G'day,
I am trying to work out what to do. Here's why: I am running a 1985 FJ1100 air cooled bike as a commuter. I have always changed oil every 5000kms, The engine I have in there at the minute has only 17,000kms on it. The old engine got up to 250,000kms before burning a valve and I discovered all the valve guides were buggered. Anyway, as my current engine is possibly the newest engine I have ever had, I am wondering what to do.
I have been told here and there, that the old air cooled engines have fairly wide tolerances to manage the wide temperature ranges that they get exposed to. In this line of thinking, a few people have stated that synthetic oils may be overkill in such an engine, as synthetics are ideally designed for modern engines with very small tolerances, and very little room for even a small amount of "sludge". Whereas with the older engines, Dino oil may be just as effective, as long as oil changes are frequent, as any benefits Synthetic oils can offer.
So, without starting a massive oil thread, I just want to gauge what people think. I am happy to keep using Dino oil, as I got 250,000kms from the last engine, and I reckon Dino does just fine. However, if people reckon Synth is the best alternative, keeping in mind I use the bike everyday, so not much chance of crud buildup per se, change oil frequently, I am keen to be educated...
cheers, Gareth
I am trying to work out what to do. Here's why: I am running a 1985 FJ1100 air cooled bike as a commuter. I have always changed oil every 5000kms, The engine I have in there at the minute has only 17,000kms on it. The old engine got up to 250,000kms before burning a valve and I discovered all the valve guides were buggered. Anyway, as my current engine is possibly the newest engine I have ever had, I am wondering what to do.
I have been told here and there, that the old air cooled engines have fairly wide tolerances to manage the wide temperature ranges that they get exposed to. In this line of thinking, a few people have stated that synthetic oils may be overkill in such an engine, as synthetics are ideally designed for modern engines with very small tolerances, and very little room for even a small amount of "sludge". Whereas with the older engines, Dino oil may be just as effective, as long as oil changes are frequent, as any benefits Synthetic oils can offer.
So, without starting a massive oil thread, I just want to gauge what people think. I am happy to keep using Dino oil, as I got 250,000kms from the last engine, and I reckon Dino does just fine. However, if people reckon Synth is the best alternative, keeping in mind I use the bike everyday, so not much chance of crud buildup per se, change oil frequently, I am keen to be educated...
cheers, Gareth