thanks

 

CBR is Wet clutch, Dry clutches are awful...

I use full synthetic, I heard some older bikes with high mileage get clutch slippage under hard use with full synthetic tho.
I'd at least use a half mineral half synthetic tho. Mineral oil is a bit of a dated.

I always use Shell Advance 15w-50 in all my bikes. Change it every 6000k with the filter, regardless of of the time its been in there.

 

If you used a standard motor oil designed for cars, your clutch will slip, due to the composition of the oil. Bikes should have oil designed for bikes, which minimizes clutch slip.
If you're in a warm climate, go for a 15W-50 oil, as Coopz suggests.
I use Castrol Actevo which is semi-synthetic in my 90 model, and the clutch slips slightly when cold, under full load. Currently 10w-40, but I'll be moving up to 15W-50 in the summer.
I change mine every 5000K's.

 

There is a website that did a lot of research (well it looks that way, but it is the internet ) here http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Oils1.html
He states synthetics are good and even recommends them under certain conditions. He also clarifies what qualifies as a motorcycle oil (see toward the bottom of his page)

 

Good article - maybe based on what he says, we could all be using Rotella B oil in our bikes, which has all the protection and is cheaper.......??
One of us (in Oz methinks) [:-]does just this and swears by it.

 

i haven't had my bike very long but i am planning to use the rotella on my first oil/filter change maybe next week. i'll definitely post if i notice any difference ,good or bad , in the function of the clutch or engine in general.

 

I switched to Rotella when I bought my bike,A 93' 1000 CBR.It has 55,375 miles on it now and runs great! It uses no oil at all. I think some of the engine noise has quieted down since I started using Rotella,and I don't get any clutch slippage.This oil doesn't cost an arm and leg and it has additives to prevent shearing,which motorcycles need.I'll be sticking with it.Morayman...........

 

I've been using semi-synthetic in mine with no problems at all. However, I was just talking to a mechanic experienced with older bikes and he is adament that I not use synthetic or semi-synthetic. He suggeststhat as well as the clutch issue, the cam chain is lubricated by a drip system that can be affected by synthetic oil.

It's all beyond my technical knowledge but I'll be following his recommendations.

 

Im using Castrol full synthetic in my 93 with 45k miles. No problems and no clutch slippage.
I have also heard Rotella is the way to go from some FZ owners

 

I use 10w50 Motul semi synth , no clucth slip, no rattle, also it keeps the motor cooler, better heat transfer properties...i change it every 5000k's