Oil question

[whiway]

OK. Owners manual just says to use sae 10w40. Local dealer says must use "motorcycle oil" since gears & such runs in it. Is there any difference from regular oil bought at auto parts store & "motorcycle oil"? Would it be of value to run synthetic in it? Thanks.

[mrlmd1]

Since the clutch is bathed in the same oil as the engine, you can't use regular automotive oil or anything that says "energy conserving" or with friction modifiers in it or the clutch will slip. You need oils without these, or those that are labeled as specific motorcycle-use oil (or some diesel oils) only. The choice of dino vs. synthetic is up to you, but whichever you use, it should be changed at least every 3000 miles or once a year before storage if you ride less than that.
There are innumerable threads about oil on here, do a search and spend some time reading them. You will get many different opinions as to what brand is "best" or liked the most, and dino vs. synthetic, and it's all personal preference. Just don't use regular automotive oil.

[jonathan180iq]

Oil Change Guide:

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=566

There is tons of discussion on there after the guide. Read up.

[whiway]

Thanks for your help! This forum is fantastic!

[jonathan180iq]

For future reference, most of the basic maintenance stuff is already covered on here and probably has a how-to or lengthy in-depth discussions on it. Don't be afraid to search and browse around.