Zombie thread resuscitation!
I just put in some Mobil1 15W50 and my FJR is shifting like butter....much smoother than the Yamaha dino oil that was in there.
I have heard that the JASO MA rated oils do protect your cam lobes better than oils without that rating.
I have a friend who's a cycle mechanic and he says that when he does engine work the cam lobes of people who run car oil have flat spots........people that don't run JASO rated oil he claims have more cam lobe issues.
Your cycle mechanic friend was either pulling your leg or a bull-*******. JASO MA rating has nothing to do with protecting cam lobes. The only thing it specifies is it limits the dynamic friction characteristics so that the oil can be used in a wet clutch bike without causing clutch slippage. In essence, JASO MA oils cannot have friction modifiers in the formula that make them too slippery. Technically, a non-JASO MA oil might very well protect a cam lobe better than one that qualifies.
15-40 WINTER 15-50 in Summer here in PA.
The concept is a good one, but the logic and choices are wrong. Being water cooled, the FJR engine runs at very nearly the same temperature once warmed up regardless of the ambient temps. So if you prefer an **W50 oil in the summer go right ahead and run a * * W50 oil in the winter too.
The number that you should consider changing is the first one, as that specifies how easily the oil will flow when cold. So you may want to run 20W50 in Summer and 15W50 in winter. But realistically, you can just run the 15W50 oil year round as the engine will not experience any added wear due to the better flow during hot weather.
All oil is good....some better than others....all oil does not qualify for the JASO MA rating.
True, but... many oils that
could qualify as JASO MA do not bother applying for the certification because their target sales is not to motorcyclists. Auto drivers could not care less if the oil is JASO MA since there are no cars around whose engine oil bathes the clutch, The cost of the JASO certification is not free, so that will either drive the price of the oil up or cut into the manufacturers profit margin, neither of which would be desirable.
So to summarize:
Any oil rated JASO MA is OK to use with a wet clutch.
Some oils not rated JASO MA are also OK to use with a wet clutch.
Some oils without JASO MA that happen to include excessive friction modifiers (like those with the "Energy Conserving Star") are not OK to use with wet clutches as you may get excessive clutch slipping under load.
I love this thread! Chose to check it out more out of curiosity than anything else. OK, I use Yamalube 20-50 Synthetic. It even has a picture of an FJR13 on the label! Of course, I don't ride much in super low temps like under 30F. I live in Las Vegas, spend a lot of time idling in traffic and the bike sometimes goes to 4 bars on the temp gauge, when the fan goes on. I use the Yamaha filter, but have used Frams in the past in other bikes with no problems ever. Oh yea, I change oil and filter every 5000-6000 miles. Level in the sight glass never changes between oil changes. Even at 6000 miles, the oil that comes out looks GREAT!
Thanks for dredging up this old thread from the past. There were a few dis-informative replies in it that I failed to notice back when it was running, and they are worth correcting. Obviously, following the manufacturers own brand of recommended oil and filters is a sure way to get the right thing in there.
As the old saying goes... You may be able to find something better, but you won't pay more.
