Warm weather oil.

JJames

XS650 Addict
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I ride my 81 xs650 year-round in kansas. I have run 20-50 cycle oil exclusively for the last.five years. No major complaints but wondering if there might be something better for hot weather.
 
20-50 is as good as it gets. Worked well enough at Texas World Speedway in 100 degree heat with full throttle for almost a full mile on the banking 800 rpm above the stock redline. Just make sure it meets JASCO (me thinks that is the right acronym.
 
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Pretty brave to face Houston drivers on a scooter. It was bad enough when I left and moved to Clear Lake 30 years ago. Moved from Clear Lake to here 25 years ago because Houston followed me down there.
 
You will be fine with 20W50 motorcycle oil.

On the Smedspeed website in the UK he states he has used Mobil-1 Extended Life 10W60 for years without problems. If you are starting the bike a lot at low temperature then the 10 weight of 10W60 puts less load on your oil pump and filter screen at startup. I would stick to 20W50 unless I rode a lot in Winter below 10 Celsius. These bikes do not have a paper oil filter, just wire mesh screens, so change your oil regularly at about 1000 miles. There are so many different brands to consider but if you change at about 1000 miles then basically any brand of 20W50 motorcycle oil will do.

If you want cheaper oil options then maybe someone will name a couple available in the US Supermarkets.
 
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I ride my 81 xs650 year-round in kansas. I have run 20-50 cycle oil exclusively for the last.five years. No major complaints but wondering if there might be something better for hot weather.

First of all, I just noticed that this is your first post. Welcome to the site. I've owned my 650 for many years and thought I knew everything I needed to know about it. Boy was I wrong. The level of expertise here is amazing.

It's funny your first post is about oil. There are several long threads on oil selection. The only thing you could ask about that could cause more discomfort is the buckhorn vs low handlebars. Two camps here. The buckhorn gang is very active.

Heres what I know. Take it with a grain of salt. Back in the 70's I used GTX in all my bikes. I grew up in Houston and I don't think it could get any more stressful on the oil than 70's boomtown traffic when it was 95 or better. Never had any trouble.

Thing is something changed when automobiles started using catalytic converters. The zinc in the oil that helped prevent wear in the transmission was poisoning the cats and most of the zinc was removed from most oils. In addition friction reducing additives were introduced to improve fuel economy that wet clutches did not get along with. So everything I knew about oil went out the window.
Castrol no longer recommends GTX for bikes . They have several bike specific oils that have higher zinc levels.
I figure that Castrol finds out more about oil in a day then I will in my lifetime so who am I to argue.
The bike oil is more expensive but 2.5 quarts price difference isn't going to break me.

If you want to know more do a search for oil and prepare for a evening sorting through it.

Cheers
Jack
 
I have been using this in all my Yamahas for 10 yrs so far...
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Brad Penn 20W-50.
Maybe they call it "Penn Grade" now. I still 1/2 a case waiting to put in my xs come Fall....If you have to dress like a snow man, try their 10W-40 racing oil. Think I saw it for $5.60 ea. case of 12 quarts. All the air-cooled folks @ Sebring Raceway use it in the heat or cool.
 
Thank you all. I know this was a dull guestion.. like I said have always run Castrol 20-50 motorcycle oil. I adjustmentguess I was hoping for a magic bullet or "everyone knows you run Rotella all summer " ha ha. Bike is running good but I seem to hear more valve noise and seems to be running hotter this year. I'm also due for oil change and valve adjustment. I change oil around 1000 miles . It could be my imagination but to me the bike sounds noticeably better right after a change. Ayhow, enough already.Team Junk sated that there were numerous posts on this subject. Please bear with me. I'm basically computer illiterate. I thougt a thread was for sewing, perhaps a hobby i should consider. Enjoying this forum. Posts on everything. Would love to hear more about Texas Motor Speedway. Thanks again
 
I have been running Penrite 20-60 diesel oil down here for 5 years no issues and we get damn hot. I was running 20-50 in my 2011 48 Sprtster HD and notcied the hydraulic lifters were noisy so i put 20-60 in it and that made a small difference
 
If you notice a change in noise and you have done near 1000 miles it may mean the valve adjusters need adjusting or it is time to change the oil. I have changed at 800 - 900 before due to increased noise, probably meant that particular batch of oil was wearing thin. If temperatures are high you could also try the V-Twin rated 20W50 oils. They have a higher temperature stability due to the rear cylinder on V-Twins normally running hotter.

If changing at 1000 miles you may want to use a cheaper oil. Cheaper does not have to mean poor quality. Take Rotella T (I believe it is the 20W50 being used in the hotter weather and 15W40 in the cooler) as an example, comes with good feedback and a good price. If you like the Castrol then change the oil with this again and see if things improve, you may have just meet a batch to batch variation?
 
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