Valvoline motorcycle oil

[jonnythan]

I've been using Shell Rotella T 15W-40 in my Yamaha XV535 for the past couple of years.

But now Advance Auto has started carrying Valvoline 4-stroke motorcycle oil and I plan on switching to it.

Yamaha recommends 10W-30 for "60F and below" and 20W-40 for "40F and above." The Valvoline cycle oil comes in 10W-40 and 20W-50. Virtually all of my riding is in 40F and above weather.

Should I go for the 10W-40 or 20W-50?

 

[Chris142]

Is this bike air or water cooled? IMO air cooled stuff should use 20w-50 and 10w-40 is fine for a water cooled bike.

 

[Raceman]

If you have Auto Zone in your area, you can buy Valvoline MC oil this month for $1.99 per quart. Valvoline has a $1 rebate if you buy before the 15th. Buck a quart, not a bad deal.

 

[jonnythan]

Air cooled.

Why would I want the thicker oil for an air-cooled bike? Would there be an advantage to running 10W-40 in the colder months when the bike is rarely operated above 60F?

Thanks for the heads up, Raceman. For a buck a quart I can spend $15 and have enough oil to last me through the end of 2009!

 

[02zx9r]

I run both rotellas in my bikes and dont feel a need to run a motorcycle specific oil, but at that price ($1) that isnt bad at all.

if it is about price then yes that is a good deal. if it is about protection, the hdeo's normally have a pretty robust add pack, pretty stout oils.

 

[jonnythan]

Not so much about price. The Rotella T is about $2.30 a quart at Wal-Mart.

I've previously chosen Rotella T because it apparently works pretty well and is a fraction of the price of oils at the bike shop, but I'd feel better using a motorcycle-specific oil. Right now I see no reason to choose Rotella T over the Valvoline bike oil, so I'm going to go with the Valvoline in the future. I doubt if it will be any better (or worse), but I like the feeling of running "motorcycle oil" in my motorcycle

 

[Greg L]

I used that Valvoline oil last summer in my Ninja 500.

It ran like -****e-, so I switched back to Rotella. No problems since.


Go figure....


GL

 

[02zx9r]

if it makes you feel better, go ahead no one should fault you for that

 

[whitesands]

I used the Valvoline 10W40 MC oil...It worked well....There's no reason not to use it especially at that price...The Rotella does have a little better additive specs but for the price the specs are close enough that there's really no reason to choose the Rotella over it except for the fact that the Valvoline may have been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years...But as with any oil used in a motorcycle I would use relatively short OCI's...
But if the price was the same I'd definitely go with the Rotella.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: jonnythan
Air cooled.

Why would I want the thicker oil for an air-cooled bike?


Air cooled bikes run pretty hot. Especialy if they are ridden in slow traffic or technical trails. Water cooled bikes run 180ish and are much easier on oil.

 

[dwendt44]

And heat is one of the main causes of oil break down.

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: jonnythan
Air cooled.

Why would I want the thicker oil for an air-cooled bike?


Air cooled bikes run pretty hot. Especialy if they are ridden in slow traffic or technical trails. Water cooled bikes run 180ish and are much easier on oil.


Ask anybody with a Harley.....they all run 200-300F. And no the 300 is not a typo the new TC96 engines are very hot because they come setup so lean from the factory to comply with EPA regs. My 2006 TC88 runs in the 220-240F range with syn oil. Valvoline MC oil would only be good for about 2500 miles. But in a water cooled bike I would buy all I could get for $1/qt.

 

[02zx9r]

My buddy with a 100th Anniversary edition vrod swears up and down that his runs around 170F, and that if his is running at 210F like I say is the norm now adays he says "if my bike is at 210F then I have major issues because optimum temps for a bike is 170F"

 

[wileyE]

Is your bud talkin oil temp or water? lot of those gauages leave lot to be desired too. I had a factory oil gauge on a suzuki and the thing would read around 210 normally and upward of 280-300 when running real hard in the desert (which sort of freaked me into buy synpensive oil) Moved the sensor from the top of the case where oil just splashed on it, down into the sump where the pump picks up. Things weren't near as hot as I had thought.

 

[Mackelroy]

My 06 vfr temp runs between 170 and 224 degrees, average is 185/190.

its actually runnin 20w50 valvoline mc oil right now.

the max temp I've ever seen was 225 degrees and that was with 20w50 superflow, but 223 degree is the normal max I ever see.

 

[harley145000]

the V rod is water cooled

 

[jonnythan]

So the 20W-50 would hold up better in high temps than the 10W-40?

 

[02zx9r]

if I am cruising on the highway temps on my bike are around 150-160F, when in traffic it will go above 200 F, fan kicks on at 217F highest i have seen is 225F

supposedly that is the idea, that the 20w50 will hold up better, and if it does shear down it will still be a thick 40.

the M1 vtwin 20w50 is touted as a very good oil and vert stout, if I found it at a very good price (maybe $3/qrt instead of $8) i would get some just to get it.


I got 12 quarts valvoline synpower 20w50 at bogo at aap and have a case of Brad Penn 20w50 so it doesnt bother me to run that heavy an oil in my bikes.

 

[Mackelroy]

Originally Posted By: harley145000
the V rod is water cooled



my post wasnt related to the vrod, it was related to can ya run valoline mc oil in a bike without issue. It aint the oil was more my point, its as usable as any.

No matter what oil i've run the temps spreads ar pretty much identical except the one time I rode 20w50 superflow , my max temp increased 2 degrees.

I ran 20w50 mobil 1 last summer and never saw 225, so it must have been related to superflow 20w50's lack of dispersing heat I guess. but an extra 2 degrees I guess doesnt really mean much.

Most your anitffreezes wont go more than 260 degrees with a 70 % mixture ,so if the vfrod is seeing any where near 300 it ought to be boiling over

 

[CaspianM]

I see no reason why Valv is not a good oil. At the sales price I would use it. In fact I say under hi rev using it in my 919 it ran smoother than the Rotella. I did short interval changes so it did not matter. Now I have the M1 10-40 in it.