Engine Oils

[antz.bin]

Thread Approved and Merged

[s1d]

hello everyone i wanted to know which is the best engine oil suited for my Activa ??

The honda oil is good for the activa. (what is the recommended grade for your 2010 activa?) It's either 10w30 or 20w40.. check the manual.
You can try the shell ax5 20w40, its better than the honda 20w40. but again i think the current generation activa's (110cc ones) are rated for a 10w30 oil.. so stick to honda's oil and you can use the 20w40 shell ax5 during summer months. If you can get shell ax5 in 10w30 even better !!(but i dont think this is available in india)
And always change the oil every 2000km (max 2500km).

[shrey75]

Thanks sd1 i don't know which oil my activa is using but i will check it out from the manual.my activa is current gen 110cc activa.
and one more question after my accident in june i got my activa back in august got it serviced but pick-up and very low pease help
and thanks to mods u merged my thread

[s1d]

Thanks sd1 i don't know which oil my activa is using but i will check it out from the manual.my activa is current gen 110cc activa.
and one more question after my accident in june i got my activa back in august got it serviced but pick-up and very low pease help
and thanks to mods u merged my thread

the 110cc activa's are rated to use 10w30(confirm from the manual - my dio's manual dint have a fixed grade but an oil chart showing what oil has to be used at what ambient atmos temperature - i have posted this in the Activa oil change thread under the DIY section) If its rated at 10w30 then stick to the honda oil (preferably from a sealed container instead of the oil from the drums that the svc uses) and you can go for the shell ax5 20w40 in summers.

Pick up is low: (how many kms has this scoot run?)
1. Check the condition of the air filter (both the primary and secondary - i.e. the paper one and the foam one) - i would suggest you replace them every year or 7000km which ever is earlier & clean them every 2000km.
2. Check if the variator rollers have developed flat spots. If so replace them.
3. Get the clutch & the springs (the 'big' torque spring and the smaller clutch springs) checked/replaced.
4. Make sure the drive belt is is good condition.
5. Tire pressure - maintain the recommended pressure, maybe a 1-2psi more but not less.
6. Get the carb tuned from a experienced mech

You can get these done at the ASC if you have PATIENCE and are able to convince them to do all these.

[shrey75]

thanks mate you have a great knowledge but today i checked out the air pressure and it was 15 psi in both tires. my activa has only run 10800 kms and has been serviced on 10000 kms

[s1d]

thanks mate you have a great knowledge but today i checked out the air pressure and it was 15 psi in both tires. my activa has only run 10800 kms and has been serviced on 10000 kms

Point 5. in my previous reply!!
15psi that's almost half the recommended pressure.. no wonder the bad pick up.
Hows the pick up after filling up the air ??
10000km, good time to change the air filters

And i think this stuff should be merged with the Activa ownership thread ... mods pls help!

[muztariq]

Hi Guys,

I completed 1000 kms on Shell Delvac 1300 15w40. Here is the review -
a) The gear changes are smooth still (My bike had problem of rough gear changes from inception)
b) The ride feel is as smooth as it was when I put the fresh oil.
c) The oil color was like a FS oil till 700 kms, now it looks darker. In my riding style a Yamalube 20w40 mineral becomes like this after 500-600 kms. So I can say better than usual mineral oils. But not as good as an FS in darkening. (1000 km pic attached)
d) No overheating etc. issues
e) No clutch slippage. The bike feels under similar control as with other bike specific oils.

Some additional info on Mobil Delvac - From Mobil website. (Fully Synthetic gasoline oil vs Fully Synthetic diesel oil) Quote: Question:

Mobil 1 vs. Mobil Delvac 1 for a Gasoline Engine

I have read on the Internet that Mobil Delvac 1 oils may provide better performance in high-performance passenger-car engines than regular Mobil 1, since they meet CF-4 specs. What about using Delvac in gasoline engines, especially high-performance engines?

-- "Tribological", Richmond, VA

Answer:

Mobil 1 formulas will deliver everything you need for your gasoline engine. In fact, during development, tests are run in both gasoline and diesel engines to demonstrate the outstanding performance of Mobil 1. Mobil Delvac 1 ESP

Unquote:
I personally feel better protected when I rev the engine hard. For normal commuting, I think any good bike specific mineral oil would do the job for most bikers as this oil is costlier than those oils and not required at all for day to day commuting.
Will highly recommend it to ppl who rev the engine hard and use mineral oils.

In the meantime was going through some publications on oil shelf life etc. and was shocked to see that Motul specifies 2 year only. After that?? they dont guarantee - Actually they say - According to our quality procedure, Motul products are guaranteed two years after their production date.
Source : Welcome to Motul

Motul would have guaranteed more - But didn't.. May be engine oils keeps on slowly deteriorating till 2 years and rendered unusable after that duration. Just a thought.

[Pinaki]

... any good bike specific mineral oil would do the job for most bikers as this oil is costlier than those oils and not required at all for day to day commuting ...

Would still like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the initiative(and risk ) to test out the oil theories for real . At least now we know for sure that using a non-bike oil deliberately with some consideration does not make your engine go KaaBooom! as the bike & oil manufacturers would have us believe .
Also for one looking for a single oil across his 4-wheelers and bikes , this can be very convenient and then the cost would become much less too (to buy a big can and use the leftover oil after filling the car on the bike and keep same for top-ups for both too) .

[muztariq]

Would still like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the initiative(and risk ) to test out the oil theories for real . At least now we know for sure that using a non-bike oil deliberately with some consideration does not make your engine go KaaBooom! as the bike & oil manufacturers would have us believe .
Also for one looking for a single oil across his 4-wheelers and bikes , this can be very convenient and then the cost would become much less too (to buy a big can and use the leftover oil after filling the car on the bike and keep same for top-ups for both too) .

Thanks for the kind words.. I always knew nothing bad can happen except 'clutch slippage' as this is a API SJ oil. But there is no hint of even slightest clutch slippage that I can caution fellow bikers against. It is a perfect oil for me. If there was a good amount of friction reducer added, the clutch would have slowly started slipping. But nearly after two months, there is no slippage.. thats why it is an oil of choice of bikers from the west.

[sandeepcf]

muztariq

Hi Guys,

I completed 1000 kms on Mobil Delvac 1300 15w40. Here is the review -
a) The gear changes are smooth still (My bike had problem of rough gear changes from inception)
b) The ride feel is as smooth as it was when I put the fresh oil.
c) The oil color was like a FS oil till 700 kms, now it looks darker. In my riding style a Yamalube 20w40 mineral becomes like this after 500-600 kms. So I can say better than usual mineral oils. But not as good as an FS in darkening. (1000 km pic attached)
d) No overheating etc. issues
e) No clutch slippage. The bike feels under similar control as with other bike specific oils.

After your suggestion on Delvac 1300, I've tried this oil on Yamaha Fazer which earlier had tasted a can of Motul 300v 15w50, Valvoline Premium 20w50 and 2 cans of Elf Synthetic 10w50. No matter what oil I'd tried, the Fazer got heated up quickly(exception to valvoline premium). Currently I've clocked 1950kms on DELVAC and there is no sign of deterioration of this oil yet and all your POINTS minus (c) are still valid.
Thanks mate for your wonderful finding.
Also suggested Delvac to my friend's CT100 and it lasted 2700kms until he felt harshness.
But my Unicorn which is very sensitive to Oils which also developed a habit for synthetics for the past 20000 kms didn't find Delvac better. Drained the oil after a week and poured it in Fazer.

[vicedens2002]

I have a discover 125ST with 1100 kms on the odo. The oil was changed at first service@544 kms. Now I want to change oil in my bike. Suggestions? Hows the oils from shell?

GRADE- SAE 20W50 API SL or JASO MA

[Honda_CBF]

I have a discover 125ST with 1100 kms on the odo. The oil was changed at first service@544 kms. Now I want to change oil in my bike. Suggestions? Hows the oils from shell? GRADE- SAE 20W50 API SL or JASO MA

Mineral oils from shell (AX3 & AX5) are not that good, just average oils. better go with gulf. and I think veedol also have 20w50 oil (dont know much about veedol's )

[doneybhai]

Need advice on engine oil for 3 year old honda unicorn with 30k km done.

Hi Friends,
My Honda unicorn is done 30k km and is 3 year old. Till now i went to Honda service center only and they are using Honda oil only for servicing (as per them). I used to do servicing with oil change every 2500-3000 km.

Shall I stick with the same routine or shall I try the semi-synthetic and synthetic ones? In the latter cases what all options do i have and please tell me the average km that it will last and cost too :-)

Regards,

Doney

[s1d]

Mineral oils from shell (AX3 & AX5) are not that good, just average oils. better go with gulf. and I think veedol also have 20w50 oil (dont know much about veedol's )

I found AX3 & AX 5 (20w40 & 10w40) much better than castrol,veedol,elf.. tried these on a platina 100cc, discover 135 and my dio.. good oils, but i dont think they are available in 20w50 grade... but imo bikes with capacity below 150cc run well on xxw40 oils (maybe u can switch to xxw50 only during summer months or if on long rides)

[muztariq]

Hi Friends,
My Honda unicorn is done 30k km and is 3 year old. Till now i went to Honda service center only and they are using Honda oil only for servicing (as per them). I used to do servicing with oil change every 2500-3000 km.

Shall I stick with the same routine or shall I try the semi-synthetic and synthetic ones? In the latter cases what all options do i have and please tell me the average km that it will last and cost too :-)

Regards,

Doney

Dont waste money if you are happy with your present oil. Gulf Fully synthetic oil 10w30 discoverd by Pinakiji is a good cost effective substitute. Use all oils of 10w30 grade till 3000 kms only.

I found AX3 & AX 5 (20w40 & 10w40) much better than castrol,veedol,elf.. tried these on a platina 100cc, discover 135 and my dio.. good oils, but i dont think they are available in 20w50 grade... but imo bikes with capacity below 150cc run well on xxw40 oils (maybe u can switch to xxw50 only during summer months or if on long rides)

Ax3 and AX5 are good oils for lower cc like 100-110 cc bikes.. any further up strains the engine. Its better to go for AX7 for higher capacity engines.
xxw40 should be used when bike manufacturer recommends w40 grade. A 149 cc R15 runs on w50 ss oil whereas a 250cc CBR runs on w30. Manufacturer's recommendation should be followed in most cases. I would still ask w30 users to switch to 10w40 for better protection in hot Indian summer.