You should have listened to Pokey and Jim....
The very best shifting I have ever experienced is my 2006 Ducati 999R. Different brands of oil make no difference in shifting quality.DRY CLUTCH. What I have been saying all along. Something about the old oil makes the wet cluctches drag.
What do y'all think that could be? (hint: a traditional Ducati feature).
So.... if what I'm getting at here is true, then maybe that explains part of the reason some oils work better than others in our C-14 as regards to shifting feel.
(it's no fun if I just come out and say it).
NeFretka
Totally agree with this. After hearing from Pokey and Jim about how bad Amsoil worked for them, and knowing how well it has worked in my previous bikes, I tried some in my C14. It worked great w/ very smooth shifting right to the end, even though I left it in a little too long (7,654 miles), as I was waiting to do the valve adjustment before changing it.
After the valve adjust, I changed the oil and used the same exact oil from the same exact case as the first batch, and after the first couple hundred miles, very notchy shifting.
So WTH?
Just did an oil change at 8500 miles, so bike is still has low miles. I've had this one for two months now and have put over 5000 miles on the bike. I used Mobil 1 Syn. and I have noticed a huge difference in shifting. It's as easy going as with a clutch when at the right RPM's. It's a 15,000 mile oil, although I don't believe that I will go that far. I will keep an eye on the sight glass as the miles go and when it looks dirty I will change the oil then and make sure that it's not gumming up. Does anyone else use a synthetic oil, and what is your experience with it?
Yes Mobil 1 Synthetic is claimed to be a 15,000 mile oil in cars but please don't expect it to last quite that long in a bike as the tranny and clutch share the same oil with the motor and that is simply not the case with car motors. The sight glass is meant for keeping an eye on the level only: oil is full of detergents that are designed to keep the inside of your motor clean so the oil is SUPPOSED to look dirty. Change your filter according the manual or sooner and pick an interval that coincides with filter change to do an oil change or whenever it makes you feel warm and fuzzy as you will not likely find any evidence of gumming unless to are grossly abusing the engine and/or oil.Thanks for the input Admin. . I also forgot to mention that it is a 15w-50, any pro's or con's to this. I'm thinking I may get 5-8k miles on an oil change, as you said I will have to keep an eye on the sight glass and make a decision as to a good interval to make oil changes. Thanks for any input.
Thanks for the input Admin. . I also forgot to mention that it is a 15w-50, any pro's or con's to this. I'm thinking I may get 5-8k miles on an oil change, as you said I will have to keep an eye on the sight glass and make a decision as to a good interval to make oil changes. Thanks for any input.
I like your taste in oil as it is the same as mine for my bike.... Being an Engineer aboard ship for closest to 30 years I've grown to prefer oils with more body to support plain bearing equipment as the only thing between you and metal to metal contact is the hydrodynamic wedge of oil and it is my firm belief that heavier weight oil will resist squish better than lighter weight oils.
It took me many years to come to this conclusion. I run whatever brand of oil the dealer I bought the vehicle from recommends, whether motorcycles or cars.
I have the dealer to do all my maintenance, including change the oil. And I use their filter. I am more than capable of doing my own maintenance. However, I also can afford for the dealer to do it for me. Crap, I even let them change the wiper blades!!! So I let them screw me. But it puts the liability on them.
Had a water pump go out at 42K miles on my Jeep Rubicon, just out of warranty. Dealer pulled the pump and started running on my ass about how corroded it was. Interestingy enough, they had flushed the engine and radiator and changed the antifreeze out at 36K miles. They ate the bill.
Same with brakes on my Honda CRV. Master cylinder went out just months after they had "flushed" the brake lines. They at the bill.
Clutch went out on my Suzuki Hayabusa (still in warranty). Shop manager was asking what kind of oil I used to tear the plates up. Told him I had no frigging idea as he had done 100% of the maintenance work and obviously used a crappy oil, if that's what caused the problem. New clutch at no cost.
VW replaced a motor in my 2001 Jetta VR6 when it was 40000 miles out of warranty. Same scenario. All of the maintenance was done by them, at their recommended schedule, etc. (this one took a little time to pull off_
I had a '98 CRV, the auto tranny shuddered after I used M1 atf in it. Replaced it with Honda brand atf, all was good. Local dealer said that Suzuki fork fluid is crap, only carries it in case he needs to a warranty repair on a Suzuki motorcycle fork, otherwise he uses/sells different brands (like Belray).
Same with brakes on my Honda CRV. Master cylinder went out just months after they had "flushed" the brake lines. They at the bill.
Clutch went out on my Suzuki Hayabusa (still in warranty). Shop manager was asking what kind of oil I used to tear the plates up. Told him I had no frigging idea as he had done 100% of the maintenance work and obviously used a crappy oil, if that's what caused the problem. New clutch at no cost.
VW replaced a motor in my 2001 Jetta VR6 when it was 40000 miles out of warranty. Same scenario. All of the maintenance was done by them, at their recommended schedule, etc. (this one took a little time to pull off_