[JamesOTN]

Gentlemen,
2003 Burgman 650 with 4000 miles. Just took it in to my dealer for service...am used to the transmission whine, but now have a "high pitched" chirping noise coming from eng area under front fairing. I suggested we install mobile 1 ...10w40 in both engine and trans,,,they say would be bad to do because engine is not broke in yet. Is anyone out there using sythetic in eng and trans, and has it helped quiet it down? They hinted it could void my extended warranty...tech I talked to didn't know if clutch was wet or dry!!!! I love this machine...they'll only get the keys from my cold dead fingers!!! 8) 8) 8)

 

[pauljo]

I am running Silkolene full synthetic oil in all three compartments. Engine, transmission and rear end. I started with the second service (4000 mile). I have 11,600 miles on the scooter now and have had no issues from using the synthetics. Don't know whether it quiets it down that much - I've been running with it for so long I can't remember how it sounded before! There is still some gear whine though.

It is a wet clutch. Synthetics designed for motorcycle use are fine in there. Be careful with synthetics designed for cars - some contain friction modifiers that would not be compatible with the clutch. I "think" Mobile 1 has a blend that is OK - but I'm more comfortable with Silkolene, which is specifically blended for motorcycles. There are other brands I am sure - but that is what my dealer carries.

 

[Monterey10]

Oil

There are a lot of "friction modified" oils out there now. These
are the ones you want to stay away from. Typically, they are the
5-20 weight the new autos run on. It's extra extra thin and slippery.

The problem lies in that your clutch will fail. My dad did this with
a honda trail 90. Within weeks, the auto clutch wouldn't grab any
more.

There are other synthetics that have a good reputation with the motorcycle community, such as Shell Rotella. I've followed the Gold Wing forum, and most of the riders have left Mobile one behind for the Rotella. Other than that, I dont know much about it.

There are some tests on Motorcycle consumer news regarding oil tests.
I beleive Silkolene came out on top.

You could go with Silkolene synthetic I suppose.

The difference between motorcycle oil and car oil is that the bike oil
resists the cutting of the gears. Cars don't have too many gears
in their engines, cutting the oil. This is the key difference.

In the past, I used to use Castrol GTX. I could feel an improvement right after the change, but I dont think it lasted more that 2000 miles. I've felt a very good improvement in shifting when using Silkolene and I think it lasted as much as 4000 miles.

Much of this is unimportant if the engine is subject to extreme heat and
cold changes. (short trips around town) You get a lot of condensation in the engine, which leads to an acid build up. The oil can be great, but it's full of acid and eating on your vitals. (The sour dip stick smell) (back to 2000 mile changes)

You can tell when the oil is going away when the tranny shift poorly on a regular bike.

Much of this sounds like mush, but I will advise you on this. Try using a
lighter oil in the winter and a heavier oil in the heat of the summer. There
is nothing harder on an engine than starting on a cold day with 20-50
inside. The stuff is so thick that the motor runs on it bearings for ten
minutes while the 20-50 (honey) works it way through the lines to
the bearings.. Ditto for the extreme heat of the summer. Thin oil
will thin out so much that you'll be burning it. Once again, the bearings
will be running on their races.

OK, Nuff said. Pleasant rides.

 

[Edwljoseph]

I use mobil one mx4t in the Burgman. Put it in at 2,300 miles. I now have approx. 4,500 miles. It runs great and I haven't used any oil. I've used the mx4t in my past Venture and current Bandit. In the shift motorcycles, the synthetic improved shifting a lot. It could also be the same for the Burgman but I wouldn't know.

Good oil.