NicD
Registered user
As per other chap's thread, this is intended as a datapoint for other users. Not an attempt to determine what we should do. Just info on what we actually do
Poll - what viscosity oil do we use?
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https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/91251-Oil
If it's a tractor engined offering from the fatherland with a dry clutch you can use pretty much owt eg Car oil wit the correct API rating
If it's a tractor engined offering from the fatherland with a dry clutch you can use pretty much owt eg Car oil wit the correct API rating
Well for a start, include oil of the right spec and grade 
The GS can use mineral oil
Synthetic oils are not reccomended for the first 10K
Permissable grades are
5W -30
15W -40
10W -40
20W -40
5W -50
10W - 50
20W -50
And you can get mineral versions of all of them
I used 20W50 last time and 10W40 the time before
The GS can use mineral oil
Synthetic oils are not reccomended for the first 10K
Permissable grades are
5W -30
15W -40
10W -40
20W -40
5W -50
10W - 50
20W -50
And you can get mineral versions of all of them
I used 20W50 last time and 10W40 the time before
20W50 mineral. Not in the poll.
You've not included 15/50 which a BMW mechanic told me is their recommended viscosity now,Well for a start, include oil of the right spec and grade
The GS can use mineral oil
Synthetic oils are not reccomended for the first 10K
Permissable grades are
5W -30
15W -40
10W -40
20W -40
5W -50
10W - 50
20W -50
And you can get mineral versions of all of them
I used 20W50 last time and 10W40 the time before
Thread of The Year 2019.
Twenty pages, minimum !
Twenty pages, minimum !
NicD
Registered user
What's interesting off the bat is how wide the range is. I wouldn't have guessed that. Almost no consensus so far. I think that's meaningful. Makes me less concerend about what i put in
Briefly - I didn't include mineral oil as hexheads must be over 10k miles now, and I haven't read a single thread about a full engine rebuild. I didn't include 5w oils as ambient temperatures for most of us don't go that low. TO be fair I didn't think about eg Norweigans, so apologies.
Please, please, not 20 pages. This is meant to produce a graph only, not a discussion
Edit - I tried to change the poll but don't think I can. If someone knows how, pls add the 20w-50 mineral? Also, there is an option to close the thread. Does that close the poll? Makes sense to disable comments once poll amended in my view
Briefly - I didn't include mineral oil as hexheads must be over 10k miles now, and I haven't read a single thread about a full engine rebuild. I didn't include 5w oils as ambient temperatures for most of us don't go that low. TO be fair I didn't think about eg Norweigans, so apologies.
Please, please, not 20 pages. This is meant to produce a graph only, not a discussion
Edit - I tried to change the poll but don't think I can. If someone knows how, pls add the 20w-50 mineral? Also, there is an option to close the thread. Does that close the poll? Makes sense to disable comments once poll amended in my view
oddshapedballs
Registered user
+1 told me that too.
Is the one with the most votes the one we should all be using?
Surely the best starting point is the user manual.
This poll is even dafter than that distant silly undemocratic referendum thing we had a few years ago.
Surely the best starting point is the user manual.
This poll is even dafter than that distant silly undemocratic referendum thing we had a few years ago.
Your only smarting on the other poll, because you didnt get the answer you expected, and no matter how much you think /know/ believe/ dont know
it will happen 
Now back to the point in question
My handbook specifies 20W-50
It also goes on to cover an acceptable range of oils from 5W-30 to 10W-50
as long as they meet API classification SF or better or ACEA A2 or better
But not to use Synthetic oil until after 10K miles
Mr Haynes goes on to say
that you can use any oil from the range specified
5W-30 to 5W-50 again as long as it meets API SF or higher
The Mothership repair CD just states 15W-50 API SJ or JASO M2
I put in 20W-50 last time round, seems ok
I was more concerned about the upper weight than the lower hence my change from 40 to 50
Obviously the cheapest chip fat oil is best.
Either 10/40 or 20/50 depending if I'm going somewhere warmer than Scotland, I know hard to believe.
A good quality mineral oil, is better than an inexpensive semi/synthetic.
This is after all, a low stressed air/oil cooled engine, without all the churning damage a gearbox does to oil.
Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk
Either 10/40 or 20/50 depending if I'm going somewhere warmer than Scotland, I know hard to believe.
A good quality mineral oil, is better than an inexpensive semi/synthetic.
This is after all, a low stressed air/oil cooled engine, without all the churning damage a gearbox does to oil.
Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk
Changing mine at the weekend, for an up and coming Pico's trip in June.
When i first serviced the bike @ 30K I used 20W-50 mineral, @ 40K i changed to 20W-50 semi synthetic which seemed to give the engine a better/smoother tone (or i just imagined it)
So might try 20W-50 fully synthetic this time see how that goes.
When i first serviced the bike @ 30K I used 20W-50 mineral, @ 40K i changed to 20W-50 semi synthetic which seemed to give the engine a better/smoother tone (or i just imagined it)
So might try 20W-50 fully synthetic this time see how that goes.
Bendy toy
Registered user
20w50 this time.
18w64
Peasant!
Sesame seed oil is far superior and it primes you for a chinese take away
NicD
Registered user
There is a distinction between what one 'should' do and what one actually does. They are not the same thing, and you can't jump from one to the other. So, for example, we all tell our children they should be polite, but then we have a pop at someone when they really p1ss us off. There is no contradiction in that
So the point of the poll is not to determine what we should. It is to find out what we actually do. That doesn't mean it is advisable to follow what everyone else does ("would you jump off a cliff if your friends did?" etc...). It's just a data point.
That said, it also may influence people's choices, and that is fine too.
So the point of the poll is not to determine what we should. It is to find out what we actually do. That doesn't mean it is advisable to follow what everyone else does ("would you jump off a cliff if your friends did?" etc...). It's just a data point.
That said, it also may influence people's choices, and that is fine too.
NicD
Registered user
Poll results after 28 replies:
1. Semi synth 50%, fully synth 50%. No Mineral oil result as I forgot to include. Apologies
2. Cold weight: 10W-32%, 15W-43%, 20W-18%, other 7% (no 5W as I did not include)
3. Hot weight: 40-21%, 50-71%, other 7%
Median outcome is a tie between semi and fully synth 15w-50
1. Semi synth 50%, fully synth 50%. No Mineral oil result as I forgot to include. Apologies
2. Cold weight: 10W-32%, 15W-43%, 20W-18%, other 7% (no 5W as I did not include)
3. Hot weight: 40-21%, 50-71%, other 7%
Median outcome is a tie between semi and fully synth 15w-50
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