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Benefits of synthetic oil?

The OP mentioned "half-synthetic" oil. I haven't seen "semi-synthetic" on the market for m-c oil but it is widely sold for cars. You should know that "semi-synthetic" is a blend of petro and synthetic, as you would expect, but there is no standard for the percent of each in the blend. Oil with just 10% synthetic could be sold as "semi-synthetic".

For what my opinion is worth (not much, my wife would tell you) I will be switching to full synth at the up-coming 12K service on my 2011 RT. Then I feel comfortable with 6K oil changes and hot and cold ambient temperatures. Been using it in my Honda car which has 10K oil changes. If I spent $20K on the vehicle, the price of motor oil is insignificant for 6 or 10K.

pete

I remember discussing this when we had to make a decision in our auto shop. The Shell/Chevron/Motorcraft/Etc. distributor explained to me they could not call an oil semi-synthetic unless it had at least 14% synthetic oil.
The manufacturers of oil use two grades of oil, class 1 and 2 if I remember right.
To get to a certain API rating they could use straight class 1 or use class 2 and add enough synthetic to bring it up to the specific specification they were shooting for.
That's the way I remember it anyway.
 
"I tried to quit,.....but they SUCKED me back in!" Friggin oil threads.

I don't agree about using synthetic from day one on a new engine, especially a BMW flat twin. Use Dino oil for the first 6,000 to 10,000 and then switch to synthetic if that is your preference.

I just recently viewed an 1150 engine tear down, done at 225,000 miles to replace the cam chain guides and tensioner updates. The cylinder bores looked great, cross-hatch still easily visible, no ridge at the top of the bores, no scoring/scrathing. Rings checked out ok and ring end gap was well within spec. No piston scuffing. In fact the engine was reassembled using the original pistons and rings. So these bores are really durable, which seems to match with comments of riders claiming oil consumption issues sometimes up to 20,000 miles.

My 94 RS is 55,000 miles below my friend's 1150 at 225,000 miles, but it uses no oil. I do my oil changes at 5k and I've been running synthetic oil since 10k on the bike.
 
We get reports of dino engines going hundreds of thousands of miles with little wear so how could they be better for wearing in an engine...than synthetic, which I wonder it's being slippery more than dino.
It seems engines are like people, they die from something other than what we worried about.
 
We get reports of dino engines going hundreds of thousands of miles with little wear so how could they be better for wearing in an engine...than synthetic, which I wonder it's being slippery more than dino.
It seems engines are like people, they die from something other than what we worried about.
cjack, you have hit on the one absolute that most overlook in these great and wondrous oil threads: most people sell or crash their bike long before wear has any real impact on the engine!

The only test I ever saw on wear and oil was done in Consumer Reports but is nowhere to be found anymore. That test was done on a taxi fleet in or around New York or New Jersey. They tore engines apart at regular intervals and actually measured the parts where wear should have most impact. Guess what???? There was almost no difference between synthetic and dino oils. Now for seemingly contradictory data, I have also seen data from large fleet oil analysis that showed synthetic oil maintains its viscosity longer than dino and additive packages seem to hold up better in synthetic. What do I do? If Mobil 1 10W40 is on sale I buy it. If there is a sale on a good blend, I buy it. If I see a sale on a good dino, I buy it. In short, I don't believe oil is as important as we make it. I just make sure I change it at recommended intervals along with a good filter.
 
Basically, what we learn in every oil thread discussion is that there is no smoking gun evidence and no overriding reason to use synthetic. I do realize it's all anecdotal and personal preferences when discussing oil. My own experience is with a Dodge pickup truck that only had 18,000 miles on it and was 3 years 3 months old. Right after I had the oil changed with a synthetic blend for the first time, after using conventional oil before that, my cam gear exploded while driving approx 15 MPH after starting off from a red light. Does that prove anything to you all, probably not. But it sure got my attention.

I too recall the Consumer Reports investigation that basically said you're wasting your money with synthetics. They said there was nothing wrong with it, just more expensive. It is not thinner, nor more slippery. If it was, you'd see your RPMs measurably increase with synthetic if there was a large enough decrease in friction of the internal engine parts, as the engine was working less hard. But I don't hear anyone saying they had to readjust the RPM at idle because it was idling too high with synthetic oil.
 
Doesn't matter if synthetic is better

Based on the miles we ride and our age 99%+ of us will get little if any benefit from synthetic oil. Also, how many miles do you get on a bike before you replace it with another? How many bikes do you see with a worn out engine? Most are junked because they are neglected and/or left out unprotected.

I use dino oil and use the money saved to buy fuel for either my bike or myself.
 
I don't agree about using synthetic from day one on a new engine, especially a BMW flat twin. Use Dino oil for the first 6,000 to 10,000 and then switch to synthetic if that is your preference.

FWIW, my 2012 RT has 12,000 miles and it was broken in (after the initial 600 mile oil change) on synthetics and synthetic blends. I switched to dino around 9,000 miles and will continue using dino in the future.

My precise calculations is that since mile zero I have consumed 1 Qt of oil per approx 12,000 miles ... and that includes the first couple thousand miles when the consumption was understandably higher than it is now. I'm very happy anytime I use 1 Qt of oil anywhere close to 8 or 10 thousand miles in a vehicle.

So I followed the opposite of the old-BMW-practice of oil break-in, and it doesn't seem to have made any difference.

YMMV.

BMW abandoned their old recommendation (since the 2010 models) against synthetics in the first few thousand miles.
 
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I can't beleive after all these years, in what must have been a moment of utter weakness, I once again posted in an oil thread......................:laugh
There's got to be a reason why oil is both a never ending and a fascinating issue. My take on it is that is that no one is ever entirely sure they're right, and there is always this little nagging doubt at the back of their minds.
 
There's got to be a reason why oil is both a never ending and a fascinating issue. My take on it is that is that no one is ever entirely sure they're right, and there is always this little nagging doubt at the back of their minds.
My guess is that most people who can't figure what part the hammer fits into the age old hammer, nail and lumber problem can change the oil on a bike. Then the problem gets down to what do I put into that oil filler thing. An enigma wrapped up in a conundrum:eek Then comes the part that most people have issues with, reading the owners manual. Then comes the sticky part, which oil has the specs the manufacturer recommends and does it have to be exactly what the manufacturer recommends? Last but not least, greed. Will el cheapo work versus do I want to risk my baby by using that? It's a complex question that plays with our simple minds :laugh
 
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