knight Posted November 30, 2003 Posted November 30, 2003 I spoke to an Engineer from Silkolene (in the UK) recently regarding oil options for use in my racing B.Bird, coincidentally they had done some dyno work recently on a B.Bird to compare their fully synthetic oils:- 15W-50 gave 127.9Bhp 5W-40 gave 131.6Bhp (very similar to the standard B.Bird oil - I think) 0W-20 gave 134.4Bhp as it turns out I have been running the 15W-50 which is quite thick - needless to say changing the oil to 0W-20 and gaining 6.5Bhp looks very attractive to me! - but not if it hurts my engine......have any of you guys experimented with thin oils? or perhaps know what the racing boys use on your side of the pond?......the 0W-20 has only just been released on the market, as they have been developing it with the Kawasaki World Superbike Team......I got a price for 5 Litres.....a bargain at £80.....which I think is about 130 bucks.....the assholes must be laughing all the way to the bank. Quote
EVLXX Posted November 30, 2003 Posted November 30, 2003 There was a great right-up in the Oct. issue of Sport rider.... ... My take on the topic was that Mobil 1 Synthetic is the best bang for the buck... if I remember right Silkolene wasn't even in the top ten when I did the numbers. Mobil 1 Synthetic.... is what I now use. Quote
tomek Posted November 30, 2003 Posted November 30, 2003 I do feel,think,that 15/50 is just to thick for modern high rev inline 4,now that 0/20 might be suitable for race bikes with frequent engine rebuilds (bearings,rings),5/40 looks like happy solution. Btw those power diff seems to be exaggerated. Quote
knight Posted November 30, 2003 Author Posted November 30, 2003 Is the Mobil 1 synthetic you talk about a proper bike oil? - I have been told to be careful running "car oils" in bikes, cos the car oil has friction modifiers added......as the clutch in the B.Bird is a wet type - as with most bikes - it will lead to clutch slip......what grade is the mobil 1 stuff?.....I have been reliably informed by a "Doctor of oils" at work, that going from a 50 grade to a 20 grade will release around 8% power.....as the stuff is just so darn thin!..... Quote
EVLXX Posted November 30, 2003 Posted November 30, 2003 Oil is one of those topics that gets beat to death on this site, with good reason I might add, considering it's the most important maintenance item you do to your bike. I think the most popular and generally considerd the best oil for our bikes is the Mobil 1 15/50 Syn. Oh, and Wal-mart has the best prices on that in case you were wondering. The Mobil 1 even has a very small amount of Moly in it, and so far nobody has complained about slipping or burning a clutch. That's pretty good considering some poeple have been running it in their bikes for years. Mobil 1 Syn, Wal-Mart....... Next! Quote
rideonXX Posted December 1, 2003 Posted December 1, 2003 I have been using Amsoil products for years in my bikes, cars, CNC machines in my shop. They are very good about posting independent test lab results----and if you come up with a test by some other manufacturer that claims something different (likely in our competative marketplace) then presented it to Amsoil tech people---they have been very good at answering my questions--to my satisfaction. Are they the very best? Hell, I don't know---but they have worked very well for me. Happy trails kel Quote
mikeG Posted December 1, 2003 Posted December 1, 2003 Shell Rotella 5W40 synthetic--Walmart has it for $13/gal--works great MikeG Quote
BIG BOY Posted December 1, 2003 Posted December 1, 2003 ALRIGHT, SOMEONE GOTTA CHANGE THEIR GOD DAMN AVATAR!!!!!!!!!!! Quote
XX Posted December 1, 2003 Posted December 1, 2003 yeh, that be me. sorry folks, www.imagestation didn't like my kids middle finger.... all fixed now Quote
bhanxx Posted December 3, 2003 Posted December 3, 2003 MikeG, What is your mileage intervals on Shell Rotella 5W40 synthetic for changes? And does WalMart still sell it? I haven't seen it at the WalMart near me for quite a while. Quote
Hobicus Posted December 3, 2003 Posted December 3, 2003 I usually sneak out to local McDonalds and look by their trash bin. They have buckets of old french fry oil out there. Quote
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