If there's ONE reason I use synthetic in my bike is it's viscosity retention at high temps and it's resistance to boiling off at high temps like conventional oil. (ok, that was two reasons)

 

Chicago Spike, hey man thanks for the download. Great info!

 

I just read an article that said the sooner your oil starts to change color and become dirty, the better your oil is actually performing. If you think about it, it makes sense. It's more efficient if it's pulling the dirt, grime, whatever away from from your engine components and carrying it in the oil heading for the filter. A new way to look at things (at least for me).....

 

RP is an excellent product, and it is among other excellent products on the market (Mobil 1, Amsoil, Redline, etc.). Those who tout one oil over all others as "the best" in all categories is exaggerating the truth, IMO. RP is a favorite among racers of all stripes. Go to a dragstrip or racetrack and peek into the trailers. You'll see quite a few purple bottles there.

I used the 20w50 "car oil" in my '96 RK and at 106k miles (trade-in time) the heads had never been removed, static compression unchanged from 1998 (first check), and oil consumption had also not changed. It is still running today with >120k miles on the clock. Will another high-quality synthetic brand do as well? Undoubtedly.

I think the accessibility issue is important, as well as price. I still use RP in my '07 SG, car, and lawn tractor--and get it from a distributor at dealer cost. He also delivers it to my door. I buy by the pail (5 gal.) and save a good bit per quart. Ask your station operator if he can order by the pail and have him quote you a price. You'll have to measure each time, but I use a gallon juice container from Wal-Mart and marked the sides for 3˝ quarts. I just pour the oil in to the mark and dump in in the bike using a funnel. Put the container and funnel in a garbage bag and tie-wrap the ends tightly to seal it, and this way you won't have to wash it out for each use.

There have been several tests on oil conducted by motorcycle magazines (Motorcycle Consumer News, American Iron, and QuickThrottle). The conclusion I made was that some oil performs better at some phases of the tests, others on other phases. Overall, based on these tests I wouldn't hesitate to run any of the major brands in my bike or car. Arguably the best oil for the money is Mobil 1 15w50, available from Wal-Mart for ~$22 per 5-gal. bottle. This was born out by all these tests, which all poo-pooed the concept that "car oil" was bad for a motorcycle.

Also, beware of the Amsoil "White Paper," which was commissioned, designed, and paid-for by Amsoil. It is not an independent test and should be judged accordingly, IMO. For example, their "wear-ball" test is really irrelevant to conditions in an internal-combustion engine. RP has used this test for years and I've witnessed a demonstration where RP beat numerous contenders, including Amsoil. I still think this test is irrelevant. The Amsoil test also eliminates any mention of moly in the formula, which is an important though costly anti-friction additive that's used by most high-quality synthetic manufacturers. It is not moly-disulfide, which hasn't been used as an oil additive for decades. Some Amsoil distributors make generic claims on their sites that "moly" causes valve-train damage in diesel engines, but they fail to mention that this is irrelevant to modern formulations that include moly, none of which contain moly disulfide. Amsoil does not use moly additives in any of their products that I'm aware of. All that said, I would like to say again that Amsoil is an excellent oil, but sometimes their marketing practices border upon hyperbole and innuendo.

 

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While RP may be used by racing teams is because the oil seems to shear down to lower weights much faster and therefore give less internal drag which increases power available to the drivetrain. But, after the race, watch them as they almost always change the oil, even after just a 1/4 mile run. That's what I see when RP finished 15th out of 16 in the viscosity shear stability tests.

So if you change the RP every 3,000 miles, then it should be fine.

 

I should've mentioned that racers typically use racing oil, which is a different product than should be used in street engines. Even RP recommends that it not be used in a street application. I didn't use the racing variety and have always changed at 5k intervals. I have also never used a motorcycle-specific product like MaxCycle.

If the standing in the sheer-stability tests refers to the Amsoil White Paper, I would invite you to refer instead to an independent test like one of those listed in my previous post.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys. I will take them all under advisement. I saw this stuff on the shelf (more like three shelves) at the Ft. Eustis Car care center. It is the first I have ever seen of the product as I have been a longtime Mobil 1 user. I thought it interesting that all of a sudden they started stocking this stuff. I have been patronizing this store since 1994! I may run it for my first oil change and see how it fares. I can always go back to my old favorite.

Thanks again.

 

Two things are certain here: (1) RP won't hurt your bike, and (2) Mobil 1 won't either. Which product would you buy and how much are they charging? A local indy MC shop is selling the RP 20w50 for $10/qt., which is a big mark-up over their cost.

 

They are selling the 20W50 for about $8 and change.