Questions About First Motorcycle

[Devonai]

Thanks for the tips.

The previous owner had it in the shop for routine service and carbs cleaning in April. My girlfriend's dad, who has a lot of personal experience with bike repair, said it's in good condition. I won't assume anything but there's only so much my untrained eye can tell me.  So far I've logged 500 miles on it and the oil light is the only issue.

[tokugawa]

Second the oil change. Also, automotive oils may work well in some motorcycles. Others, not so much. The newer EPA regs have led to friction modifiers in some oils, which can cause slipping of motorcycle wet clutchs. Will it in yours? I don't have a clue- but it is not an imaginary concern.
 Also- did you check the oil level? And the switch connections?

[brimic]

As someone mentioned a few posts back, look for a .pdf owners manual online.
Also search you model online, there is almost certainly an active forum somewhere about your model of bike, where you can learn just about every hard learned trick in the book along with what oils to put in your engine/primary case(s).

[MillCreek]

Motorcycle oil threads are the bastard stepchildren of the 9 mm vs. 45, or the JMB 1911 vs. Glock threads.  Never ending, arguments pro and con, and in the end, there is no accounting for taste.

[Devonai]

I just don't want my pistons, which are pretty much pointed directly at my junk, to do their impression of a Kosmos-3M at highway speed.

[Strings]

Don't remember if I posted it on this thread or not

When I took the MSF course (lo, those many years ago), the last year they had crash data available for listed 100 motorcycle fatalities in WI. Of those, something like 70 were Harleys, not sport bikes

At a guess, that was a combination of middle managers having midlife crises (but no experience riding), and idiots taking their bike out bar hopping

For the record: Spoon rides a Road King. Has no problems

[dm1333]

FTR dm1333 rides a Harley and has no problems either!  I don't doubt the statistic or the theory that mid life crisis bikes and a lack of experience were big contributors.  I'm pretty tired of watching people wobble all over the road on low mileage, never ridden in the rain Harley's.  Riding comfort bikes on a paved trail would have been a much healthier choice for a lot of riders!

[Strings]

I've seen a number of people that shouldn't even be on a bicycle, let alone something with an engine

[White Horseradish]

Last night the check oil light came on for the first five minutes of a 30 minute ride. After work I'll check the oil level, but I don't know what weight of oil to buy if I need to add some. Any suggestions?

The oil light on those engines is an oil level light, where the oil light you might know from cars is an oil pressure light. The sensor for the light is just a float in a small tube bolted into the oil pan. If there is enough sludge in the pan, it can collect in the sender and make it stick after a bump. Or, you could just have low oil.

Checking oil means getting the bike up on the centerstand (checking on the kickstand will make you think you got no oil at all) and looking at the sight glass on the bottom right of the engine. There is no dipstick. There should be a mark, but the general rule is you should have a small bubble at the top of the glass.

Wal-mart: Shell Rotella T synthetic 5W-40 at $ 7 per quart.  I have been using this consistently over the years in a variety of motorcycles and scooters.

5W seems a little thin to me. Yamaha says 10W-40 or 20W-50, depending on climate. I use 20W-50.  Yamalube at the dealer can be surprisingly cheap - I've bought it for $12 a gallon on sale. At Walmart, I buy whatever they have for motorcycle oil. I think they have Castrol?

Second the oil change. Also, automotive oils may work well in some motorcycles. Others, not so much. The newer EPA regs have led to friction modifiers in some oils, which can cause slipping of motorcycle wet clutchs. Will it in yours? I don't have a clue- but it is not an imaginary concern.

People on Yamaha forums have reported that problem on the straight-4 engines. There isn't enough of a price difference between motorcycle and automotive oils for me to take that chance.

[White Horseradish]

I just don't want my pistons, which are pretty much pointed directly at my junk, to do their impression of a Kosmos-3M at highway speed.

Low oil will probably make you fry your clutch first, thereby preventing you from getting to highway speeds in the first place.  

Every kaboom I've heard of on those engines involves either spitting of chunks down or forward, or a hole in the piston.

[bedlamite]

5W seems a little thin to me. Yamaha says 10W-40 or 20W-50, depending on climate. I use 20W-50. 

The first number doesn't really matter. It describes the weight of the oil during cold start in the winter, hence the "W". How often do you start your bike at 0F? Even then, it warms up right away, and a lower weight circulates quicker. The second number is much more important, it's the viscosity at 212F, and If you look in your owners manual, they even specify different weights for different ambient temps. It's not one weight for all applications.

The owners manual for my bike says to use anything from 10w30 to 20W50 depending on the temp if 0W40 is not available, and there is a range for each with a lot of overlap. I prefer using the heavier weight and let it warm up for a minute before riding:


All Shell Rotella grades are actually JASO MA and MB certified, which is the certification Japanese motorcycle manufacturers use in Japan. It's our stupid laws that make them specify API rated oils that are not intended for motorcycles. This is why they all specify SE, which was the last API spec without friction modifiers and even API says it's obsolete, and to use the newer SN which can kill your clutch. API doesn't even consider Motorcycles for their ratings.

http://www.whitedogbikes.com/whitedogblog/choosing-the-right-motorbike-oil-what-does-jaso-and-jaso-ma2-mean/

Here's the manual for the Radian, it says API SE 10W30 below 60F or 20W40 above 40F on page 5-4:
http://www.badrad600.com/Radian%20Manuals%20-%20Complete%20-%20Printable/Radian%20Owner's%20Manual%20Clean%20Complete%20Final.pdf

I'd use RotellaT 15W40 without a second thought in the Radian. It's $12/gal at every Mal-Wart everywhere in the country.

[Firethorn]

Yamalube at the dealer can be surprisingly cheap - I've bought it for $12 a gallon on sale. At Walmart, I buy whatever they have for motorcycle oil. I think they have Castrol?

This is what I bought last time, on sale for a really good price.  Should do me for 4 oil changes.

Since I exist at cooler temperatures than most, I went with 10W-40.  At least, it's what all the dealers go with.

It's a bit thinner, and things are cooler enough here that it probably flows a bit better.

[Devonai]

Wow, excellent info, thanks everybody.

[Fitz]

The first number doesn't really matter. It describes the weight of the oil during cold start in the winter, hence the "W". How often do you start your bike at 0F? Even then, it warms up right away, and a lower weight circulates quicker. The second number is much more important, it's the viscosity at 212F, and If you look in your owners manual, they even specify different weights for different ambient temps. It's not one weight for all applications.

The owners manual for my bike says to use anything from 10w30 to 20W50 depending on the temp if 0W40 is not available, and there is a range for each with a lot of overlap. I prefer using the heavier weight and let it warm up for a minute before riding:


All Shell Rotella grades are actually JASO MA and MB certified, which is the certification Japanese motorcycle manufacturers use in Japan. It's our stupid laws that make them specify API rated oils that are not intended for motorcycles. This is why they all specify SE, which was the last API spec without friction modifiers and even API says it's obsolete, and to use the newer SN which can kill your clutch. API doesn't even consider Motorcycles for their ratings.

http://www.whitedogbikes.com/whitedogblog/choosing-the-right-motorbike-oil-what-does-jaso-and-jaso-ma2-mean/

Here's the manual for the Radian, it says API SE 10W30 below 60F or 20W40 above 40F on page 5-4:
http://www.badrad600.com/Radian%20Manuals%20-%20Complete%20-%20Printable/Radian%20Owner's%20Manual%20Clean%20Complete%20Final.pdf

I'd use RotellaT 15W40 without a second thought in the Radian. It's $12/gal at every Mal-Wart everywhere in the country.

In addition to using rotella T in my v-strom , my superhawk, etc etc.... I also used this

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/FilterXRef.html

That'll tell you which pureOne or similar AUTO filter will fit your bike. Lots of good info there.