What grade oil?

[XS400D]

I am going to change the oil in my xs since i seem to have filled the crankcase with gasoline...=(. In the manual it says to use 20w/40 for above 5c or 41f and to use 10w/30 for below 15c or 59f. I live basically in san francisco and it doesnt usually fall below 41 although it does ocassionaly (I doubt i would ever ride when it is that cold).

Which oil would you guys recommend?

ps it seems that 20w/40 is hard to find since i only usually find 20w/50. is that similar enough for these engines?

 

[HoughMade]

I'm a big fan of Shell Rotella T 15w40 which is a "Heavy Duty" oil for diesels. It does not have the friction modifiers that car oils have and has more ZDDP which these engines can use- less expensive than motorcycle specific oil, but not cheaper. Others use 20W50 and have had no problems.

 

[OliverB]

Yep, 15W40 is about the best you can use unless your cycle sits out in sub-freezing temps and is used all year long. Any brand name will do. Not long ago Valvoline advertised that their oil had more anti-wear additives than Shell Rotella. Tests showed the oil had just about as much anti-wear additives as racing oils. Really, you can't go wrong with any good oil. When is the last time you heard of an engine failing because of use of the proper oil and regular oil changes? I never have! I use 15W40 in both of my older Benz gas engine cars.

 

[erna]

I will go this spring with 20w50 because my bike consumes a little. 15w40 will do it as well but it´s important to use only mineral oil, all the synthetic stuff makes the xs leaking and the clutch slipping. Cheers from Munich Hannes

 

[drewpy]

i use millars 20w50 semi synth.

 

[DCopp]

15w40 here...cheapest u can find is fine. Walmart?

 

[HoughMade]

15w40 here...cheapest u can find is fine. Walmart?

The Walmart brand 15w40 "Super Tech" is good enough and the last time I looked, it was around $9 a gallon. However the Rotella is only $11.50 and has a great reputation, so for a couple of bucks extra, I use it.

 

[xschris]

i use yamalube performance semi-synthetic 20w-50. plus 10% lucas pure synthetic oil stabilizer. no slipping no leaking no noise. had this bike for 12 years and still has same compression when i got it (148lbs per piston) 28000mi