I purchased a '23 Yamaha Zuma over a month ago and completed the 600 mile engine break-in. I'm now trying to land on an oil to use. I will run Pennzoil conventional 10w40 out to about 2k miles and then switch to full synthetic to satisfy that elusive engine break-in some refer to since it won't hurt anything.
Owner's manual calls for SAE 10w40 type SJ or greater, JASO MA or MB. But, this scooter has a dry clutch CVT, so no need for MA-(x) rated oils as the clutch and final drive don't share the engine oil. When looking for JASO MB rated oils, they are normally labeled conventional and are $15-20/quart (Maxima, Honda, Motul, Yamalube). The one exception is a 10w40 full synthetic by Lucas lubrication, but I am not too keen on their products and feel safer to avoid (just personal preference).
I began to look at automobile engine oils as this scooter is more inline with automobile oil needs than is motorcycles. I landed on wanting an HTHS of at least 3.5 for our passenger vehicles, but with the scooter spinning 7-8k rpm at cruising speeds, I wondered what HTHS should be sought after? Obviously it's not doing Ducati revolutions, but it's way higher than the average engine speed of my Toyotas.
One oil that stuck out to me because I can get a 6 quart case for under $60 is Royal Purple's HPS in 10w40. It is a high ZDDP oil and normally for older vehicles (flat tappet) and performance cars. I'm not sure what the the valve design of the Zuma is, but I doubt it has roller rockers, so possibly the higher anti-wear additives of RP HPS would be of benefit, as would the slippery friction modifiers not found in as great abundance in oils tailored to motorcycles.
I normally don't consider Royal Purple products along with Lucas as I see them marketing to the likes of Ricky Bobby. I'm more partial to the secular seriousness of the Dutch and more often than not give my money to Shell. But that obviously is a dumb generalization and doesn't speak to the quality of the oils. Many might say, "well if that's the case just pick up some synthetic Rotella." But again, my thought process presently is Rotella is motorcyle rated, so I could get something more "slippery" for the little gas sipping scoot.
The one negative that I read about concerning RP is it's high sulpher count and I guess that is bad for non-ferrous alloy corrosion? Both the piston and cylinder wall of the Zuma is aluminum. I wish I was smart enough to disseminate some/all of the information on this site and we could avoid my long-winded post altogether, but here I am, bowing before the BITOG gods asking for guidance. Thank you for any advice and I look forward to the discussion!
Here's a link to the product sheet for Royal Purple's HPS:
Owner's manual calls for SAE 10w40 type SJ or greater, JASO MA or MB. But, this scooter has a dry clutch CVT, so no need for MA-(x) rated oils as the clutch and final drive don't share the engine oil. When looking for JASO MB rated oils, they are normally labeled conventional and are $15-20/quart (Maxima, Honda, Motul, Yamalube). The one exception is a 10w40 full synthetic by Lucas lubrication, but I am not too keen on their products and feel safer to avoid (just personal preference).
I began to look at automobile engine oils as this scooter is more inline with automobile oil needs than is motorcycles. I landed on wanting an HTHS of at least 3.5 for our passenger vehicles, but with the scooter spinning 7-8k rpm at cruising speeds, I wondered what HTHS should be sought after? Obviously it's not doing Ducati revolutions, but it's way higher than the average engine speed of my Toyotas.
One oil that stuck out to me because I can get a 6 quart case for under $60 is Royal Purple's HPS in 10w40. It is a high ZDDP oil and normally for older vehicles (flat tappet) and performance cars. I'm not sure what the the valve design of the Zuma is, but I doubt it has roller rockers, so possibly the higher anti-wear additives of RP HPS would be of benefit, as would the slippery friction modifiers not found in as great abundance in oils tailored to motorcycles.
I normally don't consider Royal Purple products along with Lucas as I see them marketing to the likes of Ricky Bobby. I'm more partial to the secular seriousness of the Dutch and more often than not give my money to Shell. But that obviously is a dumb generalization and doesn't speak to the quality of the oils. Many might say, "well if that's the case just pick up some synthetic Rotella." But again, my thought process presently is Rotella is motorcyle rated, so I could get something more "slippery" for the little gas sipping scoot.
The one negative that I read about concerning RP is it's high sulpher count and I guess that is bad for non-ferrous alloy corrosion? Both the piston and cylinder wall of the Zuma is aluminum. I wish I was smart enough to disseminate some/all of the information on this site and we could avoid my long-winded post altogether, but here I am, bowing before the BITOG gods asking for guidance. Thank you for any advice and I look forward to the discussion!
Here's a link to the product sheet for Royal Purple's HPS:
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