Re: Used Quaker High Mileage 25-50. Will I regret it?

Posted by LukeM on Dec 28, 2011; 3:08am
URL: http://vintage-and-classic-hondas.81.s1.nabble.com/Used-Quaker-High-Mileage-25-50-Will-I-regret-it-tp3615424p3615578.html

20w50 is a bit thick for these bikes, especially in the cold.  Most manuals recommend 10W30 for most temperatures, 5W30 for very cold, and 10W40 for very hot temps.

I've been advised on a few occasions to avoid any oil that says Energy Saving on the bottle.  There are friction reducers which can mess up clutch operation (assuming the clutch and engine share the oil, like our CB750s do).  I've done a round or two with motorcycle-specific oil, and have recently used Rotella T 5w-40 oil in my Shadow.  Seems to work well, a little extra weeping of oil, but not too bad so far.

You can't go wrong with oil formulated for MC engines, but I've heard good reports about both Havoline (from TOOLS, whom I trust a great deal), and Rotella (this forum and a couple others).

Luke M