Castrol Syntec in a 1980 BMW R65

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Hi guys,

I'm thinking about switching from Specrto Golden 20W50 to Castrol Syntec 20W50 summer and 5W50 winter in my 1980 BMW R65. This is due to the high cost and the lack of availability of the Spectro oil.

At the moment I can walk into 3 different autoparts stores and get the Castrol for about $7 per quart. I haven't checked Walmart.

How does the Castrol compare in the additives department Zinc etc. Any other problems /concequences?

Thanks for your time,

SG
Atlanta GA
 
I'm using Castrol Edge Sport 25/50 in my 1987 R65 - it's supposed to be aimed at high performance pushrod V8's,so should be good enough for a low revving pushrod twin.
 
Have you considered the syn Rotella 5W40 or the dino Rotella T 15W40? Do a search - you'll find it's a very popular oil with bikers.
 
This is old data from about 2007 so treat accordingly. From a Castrol customer service rep Email.

Unfortunately the information you are requesting in proprietary. The Castrol GTX 20W-50 has had a reduction of zinc and is not recommended to be used in Classic cars with flat tappet cams.

Although the exact amount of zinc is proprietary, the level of Zinc in the new re-formualted full synthetic Syntec 20W-50 is a minimum of 1200 ppm, which will provide excellent anti-wear protection for the cam and lifters in a flat-tappet cam engine.


Castrol Consumer Relations
 
I've owned an R65 and put thousands of miles on it. It is not particular about oil. Any decent 10w-40 oil will do. Those engines do not have lubrication issues and the bottom-end is built like a tank. Remember, it does not have a shared transmission to shear the oil, and since it it a push-rod engine with the cam under the crankshaft (always in oil) no camshaft issues either. Don't even worry about that engine, change the oil & filter every 3000 miles and forget it. Make sure to adjust the valves every 6000 miles and don't let it overheat sitting in traffic -- no worries mate!
 
Castrol had planned to introduce the 1200 ZDDP 20W50 based on SYNTEC a few years back but it seemed to be late making it to the market. The current high ZDDP version I believe is labeled as "for classic cars" or something to that effect. I finally saw a bottle of this stuff at a auto parts store, I think it was NAPA, about a month or so ago. My opinion is that the SYNTEC classic car oil is Castrols' answer to M1 15W50. They seem to be going after the same market anyway. Given that the SYNTEC is a Group III I think it will have a hard time selling as we know M1 15W50 can be had in the 5 Qt. jug for about $4.50 / Qt at any Walmart. It would be interesting to see head to head UOAs from the same engine for these two oils. I think the SYNTEC line is good oil but at $7.00 / Qt you are very close in price to some high end proven products and much more expensive than the M1 15W50.
 
A couple posts ago a fella mentioned HDEO like Rotella and I concur. I am currently running Mobil Delvac 15W40 in both my newer hexhead (oilheads) and in my 1991 R100GS. Very stout oil and the oil visually stays in grade with very little consumption between 5K changes.
 
Originally Posted By: cos
Have you considered the syn Rotella 5W40 or the dino Rotella T 15W40? Do a search - you'll find it's a very popular oil with bikers.


+1
 
Regarding the Rotella 5W40 or 15W40...I would like to try it in my R1150GS but I often ride in the summer, in 90 to 100+ temps, and I'm worried that it won't handle the higher temps.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Tom
 
SWSportsman...thanks for your input...that's kinda what I was thinking too...I currently run Mobil 1 15W50, as its currently $23.50/gal at Wally World. I was also thinking of going with something like Castrol GTX 20W50 ($14.50/gal) to quiet the engine down a bit. The V-Twin oil looks like a good way to go but at $10+/qt...seems a bit painful.
Thanks again,
Tom
 
Originally Posted By: SWSportsman
10W40 and 15W40 are too thin for an airhead. Stick with 20W50. Mobil 1 V-Twin is one of the best.


I wish I would have known this back in 1984. I put over 100,000 miles on my R100 using Mobil 1 5W-20.
 
I remember talking to an old gal at a BMW rally back in the 80s about her 750cc BMW which had around 210,000 miles on it. In the course of our conversation I asked what oil she used. Her reply--Pennzoil 10w-30.

BMW has traditionally specified heavier oils in their bikes perhaps anticipating that they would be pushed to maximum velocities on the autobahn. I remember warming my R100T for an oil change with a spirited run of about 15-20 miles. When I pulled the plug the 20w-50 oil came out like water.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny
Originally Posted By: SWSportsman
10W40 and 15W40 are too thin for an airhead. Stick with 20W50. Mobil 1 V-Twin is one of the best.


I wish I would have known this back in 1984. I put over 100,000 miles on my R100 using Mobil 1 5W-20.


Good point. The correct viscosity might have gotten you to 300,000!
 
Looking through my old records (I don't throw papers away) I sold that BMW in 1989 to a good friend just before I moved to WI. According to the copy of the title transfer, the bike had exactly 165,070 miles on it.

When I sold it, it was running great. I will have to email my friend to see if he remembers how many miles it had when he sold it, and if he continued using Mobil 1 5W-20 after buying it from me.
 
Johnny, whether you got good results using 5W20, or canola oil, or Three-in-One oil in your BMW doesn't make it a logical choice in an airhead. Oak Okleshen and Robert Fleischer know more about air-cooled BMW engines and the oil they like infinitely better than you or I and they both recommend 20W-50 at all times unless riding in below freezing temperatures. That's more than good enough for me.

Here' a quote from Fleischer:

"For Airheads, due to the variability of some heat-treated parts, and due to the type of cam and followers; I recommend the following oils:
(1) Mobil 1 V-Twin in 20W50 grade. You can usually extend the drain intervals due to this being a full synthetic oil. This oil can be a little pricey, but drain intervals, assuming longer touring miles than city traffic miles, could be quite long, with safety. This oil has plenty of ZDDP in it, and is a good formulation, in all respects.
(2) Golden Spectro 4 in 20W50...can also have SOMEwhat of extended drain intervals, as it is a part-synthetic and I have considerable experience with using this oil. This oil is a bit expensive, but is of excellent quality. It is a toss-up between (1) and (2), as to which you should buy.
(3) BMW 20W50 NON-synthetic motorcycle oil. This is a good oil, but not quite as good as the above oils.
All the above oils have goodly high quantities of ZDDP in them, and the base oils are of good quality.
(4) Valvoline 4-stroke motorcycle oil, in 20W50 (or 10W40 for freezing cold areas). Not as good as (1) through (3) but OK.

The above oils will especially pay for their cost, over the long run, if you keep the bike a long time and for high mileage. Do NOT use cheap energy saving (so marked, and probably have starburst symbol) car oils, and particularly not in 5W20, 5W30, 10W30, 10W40. If you make ONLY short trips (under 8 or 10 miles), change your oil every 4 months. If you ride now and then for over 20 miles at one time, you might be able to extend the changes to 6 months...or even a year. The Euro specification that is tighter and more strict than what is in the USA, is ACEA-A3. Look for it on some products in the USA nowadays. Do NOT use oils with the energy-saving Starburst logo. Do NOT use the latest CJ-4 oil, as it is only so-so for our bikes. Remember, if you use synthetics, that they are NOT all the same! Be SURE yours has ZDDP, and a goodly amount, for your Airhead. I cannot recommend Castrol motor oils, of ANY type. If you ride in rather cold weather, below freezing, I suggest a lighter grade than 20W50. 10W40 perhaps.
 
1. I did not recommend it, I just stated what I used. Would I do it again, probably not. But remember, Mobil 1 5W-20 back then was a different product than it is now. Only a FOOL would put canola oil or three in one oil in their bike.

2. I've never heard of Fleischer or Okleshen, but do not agree with Fleischer's oil recommendations at all, except for the Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 and the factory BMW oils. I would not give you two cents for Golden Spectro oils. Just my opinion as the above is just his opinion.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny
Just my opinion as the above is just his opinion.


Hardly. When you can show evidence of airhead experience exceeding the combined 90 years of those two gentlemen your opinion MAY merit equal credibility.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny
1. I did not recommend it, I just stated what I used. Would I do it again, probably not. But remember, Mobil 1 5W-20 back then was a different product than it is now. Only a FOOL would put canola oil or three in one oil in their bike.

2. I've never heard of Fleischer or Okleshen, but do not agree with Fleischer's oil recommendations at all, except for the Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 and the factory BMW oils. I would not give you two cents for Golden Spectro oils. Just my opinion as the above is just his opinion.


I agee that there are some excellent oils left off the Fleischer / Okleshen list. Vtwin is a great oil for air cooled engines and belongs at the top end of the list but it is not the only one. Maybe the list of four was just for example or maybe that is what they feel comfortable with due to personnal experience.
 
Originally Posted By: SWSportsman
Originally Posted By: Johnny
Just my opinion as the above is just his opinion.


Hardly. When you can show evidence of airhead experience exceeding the combined 90 years of those two gentlemen your opinion MAY merit equal credibility.


Well, since there is only one of me my 42+ years of British and German bike experience will not equal their combined 90 years of experience. Nothing I can do about that, but in my 42+ years of experience I have come to the conclusion that I do not like Golden Spectro products. And it is still just an opinion. There are many good oils out there that work extremely well in air-cooled BMW bikes. It's no big deal, use what you like, not what someone else tells you, you like.

You see SWSportsman, you also have an opinion, and your opinion is just as important as mine, theirs, or anyone elses.
 
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