Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => The Bike - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: pcaddict66 on April 23, 2012, 06:09:38 PM
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Hi.
At the risk of getting a "beat-down" for creating another oil thread, I have to ask........ What grade of oil do you guys use? I have been exclusively using 10w-40 due to the owner's manual recommendation. I always did my own changes, but when I recently took my 2008 in for new tires, brake pads, throttle body sync, valve adjust, plugs, etc. I had them do the oil change while it was there. He looked at me funny when I said "use 10w-40 semi synthetic. He told me that he had always used 20w-50 weight in all 4 strokes exclusively. He said that the heavier weight was better for me, especially since the Connie runs hot with the enclosed fairing and that I should at least use it from May through September here in New England. He felt that if I was a die hard cold weather rider then use the 10w-40 from September to April. He felt the engine would be better protected on those hot June, July & August days.
What are you guys using? What do you think? Why would Kawasaki say 10w-40?
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If the clutch is working smoothly I see know harm.
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10w40 castrol dino oil for me. if the ambient temp gets really warm I have used 20w50. Both work well for me.
Fred
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Ahhh but the question you really wanted to ask is synthetic or or Dino-juice? :feedback:
Kiding, kiding. But really, If Mama Kawi gives you a list such as SAE 10W-40 API SG, SH,SJ,SL,or SM with JASO MA, MA1 or MA2........ Why second guess her? with how complex the GTR is, I doubt the mechanic has a PHD in Petroleum Engineering.
Some really smart people made that book that says 10W-40. I hate when mechanics toss in there own 2 cents on what they think is best for my bike. Like mama Kawi is trying to screw us over or something.
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You can use either one. Take a look in the owner's manual, or if you have one, the service manual, and you will see there is a chart that is based on temperature. I live in New England, use 10W-40 and 15W-40 all year round but there is nothing wrong with the heavier oil (20W-50) when it is warm out. I would not recommend trying to start the bike with the heavier oil when it is less than 40 F outside but most people are done riding by then anyway.
By the way, no criticism from me for starting an oil thread- we have not had one in a while. Now if you start a tire thread and KiPass thread w/in two days, you will have hit the C-14 trifecta. ;D
Brian
Hi.
At the risk of getting a "beat-down" for creating another oil thread, I have to ask........ What grade of oil do you guys use? I have been exclusively using 10w-40 due to the owner's manual recommendation. I always did my own changes, but when I recently took my 2008 in for new tires, brake pads, throttle body sync, valve adjust, plugs, etc. I had them do the oil change while it was there. He looked at me funny when I said "use 10w-40 semi synthetic. He told me that he had always used 20w-50 weight in all 4 strokes exclusively. He said that the heavier weight was better for me, especially since the Connie runs hot with the enclosed fairing and that I should at least use it from May through September here in New England. He felt that if I was a die hard cold weather rider then use the 10w-40 from September to April. He felt the engine would be better protected on those hot June, July & August days.
What are you guys using? What do you think? Why would Kawasaki say 10w-40?
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Can't go wrong with the book!
I ride all year, and it gets pretty hot in Texas. Temps over 100 gets me into 20-50, but normally a 10-40 guy.
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I also use Castrol 10/40 MOTORCYCLE SPECIFIC oil. Do not use automobile oil in your bike.
I also have a 2002 Blackbird that is a hot running bike and have always used Castrol 10/40 with no problems in 41,000 miles.
Brent
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:popcorn:
BTW, what BDF said.
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10w40 Changed from Mobil1 to Kwak dino. I can tell the difference in the shifting until it warms up...notchy.
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I've been running mostly 15-50 Mobil 1. I'd really prefer to use a 10-40 or 15-40, but I can't find it in a synthetic anymore. As Brian said, the 50 top weight is actually ok per the manual unless you get into really cold weather, and even then with a 15 bottom end you are ok unless it is REALLY cold.
I just looked at the service manual. It shows 20-xx okay down to 32 degrees, and 10-xx down to 14 degrees. They don't show anything below 14, so I guess they figure you have bigger concerns if you are riding below that. For the record, my coldest riding was back "in the day" in college many (many) years ago. I rode in 18 degree weather more than one.
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Half 10W40 and half 20W50 all year for me.
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Half 10W40 and half 20W50 all year for me.
You run 30W90? Boy, do you know how to spice up a thread :o
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Can't go wrong with the book!
Your right , dealer service manual says above 32 degrees 20-50 ;D
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10w 40 here.not sure what benifit you would get mixing oil weights,the oil viscosity does not change so i guess you end up with half and half oil?
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Motul 300V 10W 40.
I like the cool green color.
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Glad you asked. The smoothest shifting and slickest clutch operation oil I have used in a C-14 is Pennzoil 10W-40 (the regular automotive oil) but it breaks down and causes notchy shifting pretty early- about 1,500 miles. Rotella 15W-40 (mineral oil, not synthetic) is pretty good shifting- wise and does not cause notchy shifting for several thousand miles but never does shift quite as smooth as the Pennzoil. So I mix the two about 50/50- great shifting and doesn't get notchy too quickly- I can easily go 4K miles on an oil change with nice shifting and clutch action. Add to that an ounce or two of a cam break- in lube to increase the ZDDP content back to where it used to (and still should) be and viola! great shifting, long lasting, a nice red color and lemony fresh. What could be better?
I've heard that if you mount a car tire on the back of the bike, and a rear motorcycle tire backwards on the front of the bike, you never have to stop again for any reason including refueling. I don't know if that is true but it sure makes sense.... with enough alcohol.
Brian
10w 40 here.not sure what benifit you would get mixing oil weights,the oil viscosity does not change so i guess you end up with half and half oil?
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10w 40 here.not sure what benifit you would get mixing oil weights,the oil viscosity does not change so i guess you end up with half and half oil?
Well.....I'm not quite right in the head to begin with, and my bike shifts fantastic for many miles IMHO. I made a mistake, I run half Rotella 15W40 and the rest Castrol RS4T 20W50.
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I've heard that if you mount a car tire on the back of the bike, and a rear motorcycle tire backwards on the front of the bike, you never have to stop again for any reason including refueling. I don't know if that is true but it sure makes sense.... with enough alcohol.
Brian
The only thing that makes sense above is the alcohol...
Well.....I'm not quite right in the head to begin with....
Truer words have never been spoken.
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Motul 5100 10W40 in my girl !
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I am currently using Motul v300 15W50 synthetic but for 65000 miles I have used Rotella 5w40 Synthetic. I have had 1.5 quart per 5000 miles consumption since day 1. At about 40,000 I tried Motul 7100 10W40 but there was no difference in consumption so I went back to Rotella.
The V300 is another experiment. I will order back to back analyses on the last batch of Rotella and the V300 and compare.
As for shifting, it has always been smooth and sweet, except for the neutral to first gear clunk. I have never noticed any difference from one change to another, old or new, always 5 to 6 thousand intervals.
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You run 30W90? Boy, do you know how to spice up a thread :o
Half of each... Wouldn't that be 15W45 :stirpot:
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10/40 synthetic, year round' for me. No issues at all, shifting gets a bit notchy around 7k and that's when I change it. For reference I live in North Carolina and see temps from 9 to 105.
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Maxima Extra 15w-50 -- Only the best !! 5000 mile OCI
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I think the book says to use 20-50 if the outside temp is over 103. I use 10-40, bike will probably see outside temps of over 103 maybe a couple of times this summer. If I lived where it actually got hot (like Las Vegas where it often is over 110) definately 20-50. It all depends where you live.
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Section 2-54 Kawasaki service manual
over 32 degrees 20w-40 or 20w -50
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Texas, I run 5w-40. I change oil 3k miles. Ride almost every day.
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20-50 all year long here in Houston, Tx. Change it between 3500 & 4500 miles. Been working great for the first 24k.
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Mobil Delvac 1300 15-40, The ZDDP is above 1300 ppm which is pretty high for standard oil. Mobil recommends it for all diesel but also for high performance gas engines. Shift very smooth and is all I have used in this bike for 16k, my last bike for 50k (only 50k because I tried Rotella Syn for about 35k) and the bike before that for 100k. Ride in 90-100 degree temps often w/o a problem
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Glad the search function found this thread.
I bought this bike a year ago with 6K. It now has 24K on it . Always ran 10W40 dino. After a major service in April I put over 3 K on the bike following the NCAA tourney with a couple of very high speed runs on the highway to Nashville and St Louis from Indy. With that in mind I decided to change out the oil. Visiting with the guys over in Lancaster OH I ended up buying a Kawi filter and Amsoil 20W50....not that I doubted ....but I pulled the owners manual out to make sure the higher numbers were on the chart before purchasing.
Oil change went well exactly 4.7 L plus the filter and I left Lancaster for Indy in the rain at 67 degrees. Engine felt good and continued to run flawlessly with better MPG average than I have seen as I ran out of rain and into 84 degrees hi pressure front and sun from Springfeild OH to Indy at 75 to 95 across I 70.
After attending a college graduation I went home that evening with no change in the performance.
Here comes the rub....and the question that worries me. On MOnday I pulled the clutch and backed down the ramp with a great deal more effort than usually...that morining and every morning this week the bike pulls out in first gear but willnot shift without a really hefty pull to get into second. At that point it will start to shift but feels hard to shift and clicks with great difficulty into the next gear until I am several miles down the road. Temps have been in the high 50s and low 60s each morning.
Reading several threads I come across the word "notchy" several times. That sounds right to me. Is this going to go away or is it something I am going to live with and with the AMSOIL will it leave enough oil on the parts that I am not harming parts at start up till things get going and warmed up? Bike ran great and got better MPG on the 3 tanks of gas with the new oil but I hate the feel on start up after sitting more than an hour or so.
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Mobile 1 4T 10w40 and I never had any issue at all at 118 degrees in the Texas summer last year, heat never spiked.
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Dump out that Scamsoil, that crap is so overrated and not all it is cracked up to be. My C14 shifted like total crap with it by the way, and I am not alone with my experience.
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I went back to 10w40 Kwak dino oil from Mobil 1. Shifting is a bit stiff starting out. I would think 20w a bit heavy and would cause stiff shifting until it warmed a bit.
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Mobil 1 4T 10W-40. I change it once a year typically. I personally wouldn't run 20-50 in my bike unless I lived in an extremely warm climate. That stuff is heavy on cold starts.
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Mobile 1 4T 10w40 and I never had any issue at all at 118 degrees in the Texas
Man oh man 118 :o
And I bitch about 92 -94 I guess I'm lucky I could not ride the bike in that heat.
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I haven't changed oil yet in my new Connie, but I will be using AMSOIL 10-40 Motorcycle Oil. It is what I used in my C10 wih no problems. I think it is important to mention not to use regular car oils. Make sure it is designed to work with the Wet Clutch System. I am sure your shifting will suffer with regular oil. In Saskatchewan we can only ride April - October temps 0 - 40 deg C.
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I was an Amsoil fanatic with my VTX, and it was easily the best oil I ever had in my VTX. But it did NOT run will in the Concours. The bike did shift poorly, as Pokey mentions above - while I don't agree with the invective nature of his post.
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Oh yeah, he's one invective cuss all right...
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I was an Amsoil fanatic with my VTX, and it was easily the best oil I ever had in my VTX. But it did NOT run will in the Concours. The bike did shift poorly, as Pokey mentions above - while I don't agree with the invective nature of his post.
Just wondering (I hate to labor the point), but were you running the Wet Clutch specific AMSOIL. If so I wonder why it works so good on my C10 (silk smooth shifting) but you say it is poor on the C14. I am just about to place an order to AMSOIL. Should I change to something else??
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I was an Amsoil fanatic with my VTX, and it was easily the best oil I ever had in my VTX. But it did NOT run will in the Concours. The bike did shift poorly, as Pokey mentions above - while I don't agree with the invective nature of his post.
Not invective, just brutally honest. ;)
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Just wondering (I hate to labor the point), but were you running the Wet Clutch specific AMSOIL. If so I wonder why it works so good on my C10 (silk smooth shifting) but you say it is poor on the C14. I am just about to place an order to AMSOIL. Should I change to something else??
Yes use something else, Amsoil is only the best in their mind. I am a big fan of the Castrol RS4.........who cares if it isn't a 100% true synthetic, the stuff works great!
http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9040397&contentId=7040544 (http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9040397&contentId=7040544)
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Yeah but, no but, yeah but you mix it, don't you?
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Yeah but, no but, yeah but you mix it, don't you?
Of course I mix.
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Yep, you are your own little oil refinery.
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Not invective, just brutally honest. ;)
"Scamsoil" and "crap" are invective, not merely or even "brutally" honest. Just sayin'.
Yes, Chap, I was using the Amsoil motorcycle for wet clutch oil. I used it in my VTX, it was awesome. I used it in my ZX11, it was awesome. I put it in my C14 and Connie didn't like it at all. Don't know if it was just my bike, the C14, or what... but it was AWESOME in other bikes, and NOT AWESOME in my C14.
Question for you guys who use 20w50... Mobile 1 doesn't make a Racing 4T in 20w50, but they make a VTwin oil...so since we have four cylinders, do you use twice as much?
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Doesn't matter what you dump in these bikes they keep going and faster than the energizer bunny.
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..... I think it is important to mention not to use regular car oils. Make sure it is designed to work with the Wet Clutch System....
When making comments like this it would be better to be more specific as there is no such thing as "regular" oil sitting on shelves. Specifically, what you don't want to run is an oil with the "Energy Conserving" logo on it. "Regular" Mobil 1 for cars does not.
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I read along time ago that oil designed for diesel trucks had higher shear strength and that it made a better bike oil because the oil not only lubricated the engine but also the trannie gears. I started using Chevron 15-40 oil based on all the positive feedback on the ZRX forum.
Noticed immediate changes in how easy the bikes shifted and have continued to use it in all our bikes. ZRX, Goldwing, KLR, Ninja 600, VTX 1800, and FZ1. Cost about $12 a gallon at Wally World.