Yamalube Full Synthetic????

T

TMR

New Member
I thought with the NESBA and Yamaha affiliation, this might be a good place to ask this question. I also read that there was a Yamalube seminar at Barber a few months back.

I have used the regular Yamalube stuff, Shell Rotella Synthetic, and Amsoil in my '08 YZF-R6.

I am putting fresh oil in my bike while winterizing, so it will be ready to go next season. I do not ride my bike on the road anymore. It is a dedicated track bike in which I do 4 to 5 track days a year (Beginner/Novice)

I thought I would give the Yamalube Gold Full Synthetic a try this time around. The local Yamaha dealer sold me a kit which contained (4) quarts of the Yamalube 15W-50 Full Synthetic, (1) Oil Filter, (1) crush washer for $68.00.

I did a little bit of reading prior to purchasing this oil and was pretty sure I was going to purchase the Yamalube Gold 15W-30.

The dealer asked if I race, and I said no. He mentioned that the 15W-30 is better for racing applications and the 15W-50 is better suited to what I am doing with my bike.

Yamaha's website states that the 15W-50 is the choice for all motorcycles and some of their other vehicles. The 15W-30 is for "sport" and "race" applications.

I guess I am kind of hung up on that "sport" designation.

Would anyone have some insight or experience with these choices?

Thanks!
Tim
 
emry

emry

New Member
Oil weight is normally chosen based on average temperature. 30 oil is typlically used in "race bikes" because of the lower viscosity, (real race bikes use even lower) the lower viscosity is easier to pump which equals a lower HP loss. For most of us in the real world we don't rebuild after every weekend let alone every season, this is particullary true of track day riders. In this case the higher viscosity will do a better job of protecting our engine over a longer period of time, while we may lose a little HP or a tenth a lap here it does not affect our overall performance to any noticeable degree. Use the 50 it will do just fine.
As for the "sport" designation you can thank marketers. Track day riders normally would fall into the street catagory. In many respects track riding is easier on engines than typical stret riding, no long idle periods, short rides when no proper operating temp is reached, more clutch slipping, etc...
 
greeny

greeny

Member
Yamaha made some inconsistent recommendations between '08 and '09. Even though there were no changes to the engine, they suggested either 30 or 40 weight oil in '08 and 40 or 50 weight oil in '09. I've always used 10W40 synthetic in my '08.
 
Bottlecap75

Bottlecap75

New Member
This is the way I see it-- Yamaha produces (more acurately, has someone else produce) oil that will extend the life of their engines. They are far more interested in customer satisfaction with their product rather than selling oil. If you go out on a your brand new R6 or R1 and blow it up, you are gonna think twice about getting another one after they fix it, under warranty, which takes considerable down time (no loaner bikes I've ever heard of).
There is a team of engineers/scientists that get paid a whole lot more than I do to do nothing more than analyze how their oil performs. I use what they want me to. There is no "ploy" to sell oil. They would rather sell you another bike thank another case of oil.
:idea:
 
emry

emry

New Member
Another quick note. I have never seen an AMSOIL study that included Yamalube, even the older formulations. AMSOIL products are designed to meet the desired "specs" of the testing critirea. If you look at their test data, they normally only just clear the specs minimum requirements. Yamalube is spec'ed by the same engineers that design the engines, then the product is blended to meet those requirements.
 
A

alphamale

New Member
dmb367;94609 wrote: http://www.synthetic2cycleoil.com/mcf.html

click here --> G2156 - Motorcycle Oils White Paper (1MB PDF)



just for the record, I don't use Amsoil
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That's hilarious, but, they only sell Amsoil on the page, of course they tout Amsoil, because they make a profit if you buy it.

Pardon me if I somehow seem offensive. I am just highly skeptical of "studies" put on by the manufacturer of any product. Amsoil has always sounded quite familiar to "AMWAY", but that is another story.

A few years ago NESBA was selling Amsoil, and one parts vendor was touting how Amsoil is the best oil ever. Now they are sponsored by Yamaha... They don't tout Amsoil anymore.... Go figure.
 
dmb367

dmb367

New Member
alphamale;94619 wrote: That's hilarious, but, they only sell Amsoil on the page, of course they tout Amsoil, because they make a profit if you buy it.

Pardon me if I somehow seem offensive. I am just highly skeptical of "studies" put on by the manufacturer of any product. Amsoil has always sounded quite familiar to "AMWAY", but that is another story.

A few years ago NESBA was selling Amsoil, and one parts vendor was touting how Amsoil is the best oil ever. Now they are sponsored by Yamaha... They don't tout Amsoil anymore.... Go figure.
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None taken man, I'm skeptical too. It's hard to believe the data when Amsoil paid for all the studies. But most of those tests are standardized, so it makes me think there's some truth there.

They way I see it like this: Engine oil from the last decade is all so much better than the crap that was originally pushed on the market in the 60's and 70's its ridiculous. Amsoil made more sense in a market like that. Now, even dino oils are so good that they can compete with the PAO stuff. Engine oil has a few pretty simple jobs. Buying good dino oil is like hiring a high school kid to do basic addition all day. There's some fuck up's, but most will get it done. Buying Amsoil is like hiring a Mathematician PHD to do the job. Can he do it? Yes. Is he better at the same job. Yes. Is it worth it? Prob not :first:
 
emry

emry

New Member
snowbizx;90831 wrote: Yamaha made some inconsistent recommendations between '08 and '09. Even though there were no changes to the engine, they suggested either 30 or 40 weight oil in '08 and 40 or 50 weight oil in '09. I've always used 10W40 synthetic in my '08.
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The recommend oils changed in 08 due to a reformulation. The oils were reformulated from a 10W30 and 20W40 to a 10W40 and a 20W50, Full Synth 15W30 was also reformulated but the viscosity was keep the same as it recommend usage is racing. This was done at the same time that there were design changes to the R6 (main bearings) and the new viscosity was better suited for average consumer.

But to be honest I agree with dmb367, frequent changes with a decent oil will do a much better job of keeping your engine safe than infrequent changes with an expensive oil. I have not talked to a tech that has seen a oil related failure in a while, other than lack of.:doh:

YamaLube, Amspoil, or even Shell Rotella for the low revin diesel fans should keep your engine happy.
 
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