Oil?

[ffry63]

Just wanted to get some thoughts on what type of oil runs best through these older Triumphs. I was thinking of using Amsoil just because I know a guy and get a decent deal with it, but figured I'd ask for more opinions. I live in the southern South Carolina so it does get really hot and humid in the summer/fall months then a cool winter. Looking for something too that will help my beast stay cool too, it bothers me how hot it runs in traffic/town but it also cools down quickly too at highway speeds. Has anyone ever tried wrapping the head pipes?

[sailfish]

I've used Amsoil for several years. It offers great protection and I think that it helps shifting. My dirt bike engine is noticeably quieter when it's hot. Read the motorcycle oil white paper on Amsoil.com for comparative testing.

Wrapping the headers isn't going to affect how hot the bike runs and I doubt that it will change the heat that you feel coming off of the bike. I'm not a fan of header wrap. I once wrapped a race car header and destroyed it, actually melted holes in it. Granted, it was extreme use, a Mazda rotary engine (exhaust temp approx. 2,000 deg) running wide open for almost 90 seconds per lap (Brainard International Raceway, no lifting from turn 10 to turn 3).

[deanzywicki]

I switched to Amsoil a couple of years ago and have no complaints. I order enough oil and wix filters from the same place for a couple of changes and I'm good for a few years.

Dean

[Roden]

I just put in Castrol Power1 GPS, 10W40 semi synthetic. I put that in because I couldn't get my usual Motul nor anything else for that matter, we are really stuck for suppliers in this neck of the woods.

As it happens, this stuff seems really good, the transmission is silky smooth, better than with the Motul I think. I'll probably use this from now on as it is so readily available.

Cheers,

Roden

[Lion_Shaver]

here's me reviving and old thread again....

But Roden, is that Castrol oil what I should be putting in my 96 Speed Triple? Gonna do an oil change on the probably next weekend, and I haven't done one before (mechanic did the last one). Just trying to find which oil I should be buying.

[KitNYC]

What you want is 10W40 or 15W50 semi- or fully-synthetic that meets the API SG spec.

Cheers,
-Kit

[Lion_Shaver]

thanks Kit

[sanoptic]

Hi,
After 15 years of ownership & tried many brands I've finally settled on
Motul 7100 10w40 Full Syn.
The gearbox shifts butter smooth now & it lasts easily to 10k as per triumph service interval.
Its expensive at approx AUD $90.00 for 4 litres but i only change the oil once a year so it's not too bad.

cheers

[Nobeard]

I'm with Roden on this one

[KitNYC]

It's worth noting here that the Mobil 1 15W50 car oil currently on the market has been confirmed by Mobil to be the same as the old "red cap" formulation, which means its chemical makeup is probably as close as you can get now to the original Triumph/Mobil 1 15W50 bike oil. (Not that Triumph's shilling it necessarily made it better than anything else, but shill it they did!)

Me, I mix equal parts of the 15W40 Rotella-T dino oil with the 5W40 Rotella-T synthetic, but I don't have a T3 anymore so that's for my T6...

Really, it's very important that you have oil. It's almost as important that it's in the correct viscosity range, and that it doesn't have enough anti-friction additives to qualify as "EC" (Energy Conserving). Things get a whole lot less important at that point, though synthetic oils will maintain their viscosity much longer than mineral-based oils.

If you've found an oil that works well for you, there's a pretty good chance that's a good oil to use.

Cheers,
-Kit