Local store closing, oil cheep. Wife bought up all Harley oil, I use 20-50w in my scoot, but she brought home SAE 50.
Whats the difference and can I use this in the engine or somewhere else.
Need some advice, thanks!!!

 

Yeah, you can use 50w in the Summer. Just allow the bike to oil up for a minute at idle when starting. Do not use it under 40F. 20w50 pumps like a 20w when cold and thickens up to a 50w when it gets up to operating temperature while 50w is just 50w all the time. Under 40F it will have a hard time pumping and you will get lots of engine wear at start up.

 

Awesome!! Thanks for the info!! Oil was cheap, so got a good deal on it!

 

I'd suggest training yourself to ride real softly until the motor is real good and warm.

Not a bad habit with any oil choice, but more important with straight heavy.

 

+1 I always let my bike warm up for 3-5 minutes when cold. It just runs better anyway.

 

The main reason for 20-50 is so your motor will turn over easier to start in cold weather. If it will start on straight 50 you should be OK. Just let it warm up a bit as said above. Good idea no matter what weight oil you are useing. The heavier weight oil is probably better lube when cold than the lighter weight, as all the parts are a looser fit when cold.

 

Close - but not quite correct. The 20w50 does not really "thicken up" when it gets hot. It just thins out less. When cold, 20w50 is similar in vescosity to cold 20w oil. When hot, 20w50 is similar to hot 50w oil. Hot 50w is thinner than cold 20w. Therefore, 20w50 "behaves" like 20w when it is cold, and it "behaves" like 50w when it is hot.

 

.....as we slowly drift further,....... deeper ,...... toward an all out oil thread.

 

Yeah, I know but I didn't want to get into the whole viscosity index improver discussion because it gets too technical and the guy just wanted to know if he could use the 50w but needs to understand it will not pump well under 40F and will pump slowly under 60F.

 

LMAO....