I have chosen my oils for all 3 holes...but here's my question.. I chose Amsoil SAE60 for the engine...on this viscosity question, i understand that starting the engine below 80 degrees is "poor" but once the engine is running the temperature of the engine must rise above 80 degrees....so where does the external temperature come into play? Isn't the viscosity of the oil at that point behaves because of the temperature of the engine and not the external air temperature. Again, I understand the starting being "poor" with this oil, but once it warms up it must be ok?

Quick question..i have an 05 RK...can i use the breather bolts as i too (just checked) have a bit of oil in the air cleaner.....

Thank you....

 

a multigrade oil will flow better when the bike is cold--- right into those bearings.

a thick(er) oil will move there more slowly.

so every start will be like a 'cold start' and you will not have the benefit of oil between the metal parts in motion.
until the oil in the system is up to the temp where is flows more easily- which could be a few minutes or a few miles.

in another 6 weeks, you are gonna have cool mornings- when do you plan your next oil change to a lighter grade?



these motors are designed for a synthetic multigrade.
I live where it is hot, but I want my motor lubed and cooled ( oil is part of the cooling system too) right on start up, everyday.
there shoul dbe no metal to metal contact in bearings and bushings, but a thin layer of oil between the metal parts. this is essential to long service life.
mike

 

Single viscosity oils such as the 60w will potentially be too thick when cold, but will be much better when the engine warms up. When I say 'too thick' it's not harmful, but it will be much thicker than a 20/50 you may experience some noise when cold, but the oil will do well when hot. Single weight oils are a trade off, where multi viscosity oils work 'ok' for a variety of temperatures. The 60 is a great choice for a hot engine.

 

Another oil thread huh?? Here we go again!!

 

 

SAE 60 is fine if your coldest start-up temp is generally 80* or above. SAE 50 is fine down to 60* as far as typical cold-start temps.

If you do a lot of short trips and a lot of cold starts i'd probably stick with a good 20W-50 regardless of your temperatures, but if you mostly do longer rides and your temps are appropriate then 50 or 60wt is very smooth and quiets the motor a bit.

For example I run Amsoil 60wt when I do my cross-country road trip to the Midwest ever year in June/July. The riding conditions are easily over 80* (hotter than hell in the desert southwest) about 90% of the time and my rides are LONG DAYS of hundreds of miles per day. My trip is over 4000 miles by the time I get home 3 weeks later, so I do an oil change when I get back and go back to either SAE 50 or 20W-50 for my local conditions here.

Most people can easily do fine with multi-grade, but if you typically run longer rides (as opposed to mostly short trips) and especially in hot regions of the country then 50 or 60 has it's place.

For example my daily commute to work is 135 miles round trip. So the vast majority of times I start and ride this bike it's a 67 mile non-stop ride. In summer it's always over 60* so I've used 50wt a lot and had good results.

 

No NO NO...... it's a TEMPERATURE thread

 

..Arizona.
Exactly what i was thinking...thanks for the valation.
SAE60 for July/August...then back to 20/50 blend.
On to Sturgis...

 

just so you know, redline has a 20w-60....

 

Good answer Arizona.

The other advantage of a single viscosity oil is they hold their viscosity longer than multi-viscosity oils.

Beary