Yeah the only problem with synthetics are some of the ones designed for cars have additives like justasquid mentioned.

 

maybe just read one of the other 30 threads about oil?

 

There are motorcycle specific oils. They are all good.

There are oils with with Molly or other friction modifiers. They are all bad. We have a wet clutch and those friction modifiers cause our clutches to slip a bit.

There are synthetic oils. The ones with friction modifiers are bad. The ones without are generally good. One major benefit to synthetic oils are that they typically have about twice the life of regular oils, thus extending the maintenance period for your oil changes.

Here is a breakdown of the other advantages/disadvantages of synthetic oil source

Advantages:

• Measurably better low and high temperature viscosity performance
• Better chemical & shear stability
• Decreased evaporative loss
• Resistance to oxidation, thermal breakdown and oil sludge problems
• Extended drain intervals with the environmental benefit of less oil waste.
• Improved fuel economy in certain engine configurations.
• Better lubrication on cold starts
• Longer engine life

Disadvantages:

• The lower friction may make them unsuitable for break-in (i.e. the initial run-in period of the vehicle) where friction is desirable to cause wear. Improved engine part machining has made break-in less critical than it once was, though. Many modern cars now come with synthetic oil as a factory fill.
• Potential decomposition problems in certain chemical environments (industrial use dominantly)
• Potential stress cracking of plastic components like POM (polyoxymethylene) in the presence of PAOs (polyalphaolefins).
• Synthetics do not hold lead in suspension as well as mineral oil, thus caution is advised when the engine is run on leaded fuel.[citation needed] As an example, leaded fuel is still commonly used in aviation (avgas).[12]
• In July 1996, Consumer Reports published the results of a two year motor oil test involving a fleet of 75 New York taxi cabs and found no noticeable advantage of synthetic oil over regular mineral oil.[13] In their article, they noted that "Big-city cabs don't see many cold start-ups or long periods of high speed driving in extreme heat. But our test results relate to the most common type of severe service — stop-and-go city driving." According to their study, synthetic oil is "worth considering for extreme driving conditions: high ambient temperatures and high engine load, or very cold temperatures." [14]
• Synthetic oils are not recommended in automotive rotary engines.[15]

Now to me, the choice is obvious. For breaking in a new bike, go with Honda recomended oil. After that, go synthetic and never look back.

Many people on this forum use synthetic and I personally (many others as well) use Shell Rotella T 5w40.

 

Here's some more info.

And some more.

And more.

The point?

 

I've never understood where the whole idea came from that synthetics won't work with wet clutches.
I've heard it before, and it's just not true at all.

Anyway.... I use Rotella T. My baby just got a fresh bottle of the blue stuff last weekend.

 

I know right?

Well, I think there's officially an active oil thread in every section at this point Trout... maybe we can take a break on the oil chatter for a bit?

Yes, I live in a make believe world where money grows on trees and people try to find their own answers before asking redundant questions!! Don't you dare stomp on my dreams!!

 

hey thanks for all the great info everyone.

Sorry I know starting a new oil thread wouldn't please most of you, but i researched and researched and was having some trouble deciding. You guys have in all ways answered all my questions.



Thanks again

 

Glad everybody helped, man...

Chuck, your dream will be shattered in 3....2.....

 

HMM,,,i just changed my oil on my 2007 cbr1000rr,,,,with shell rotella t6 synth oil,{big rig oil,,,JASO MA},,,$20 for a gallon{not expensive} with a mobil1-108 filter,,,,,,,OMG,,,,MY BIKE HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO the smoothest riding superbike,,,,this combo is the holy grail,,,,,rotella t6 is ultra smooth,,,i cant wait to ride my bike now,,,,its like a new bike,,,,,i am glad i made the right choice after careful reading on these forums,,,thanks guys.

 

Honda cbr 1000 RR '06

MOTUL 300 V double ester 15W50 ( 100% Synthese )