Which oil to use in C5?

[atzelaner]

Does anyone have suggestions on a good engine oil to use in the C5? My owners owners manual recommends 15W50. I found Motul 300V 4T Full Synthetic Double Ester Motor Oil 15W50 and wanted to use it. Any comments or recommendations are welcomed. Thanks

[gremlin]

prepare for an opinion stampede......

[atzelaner]

Ok...thanks...I am bracing myself 

[Jack Leis]

Now that your braced, IMHO , go with the Motul. That is what Ive used for 18k+ and works well. Very happy with the stuff. I am Prepared now for the s^#t storm.

[mattsz]

And, Jack put all those miles on his bike in about a week, so it's probably behaving itself well for him!

[Jack Leis]

WTF ?

[eda1bulletc5]

I have only been using Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50; around 11500 miles
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_V-Twin_20W-50.aspx

My understanding is any motorcycle specific oil should be fine for these engines; I have hear semi-synthetic oil is also good - my local mechanic prefers spectro golden 20w50

I just go with Mobil 1; available at wal-mart and lasts for 3000 miles; worked good so far

[gremlin]

And, Jack put all those miles on his bike in about a week, so it's probably behaving itself well for him!

I agree - Jack rides alot.  His oil has different demands on it.   My oil (otoh) sits in the engine and stratifies for long periods of time between "stirring"

[motorat]

I have only been using Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50; around 11500 miles
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_V-Twin_20W-50.aspx

My understanding is any motorcycle specific oil should be fine for these engines; I have hear semi-synthetic oil is also good - my local mechanic prefers spectro golden 20w50

I just go with Mobil 1; available at wal-mart and lasts for 3000 miles; worked good so far

me too.
i change it every 2000 miles as the re only has about 2quarts in it. i use the mobil 1 10-40 racing in my other bike.
in the past few years and over 100k on various motorcycles i have never had an issue using mobil 1 and will continue to use it.
i also use it (the automotive kind) in my truck.

[mattsz]

Sorry, Jack - didn't mean to freak you out!  A lame joke, and pronoun trouble.

Translation: Jack has put a lot of miles on his bike in a relatively short period of time, and the oil he uses seems to be up to the challenge...

[Gypsyjon]

This is not my data, but interesting, nonetheless:

There are several types of sythetic the base stock is what differentates them.

The best base stock is Polyol-ester (Redline & Motul)

Next best Di-ester (Royal Purple, Amsoil, Neo)

Next is polyolefin polyamine (Mobil 1)

Hydrocracked (Syntec, Valvoline)

Finally regular dyno oils

[gremlin]

These UCE engines were designed for riding on the Indian sub-continent in relatively horrible weather conditions with questionable access to even more questionable supplies .....

I've done some testing & oil analysis (look back through my topics)  and I can provide the following well reasoned experience.

1st ...  the additives matter - ALOT.   Have you ever looked after adding oil to your engine and seen what looks like a tiny bit of "sludge" or "ash" left over in the bottom of the bottle ...  kinda like some solids that fell out of suspension ?   SHAKE OIL BEFORE OPENING - especially if it has been sitting around on the store shelf for awhile.

2nd ...  the amount of "wear metals" detected in used oil is inversely proportional to the amount of Sodium, Zinc, Moly, and other metallic additives in the oil you choose to run.

3rd ...  the viscosity of the oil will decline as it gets chewed up in the gears - change your oil frequently.

finally, and this is just an opinion - not an observation - diesel oil like Shell Rotella is more than adequate for these engines in the North American environment.

[Ducati Scotty]

Have you ever looked after adding oil to your engine and seen what looks like a tiny bit of "sludge" or "ash" left over in the bottom of the bottle ...  kinda like some solids that fell out of suspension ?   SHAKE OIL BEFORE OPENING - especially if it has been sitting around on the store shelf for awhile.

Good tip!  Also, diesel oil has many of the same additives that moto oil has, the same things that have been minimized in auto oils.  It's a great alterntaive if moto oil isn't available.

Scott

[sparklow]

Shell Rotella 15W-40, which is approved for wet clutch use, is all I have ever run in my Yamaha XS650. I would have to think that it would probably be fine in the RE also.

[Rich Mintz]

I appreciate this thread, thank you all. For newbies like me, the current issue of "Motorcycle Cruiser" magazine had a very complete article on oil, including a description of what makes synthetic oil different from the "regular" kind and why it makes a difference in motorcycles.