A dreaded oil question By mauiboy (Read 1,608 times)

[mauiboy]

Given I am now going to be wrenching the burgman myself I got to thinking about what oil I NEED. I know the standard is 10w40 but I'm not sure that will suit how I use the scoot. Assume I will be using synthetic. My daily commute is about 4 miles each way, takes about 6 minutes if I catch the lights. My main worry is that I use the scoot is both extremes, both the commutes when the engine is cold yet ridden hard, ambient temp is 65-70 and on weekends and errands I will run it for anything up to 2 hours in 85+ heat. I know many of you will live in areas above and below these temps, but often they are seasonal whilst these bounce about daily. I want to protect the engine from the cold start / hard ride commute but also the higher temp longer runs. I know this can be a contentious issue! But your thoughts are appreciated. I am thinking if I change it often (say every 1000-2000m not 4000m or similar) a decent 10w40 synthetic should cope?
I get more chance to warm the engine before longer runs but none before my commutes which worries me a little. Will this just reduce the lifespan of the oil? Or does it risk more serious damage?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[tvnacman]

Fpr commuting I would just start the engine and give a min or two to flow . Just start the ride soft . Wgem tou get to work let it idle for another min or two . I change both fluids every thousand miles . Its cheap enough. And easy enough . If I should go over the thousand miles don't panick
About it .
John

[JR]

Maui, I believe in your conditions a good 10W/40W is ideal! Myself I use a 10W/30W in winter and I mean as low as 10F. But in the summer I use a 20W/50W because of 95F+ temps.

JR

[mauiboy]

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated! The scoot normally gets about a minute to warm up, about the time it takes to put the cover away and put my helmet on, unfortunately I can't give it any more time, hectic schedule etc and work have a thing about me leaving it running there lol. Despite the fact it is significantly quieter (we measured) than the v8 triton engine in some of the guys f250's its a motorbike so it 'must' be louder lol. I was just hoping there may be a route with the oil choice that might mitigate some of the damage. Oil is cheap, even syn, so regular 1000-2000 mile changes instead of the mandated 3500 isn't an issue and I hope will help!
Thanks again!

Now to really set the cat amongst the pigeons, is there a specific oil product (brand\blend etc) that would stand up to the punishment better than others?

[cruiser]

According to Bob the oil guy, use any name brand synthetic. No recommendation as far as using it during break in. 0W-30 would be about right for water cooled engines and 0W-40 would give a little bit better viscosity at the higher operating temperatures of air cooled engines.

If the engine does not use oil, you might want to try 0W-20 or 0W-30 which would result in better cooling and less internal friction because of higher oil flow.

I'm using 5W-40 Rotella T6 synthetic which is a good oil. I will be experimenting with the lower viscosity oil in the future.

[imnts2]

Oil does not wear out. High heat does destroy it but your burgman never gets hot like an Air cooled scoot. So any 10-30 or 10 - 40 oil except diesel grade is fine. I generally encourage synthetic if you do a lot of long distant high speed driving and don't get around to change it often, but what you are doing - your engine should last a long while. You are really not using your oil to it's full potential but your engine should love you.

[ojler]

Just follow the manufactures recommendation. If your scoot has to sit out the winter I would change the oil on a yearly basis, otherwise use the owner manual recommendations.

[SuperDaveGulvak]

I just rolled the first 500 on my scoot & plan to change the oil to a synthetic blend 2 times before making switch to full synthetic. Does that sound like a safe idea? My manual (which I found on the best scoot site EVER!) has recommendations for regular 10W-40 or 20W-50.

[mrmike]

Just happened to be reading this post and thought I'd chime in. I just bought a new (2012) Kymco People GTI300. On page 28 of my owners manual it states "Use a full synthetic quality 4-stroke engine oil to ensure longer service life of your scooter. Only use oils that have a SJ rating above per the API service classification". I live in Central New York and use full synthetic 10-40 in the motor, and full synthetic 75-90 in the transmission.

[nulldevice]

You didn't say which Burgman. If you have the 650 be careful about what oils you use. It has a wet clutch which means it runs in the motor oil. The wrong oil can destroy the clutch by coating the clutch plates and making them too slippery. It is an expensive repair.

[ellpee]

"If your scoot has to sit out the winter I would change the oil on a yearly basis, otherwise use the owner manual recommendations. "

REALLY? Some people drive 100 miles a year, others 10,000. Would you care to re-phrase your comment? Even I, first scooter, four months, 2000 miles, know your "advice" is questionable.