What oil do you run for winter driving?

[Studhauler]

What oil do you run for winter driving? I was thinking maybe semi-synthetic 5W-30 oil. I am planning on commuting to work on the bike this winter here in

[Sleeperhawk]

I am still running with 20/50 Mobil1. Will run that all year long.

 

Suppose to get down to around 24F but still riding to work, no rain forcasted.

 

[stardbog]

Amsoil synthetic Motorcycle oil 10-40 all year round.

[N3FOL]

I ran Valvoline Moto 10W40 on my previous Vulcan all year long. I also have 10W40 in the Venture. It will be around 25°F Wednesday morning and I intend to ride from Wed. to Fri. It is time to plug in the Gerbings....

[Studhauler]

Thanks guys, I wasn't sure if synthetic oil would work in our bikes with a wet clutch. I will go with full synthetic 10W-30. It was 10 degrees F this moring on the 50 mile ride to work.

 

Cody

[Condor]

Thanks guys, I wasn't sure if synthetic oil would work in our bikes with a wet clutch. I will go with full synthetic 10W-30. It was 10 degrees F this moring on the 50 mile ride to work.

 

Cody

 

All of the above replies were from 2ndGen owners, and this is a 1stGen forum.... so I checked, and you posted in the right place for a 1stGen. . If you're going to run a synthetic oil, make sure it's wet clutch specfic. No frictions inhancers. I used to run 10-40 dino oil in the winter and 20-50 in the summer. Lately I've skipped the 10-40 and just run 20-50... Why? Because I'm cheap... And it's fine. And it's usually above freezing here on the best coast. Castrol GTX 20-50 works well.

[Studhauler]

Thanks Condor for noticing that they were 2nd gen owners. I run the same oil you do in the summer. I got Castrol 10W-30 GTX in it now. At 10 degrees, the bike is slow to crank over and sounds rough when first started.

 

Cody

[Condor]

Thanks Condor for noticing that they were 2nd gen owners. I run the same oil you do in the summer. I got Castrol 10W-30 GTX in it now. At 10 degrees, the bike is slow to crank over and sounds rough when first started.

 

Cody

 

At 10 degs anything would be a bit slow in cranking... Even me.. To get things turning over with a little more ooomph, you might try installing an AGM battery (PC680) and a set of those heavier starter cables that are listed in the classifieds... MOF if you're using the bike in weather that cold , you might think about 5-30. Just make sure it doesn't have friction modifiers. Most 5 weights do....

[venture482]

Does anyone have pros and cons on gel cells? I have a 88 VR I just bought a Blue Master TruGel MG50-N18L-A Batt so far it seam to do well. But I will follow you all advice about increasing batt cable and put a heaver relay also disassemble and clean the starter this winter.

I would like to know thoughts on gel cells/

[Condor]

Does anyone have pros and cons on gel cells? I have a 88 VR I just bought a Blue Master TruGel MG50-N18L-A Batt so far it seam to do well. But I will follow you all advice about increasing batt cable and put a heaver relay also disassemble and clean the starter this winter.

I would like to know thoughts on gel cells/

 

Gels must be charged at below 13.4vdc to avoid gassing. What happens over a period of time with a higher charge rate the bubbles will stay suspended in the gel, generally seperating the gel from the plates, and reducing the efficiency of plates to transfer amps and performance to deteriorate. Our rectifiers charge at 14.2vdc and will cause gassing. Wet cells and AGM's don't have this problem. Gel cells generally are not a good choice for any motorcycle. Personally I'd take the thing back to the store you bought it from and exchange it for an AGM. Hopefully a DEKA if they have them....

[Prairiehammer]

Does anyone have pros and cons on gel cells? I have a 88 VR I just bought a Blue Master TruGel MG50-N18L-A Batt so far it seam to do well. But I will follow you all advice about increasing batt cable and put a heaver relay also disassemble and clean the starter this winter.

I would like to know thoughts on gel cells/

 

Some have said that charging systems intended for conventional lead acid batteries will shorten the life of gel batteries. Few OEM automobile lines have gel batteries and even fewer motorcycle manufacturers equip their bikes with gel batteries. BMW is the notable exception and their charging system (automobile and motorcycle) has computer controls to prevent damage and shorten life of the OEM gel battery.

 

The BikeMaster TruGel MG50-N18L-A has a CCA (cold cranking amps) rating of just 240, while most batteries intended for the Venture are rated at 350 CCA.

[Black wing]

i drop to 10-40 during the winter and i hit riding temps of -40C up here at times still starts