87 Oil brands?

[Guest jrmorri]

Just purchased an '87, (one owner bike) the guy used Gastrol GTX 20W50 all of the time and changed it every 3k. I called the local dealer to schedule a tune-up/oil change etc... and asked if they used Gastrol oil. He said they NEVER put car oil into a motorcycle and wouldn't recommend it at all. He said I should be using the Yamaha oil and that is what they generally use. The guy I bought it from drove it for 21 years using Gastrol - and everything seems to run fine.

Should I switch to the Yamaha brand?

I didn't think this would cause that much problem.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Redneck]

I ran gtx in many motorcycles over the years with no problems the only thing you need to stay away from are oils labeled energy conserving the additives those will cause clutch slippage.

[sarges46]

I used Castrol on my 89 before selling it with no issues. Any oil will do its job. Regular oil changes are whats important.

 

The dealer may or may not be trying to sell you a more expensive brand just because it says "yammalube".

 

I guess you could check the "ingrediants" on each for a comparison.

 

Any oil for the bike should be non energy conserving or the clutch will start to slip. And, if you were thinking of going synthetic after all these years...I wouldn't. You could pop leaks all over.

 

My opinion is just that, so keep in mind there are many other folks with differant ideas.

[Yammer Dan]

Castrol 20/50 all I use in my bikes. Dealer's want to sell their brand at better than twice the price.

[Condor]

The last time I heard, Steve (hdhtr) used GTX 20-50 in his '90 for the last 165,000 miles. Pretty good testimony. If I remember correctly GTX was formulated for small high reving engines. Hmmmm, I wonder what our V-4's are??? I'd stick with the GTX. After 21 years, anything else may cause it to go blind...... Go buy 4 qt's at you local auto parts emporium and have the dealer put it in.

[Yammer Dan]

Change it yourself and save a few bucks. Buy a filter adapter and use spin-on filters. Change it in 15 min.

[skydoc_17]

I Ran The Castrol Gtx 20/50 In My 86' Vr For The Entire Time I Owned It Which Was A Bit Under 123,000 Miles In Sothern California Heat, And Run The Same Castrol In My 87' Vr As Did The Previous Owner And It Has Over 72,000 Miles On It Now. It Must Be Only Me But I Think Oil/filter Changes Are Fun Things To Do To Your Own Bike, I Like Spending The Time In The Garage, Just Me And My Bike. I Try To Never Let The Oil Change Go Past 3000 Miles And Have Never Had A Major Motor Problem. I Do Run The Honda Full Synthetic In My V65 Magna (10,000 R.p.m. Red Line) But That Bike Has Very Few Miles On It And See's A Lot Higher Revs.

[Guest jrmorri]

Thanks everyone for the replys. I thought the GTX was alright but always feels better when you hear others doing the same. I believe I will be doing the oil changes myself. I'll let the shop do the technical adjustments.

 

Thanks Again!!

[Guest HdHtr]

The last time I heard, Steve (hdhtr) used GTX 20-50 in his '90 for the last 165,000 miles. Pretty good testimony. If I remember correctly GTX was formulated for small high reving engines. Hmmmm, I wonder what our V-4's are??? I'd stick with the GTX. After 21 years, anything else may cause it to go blind...... Go buy 4 qt's at you local auto parts emporium and have the dealer put it in.

 

It's a 91 Jack!! Yous memory going South?? 172K on it now and hope to finally get some riding in this year now that I may have the time! Since I left from out there Jack the bike has sat more than it ever did even when it was the 3rd bike back in the stable!! When I first got it, GTX was available in 20/40 and I used that until it wasn't available anymore. Then I went to 20/50 and no problems.