Hi, Mistakenly I bought an engine oil 1 liter bottle for a 110cc Yamaha motorcycle. But the oil case has such label:

'GTX 20W-50 mineral engine oil, for petrol cars'

. Ops!
Is that a huge mistake?

 

Is it a 4 stroke motorcycle engine with oil in the crankcase?
Is it a high quality oil?
If so, then the oil should be okay.

 

Is it a 4 stroke motorcycle engine with oil in the crankcase?
Is it a high quality oil?
If so, then the oil should be okay.

Hi I have Yamaha YBR 110 motorcycle which has 4 stroke engine. But I don't know about the word 'crankcase'.

The oil I bought mistakenly, manufactured by Castrol, which costs higher than other oils. People say it produces good category engine oils.

Then?

 

Castrol makes high quality oils.
If it is the right viscosity range for the engine than I see no particular problem with using it.
I used standard automobile engine oil in my air cooled Honda 650 Nighthawk and got 110,000 miles on the engine without an overhaul.

The crankcase is where the engine crankshaft is located.

Most 4-cycle engines store the engine oil in the crankcase below the crankshaft.

 

Castrol makes high quality oils.
If it is the right viscosity range for the engine than I see no particular problem with using it.

I understood to use the oil in my motorcycle. (I don't know again about 'viscosity range'.)

I used standard automobile engine oil in my air cooled Honda 650 Nighthawk and got 110,000 miles on the engine without an overhaul.

What!! Are you saying after filling oil once, you did not replaced the oil till 110,000 miles of riding??? Here, local mechanic says: just replace the oil after riding 2,000km to 2,500km. How long distance can I go with my Castrol oil then?

Here, mechanic checks oil's color. When oil starts to turn into little black color then they prefer to change oil. And changing the color happens within 2,500km. Is that a normal thing?

 

What!! Are you saying after filling oil once, you did not replaced the oil till 110,000 miles of riding??? Here, local mechanic says: just replace the oil after riding 2,000km to 2,500km. How long distance can I go with my Castrol oil then?

No... That's not what he is saying.. He has used standard oil every oil change, and it was good for that mileage..

Most oil changes are recommended every 12 months or 16,000km... One thing... How old is the motorbike? And is the Castrol oil synthetic or semi synthetic or completely non synthetic?

 

I don't know again about 'viscosity range

Viscosity is the engine oil "thickness".
Thus syrup has a higher viscosity than water.
In winter you want a lower viscosity oil than in summer.
Oils used to have a single viscosity number but they developed additives that reduce the change in viscosity with temperature so they now have multiple viscosity numbers (the 20W-50 for the oil you bought). The means it has the viscosity of a 20W oil when cold, so it's easier to start, but has the viscosity of a 50 oil when the engine is hot, to better protect the moving parts. This means you can now often use the same oil in winter and summer, where they used to recommend changing viscosity oils with the season.

What!! Are you saying after filling oil once, you did not replaced the oil till 110,000 miles of riding?

No, of course I regularly changed the oil.
I think I usually went about 4,000 miles (6,600 km) between changes but I rode about 50 km to work each day. You don't need to change the oil as often if most of your driving is longer trips.

"Overhaul" is the rebuilding of the engine with new parts (piston rings, bearings, etc.) when it gets too worn after many miles of use.

Here, mechanic checks oil's color. When oil starts to turn into little black color then they prefer to change oil. And changing the color happens within 2,500km. Is that a normal thing?

I think that's more often than needed, unless it's been at least a year since the last change.
I've heard that oil color is not a reliable method to determine when it's time to change oil.
Mileage and time are usually used as an indicator.

 

No... That's not what he is saying.. He has used standard oil every oil change, and it was good for that mileage..

Most oil changes are recommended every 12 months or 16,000km... One thing... How old is the motorbike? And is the Castrol oil synthetic or semi synthetic or completely non synthetic?

The bottle just has 'GTX 20W-50' as chemical info. 16,000km? Awesome! My Yamaha YBR110 (106cc) is 3.6 years old, total distance crossed till now is 31,000km.

Viscosity is the engine oil "thickness".
Thus syrup has a higher viscosity than water.
In winter you want a lower viscosity oil than in summer.
Oils used to have a single viscosity number but they developed additives that reduce the change in viscosity with temperature so they now have multiple viscosity numbers (the 20W-50 for the oil you bought). The means it has the viscosity of a 20W oil when cold, so it's easier to start, but has the viscosity of a 50 oil when the engine is hot, to better protect the moving parts. This means you can now often use the same oil in winter and summer, where they used to recommend changing viscosity oils with the season.
No, of course I regularly changed the oil.
I think I usually went about 4,000 miles (6,600 km) between changes but I rode about 50 km to work each day. You don't need to change the oil as often if most of your driving is longer trips.

Confused! Regular longer trips cause oil damage faster? I ride 10 to 15km daily and my motorcycle gives almost 60km per liter, then after how many KMs would you prefer to replace oil?

 

Your oil will be fine.... GTX is a very good oil... If you love your bike, you can change it frequently... If you do it every 16k it will last for a good while..

 

Confused! Regular longer trips cause oil damage faster?

No, just the opposite.
I said "You don't need to change the oil as often if most of your driving is longer trips."

Short trips with many cold engine starts, where the engine oil may not heat to full operating temperature, causes more oil contamination, thus requiring an oil change at a lower mileage.

 

No, just the opposite.
I said "You don't need to change the oil as often if most of your driving is longer trips."

Short trips with many cold engine starts, where the engine oil may not heat to full operating temperature, causes more oil contamination, thus requiring an oil change at a lower mileage.

Interesting! In the trip of around 100km, engine becomes hot, then I take rest few times. It's interesting that the oil need to be hot for the best performance.

 

Interesting! In the trip of around 100km, engine becomes hot, then I take rest few times. It's interesting that the oil need to be hot for the best performance.

Not for best performance but for longest oil and engine life. Letting it get to operating temperature for a longer time reduces the amount of moisture in the oil and engine. Moisture in the oil is a byproduct of the combustion process.

 

Moisture in the oil is a byproduct of the combustion process.

I remember reading that a gallon of gasoline produces about a gallon of water when burned.
So you will often see water dripping out of the exhaust pipe shortly after an engine start on a cold day.
Some of that water vapor condenses in a cold engine combustion chamber and gets into the oil.

 

Castrol makes high quality oils.
If it is the right viscosity range for the engine than I see no particular problem with using it.
I used standard automobile engine oil in my air cooled Honda 650 Nighthawk and got 110,000 miles on the engine without an overhaul.

The crankcase is where the engine crankshaft is located.

Most 4-cycle engines store the engine oil in the crankcase below the crankshaft.

My clapped out motorcycles don't last long without the protection of good oil - I'd been running one a couple of years on Halfords own brand oil, then the shop suit pointed out Castrol was cheaper on special offer than theirs - after 300 miles, engine vibration was bad enough to give me vertical double vision.

Most 4-stroke motorcycles keep the oil in the crank case - the old British pre-unit engines had a scavenger pump that refilled an oil tank.

 

Hi, Mistakenly I bought an engine oil 1 liter bottle for a 110cc Yamaha motorcycle. But the oil case has such label: . Ops!
Is that a huge mistake?

Most people advise against this as the thicker oil forces out bearing clearances. shell bearings would be at risk and camshaft bearings are usually plain alloy.

some of the bikes I got cheap needed tractor transmission oil to stop them rattling.

 

Generally car oil is not recommended for motorcycles. Specifically the "additives in car oil" can play "merry hell" with wet clutches ie: those that run in a bath of oil. If you have ever shaken a jar of spoons in a jar, or stopped next to someone on a Ducati, you have an idea of what a dry clutch sounds like .

I used to ride, very hard (tyres will attest to that lol), an early model GSXR-1100, oiled cooled model, with oil changes every 3000km and oil & filter every 6000km, at 100,000km when we pulled the engine down to replace the output shaft it was basically as good as the day it came out of the factory.

 

I have always used Castrol oil in cars and bikes(Yamha 570cc, Yamaha XJ900, Kawasaki GTR1000, BMW R1150RT). All four stroke bikes. Oil changed generally at 10,000Kms.(not boy racer).
Engine oil is meant to get black fairly quickly after change( means its doing the right thing). Short runs are not generally good for engines as they do not get warmed up properly( need to boil off any moisture in case and exhaust). Do not use car oil in bikes where the clutch in bathed in the oil. Engine oil has additives which can make clutch slip.
As an aside, do not use normal gear oil in limited slip diffs( how do I know that?), guess.

 

Do not use car oil in bikes where the clutch in bathed in the oil. Engine oil has additives which can make clutch slip.

My experience with this was just the opposite. In a Yamaha 650 the car oil, Pennzoil, swelled the friction discs so much the clutch wouldn't release.

 

My experience with this was just the opposite. In a Yamaha 650 the car oil, Pennzoil, swelled the friction discs so much the clutch wouldn't release.

That usually happens when a clutch slips and friction overheats it.

 

That usually happens when a clutch slips and friction overheats it.

The clutch wasn't slipping and the problem only came after changing to that brand of oil, and setting over the winter with the new oil in it. When trying to ride in the spring time, the clutch wouldn't release. Breaking the engine cases down and cleaning the friction discs in solvent and reassembling, and changing back to Castrol(my preferred oil) with the same discs and the problem was gone.