hi, i know i'm suppose to use the oil recommended on the manuel. but i'm curious to know what type of oil do you guys use?
i have an 05 ninja 500R, second hand. I need an oil change real soon. Also, what would you guys recommend that I use?

 

Right now I'm just using Castrol 10W40 for both of my bikes.

 

I like Golden Spectro synthetic, as long as you have more than 3,000 miles on your bike. If the bike has less than that on the odometer, stick with non-synthetic mineral oil.
-CCinC

 

off topic..... see you got the 05, how do you like it??? i'm trying to get one of the 05's!!! post pics!!! [sm=loser.gif]

 

whats the difference between the golden spectro and castrol?

what do synthetic and non-synthetic oil do? (my bike has 4,862 miles on it) Im just trying to find out whats the difference between different type of 10w40.

I'm going to use 10w40 as well because its recommended in my manuel. Thanks for the help everyone, RSD



kali_ninja500 - I like the bike very much. It has the right amount of power and also its not too light and not too heavy. sorry about the picture kali_ninja500. I had a cornea ulcer for about 3 months so my bike was used as a clothing rack for a while.

 

thanks for the pics..... LOL - coat rack.... funny.... hope you are doing better!!!

[sm=smiley20.gif]

 

That depends. Castrol is good stuff (at least it's not Pennzoil--I wouldn't use that stuff to give an enema to a lawyer. [On second thought, perhaps I might].)
Is the Castrol general automotive oil or is it motorcycle-specific oil?
The reason I ask is because automotive oils are generally designed to lubricate only the motor, whereas motorcycle oils take into consideration that most motorcycle transmissions and motors share the same cavity and the same oil. While nearly all cars have transmission fluid, the oil that goes into your motorcycle must both be motor-oil and transmission fluid.
It's probably not a problem, as long as the Castrol you're using doesn't have the dreaded friction-modifiers, which will cause problems with the organic material on motorcycle clutch plates, but I really just like Spectro because it specifies that it's a motorcycle-oil. It's possible that they're simply packaging low-grade motoroil, but at least I feel like I'm doing all I can for my bike.

And I'm still honestly not sold on synthetic motoroil. I had a '98 VTR1000F Honda Superhawk that used exclusively the high-dollar Honda HP4 synthetic oil, and the ficking engine was dead after only 47,000 miles. OTOH, I've got 53,000 miles on my '00 W650 and that bike still has perfect compression.
Due to the geologically-gargantuan length of time it takes to determine an oil's effectiveness, arguing about which oil is best is not unlike discussing global warming. There are no absolutes.

The only think I feel certain about saying is DON'T use 20w-50 unless you're living in the Arizonan Sahara during the summer. While it makes instinctive sense that a heavier oil would protect your engine's tender surfaces better, the truth is that it resists flowing initially and for those first few moments after starting, your surfaces are without sufficient oil. Sometimes you will get cavitation, which sounds like marbles bouncing around in your head, but are actually bubbles in the oil line and bare parts scraping
together.
-CCinC

P.S. I tried Motul once while on a roadtrip and it made my 500 shift like dog-crap. It might be a good motoroil, but a good motorcycle oil must also be a good transmission fluid too, dig?

 

Once I passed the 3,000 mark I switched from the Kawichem to this http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/mcv.aspx Going to do the same thing on the wife's bike. She only has 250 miles on her Yamaha XT so I have a way to go on that one. It's $10.00 a quart, but its a really good oil. I went with Amsoil regular for the Diesel motor in my Dodge truck, it's supposed to be rated for at least 10,000 miles, and even then some of the fleet owners are just changing the oil filters and getting another 10,000 out of the oil.

 

I use Repsol full synthetic...now i use it in my car too!!!

 

hey guys i got another question. i'm suppose to take out the "engine oil drain plug" and the manuel say i need a torque wrench to put it back. The manuel says the tightening torque for the "Engine oil drain plug is 29 N-m (3.0 kg-m, 22 ft-lb).

Do i really need a torque wrench for the tightening or can i just tighten it as much as my stength can do?