[OneIrishPollack]

I have a 2002 Sabre 1100. I really don't care to get ripped off by the dealer, so I have tried to collect different opinions to determine what the best option is.

After reading oilology, there is obviously a lot of opinion about what is best. I value the real world feedback just as much as the chemistry lessons. In conclusion I have nailed it down to the following three choices:

Rotella 5w40 synth.
Mobile 1 MX4T
Amsoil MCF


Does anyone have a real issue with why one of these three should not be used?

How about oil filter selection? What is a great "budget buy" filter?

Mark you did a lot of great work, but did you assemble a ranked list for oils and filters? With all the research you did I think you would be in a good position to do that.

Thanks,
Irishpollack

 

[Cbjr]

You know when push comes to shove, you could use any decent oil, and any decent filter, change it every 2 to 3k miles and run the motor forever.

In other words, I have never heard of failure because of a cheap oil or filter.....failures come from negelect or catastrophic failure of a filter component.....a very rare thing.

 

[litnin]

You know when push comes to shove, you could use any decent oil, and any decent filter, change it every 2 to 3k miles and run the motor forever.

In other words, I have never heard of failure because of a cheap oil or filter.....failures come from negelect or catastrophic failure of a filter component.....a very rare thing.

Agreed. With the exception of Fram filters.

Back in the 70's, Fram caused a multitude of Honda engines to burn up
due to lack of oil, and it was proven that the Fram filter caused the problem.

While I'd be willing to bet they have long since fixed the issue,
I saw too many of them kill engines and I have not trusted one since.

 

[PainterD]

Also, Fram filters are not the same now as they were, say, 5 years ago. They supposedly were bought out by another company and they are very cheaply made now. The reviews will confirm this also.

 

[Jim Mann]

Good answers so far.

Here is my opinion. First, let me preface this by saying that I use the Mobil 1 MXT 10W40 motorcycle oil in my 97 ACE 1100. I do change my oil more often than I need to, target 3000 miles, and normally use Honda OEM filters.

As long as you use a quality oil of the correct type and follow the change intervals for oil and filter, you will be fine.

I was with Valvoline as the branded sales rep here in ALabama from 1989 to 2001, and I have have heard many falsehoods and rumors, and had access to some of the best oil and filter minds in the industry. I am not a mechanical person as many of the contributors are, but have picked up enough info. to help me see beyond some of the clutter.

I do prefer a motorcycle specific oil such as the Mobil 1 based upon the fact that the additive package was blended with motorcycle operational characteristics and needs in mind. Is this necessary for long life and optimal performance? I doubt it, and the price can be escalated. Most of the forum members seem to use oils marketed for automobiles, and they have no negative issues. Neither is right or wrong, just a matter of preference. I would have no problem using a regular oil, as long as it met the correct specs. Either way, I'll change it at 3000 miles whether I need to or not. It is your choice. You just don't want oil that is outside of the acceptable viscosity range for your riding area, or oil that contains the extra additives that might cause clutch slippage.

Napa filters were made by either Wix or Champion, both quality suppliers, and most of my firnds use them on their bikes. I always end up using Honda OEM filters. Yes, Fram had some issues, and I do not know whether or not they got them resolved. Cut one open versus a competitor and you might not want one. Filter performance is important to me, so I stay with proven names.

It is all a matter of comfort and choice, and it sounds like you are doing your homework. Jim

 

[Dragoon]

I buy my filters from wallyworld for a fraction of the cost anywhere else. I got this hint from this forum.

Secondly, I don’t believe there is any percentage in paying a premium for a motorcycle oil in our shadows. So I use a fully synthetic Mobile one, and the first non EC weight is 15w-50. It works fine for me in SoCal and although it says it is good for 15k, I change my oil, filter and crush ring every 2500-3000 miles. It works for me and may or may not work for you. At 10 cents, I buy 20 crush rings at a time. I pay about $3 for the filter and about $4.99 for the oil ( per quart).

Oil is cheap compare to what it protects and it is extremely easy to change our bike.

Cheers

 

[txspirit]

one thing I believe the synthetics do is lower operating temperature of the oil. I believe it was pavogg who demonstrated that to himself years ago using one of the oil-dipstick-thermometers. I think he said the synthetic typically ran about 15 degrees lower than dino.
I assume :roll: that is due to reduced friction.

 

[TucsonDon]

The Amsoil is lower in cholesterol, but contains some trans fats. Neither the Amsoil or the Mobil is certified "healthy organic," so I go with Rotella. Rotella is made with free-range oil molecules. They're happy and content little molecules ... up until the point they're run through the refinery and squirted into bottles. 8)

You've seen the opinion of people more gifted at motorcycle maintenance than me. I'm coming to the conclusion more and more that between those three it doesn't matter. I go with Amsoil 10W40 because long ago I believed it made my Shadow "shift better." Whether it did or did not I really can't say. I believed it did, so that's what I go with now. I go with the Honda OEM filter. They have it for $8.99 at WingStuff.com

 

[chornbe]

I buy my filters from wallyworld for a fraction of the cost anywhere else. I got this hint from this forum.

Secondly, I don’t believe there is any percentage in paying a premium for a motorcycle oil in our shadows. So I use a fully synthetic Mobile one, and the first non EC weight is 15w-50. It works fine for me in SoCal and although it says it is good for 15k, I change my oil, filter and crush ring every 2500-3000 miles. It works for me and may or may not work for you. At 10 cents, I buy 20 crush rings at a time. I pay about $3 for the filter and about $4.99 for the oil ( per quart).

Oil is cheap compare to what it protects and it is extremely easy to change our bike.

Cheers

That about sums it all up nicely.

The real benefits to synthetic oils comes when you can't change the oil on a very rigid schedule - say, right in the middle of a big road trip. Using the longer-lasting synth is a great insurance policy, and a cheap one, too.

 

[Orangeflame]

I also have an '02 Sabre and for a while was battling the tick in the engine. I won that battle thankfully. Around that time I switched to Amsoil and have been running it now for a few years. I recommend it, not over any of the others, it just has worked out well for me.

 

[chornbe]

You know when push comes to shove, you could use any decent oil, and any decent filter, change it every 2 to 3k miles and run the motor forever.

In other words, I have never heard of failure because of a cheap oil or filter.....failures come from negelect or catastrophic failure of a filter component.....a very rare thing.

Agreed. With the exception of Fram filters.

Back in the 70's, Fram caused a multitude of Honda engines to burn up
due to lack of oil, and it was proven that the Fram filter caused the problem.

While I'd be willing to bet they have long since fixed the issue,
I saw too many of them kill engines and I have not trusted one since.

They, indeed, have *long* since cleaned their act up. They make a fine product these days.

 

[Dragoon]

I just checked and the cheap filters I buy from Wallyworld are labeled Fram. I have no idea of their history because I use K&N on my cars due to there higher burst rate and I drive my cars hard.

Cheers

 

[dmccurdy5]

I use Mobile 1 MX4T on my '02 Shadow ACE. It's the only synthetic 10W-40 I can find in my small town and I didn't want to go thicker since I ride in really cold weather (manual recommends this, especially in cold weather).

Sure, it's an expensive brand and it probably makes no difference if you do changes regularly, but what the hell, it feels good. When I got my bike last year the oil in it was HORRIBLE (I think it had been in there for years - more like tree pitch than oil! It didn't help that I rode it 500 miles before checking it!) Out of sympathy, I'm babying the bike now and it's running much better. A little Seaform in your tank once in a while doesn't hurt either (cleans out the carbs).

I've been using the OEM filters, but my local stealer keeps cranking up the price (now 3x the price of Walmart). Although the fancy Honda filter wrench I have won't fit most other kinds of filters, I think I will switch to a cheaper filter.

These bikes are VERY forgiving and as long as you have some oil in there it's likely going to run fine.

Cheers, D-Mac

 

[TucsonDon]

Out of sympathy, I'm babying the bike now and it's running much better.

You can't imagine how closely that sentiment matches my thinking on motorcycles. It's as if I think they have feelings and moods.

Okay, now I'm embarrassed.

 

[Dragoon]

[quote="
I've been using the OEM filters, but my local stealer keeps cranking up the price (now 3x the price of Walmart). Although the fancy Honda filter wrench I have won't fit most other kinds of filters, I think I will switch to a cheaper filter.

Cheers, D-Mac[/quote]

I know I am going to get sh^% for this one, but I can take my filter off by hand, not real easy, but I don’t use a tool. I also tighten it by hand, also not hard, but then I run the engine around the block with some WOT (wide open throttle) and check for leaks. I have never had a problem and it makes the oil change very quick.

This seems to be a minor part of ones maintenance routine, but to me, oil is one of the most important ( irrespective of safety of course) things you can do. When overhead cams first came into mass production it became VERY important to make sure the oil you have in the sump was able to travel up the capillaries to splash over the lobes and the other fast moving parts. Thus it must be clean and free of particles.

Cheers

Dragoon

 

[CPTRICK3]

I use mobile 1 20-50 motorcycle oil. I know that I should use a thinner oil as this oil was really designed for an air cooled bike. But I've read where systhatic 20-50 actually runs thinner than dino 20-50. I also use k&n oil filtures. I know the reason it is such a free flowing filture is because it can let large bolders thru it's filture material but what to heck it works great with that thick oil I'm using. I also change the oil every 4,000 miles weather I need it or not. I'm probably spending too much on oil and filtures but what the heck; it makes me feel good. Isn't that what motocycling is all about.