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I only use Amsoil snythetic 10w40 in my Goldwing. It's never let me down. I change it about every 4000 miles. I also only use Honda brand oil filters. You get what you pay for, I say. It's a personal choice on your oil and I'm sure you'll get many different opinions.

 

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But you can pay more for what you get.
I never use Amsoil or any other synthetic.
No need.

 

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Those who say there is no differance between synth and crude are not acurate.a fully sythetic oil has no crude in it inturn it has no impurities also.the oil was made for a specific purpose.a good motorcycle synthetic also has NO friction modifiers in it.It is very safe for wet clutches.With a synthetic oil you have less friction and less heat and less maintanence.crude oil is loaded with impurities.a synthetic also goes lounger on drain interval.Yes you do need to be carefull what brand you use beacyse some of them have friciton modifiers in them that's bad.AMSOIL is 100% compatible with wet clutches.And we do now offer a 10w/30 motorcycle oil for the goldwing.

 

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i agree, i wasn't a believer in synthetic oils until i volunteered for a late model race team and saw the hell the engine went Thru. We ran the same engine all season changes the oil every 3rd race saw the inside of the engine at teardown around x-mas and was like new ever since then i run synthetic in all my vehicles

 

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I didn't say there was no difference. I just said there was no need.
Once you meet or exceed a spec, the rest is un-necessary.

 

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There is always a lot of discussion over oils. If you put two of us in a room and asked only one question you will get ten answers. How you can get ten answer out of two people is still a mystery to me!!

What some mean by no need to use synthetic is that modern oils are not the wax based or parrifin oils of old . The dino oils by themselves are very good and if you do regular oil changes of around 4000 miles.....most likely there is no need for synthetic oils from either a mechanical or money standpoint.

I have no dis-agreement with that viewpoint. With the cost of everything now days, some just like to look at it that way.......and they are very correct.

I do like synthetic oil.........I do like amsoil. And I do still change oil at 4000 miles. Yep cost me more.....just makes me feel better......is there any real advantage....most likely not......I just like to see a somewhat clear color to the oil at change time.......not that coal black color.

One thing I would caution all about......and I will get beat up for this one Be careful with the Walmart synthetic........it is a very light weight.....I tried it in a bike once, I could hear things going on I never heard before.......did not leave it in there long either.

Kit

 

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Castrol 20-50 GTX. Been using it for 30 years, never a problem.

 

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I've never used a synthetic so I can't said it's good or bad.. I've run Delo 15/40 for years in many applications and have never had a failure.. In the bike I change it every 4k and use a good filter.. The oil does look dark at change but has no burnt smell, so it's got to be getting the job done at about 1/2 the price..

 

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phatty of 2 wrote:

i agree, i wasn't a believer in synthetic oils until i volunteered for a late model race team and saw the hell the engine went Thru. We ran the same engine all season changes the oil every 3rd race saw the inside of the engine at teardown around x-mas and was like new ever since then i run synthetic in all my vehicles

Kinda hard to see what that proved unless you're comparing it to another engine used the same way with petroleum based oil. With the few hours the oil was in the engine it has hardly the same demands on it that more normal use puts on it. Short runs without heating up the engine and long down times are a lot harder on an engine than racing. Most racing engines are operated at high power levels but it's for a short period, normal engines develop more combustion byproducts in the crankcase, more acids to eat at the polished surfaces of bearings, cams, etc.

There's nothing wrong with using synthetic but it won't necessarily give longer engine life and it will be more expensive. I've used DELO 400 in all my cars, trucks and boats for years, as well as in my bikes. Never had a problem. My '93 'Wing has 120,000 miles on it that have all been done on petroleum based oil. The engine's compression is still at factory specs and the engine uses no oil between 4000 mile changes. Synthetic oil wouldn't change that.

 

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As most of you know by now...my brother-in-law is a parts & servicemanager for the local Honda dealer.

I told him about the guy using synthetic in his new 1800 and his clutch went out not long after and Honda not wanting to pay for it. My bro-in-law says that Honda saysfull synthetic is to NOT BE USED in any 1800 and it will null and void the warranty. It makes the clutch too slick and will burn it up. Not sure what it will do with older models. I like Delo. Cheap, easy to find, works great.

We've been on these oil talks many times. Check out the other threads for more in depth details about friction inhibitors, AFI, etc, etc.

 

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That may be true but if you run a full synthetic oil that does not have friction modifiers in it,that will not make the wet clutch to slipery.a true motorcycle oil does not have friction modifiers in it.alot of the synthetic oils do.there are some that dont.

 

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synthetic oil in an older wing might be overkill. In a newer one as long as it doesn't effect the clutch, you can't be harming it any. Now you have a water cooled motor vs air cooled. In my Harley I use Amsoil and that motor can really get hot. Thats where the extra $$$ comes into play over Dino oil. In older wings the oil made today is worlds better then what was availble 25 years ago. Just about any oil thats the right wt will do the job. ride it don't worry about oil.,,,

 

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Thanks for all the info, I have one more question if I swith do I have to flush the other oil out ?? if so how do I flush it out and with what... thanks again MCFF:waving:

 

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NO.. I wouldn't.. the oils are compatable and there will be little left anyway... even if you flush it, you'll have some of that left to mix in too... SDB/Jim