Oil/Winter

[ChipToothy]

Dumb question but ummm what oil are we supposed to run? Not even thinking I grabbed Valvoline 10w-40 4 stroke synthetic motorcycle. I was running the Rottella 15w-40 but had been meaning to switch to synthetic and saw "4 stroke" and now feel like I probably made a mistake. 20w-50 was the only other option for synthetic motorcycle and it was late.

[ben2go]

The W stands for winter viscosity. A 10W30 would have a winter viscosity of an SAE 10 oil and 30 when the engine warms up. Unless you plan to ride in sub freezing temps, a 10w40 or 15w40 oil will work well to 20 degrees, even colder if the bike is stored inside.



https://www.polytrondirect.com/infor...il-weight-oil/

[ChipToothy]

Originally Posted by ben2go

The W stands for winter viscosity. A 10W30 would have a winter viscosity of an SAE 10 oil and 30 when the engine warms up. Unless you plan to ride in sub freezing temps, a 10w40 or 15w40 oil will work well to 20 degrees, even colder if the bike is stored inside.



https://www.polytrondirect.com/infor...il-weight-oil/

Hmm, it sounds like I do need a thinner oil then. Do they make a 5W-40? It’s been as low as 16f so far. 19f tonight. I do let the bike idle for 5-10 minutes in the mornings though. With winter just getting started it’s not bad yet, we’ll see 0f to -7f at some point.

[ben2go]

Originally Posted by ChipToothy

Hmm, it sounds like I do need a thinner oil then. Do they make a 5W-40? It’s been as low as 16f so far. 19f tonight. I do let the bike idle for 5-10 minutes in the mornings though. With winter just getting started it’s not bad yet, we’ll see 0f to -7f at some point.

5w30 is recommended by most manufacturers for those temps. If the engine cools while riding in cold air, a thicker oil can turn to sludge and not lubricate as well. This new card shows 10w and 15w going lower in the temp zone. You maybe OK.

[Sochin]

Rotella 5w40 should work nice for colder days for you, Rotella T6 5w40. It is Synthetic (from class III bases albeit) and even JASO rated.

[ChipToothy]

Originally Posted by ben2go

5w30 is recommended by most manufacturers for those temps. If the engine cools while riding in cold air, a thicker oil can turn to sludge and not lubricate as well. This new card shows 10w and 15w going lower in the temp zone. You maybe OK.

Yeah it shows the 10W family going all the way down to zero so what I have in there now may be ok like you say.

[Megadan]

Rotella T6 works great in cold weather. The more fun part is getting your carb jetting adjusted for the cold weather.