Best Motor Oil for Ducati?

[Flimflam]

Anybody out there know what is the best motor oil for a Ducati Monster V-Twin (Air-cooled)? It will be used in extreme hot weather. This V-Twin motor gets extremely hot in heavy traffic. Hot enough to be extremely uncomfortable for my feet! I was thinking in terms of something like Castrol GTX 20w-50 or Castrol HD-40. That's what the Tower Gear Ducati fans of the 1970's used to ensure a long life for their valve trains and big-end bearings. I'd really appreciate any helpful opinions.

 

[LC]

Redline 20w50 or Mobil 1 20w50.
Most Ducati Owners I know use one of these 2 oils.

 

[craigq]

There's been an ongoing discussion on the DML, first sticky at the top of the page :
http://www.ducatimonster.org/smf/index.php/board,3.0.html

 

[Titan]

BEST? Probably going to be a synthetic. Adequate for really long life? Might be fine with a mineral oil and frequent oil changes. On bikes with shared sumps, the latter works just fine. If money is no object, synthetic with frequent changes would be the best.

 

[msparks]

Your worried about extreme heat but list a convenitional dino oil? That doesn't make sense.
Find a good synthetic in 20w50 that would be the most logical choice.

Amsoil
Mobil 1
Motul
Castrol Motocycle synthetic
ect.

 

[Gary in Sandy Eggo]

Extremely hot weather (100+ on a daily basis)??? Heavy traffic (stop-n-go)??? Air cooled!!! SAE-50 or SAE-40 conventional. Single-grade oils do not lose viscosity as do multi-grades (including most marketed synthetics to a lesser extent). This will maintain the most lubricating fluid between moving parts. It will be kindest to your rod bearings and cam lobes. Just take it REAL EASY, keeping the rpm's down for the first five minutes following every "cold" start.

Or, a 20W-50 synthetic that's formulated with NO VI improvers.

I run conventional Pennzoil SAE-40 in my 1400 Intruder that's operated in temperatures ranging from 60F to 90F, but mostly in the 70-80F range. I seldom stress the engine, and mostly ride on lightly traveled back-country roads at around 55-65 mph. I change oil every 5000 miles because it still looks new at 2500 miles (where I usta change my Virago's oil). There's no measurable oil consumption in those 5000 miles.

Regards, Gary in Sandy Eggo

 

[msparks]

Does your bike have an oil cooler? I'm looking at them online and it say's "air cooled" but there is a visable oil cooler on it too?

Just wondering.

 

[Don Stefanik]

I know that our Series 2000 20W50 is VERY good in extreme heat conditions. It is a lot more money, so you have to make the choice yourself. I sell quite a bit of it to racers who love it.

 

[JonS]

The 620 monsters are air cooled only. The 750, 800, and 900 have oil coolers. Use what the manual says. It should be a 20w-50 or 10w-40. I'm sure they have been tested at extreme temps and found out what works best.

 

[David in Sugar Land]

Here are some good choices:
- HDEO 5w-40 synthetic (Rotella, Delo, etc)
- M1 20w-50 V-Twin motorcycle (dino)
- Valvoline Racing 20w-50 (dino)

My Norton is an air-cooled parallel twin. A long term test on vintage British parallels found the Mobil 1 above was best in flashpoint and shearing qualities. Second recommended was dino M1 20w-50. This was (if memory serves) in lower California with traffic commuting over 4 or 5 years.

I personally use either dino Rotella or the Valvoline above in summer (urban commuting in Houston).

Also, your Duc owners group would be of great service. Happy trails!

"If it's free, it's advice. If it costs, it's counseling. If either actually are helpful, it's downright amazing!"

 

[Hans]

David,
All Mobil 1 oil is synthetic.

 

[Steve128]

craigq,

Thanks for the link. Good reading! George is exceptional at explaining concepts to the uninformed.....ME