Oil for Venture

[Seaking]

I've been through the forum looking for info on oil for the 2nd Gen Ventures. I recently did an oil change and used Yama Lube and a Yamaha filter no probs.

 

I've not seen much information of people using Synthetic oils in the bikes like you would on other bikes. (05 VStar has been running nicely on AMSOIL, smoother, quieter and cooler).

 

In regards to the 'whine' of the engine, would synthetic oils quell this down a tad more?

 

Or are synthetics not recommended on these bikes for a certain reason or another?

 

CHeers

[Tom]

I've been through the forum looking for info on oil for the 2nd Gen Ventures. I recently did an oil change and used Yama Lube and a Yamaha filter no probs.

 

I've not seen much information of people using Synthetic oils in the bikes like you would on other bikes. (05 VStar has been running nicely on AMSOIL, smoother, quieter and cooler).

 

In regards to the 'whine' of the engine, would synthetic oils quell this down a tad more?

 

Or are synthetics not recommended on these bikes for a certain reason or another?

 

CHeers

 

I have been using Amsoil 10/50 for motorcycles in mine since about 6000 miles,no problems at all.I really do not know if it quietens the slight whine or not but it is so slight it doesnt bother me. Some say that changing to synthetic makes the engine have a little tappet noise at first start up but mine does that with regular oil also,Yamaha says they all do it and the few ive been around on first strt in the AM has a slight tapping noise. Tom ( I use the heavier oil because of our very hot temps down here)

[Freebird]

Yep...there are some that don't like synthetics at all but I've been using Mobil 1 motorcycle specific in my '99 since '99 and about 2,000 miles. Wouldn't use anything else. I've never had a big problem with the whine either so can't tell you if it helps with that.

[emack]

Short answer, no. I just changed the engine oil on my RSTD over to Amsoil 20/50 in hopes that a heavy synthetic would help reduce chirp. No luck. Best thing to cure the chirp is ear plugs. I also greased the crap out of the drive shaft, wheel hub, clutch hub, and swapped over the rear gear oil to Amsoil 80/90 synthetic in effort to quell some noise. No luck. However I know the bike is well lubed and it does shift much smoother. Ear plugs reduce noise and they're cheap.

 

 

In regards to the 'whine' of the engine, would synthetic oils quell this down a tad more?

 

CHeers

[Seaking]

Short answer, no. I just changed the engine oil on my RSTD over to Amsoil 20/50 in hopes that a heavy synthetic would help reduce chirp. No luck. Best thing to cure the chirp is ear plugs. I also greased the crap out of the drive shaft, wheel hub, clutch hub, and swapped over the rear gear oil to Amsoil 80/90 synthetic in effort to quell some noise. No luck. However I know the bike is well lubed and it does shift much smoother. Ear plugs reduce noise and they're cheap.

 

Thanks to all for their responses.. I'm not sure what the previous owner had in it for oil but switching to Yamalube made it shift easier.. Perhaps down the road I'll look at Amsoil.

 

The rear of the bike is silent quiet, I've not heard any noise from it at all..

[Guest VentureMan]

Just before Americade I had my oil changed by an independant service center that I have dealt with for many yeas. I was supposed to bring my own Yamalube oil because that is what I always use. But I forgot and he used a well known synthetic.

 

I pull a trailer and I did a trial run pre - Americade and wouldn't you know I was able to break the clutch free when I just opened the throttle (WOT). Hmmm.....

 

I took it back and had him dump the oil and put in the Yamalube. All better now.

 

Yes, this is anecdotal, but that's my experience. BTW I use a Barnett 6-spring clutch conversion.

 

I'll answer any questions asked on this subject.

 

Hal S.

[Freebird]

BUT...was it a motorcycle specific synthetic? If it was just an automotive oil, it was likely "energy conserving" and they can cause slippage. I use only motorcycle specific Mobil 1. Riding two up and pulling a Bushtec trailer that my wife is very good at overloading, I've never had a problem with clutch slippage.

[pegscraper]

My bike never had the chirp until I tried synthetic oil. I noticed it immediately, and the first time the wife rode with me on it she said something to me about it. She knows I like to tinker with the bike anyway. "I'm hearing this awful whine. What have you done to the bike now?" I had done nothing but change the oil and try some synthetic. I've never believed in the stuff, but everyone raves about it so much that I thought I should give it an honest try. I wanted to be wrong. I wanted it to shift smoother and all that. I was on the fence, and I believed these things were going to happen and I tried to convince myself that I could feel a difference. But I can't. Really all it did was make the engine whine and it doesn't even shift smoother. Synthetic oil sucks, an expensive waste of money. And I've proven it to myself now. I'm going back to regular next time.

[Freebird]

Well, I honestly think that your statement should have been IN MY OPINION "synthetic sucks". I can respect you having such an opinion but that does not make it a fact. My experience has been exactly the opposite of yours. I find that my bike and also the '88 that I had before both shift MUCH better. Not so much when the oil is new but after it gets a thousand miles or so on it. Also, I hear much more valve noise and etc. with standard oil. I'm not trying to change your mind but just let others know that IN MY OPINION synthetic oil does NOT suck.

[pegscraper]

Oh I'm sure it's going to be just my opinion and that I'm welcome to hold whatever opinion I want to. And it really doesn't matter what my opinion is. I can think anything I want to. But I just can't seem to get the bike to change its opinion. The bike is only telling me one thing.

[venturejockey]

I've been using automotive Mobil 1 15w-50 (non-energy conserving) in my 2000MM since for nearly 8 years. I have had not had any problems what-so-ever. No clutch slippage nothing. By the same token I still have a whine/chirp that is unaffected by either synthetic or dino oil.

 

The final drive was replaced at 9000 miles under warranty, boy did that quieten things down. I re-broke in the final drive, changed gear oil at I think it was 600 miles, or what ever the manual said, ran another 3000 miles with dino gear oil then switched to royal purple synthetic for the final drive.

 

The engine ticks a little when first fired up then quietens up, normal I think.

 

For what its worth.

[PBJ]

I've heard all the good stuff about synthetics but my old Honda was notorious for oil starvation in those model years of the 1100. Mostly it was a too small oil return line to the head, there was a kit made to replace it. Anywho my dealer told me to only run 20w50 and i have in all my bikes . They're very happy especially in summer. the only problem i ever had was in my daughter's 650 suzuki . Apparently the oil was too much for the starter motor on cold mornings and the bike wouldn't start. Still I've always found that thicker is better.