Thoughts On Different Motor Oils

[sixpac]

Hello all, new to the world of Triumph MC, but not riding
Just picked up a 2022 T120 in black/chrome
The first oil change at 1000 k was $65 for just the oil ....... seems pricey to me
I used Shell Rotella T6 5/40w full synthetic in my 06 St1300 for over 200,000 k
your thoughts please

ps I love this bike, have sat on it for several years at bike shows and knew it was for me,

thanks R6

 

[Qship]

Not sure what you guys pay per litre out West but decent oil here on the East coast is about $18-$20/litre. Amsoil, Castrol, etc. Was this from the dealer for the first oil change?
Rotella is good stuff and I have used it in previous bikes, but not my Tiger, yet. Others on here use it as well. Can't beat the price at WallyWorld(walmart).
I would wait until the warranty is done before straying from the factory recommendations just to CYA.

 

[brooke]

I use the Shell in every thing . Just tooth brushed it on the Tigers chain in prep for our Trans Labrador trip , it loosened up a couple of kinky links so used it as chain lube for a couple of blasts . Worked fine , sticks good for a 5W40 . Thinking a synthetic 100 W might be a good chain oil .

 

[sixpac]

Not sure what you guys pay per litre out West but decent oil here on the East coast is about $18-$20/litre. Amsoil, Castrol, etc. Was this from the dealer for the first oil change?
Rotella is good stuff and I have used it in previous bikes, but not my Tiger, yet. Others on here use it as well. Can't beat the price at WallyWorld(walmart).
I would wait until the warranty is done before straying from the factory recommendations just to CYA.

yes the price for the 2 you mentioned is about the same out here, across the line in Bellingham US, the T6 is $19/ 4 ltrs .......insane difference at Walmart
I was getting the T6 on sale for 5 liters at $38 at CDN tire
Also the good old Castrol GTX 10/40 ,is another thought as this is a water cooled bike with out the big swings in temperature , I change at 6000 k
Your comment about the warranty is right, I think the T6 meets or exceeds all requirements....I think
thanks

R6

 

[sixpac]

I use the Shell in every thing . Just tooth brushed it on the Tigers chain in prep for our Trans Labrador trip , it loosened up a couple of kinky links so used it as chain lube for a couple of blasts . Worked fine , sticks good for a 5W40 . Thinking a synthetic 100 W might be a good chain oil .

I just installed a Scott oiler and so far is excellent
I don't think the 5w part is an issue due to it being water cooled
the first oil change was 15w/50 semi synthetic which to me is too heavy

 

[nickjaxe]

I just installed a Scott oiler and so far is excellent
I don't think the 5w part is an issue due to it being water cooled
the first oil change was 15w/50 semi synthetic which to me is too heavy

I have been contemplating trying a different oil.....my 2020 with 1500mls on it has the triumph recommended oil in it after its first oil change.

Its Castrol 10/40 racing fully synthetic.

Only problem....after the factory running in oil was dropped out....straight Mineral I believe....a tapping noise started on cold starts if the bike had not been used for 24hrs.

Goes maybe a minute after the cold start....and is not there right away on starting....but comes in may be 30secs after it starts.

I am sure it was not there with the running in oil inside the engine.

I am now thinking that the 10/40 maybe a bit thin and the hydraulic valve lifter are draining out after the engine stands.

My dealer has no idea what the noise it and has heard it.

 

[Qship]

These bikes do not have hydraulic valve lash adjusters so could be cam chain tensioner is weak or valves could be slightly out of adjustment and a bit noisy on cold start up.

 

[nickjaxe]

These bikes do not have hydraulic valve lash adjusters so could be cam chain tensioner is weak or valves could be slightly out of adjustment and a bit noisy on cold start up.

I did consider valve adjustment.....but why does the noise go with 1 min of cold start.

 

[Qship]

I did consider valve adjustment.....but why does the noise go with 1 min of cold start.

The metal expands due to the heat and the excessive gap in the valvetrain is gone. Better to have a bit of excessive gap than none at all. Then the valves would be too tight and partially open when warmed up.
May also be the cam chain tensioner(mine is hydraulic, not sure about the 900cc engine in your T 100). When I got my 1200 Tiger, it had been sitting on the showroom floor for 2 years and the cam chain tensioner was a bit sticky from lack of use. Would get a bit of rattle on startup if my bike sat for more than a couple of days between starts. After a while everything loosened up and I get no noise on startup now.

 

[sixpac]

I have been contemplating trying a different oil.....my 2020 with 1500mls on it has the triumph recommended oil in it after its first oil change.

Its Castrol 10/40 racing fully synthetic.

Only problem....after the factory running in oil was dropped out....straight Mineral I believe....a tapping noise started on cold starts if the bike had not been used for 24hrs.

Goes maybe a minute after the cold start....and is not there right away on starting....but comes in may be 30secs after it starts.

I am sure it was not there with the running in oil inside the engine.

I am now thinking that the 10/40 maybe a bit thin and the hydraulic valve lifter are draining out after the engine stands.

My dealer has no idea what the noise it and has heard it.

AS to the valve lash adjustment, I believe they are shim under bucket, which holds their adjustment for a long time
My dealer recommended not going to a full synthetic for the first 2 oil changes , and as I said previously 15w/50 seems a bit heavy

 

[Qship]

Yes, believe his has the shim and bucket system, as does mine. Could have been a bad adjustment from the factory. Think he should get it checked and adjusted, if necessary.

 

[nickjaxe]

Yes, believe his has the shim and bucket system, as does mine. Could have been a bad adjustment from the factory. Think he should get it checked and adjusted, if necessary.

 

[nickjaxe]

I dont think a very slack valve adjustment will vanish after 60secs.

 

[Qship]

May be only slightly out. If dealer heard it and is not concerned, then enjoy your bike. Hard to diagnose anything over the net without hearing it. Can only offer suggestions on what may be or where to look. Ride safe.

 

[dazco]

Time and time again i find mobil 1 bike oil, either Vtwin 20/50 or racing 10/40 (i use the 20/50) always makes every bike i own run better quieter and even on some bikes quicker. On my Thunderbird 1700 with an engine thats been plagued with noise it's the only oil that quiets it. Further more, while i have read many articles citing how good it is via testing results, one of the best things i have heard regarding how good it is was from a former employee of an oil company.He said his company spent years trying to compete with M1 and couldn't come close. Paraphrasing but thats the gist of what he said. I won't use anything else, and i've tried em all including some that people think are god's gift to motor oils. I really believe M1 bike oils are the best w/o question in my mind. By the way, M1 was triumphs oil till they switched to castrol which is no doubt a money thing because i used castrol a few times and my bike was noisier with it than any other oil and didn't run as smooth and nice. Probably the worse i have used to date as far as how the bike liked it.

 

[nickjaxe]

Time and time again i find mobil 1 bike oil, either Vtwin 20/50 or racing 10/40 (i use the 20/50) always makes every bike i own run better quieter and even on some bikes quicker. On my Thunderbird 1700 with an engine thats been plagued with noise it's the only oil that quiets it. Further more, while i have read many articles citing how good it is via testing results, one of the best things i have heard regarding how good it is was from a former employee of an oil company.He said his company spent years trying to compete with M1 and couldn't come close. Paraphrasing but thats the gist of what he said. I won't use anything else, and i've tried em all including some that people think are god's gift to motor oils. I really believe M1 bike oils are the best w/o question in my mind. By the way, M1 was triumphs oil till they switched to castrol which is no doubt a money thing because i used castrol a few times and my bike was noisier with it than any other oil and didn't run as smooth and nice. Probably the worse i have used to date as far as how the bike liked it.

Time and time again i find mobil 1 bike oil, either Vtwin 20/50 or racing 10/40 (i use the 20/50) always makes every bike i own run better quieter and even on some bikes quicker. On my Thunderbird 1700 with an engine thats been plagued with noise it's the only oil that quiets it. Further more, while i have read many articles citing how good it is via testing results, one of the best things i have heard regarding how good it is was from a former employee of an oil company.He said his company spent years trying to compete with M1 and couldn't come close. Paraphrasing but thats the gist of what he said. I won't use anything else, and i've tried em all including some that people think are god's gift to motor oils. I really believe M1 bike oils are the best w/o question in my mind. By the way, M1 was triumphs oil till they switched to castrol which is no doubt a money thing because i used castrol a few times and my bike was noisier with it than any other oil and didn't run as smooth and nice. Probably the worse i have used to date as far as how the bike liked it.

Interesting.....the Mobile 1 20/50 is it a semi or fully synthetic oil.

I will look it up and see if its available over here in the UK.

Must admit one of the mechanics on the bikes 1st service said that he thought the oil that Triumph recommend now is to thin.

 

[brooke]

If there is one HUGE advantage full synthetic oils have over semi or conventional oil it is Flow . Test after test , synthetics flow like water compared to the molasses like performance of conventionals . You have heard it time and time again that cold start up are the big cause of engine wear and that is why we had multi grade oils for decades now .
Motorcycle engines have overhead cam engines with chains operating them . When some one

starts a cold OHC engine and revs the bejezs out of it I can the cam bearings screeching . Drives me crazy .
My wife’s car has a chain ohc set up , they used to be a belt. I asked this trusted mechanic how come . His reply , the belts lasted longest until synthetics came into use . Now chains last longer and a good thing too. The chain on a Cadillac V8 is about 10 feet long and when she fails you’d better have a high limit on your credit card .
If you follow serious oil testing , you will see a common thread . Shell , Mobil and Delco . These tests are the ones watched by the big rig , long haul industry . They have no time for any he said , she said info , they just want the Science . They want an oil that will get 5.02 mpg rather than 4.99 and will get and engine to 825,000 km rather than 800,000 before a rebuild . I know 2 of these guys n my town , small operators, and they run 150 trucks each . I can’t imagine how many rigs the big fleets have on the road .
These big fleets are courted by the top oil companies sales staff with testing, testing , testing reports and low prices on huge containers product .
Furthermore , I finally did the math .
The 19$ 4 litre bottle of Shell at Wallyworld in Bangor works out to 4.75 U$ . The 5 litre container at Acadian Tire 38 C$ comes to 5.70 U$ . Not such a big difference if you assume it’s going towards health care
That’s all folks

 

[nickjaxe]

If there is one HUGE advantage full synthetic oils have over semi or conventional oil it is Flow . Test after test , synthetics flow like water compared to the molasses like performance of conventionals . You have heard it time and time again that cold start up are the big cause of engine wear and that is why we had multi grade oils for decades now .
Motorcycle engines have overhead cam engines with chains operating them . When some one

starts a cold OHC engine and revs the bejezs out of it I can the cam bearings screeching . Drives me crazy .
My wife’s car has a chain ohc set up , they used to be a belt. I asked this trusted mechanic how come . His reply , the belts lasted longest until synthetics came into use . Now chains last longer and a good thing too. The chain on a Cadillac V8 is about 10 feet long and when she fails you’d better have a high limit on your credit card .
If you follow serious oil testing , you will see a common thread . Shell , Mobil and Delco . These tests are the ones watched by the big rig , long haul industry . They have no time for any he said , she said info , they just want the Science . They want an oil that will get 5.02 mpg rather than 4.99 and will get and engine to 825,000 km rather than 800,000 before a rebuild . I know 2 of these guys n my town , small operators, and they run 150 trucks each . I can’t imagine how many rigs the big fleets have on the road .
These big fleets are courted by the top oil companies sales staff with testing, testing , testing reports and low prices on huge containers product .
Furthermore , I finally did the math .
The 19$ 4 litre bottle of Shell at Wallyworld in Bangor works out to 4.75 U$ . The 5 litre container at Acadian Tire 38 C$ comes to 5.70 U$ . Not such a big difference if you assume it’s going towards health care
That’s all folks

Flows like water.....thats one of the disadvantages of fully synthetic as well.....test have shown that it readily drains off internal and leaves them pron to internal corrosion in damper parts of the world unless used very regularly....which a lot of bike are not...mine inc.

So that why I was thinking of going Semi Synthetic....and a slightly heavier grade...10/50....see if I can get rid of my cold start rattle.

Thinking now.....maybe the timing chain hyd tensioner is draining over night with the oil that flows like water.

As I said....didn't do it with the factory running oil in the motor.

Just a thought.

 

[sixpac]

If there is one HUGE advantage full synthetic oils have over semi or conventional oil it is Flow . Test after test , synthetics flow like water compared to the molasses like performance of conventionals . You have heard it time and time again that cold start up are the big cause of engine wear and that is why we had multi grade oils for decades now .
Motorcycle engines have overhead cam engines with chains operating them . When some one

starts a cold OHC engine and revs the bejezs out of it I can the cam bearings screeching . Drives me crazy .
My wife’s car has a chain ohc set up , they used to be a belt. I asked this trusted mechanic how come . His reply , the belts lasted longest until synthetics came into use . Now chains last longer and a good thing too. The chain on a Cadillac V8 is about 10 feet long and when she fails you’d better have a high limit on your credit card .
If you follow serious oil testing , you will see a common thread . Shell , Mobil and Delco . These tests are the ones watched by the big rig , long haul industry . They have no time for any he said , she said info , they just want the Science . They want an oil that will get 5.02 mpg rather than 4.99 and will get and engine to 825,000 km rather than 800,000 before a rebuild . I know 2 of these guys n my town , small operators, and they run 150 trucks each . I can’t imagine how many rigs the big fleets have on the road .
These big fleets are courted by the top oil companies sales staff with testing, testing , testing reports and low prices on huge containers product .
Furthermore , I finally did the math .
The 19$ 4 litre bottle of Shell at Wallyworld in Bangor works out to 4.75 U$ . The 5 litre container at Acadian Tire 38 C$ comes to 5.70 U$ . Not such a big difference if you assume it’s going towards health care
That’s all folks

I have read thru some of the long term studies by Shell and I have personal experience with the Shell Rotella T6 5w/40 in my ST1300 , as mentioned after 200,000, everything was quiet
I don 't know if the quality of the oil had anything to do with it but the valve clearances were done at 28,000k (only 3 were adjusted) and at 220,000 I checked them and all were well with spec. I did this every fall so it was ready for next season
I used a go/no go gauge so even I could not get it wrong , at one point I was concerned I was doing it wrong so my Helicopter mechanic brother in law confirmed I was doing it right
I also pulled a trailer with the ST for 2 trips around NA and it had no impact on the clutch either

thanks R6

 

[brooke]

Flows like water.....thats one of the disadvantages of fully synthetic as well.....test have shown that it readily drains off internal and leaves them pron to internal corrosion in damper parts of the world unless used very regularly....which a lot of bike are not...mine inc.

So that why I was thinking of going Semi Synthetic....and a slightly heavier grade...10/50....see if I can get rid of my cold start rattle.

Thinking now.....maybe the timing chain hyd tensioner is draining over night with the oil that flows like water.

As I said....didn't do it with the factory running oil in the motor.

Just a thought.

Some very good points Nick and I enjoy the banter . Thinking now …. that empty hydraulic tensioner might fill quicker with the water . But it might not .
Hopefully you find an answer to your issue