Honda CB 1300 best engine oil

Joined
Mar 2, 2020
Messages
26
Location
Sicily, Italy
Hello everyone, just recently I became the owner of a Honda CB 1300 from 2003. I am preparing the bike for complete control in preparation for the summer season. The bike has 50000km and I don't know what type of oil has been used to date on this bike.
For this model Honda recommends a 10w40 oil but as I live in Sicily where temperatures above 40°C are easily reached in summer. I don't know the lubrication system and the mechanical tolerances of the bearings of the CB 1300 and my goal is to best preserve this fantastic engine (I love this engine). I ask you if you think a 10W60 oil can create problems or excessive wear to this engine.
In my area the most used and easily available oils are Motul 7100 10W50-10W60, Petronas Sprinta 10W50, Bardahl XTS 10W50-10W60, Silkolene Pro 4 XP 10W50-10W60. What do you recommend?
Thanks in advance for the advice you want to offer me.
 
10w60 works very well in these engines, I ran it a CBR1000F, CBR 1000RR and CBR 1100XX for over 240K and the SC24 engine internals measured within new engine limits per OE service manual specs when I did the cam chain.
Castrol RS 10w60 motorcycle oil was the only oil ever used in both of these engines from the first oil change, nothing else ever went in the sump but the 1000F engine is IIRC the foundation for your 1300.

Castrol no longer makes the RS 10w60 but they do make the 10w50 so that is the one I run in the CB Seven fifty a small air cooled around town bike, it holds up well to the heat. I would give it a try.
These engines really do need a thicker oil, these are not low power V2 lumps, the shared sump tears the oil up when subjected to high temps or hard running at Vmax for more than a few km. Honda already made the mistake of specing too thin of an oil for the 900RR back then and quickly changed the spec when their German dealers got littered (literally) with blown engines (one of them was mine).
 
Last edited:
In my late 90's Honda, liquid cooled in-line 4, I ran Castrol Edge 10W60 for 10 years and 100,000 km. Sold it running perfect, all original, only tyres / chains and that weak Honda rectifier- regulator.

It too (CBR 600) was spec'd 10W40 by Honda, but due to my hot climate and lack of a good synthetic 10W40 I ran 10W60 instead. Never a problem.

That CB1300 is a nice bike. Have fun and post a picture if you can.
 
If the cooling system is performing as it should, it will keep the engine at it's correct operating temperature. Make sure the cooling system is clean, has fresh coolant, and that the fan comes on when it should.
 
Originally Posted by blupupher
That is a water cooled bike, right?
No need for a thick oil in that, 10w-40 will be just fine.

Yes, is a water cooled bike.
 
Originally Posted by Taurus77
Originally Posted by blupupher
That is a water cooled bike, right?
No need for a thick oil in that, 10w-40 will be just fine.

Yes, is a water cooled bike.

10w40 is a great choice.
 
Here are the temp profiles for Catania, Sicily and Houston, Texas. Both places make it to 104 F (40 C) occasionally, but Houston is actually hotter. Perhaps the Texas folks can tell us what to use.
smile.gif


First, Catania.

Catania temps.PNG


houston weather.PNG
 
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
Here are the temp profiles for Catania, Sicily and Houston, Texas. Both places make it to 104 F (40 C) occasionally, but Houston is actually hotter. Perhaps the Texas folks can tell us what to use.
smile.gif


First, Catania.

Great!!
cheers3.gif
 
Originally Posted by Trav
10w60 works very well in these engines, I ran it a CBR1000F, CBR 1000RR and CBR 1100XX for over 240K and the SC24 engine internals measured within new engine limits per OE service manual specs when I did the cam chain.
Castrol RS 10w60 motorcycle oil was the only oil ever used in both of these engines from the first oil change, nothing else ever went in the sump but the 1000F engine is IIRC the foundation for your 1300.

Castrol no longer makes the RS 10w60 but they do make the 10w50 so that is the one I run in the CB Seven fifty a small air cooled around town bike, it holds up well to the heat. I would give it a try.
These engines really do need a thicker oil, these are not low power V2 lumps, the shared sump tears the oil up when subjected to high temps or hard running at Vmax for more than a few km. Honda already made the mistake of specing too thin of an oil for the 900RR back then and quickly changed the spec when their German dealers got littered (literally) with blown engines (one of them was mine).

Thanks for the information.
 
Ciao...
If there is one thing a rider has control of its the viscosity of
their oil... chemically speaking either the 40 or 60 will meet and
exceed your mileage expectations... BUT according to Honda it is best
to use the freer flowing 40 over the slower flowing 60... factory
tested the freer flowing 40 lubricates and cools critical engine
components better than slower flowing 60 oils can. Freer flowing oils
reduce bearing temperatures and sump temperatures compared to slower
flowing 60. Freer flowing 40 can also help increase horsepower and
miles per gallon. Using the slower flowing 60 to lower engine
temperature is going the wrong way because of increase oil drag...

[Linked Image]
 
Last edited:
Listen to your owners manual with maybe one tweak to a heavier oil, 20w50 would be fine in 85F degree heat and higher. It doesn't matter if your bike is liquid cooled, oil temps will still be higher and shifting may suffer with the 10/40.
I would not use a 10/60 under any conditions and in the warmer weather I would avoid a 10/50 and go with 20/50 if that is an option to purchase in your area.
Using a 10w oil serves no purpose where morning temps are at 55 or higher. The 10 will shear faster then the
20 as the spread is greater.
In more moderate colder temps below 75 a 10/40 is fine.
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone for your advice and opinions.
Certainly the oil recommended by Honda does not damage the engine but as a mechanical engineer I would like to understand what is the viscosity limit that best protects the engine. In this discussion we should talk about bearing clearance and section of the crankshaft oil ducts (assuming that the oil pump fulfills its task under normal conditions of use). Certainly a more viscous oil is thicker than a less viscous oil. Motorcycle manufacturers often choose a lower viscosity to comply with the strict homologation standards for CO2 emissions. Bearings tolerances should be known to be sure that a 10w60 oil flows smoothly without obstacles. Personally I think that the increase in temperature and the loss of power are negligible compared to the benefit of having well lubricated metal surfaces.
I hope I managed to make you understand my thoughts on this topic. Searching the net I found this interesting technical article https://www.substech.com/dokuwiki/d...hydrodynamic_friction_of_engine_bearings
Now I have a question for all of you. Can you tell me the typical average clearance value of bearings for four-cylinder motorcycles.
 
Originally Posted by Taurus77
Thanks everyone for your advice and opinions.
Certainly the oil recommended by Honda does not damage the engine but as a mechanical engineer I would like to understand what is the viscosity limit that best protects the engine. In this discussion we should talk about bearing clearance and section of the crankshaft oil ducts (assuming that the oil pump fulfills its task under normal conditions of use). Certainly a more viscous oil is thicker than a less viscous oil. Motorcycle manufacturers often choose a lower viscosity to comply with the strict homologation standards for CO2 emissions. Bearings tolerances should be known to be sure that a 10w60 oil flows smoothly without obstacles. Personally I think that the increase in temperature and the loss of power are negligible compared to the benefit of having well lubricated metal surfaces.
I hope I managed to make you understand my thoughts on this topic. Searching the net I found this interesting technical article https://www.substech.com/dokuwiki/d...hydrodynamic_friction_of_engine_bearings
Now I have a question for all of you. Can you tell me the typical average clearance value of bearings for four-cylinder motorcycles.


Here are the specs for my two bikes - Suzuki Hayabusa 1300 and Yamaha XSR900. I run 10W-40 in both, and both are water cooled. Both have very similar rod big end and crankshaft journal bearing clearance specs (see manual snips below). The crankshaft journal bearings are tighter than the rod big end bearings.

Don't over think this. If the bike manufacturer recommends 10W-40 but if you think it's a bit "too thin" then bump it up to a 20W-50 or a 10W-50 if that's available. I see no reason to run a xxW-60 oil. Also keep in mind that bike engines are typically revving higher on average than a bigger car engine, and per the link you show the bearing minimum oil film thickness increases with engine RPM.

Hayabusa

[Linked Image]


XSR900

[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by Taurus77
Thanks everyone for your advice and opinions.
Certainly the oil recommended by Honda does not damage the engine but as a mechanical engineer I would like to understand what is the viscosity limit that best protects the engine. In this discussion we should talk about bearing clearance and section of the crankshaft oil ducts (assuming that the oil pump fulfills its task under normal conditions of use). Certainly a more viscous oil is thicker than a less viscous oil. Motorcycle manufacturers often choose a lower viscosity to comply with the strict homologation standards for CO2 emissions. Bearings tolerances should be known to be sure that a 10w60 oil flows smoothly without obstacles. Personally I think that the increase in temperature and the loss of power are negligible compared to the benefit of having well lubricated metal surfaces.
I hope I managed to make you understand my thoughts on this topic. Searching the net I found this interesting technical article https://www.substech.com/dokuwiki/d...hydrodynamic_friction_of_engine_bearings
Now I have a question for all of you. Can you tell me the typical average clearance value of bearings for four-cylinder motorcycles.


Here are the specs for my two bikes - Suzuki Hayabusa 1300 and Yamaha XSR900. I run 10W-40 in both, and both are water cooled. Both have very similar rod big end and crankshaft journal bearing clearance specs (see manual snips below). The crankshaft journal bearings are tighter than the rod big end bearings.

Don't over think this. If the bike manufacturer recommends 10W-40 but if you think it's a bit "too thin" then bump it up to a 20W-50 or a 10W-50 if that's available. I see no reason to run a xxW-60 oil. Also keep in mind that bike engines are typically revving higher on average than a bigger car engine, and per the link you show the bearing minimum oil film thickness increases with engine RPM.

Hayabusa

[Linked Image]


XSR900

[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]



Thank you very much for your valuable information and advice.
 
As always, the larger the viscosity spread, the more VII's in the oil (viscosity index improvers) . Even with very high quality synthetic oils, producing a wide spread requires substantial additives.

The KTM guys know that the 10W-60 shears down almost instantly in the shared sumps of the KTM singles.

I'd suggest a shear stable oil as a better choice. Mobil 1, 10W-40 motorcycle oil (sometimes known as MX4t or Racing 4t) always rates highly in shear tests and viscosity retention tests. Motul and Amsoil make similarly robust products. In fact one Motul product is nearly identical to the Mobil product........
smile.gif
 
I will second that on the Mobil 1 10w40 4T. Starts as such a thin 40 weight to begin with, mine dropped just a half-point below-grade after almost 5,000 miles. Most importantly shift quality remained the same as day one. As well Mobil 1 V-Twin 20w50 was not affected by shear in just over 5,000 miles in the shared sump of my ZRX 1200.
 
Hello everyone, checking the connection tolerances between the crankshaft and connecting rod on the workshop manual of the Honda CB 1300 I realized that these are very similar to those of the MV Agusta F4 1000 R with the difference that the oil pump reaches a higher pressure , about 7 Bar while in the CB 1300 about 6 Bar at 5000 rpm and 80 ° C.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]


Surely the MV reaches 7 bar of pressure at a higher rpm. In your opinion, with these clarifications, are there valid reasons not to use a 10w60 oil?
 
Back
Top