What is the best Oil.

[wrightme43]

NO it is not true.

People are full of crap a lot of time.
See Al Gore and Global warming from Co2. Water vapor is 300 times the green house gas.
The "hockey stick" is based terribly flawed data, and Gore has a business that makes money selling carbon offsets. Hmmmmm.......
See the DDT scare, and the death of MILLIONS of people from malaria.

Synthetic oil does not harm clutches. Being stupid can harm clutchs and then get blamed on the oil so that someone doesnt have to take responsibilty for thier actions.

 

[hunterfz6]

oil?

I was reading another post on another site, and i came across this, seems to be some sense to it. I'm not argueing just there is so much information out there on the internet and its all saying do this dont do this, do that dont do that.

I've owned a couple of YZF 600's and I have been told by John Mattherson
the owner of Mission MotorSports here in So Cal to break the bike in the way
you intend to ride it, within reason. I used to canyon carve years ago and
just started light sport riding again. John is an ex-factory Yamaha dirt track
rider and was in the top ten for 2 years way back when. He knows Yamaha's
better than anyone this side of Chuck Graves. I trust the advice he gives
me. When I bought my 06 FZ6 I asked again about breakin and he told me
the same thing for the most part. Don't race it within the first 800 to 1000
miles but don't baby it either. Even it you plan to just commute on it
give it a good run through the gears here and there but stay away from
redline. This is actually good for the motor, inproving the seating of certain
parts and polishing of surfaces. Be careful about using Synthetic oils,
clutches don't fair to well with it and tend to slip and wear out faster.
If you do change to synthetic wait until 1500 or so miles to let everything
mate up propery.
so, wait until 1500 miles then the clutch wont be hurt by the synth oil? use the brand suggested in the manual? lol.

 

[hunterfz6]

other info

I found a link about amsoil and they have some studies showing wear with /wo their product.

Motorcycle Performance with Amsoil Synthetic Oil and Lubrication Products

 

[wrightme43]

Oh no man, feel free. I am all for discussing things. Sometimes on the internet things come across wrong because the other person cant see your face and how and what your doing. I dont think your trying to argue at all. I take it as a discussion forum so each of us can learn more.

The quote above is a guy taking what he thinks he heard someone say and posting as a fact. I think what the guy was telling him is not to use synth for break in. I think its ok but it just takes alot longer to fully break in.

Anyway. Read this
All About Motor Oil

Make your own decision.
Porsch, Corvette, and many other very high performance manufactures use mobil one as the factory fill so it is the oil during break in of these 60,000-120,000$ cars.
I switched to Mobil one synth at 250 miles with a pure one filter. Next change at 3000.4 mobil one with a new pure one, next change at 5000.9 with mobile one and a new pure one. Now the bike is 8500 miles the oil is still golden brown. The bike is broken in, the trans is smooth. I shouldnt have to change the oil until it starts to get cold at night again.

Oil never wears out. The additive package wears out. It also does reach the end of its ability to hold particles in suspension, and its ability to resist the formation of acid. Also the viscosity modifiers are cut by the gears in motorcycles. I used the 15000 mile extended service mobil one. It has a very strong additive pack.

The worst thing you can do, is start a bike for a few minutes and then shut it off. Especially when it is cold. The condensation turns to acids and sits and etches your engine. Thats bad.

These are my opinions I have been wrong many times, I learn more stuff all the time.

 

[wrightme43]

Here is a quote from the site I linked for you.

Choosing an Oil for Your Motorcycle
There are a few special problem areas for motorcycle oil. Most motorcycles have wet clutches, which means the motor oil runs through the clutch. If the motor oil has too much molybdenum in it, there are fears that the clutch can start slipping. No one I know has ever actually had this happen to them, but the warnings are all over your owners' manual and the oil companies' web pages. On the back of all certified oil cans is a circular stamp with the certification. Avoid oils that say "energy conserving" in the bottom half of the donut. These oils contain friction modifier additives that could cause clutch slipping over time. Essentially all 0w-20, 5w-30 and 10w-30 oils are energy conserving, and should not be used in your motorcycle.

Most motorcycles run the engine oil through the transmission, and the transmission gears are very hard on the oil's VII package. This means that over a couple thousand miles, the oil's viscosity can break down. Standard car oils are only good for typically 1500 miles before they've lost about half of their viscosity. Remember, 10w-40 oils contain a lot of VIIs which tend to shear in your transmission, so I believe 10w-40 oils should be avoided. You can't use 10w-30 because of the friction modifiers. This doesn't leave much. Commercial 15w-40 oils are a good choice, because they have relatively few VIIs which are the more expensive shear-stable sort. Synthetics typically don't contain much of a VII package, so shear is not as big an issue with them.

Some people use their motorcycles only sporadically. This means the oil can all drain completely into the sump, leaving no protective film on the bearings. The first start after a long period of non-use can be particularly hard on an engine. Film strength is very important if you're a sporadic rider.

There are several key advantages to using Synthetic Oils:

Synthetic oils have a higher viscosity index than mineral base oils. Synthetics have better resistance to thinning at high temperatures and thickening at low temperatures. Since synthetics have little or no VIIs, synthetics last longer in service without radical changes in viscosity.

Synthetics have a much higher film strength than petroleum oils, so it takes a lot longer for the oil to drain completely off your bearings and into your sump.

Diester synthetics are polar molecules with solvent properties which dissolve residues and combustion byproducts.

Choosing a Break-In Oil for Your Motorcycle
The theory that synthetic oils should not be used during break in is the same as the theory that your engine will break in better if you use synthetic oil but add a dinner candle to your four quarts of engine oil. Frankly, I find this theory, um, questionable. Oh, hell, laughable. Corvettes and Porsches come from the factory with Mobil-1 in their engines. Remember, these engineers have designed world-champion engines for F1, Indy, Le Mans 24 hours, etc.

There's a lot of mythology surrounding break-in oil. It's simply not the case that synthetic oils are more "slippery" than conventional oils. Also, break-in of a modern engine is completely different than break-in of an engine made before about 1980. Modern engines, by comparison to something made in the '60s, are pretty much already broken in from the factory due to the fact that today we hold much tighter machining tolerances. The exception, of course, would be the Ural, a motorcycle made on a production line unmodified since about 1935.

I recommend you change your break-in oil at 75 to 100 miles, 100 to 150 kilometers. Your engine does shed a fair amount of metal particles in the first 20-50 miles, and I really can't understand why you would want this stuff floating around your bearings for the first 600 miles, 1000 kilometers.

 

[hunterfz6]

oil change

Ok, went out and said WTF mate!!! 300 miles on the OD.. lets do an oil change. 50 ish bucks for 3 quarts of oil and oil filter. By the way, yamaha makes their own brand of oil, I got 3 quarts of semi-synthetic, Amber, the nice lady behind the desk spoke with the utmost authority that the semi-synth oil is actually a lot better on fz6. dunno she sounded really honest? dont think it would hurt to have that anyway. Oh, hmm taking off the factory oil filter, i had to use a pair of channel locks and i really did a number on it. No prob as i didnt mess up the threads, however I was not able to torque the filter down like in the manual. I did however get it in there as good as i could and it dont turn any more. Do any of you see a problem with that?
12ft lbs is recommended. Thanks all.

 

[sportrider]

an oil filter only needs to be ran on tight + 1/4 to a 1/2 turn just like on a car if you over tighten it you risk damaging the threads or the filter or the filter leaking. if your worried about the filter blowing off use a hose clamp on the filter and attach some saftey wire to it so it can't unscrew.:thumbup:

 

[hunterfz6]

thank you

thanks sportrider

 

[sportrider]

no problemo:thumbup:

 

[hunterfz6]

new oil change

Well, i'm here to say, OD only had less than 300 miles, changed oil and filter, used yamaha filter and oil. Semi synthetic.
Bike runs like greased lightning. Is it psychological just cause I know I changed the oil, or is it really running better? Sure seems to love hovering around 6k rpm and burst to 7 and 8k are thrilling. I am finding out why this bike was pretty much a Euro bike. The way the exhaust runs along the seat builds up some heat. Think about it, ever been to Europe? Its useally freaking cold. At least to most of us folks from the grand ol USA would think. As you are tucked into the bike, you get a fair amount of heat to warm you. Absolutly brilliant. My Honda Shadow, well if your cold, your just cold and thats that. I can only sum up my feelings at this point, as one of absolute love and devotion to this bike, i'm sure there are better bikes out there costing lots and lots more money. But I am never uncomfortable on this bike and I am getting used to the seat more and more.
I guess I can understand why my wife feels like my bike is gonna get between us. hehe. We'll figure it out and i'm sure we'll do alright. But the daily pleads to sell it, or how she isnt angry anymore, only hurt. Bah, I will not be guilted.
See you all on the road.

 

[JONAC]

Any benefits on using non standard filter, eg. K & N ?

What kind of mileage intervals are you guys changing oil on ?

 

[knox]

Any benefits on using non standard filter, eg. K & N ?

What kind of mileage intervals are you guys changing oil on ?

Not sure the model No. for the FZ6, but I used Purolator filters and Castrol Auto oil (conventional) on my CBR and will do the same with whatever bike I get. If you look in your manual, you will see the weight specified, with Factory oil "recommended". Auto oil WILL uphold your warranty. (Be sure and check the "Energy Conserving" label. If I recall correctly, you want oil that is NOT Energy Conserving - not good for the transmission.

The filter/oil are less expensive, are just as good as motorcycle oil/filter, and are easy to get since Auto Zone and Napa are right up the street.

I change my bike oil at every 3k miles (car at 5k).

 

[HavBlue]

Just a thought here: I prime the oil filter before installing it back on the bike; less dry run time. I have also found that with my 2004 I don't want to put in all three quarts of oil because it will show to be overfilled on the dipstick after the engine has run and then gets shut down. I check the oil after allowing time for drain back.

 

[Erik]

A quick note on the oil change for U.S. people.

The amount of oil you will need can vary a little dependng on the filter you are using. The engine on my 06 recommends 2.5 liters. If you look on the case right under where it says 599cc it says 2500 cm^3. A quick conversion is 1000 cm^3 = 1 liter. (Dont you wish we used the metric system!). Im pretty sure most oil's in the U.S. are sold in quarts such as the Mobil 1 4T sythetic motorcycle. The conversion for that is 1 US quart = 0.94635295 liter. So 2.5 liters equals a little over 2.8 quarts.

On a side note my bike had the Yamalube in it. When I changed to the Mobil 1 4T Fully sythetic oil I could feel a huge difference in my clutch and changing gears. Ive read about people complaning aobut the clutch on our bikes but I have never had a problem and that could be due to the type of oil you are using (or it could be a number of other things who knows). Because on most Japanese bikes they use a wet clutch which lubes it self from the engine oil. You transmission also uses that oil. This is also why its important to use a motorcycle oil and not a car oil, because they are different.

 

[T4E]

Thank You!

Thank you for these instructions, pictures, and detail. I performed my first ever motorcycle oil change and my first oil change for my FZ6. I had the laptop out on my workbench and followed the instructions with no problems. It's post like these that make newbies like me want to do more for the riding community.

Thanks again!

 

[driver145]

Oil Change Poll

I have read numerous post discussing why and why not to change oil here or there during break-in. I thought a poll was in order to help me decide, a vote if you will and I will go with the consensus.

 

[HavBlue]

Just got tired of the excessive noise with the factory Yamalube and desided to swithch it over at 300 miles. It gets changed every 1,500 from there on. No real reason other than personal preference.

 

[reiobard]

I like to change the oil ahead of time so 500/1000 then 2500 from there on in

 

[Tailgate]

The only reason that oil ever needs to be changed is because it becomes dirty. The lubrication qualities of oil will remain the same (and that's why used oil is sometimes recycled). If you're changing clean looking oil and ahead of recommended intervals consider this: you could instead be spending more time riding and spending more dollars on mods or something.

 

[Gdubya]

When breaking in a new bike, look at all the silvery metal in the oil at 100mi and tell me you want that crud floating around in the motor for another 500 miles. Even if you change at 100, you'll still see some (but much less) at 600mi which is a good reason to change it again then. Other than that, as long as it gets changed frequently it's a matter of personal opinion, and the oil you use, as to when it "needs" it.