How much oil?

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Keep in mind that he said that this is his FIRST oil change. Assuming it's a new bike and he's following the manufacturer's 600-mile first-change interval, then it's too early to put synthetic oil into the engine. 1500-2000 miles is a commonly accepted point for switching to synthetics. The reason being that synthetics are generally thought of as being "too slippery" and preventing proper break-in.

A 10W40 non-synthetic car oil is fine for the break-in period, as it is not energy conservinc and does not have the friction modifiers that can cause clutch slippage.

When breaking in my bikes, I follow the Mototune method and do a set of dyno runs. Then, with ~20 miles on the clock, I change the oil with some 10W40 car oil. At 600 miles, the oil gets changed again, and then at 1500-2000 miles, I dump the car oil and switch to Mobil1 15W50.

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

You realize that lots of high performance vehicles come with Mobil1 Syn from the factory these days right?
 
You realize that lots of high performance vehicles come with Mobil1 Syn from the factory these days right?

Most of those vehicles have "micro-polished" rod and main journals which is a fairly new process, they also usually some type of piston coating and a different finish on the cylinder wall instead of the old crosshatch.

I'm not saying that's why they run snthetic when brand new but I'm guessing the two are related.

Rusty
 
"It's actually just my first oil change on the bike, it actually has close to 9000 miles on it. "

You have to be kidding me!
I go to WalMart and buy Shell Rotella 15W/40 Diesel Oil and put an automobile oil filter on for my high perfomance motorcycle?

This post needs to be ended!! I am really biting my tongue here!

There are only 2 types of breeds in this world. Smart Asses and Dumb Asses.:hmmm:
 
"It's actually just my first oil change on the bike, it actually has close to 9000 miles on it. "

You have to be kidding me!
I go to WalMart and buy Shell Rotella 15W/40 Diesel Oil and put an automobile oil filter on for my high perfomance motorcycle?

This post needs to be ended!! I am really biting my tongue here!

There are only 2 types of breeds in this world. Smart Asses and Dumb Asses.:hmmm:


Hey Lankey,

I'm no expert but I will say this,

From everything I have been able to find and read,
Diesel oils, Rotella especially, have a much higher zinc content. The Zinc in auto oils has been decreased drastically over the last decade or so due to it's damaging effect on catalytic converters.

Zinc is the last ditch effort of oil to save wear surfaces when oiling is lost or pressure is low.

Diesel oils have the highest content of all of them.
Motorcycle oils have about the same as current car oils.


As for automotive filters, I think you'll find a huge number of people running them, there is no difference that I've been able to find. Virtually every filter out there whether it's M/C or Car has a bypass that opens at around 40 psi.

Other than the quality of the filter media and the psi of the bypass valve what else is there to a filter that I'm missing?

The Mobil M110 is a good example, it's an extremely high quality filter that fits the Max.

Just my .02 cents,
 
Hey Lankey,

I'm no expert but I will say this,

From everything I have been able to find and read,
Diesel oils, Rotella especially, have a much higher zinc content. The Zinc in auto oils has been decreased drastically over the last decade or so due to it's damaging effect on catalytic converters.

Zinc is the last ditch effort of oil to save wear surfaces when oiling is lost or pressure is low.

Diesel oils have the highest content of all of them.
Motorcycle oils have about the same as current car oils.


As for automotive filters, I think you'll find a huge number of people running them, there is no difference that I've been able to find. Virtually every filter out there whether it's M/C or Car has a bypass that opens at around 40 psi.

Other than the quality of the filter media and the psi of the bypass valve what else is there to a filter that I'm missing?

The Mobil M110 is a good example, it's an extremely high quality filter that fits the Max.

Just my .02 cents,

We all have our views. Oil is like religon no one person has the same views and we all think we are doing the best thing with our decision when it comes to oil. Thats why this thread needs to be ended!
I will admit that my oil preferences in the past cant be that great since I am on my 4th motor due to oiling problems to the crank journals. But not all of us ride hard and hit speeds over 145MPH when we take our bikes out every time.:stickyman:
 
"It's actually just my first oil change on the bike, it actually has close to 9000 miles on it. "

You have to be kidding me!
I go to WalMart and buy Shell Rotella 15W/40 Diesel Oil and put an automobile oil filter on for my high perfomance motorcycle?

This post needs to be ended!! I am really biting my tongue here!

There are only 2 types of breeds in this world. Smart Asses and Dumb Asses.:hmmm:

lankee what are you saying run motorcycle oil ? motorcycle oil is sj rotella is also....Diesel oils are some of the highest rated oils you can buy..been using 5/40 syn ..if your buying motorcycle oil and think your protected more your a dumb ass J/K..motor cycles oils been tested against car oils and get there ass kicks in all the test...rotella is rated higher then car oil....trucks go over 150.000 miles between oil changes and are lab tested along the way to see how they hold up...what oil wher you using when your three motors shit the bed
 
lankee what are you saying run motorcycle oil ? motorcycle oil is sj rotella is also....Diesel oils are some of the highest rated oils you can buy..been using 5/40 syn ..if your buying motorcycle oil and think your protected more your a dumb ass J/K..motor cycles oils been tested against car oils and get there ass kicks in all the test...rotella is rated higher then car oil....trucks go over 150.000 miles between oil changes and are lab tested along the way to see how they hold up...what oil wher you using when your three motors shit the bed

Oil? :ummm: Nahh oil is for pansy asses! I did that duralube thing you know the commercial where they treat the engine with duralube and than drain the oil out and the motor runs.
You mean that is whats been causing my rod bearing failures? Thats it man, I am heading to interstate to look for the nearest truck stop and get me sum of that earl.
To be honest I was running 10/40 which is a huge ass no in the VMAX. (Jon from PCW told me that) I am running 20W/50 Honda oil with 65 PSI of oil pressure.
Unless you are on the north pole with temps below 20F than use 10/40.
I hope this oil bullshit stops I hate debating oil.
 
I hope this oil bullshit stops I hate debating oil.


I agree but it's like crack, hard to get off of,:biglaugh: it's like a cliche now on every forum out there to debate oil



I'm gonna dump a pint of cat litter in mine to pick up the contaminants tho' My granddaddy's daddy told me about it and swears by it:worthy:

In reality I'm not real brand or type conscious about oil, I usually stick with a 10-40, Been leaning towards Castrol GTX my whole life but don't have any facts to support that decision; and in a pinch will use anything except recycled oil. My main belief is that the best oil is CLEAN oil.

I change mine every 1000 miles
Later bro,

Rusty
 
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Oil? :ummm: Nahh oil is for pansy asses! I did that duralube thing you know the commercial where they treat the engine with duralube and than drain the oil out and the motor runs.
You mean that is whats been causing my rod bearing failures? Thats it man, I am heading to interstate to look for the nearest truck stop and get me sum of that earl.
To be honest I was running 10/40 which is a huge ass no in the VMAX. (Jon from PCW told me that) I am running 20W/50 Honda oil with 65 PSI of oil pressure.
Unless you are on the north pole with temps below 20F than use 10/40.
I hope this oil bullshit stops I hate debating oil.
Honda oil tested the worst against in a few test....problem with duralube sand and dirt need to be added for it to work right
 
There are other alternatives to help the rod bearings survive and keep oil pressure. When you are ready for your next rebuild I can help you with it.

Sean
 
That Rotella and the Rotella T syn are good oils. The thumper guys are using those oils religiously in bikes that probably see much more strain than a V-Max due to the fact that they are single cylinder, have higher compression, are more highly tuned and have less overall oil capacity than a Max. My Husky has a 1.8 liter oil capacity. Barely any, really. The oil change intervals are judged in HOURS, not miles. I thought the Rotella T in 5w40 was too thin for the heat of Louisiana, so I am running a synthetic 10w-50 in the Husky.

The Max, 20w-50 conventional motorcycle oil.

However, if I could find that Rotella diesel oil in a 20w-50, I would give it a shot in the Max. It is really highly rated juice.

Mike
 
15 /40 dino or 20 /40 dino or 5 /40 syn after 100 deg there all the same viscosity...dino will lose viscosity rating after a short time probably drop to 30 weight ....where syn will still be 40 weight...i would think 5 /50 or 20/50 would protect the same regardless of hot climate.....all viscosity is rated at 100 deg oil temp
 
There are other alternatives to help the rod bearings survive and keep oil pressure. When you are ready for your next rebuild I can help you with it.

Sean

Thanks Sean
I have my machinist looking to cut and put some roller bearings on to the journals like the ol GPZ motors have.
This 85 motor has killer oil pressure with this Honda 20 50 oil in it 65 PSI on the start After it warms up it never sees below 22 PSI at 1300 rpms once the rpms go up it shoots up to 55 PSI at normal run temp of 190
 
Rotella 15-40 works for me, change it often enough and it wont matter.. What i was told by guys that actually race vintage Porsche cars , stay away from Castrol, they claim it breaks down way to fast and its like water... Most of them run Kendall, years past it was said kendall was junk ?.... when i first got the bike i ran the yamalube, for me its expensive, the bike shifts better with the rotella T... On the other hand i have read lots of good on Honda MC oils,,,, Mobil 1 is great stuff if your wallet is fat :)

Moral of the story be kind to your vmax and it will be kind to you, beat the piss out of it, i dont care what oil you have in it, you will bust something.
 
After fixing and oil seepage on the top of the case, I replaced the Castrol Active 10W40 with Rotella T 15W-40. Feel like the bike has 20 more horespower Just kidding...... But It does shift much better.

Lew
 
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Here's the Correct Info Directly from The Owners Manual.
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I see this is a pretty old post, but serviced my 07' today, as per the manual for capacity, filled er' up with 4 litres if Rotella T 15-40. The book says the oil level should be in between the high and low lnes beside the sight glass when the bike is level. Drained probably 1/2 litre out already, and still not in the glass?? Does everyone simply put in 4 litres and not bother with the glass level? Or do you all stick to keeping it between the high and low lines????????

Sent from my XP7700 using Tapatalk
 
I see this is a pretty old post, but serviced my 07' today, as per the manual for capacity, filled er' up with 4 litres if Rotella T 15-40. The book says the oil level should be in between the high and low lnes beside the sight glass when the bike is level. Drained probably 1/2 litre out already, and still not in the glass?? Does everyone simply put in 4 litres and not bother with the glass level? Or do you all stick to keeping it between the high and low lines????????

Sent from my XP7700 using Tapatalk

Stick with high and low lines.
 
Thanks for the help. How much do you pour in after an oil drain and new filter? Just so I know for next time.....Save draining good oil and wasting!

Sent from my XP7700 using Tapatalk
 

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