Triumphrat

loxx101 · 11-23-2012, 01:46 PM

You can get many other types of 20w/50. You can get Mobil 1 V Twin but you have to buy a fair bit of it. I guess if there were a few of us wanting it in the UK we could always split it?

I'd be happy with that. Seems like the Mobil 1 stuff is fairly good.

Failing that you can get Amsoil stuff in smaller quantities from Opie Oils. Might even be worth phoning them to see what they say with regard to that stuff.

loxx101 · 11-23-2012, 03:39 PM

Just been reading some more about this, trying to work out if a 15w-50 would be good as you can easily get Mobil 1 4T 15w-50. It's called racing oil but I'm not sure if that makes a difference. There must be something about it that makes it "racing" compared to normal... Maybe it's just better quality.

Obviously 15w-50 would be identical for the majority of riding, it's just the first 5-10 minutes maybe where you can cause damage...

Although, according to numerous sources such as the following link, the cst minimums for SAE15 and SAE20 are identical. The only thing that differs is the "cranking". As the 15w Mobil 4T stuff is for race bikes, why would they rate that lower on the winter temperature? Surely they crank a lot higher than all other bikes? Why not just leave it at 20W?

Hmmm... I personally think the Mobil 1 4T 15w-50 would be perfect for our bikes. I know millions of people will religiously say stick by the book but if we all had that attitude, nothing new would ever get designed.

Snakeoil · 11-23-2012, 05:56 PM

I've used Amsoil in most of my vehicles. It's the only oil that I've run in my 2001 Harley. I've move to Mobil one is some vehicle just because it is easier to obtain locally and diesel oils in some of my bikes.

I have no affiliatoin with Amsoil. I just went on their site out of curiosity over th 15W-50 racing oil. It was not easy to find. Here's the link.

http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/rd50.aspx

regards,
Rob

loxx101 · 11-23-2012, 06:37 PM

Well, they are certainly selling that oil nicely! Looks like a good shout...

Not sure about the Amsoil availability in the UK. I know the Mobil 1 15w-50 is easy to get hold of.

I guess the only potential issue with 15w oil is leaking. Checking gasket faces, fitting things correctly and using a non setting gasket compound should sort that though.

JohnA · 11-23-2012, 07:07 PM

The Mobil 1 15/50 is what I was trying to think of - so it is easily obtainable here? Any suggestions where I can try? In Norwich, I can't even find stuff like Castrol GTX 20/50, or Duckhams Q, which somebody insisted (on some other oil thread) is still available - is it? Not that this is what I want in any case, but I'd like to know out of curiosity.

loxx101 · 11-23-2012, 07:44 PM

Yeah Opie Oils stock it. Loads of places on eBay too! Dunno about local to Norwich. I'm down Ipswich way.

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Triton Thrasher · 11-25-2012, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Cafe Racer

Doesn't matter if your running synthetic or mineral, you should be running the correct weight oil.
20/50 is correct and you were running 0/40.
No wonder you had problems especially in cold temperatures where that oil is water thin.

.

That oil Is thicker when cold, like any engine oil.

JohnA · 11-25-2012, 06:08 PM

'scuse my ignorance, but what does 0/40 mean? Is this just a fancy way of saying it's 40 weight oil? If it isn't straight 40 (and I guess it can;t be), then what does the 0 mean?

I think I'm being a Lookie Loo here (I wasn't earlier, promise!) - it doesn't matter to me one way or the other 'cos I'd never try such a seemingly weird oil, but I'm quite curious.

Old Cafe Racer · 11-25-2012, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triton Thrasher

That oil Is thicker when cold, like any engine oil.

Thicker but nowhere near as thick as 20-50 when cold and not as thick when hot, that's the point of different grades.
Zero grade oils are designed specifically for modern engines with very tight clearances and more specifically to increase gas mileage.
Not suitable for 40 year old vintage machinery.

.

Snakeoil · 11-25-2012, 09:03 PM

Just to be clear, 20W-50 designation means that when the oil is cold, it will be no thicker than 20wt oil. When it is hot, it will not thin out any more than 50wt oil.

A good way to remember this is the W stands for winter and not weight. I forget what the temp is for the W designation. I would guess that it's somewhere around 32F or 0C.

There actually is a 0 weight SAE designation for oil. Not sure what the specs are so if you want to know the details, a search of the SAE or API websites will probably tell you.

So for the Lookie Loos... Lookie it up.

regards,
Rob