im sure this has been asked many times, but is it true that once you switch to synthetic oil it can damage your engine or clutch by switching back to conventional oils? i ask because ive always used honda brand conventional 10-40. i figured that if it was good enough to come from the factory with that oil, it must be good enough to continue using but im thinking of going synthetic. also, any downside when using on an older bike (2000 929)?

 

I`ve never heard it mentioned that way before, maybe others will have but i do know that fully synthetic oil is that good at protecting against wear that if you use it in a new engine it can prevent the running in process from happening properly.

Up until now i`ve used semi synthetic in my bike, now i have 10k miles i`ve just switched to fully synthetic. I`ll let you know if anything different to the norm occurs.

 

Switching oils back and forth cant be good for it. Why switch back to conventional after going to synthetic. Possibly price, but who cant spend a little extra on your baby and get the good stuff. I run Castrol 10-40 full synthetic (which is just as good as Honda oil IMO) from day one and never had a clutch, engine or any other related problem what so ever and it is not near as expensive as some of the so called racing/motorcycle oils. You also dont have to change your oil quite as frequently with synthetic as opposed to conventional. About every 5000 or so has had no effect on power or reliability on my 17000 mile 02 954. Thats just my opinion. Everybody has their own their own opinion about which oil is better. Just wait till the people start posting their recommended oils. HA HA

 

yea it can't be good for it, then again, it can't be bad for it either. it's not going to damage your bike.
now...if you used something that's energy conserving or has friction modifiers then you jacked...otherwise....you a ok.

stop worrying and get riding mang!

 

amsoil ------ shifrts like butter,runs freer -----oil stays looking great----does it actually get any better when comes to oil----i can go 35000 in my car---

 

I use the standard. I wouldn't switch b/c that is what my bike is used to. But everyone has their own opinions on oil.

 

your car doesn't run out to 13000 rpm and the clutch and transmission don't bathe in the same oil as the crank cams and pistons no matter what car it is, oil is oil stick with whatever makes you happy just don't keep switching around, there are the rumors about synthetics getting into the fibers of clutch plates and making them slip, and there are the rumors of synthetics & different addatives making a new fresh motor run so tight that it wears improperly, and with a construction backround i've heard rumors that if u change the oil in old vintage construction equipment that the fresh oil will ruin the motor...just run the grades that are recomended and don't switch around brands or compositions

 

When the synthetic oils where first released for bikes they did cause major clutch issues in certain model bikes but they have since been refined with enough friction additives that they work quite well. If you do change your oil to synthetic I definetly recommend to keep using it and not swap back and forth between oils. Also make sure your bike has been broken in good and hard before switching to synthetic. Synthetic oil on the molecular level is smaller then normal oil so it will leak out of places that normal oil does not...like around piston rings.

 

Ditto on that born2burnurazz, Thats why its a better oil once you`ve broke it in well. Helps decrease the amount of blow-by you get and reduces engine wear further. Just go for a recognised Manufacturer that makes bike specific and any oil will be fine.