Engine Oils

[Pinaki]

Thanks Pinaki I had procured Motul 4t 20w 40 from Ess enterprise Jadavpur.However it is a long distance from my home at north calcutta (i.e. Sinthimore). I will let you know about the performance after using the oil.Please also guide me about cleaning of Mobil filter of splendor nxg,it was supposed to be done by the HH workshop in 1st service but i am very much in doubt.The local technicians in our area is reluctant to perform this operation on the ground that it is not advisable to open out the clutch cover until overhauling is required. Pls advise.

Yes unfortunately , it's a bit off route for you ... see if you can find a reliable shop nearby in the meantime .. or you can stock up on oil .. say once a year . I always stock up on a good oil when I find it .
Hero Honda service center will never do oil filters even if you insist on it , unless under a paid service after the free miles are over . There are 21 items of service , that is mandatory for them to do and listed clearly behind every free service slip which they make you sign as "done" every time ; but won't actually do any of those other than washing the bike , and then they use high pressure water(aquatak) without covering the silencer pipe end !! Some of these HeroHonda services will even charge you 25-50 Rs in a separate kuttcha reciept for consumables !! They are all reluctant to open up the clutch side crank cover & will warn you that you may have to replace the gasket seal after service . I've given up on them a long time ago .
There are two filters inside there i) a simple small rectangular wire mesh filter ii) simple centrifugal filter , they are shown in your owners manual too , just check it .
On the brighter side, most people (including me) have never cleaned these oil filters in their entire life, without any ill effects on the splendor engine . So I shall start worrying about oil filters after 20K kms atleast .

I had replaced my Unicorn's Block Piston and Clutch Plate in May.......and did an oil change....I had used Veedol Super Swift 10w40 Semi Synthetic oil. After 700 kms my bike started to feel sluggish,rough and the engine used to get pretty hot ...... I knew I had to do an oil change actually it was necessary to change the oil early because of the new block piston when the mechanic drained the oil hardly 300-400ml oil came out and the colour wasn't black it was coffee brown in colour I still don't know the reason....I used Castrol Power 1 after draining the old oil ......hardly after 350 kms the bike feels rough.....I knew that power 1 was a bad choice but I didn't have any option that day........but now I'm thinking of using Fully Synthetic oil either Motul, Petronas or most probably Agip...

I am afraid you may have already ruined your new block-piston set by improper run in . The best , most advanced and expensive synthetic oil of the world cannot fix it . Next time around , run in the bike on 20w40 mineral ( which is specified by manufacturer for your engine) for atleast first 5000kms after new cylinder-piston-crank work . Even now , immediately switch to fresh new 20w40 mineral oil and run for another 1000kms and see if things improve .

[Prith]

I had replaced my Unicorn's Block Piston and Clutch Plate in May.......and did an oil change....I had used Veedol Super Swift 10w40 Semi Synthetic oil. After 700 kms my bike started to feel sluggish,rough and the engine used to get pretty hot ...... I knew I had to do an oil change actually it was necessary to change the oil early because of the new block piston when the mechanic drained the oil hardly 300-400ml oil came out and the colour wasn't black it was coffee brown in colour I still don't know the reason....I used Castrol Power 1 after draining the old oil ......hardly after 350 kms the bike feels rough.....I knew that power 1 was a bad choice but I didn't have any option that day........but now I'm thinking of using Fully Synthetic oil either Motul, Petronas or most probably Agip...

Better hold on to mineral oil instead. I m not 100 % sure that its because of the Castrol Power 1 cause, though it does make your engine sound rough, it actually doesnt harm severely. I consider it as an 1000 KM fill and drain oil. Its worth getting your block piston checked with bikezone or good reliable mechanics. Go for Motul / Elf minerals next time. Just curious.. did you see if the last mechanic did top up the engine correctly while oil change ?

[shadow_dancer]

Thank you guys.......switched back to mineral oil I used Agip....the bike is feeling smooth and gear shift is also smoother than before.....when the mechanic drained the old oil there was no drop in oil level So I guess the engine is ok.......will stick to mineral oil for some time........

[vipin_s]

HH vs Shell (mineral oil)

I tried 20W40 Shell oil (AX5, Rs. 185 MRP 232/-) on my achiever, it's about 300 kms now here is comparision,
1. Over all I give 3.5 stars to Shell AX5 over 4 stars to that of HH Genuine oil.
2. Bike is bit sluggish for 0-60 & 0-100 with shell compared to HH Genuine oil
3. Engine is slightly colder with Shell compared with HH
4. HH was smoother through out the range 0-100 ! However in mid range speeds Shell feels much smoother than HH oil.
5. I kick more times in the morning with shell to start the bike, earlier I rarely used to kick more than couple of times.

Over all OK, not bad, in outlets the discount is very good(with scratch card as well), shell petrol outlets charges mrp.

[pioneeraron]

@vipin_s

HH oil is much lighter in viscosity than the Shell AX5.HH oil 10w30sj good for instant pickup,average on the higher side.But the HH oil makes the engine overheat, becomes black very fast and its level also goes down quick.Goes bad after 1300-1500kms.I've stopped using it.It's total crap in my books

[amitmalve]

@vipin)
Instead of shell ax5 just try 'shell ax7 10w40' once(rs 290/-, mrp 315/-). It's definitely worth the price. Engine will rev more freely without any sluggishness. You will give it 4.5 stars fore sure.

[ka600]

can i mix 200ml of ss oil with 1000ml fs oil?

p220 takes 1.2ltrs of oil,i dont want to let the motul ss go to waste when i switch to fs.

[vipin_s]

@vipin)
Instead of shell ax5 just try 'shell ax7 10w40' once(rs 290/-, mrp 315/-). It's definitely worth the price. Engine will rev more freely without any sluggishness. You will give it 4.5 stars fore sure.

Let me try this next time...btw do you have any idea how many kms will AX5 last for normal driving...?

[Pinaki]

Thank you guys.......switched back to mineral oil I used Agip....the bike is feeling smooth and gear shift is also smoother than before.....when the mechanic drained the old oil there was no drop in oil level So I guess the engine is ok.......will stick to mineral oil for some time........

Good idea ! Hopefully it will work out just fine .

can i mix 200ml of ss oil with 1000ml fs oil?
p220 takes 1.2ltrs of oil,i dont want to let the motul ss go to waste when i switch to fs.

Yes you can .. no problem . You can use leftover ( unused ) mineral oil to top even . It's much more important to have the correct level of oil at all times than to worry what oil it is .

I tried 20W40 Shell oil (AX5, Rs. 185 MRP 232/-) on my achiever, it's about 300 kms now here is comparision,
1. Over all I give 3.5 stars to Shell AX5 over 4 stars to that of HH Genuine oil.

These are all the correct symptoms of using a 20wt oil instead of the herohonda 10wt . 20w40 starts to show it's plus when the engine heats up .
Vipin , I think you shall appreciate the 20w40 more if you use it in summer heat for longer rides as well as when it outlasts the HeroHonda (bpcl) oil in use . That HH(bpcl) oil hardly lasts 1000-1200 kms in summer use . ANY 20w40 lasts atleast 2000kms .

[dhiraj]

Shell Advance Ultra 10w40 FS

Got this for my ZMR. lets see how it performs

[saurabhjd]

Got this for my ZMR. lets see how it performs

its good

[vipin_s]

Vipin , I think you shall appreciate the 20w40 more if you use it in summer heat for longer rides as well as when it outlasts the HeroHonda (bpcl) oil in use . That HH(bpcl) oil hardly lasts 1000-1200 kms in summer use . ANY 20w40 lasts atleast 2000kms .

Thanks Pinaki for info, my 90 percent ride is mid-range and it's smooth, nothing bad about Shell 20W40, but HH oil used to be lot free in top end, used to reach 100 damn quickly, my achiever has no disc brakes and it's dangerous to go at that speed, so 20w40 is acting as 'speed governor' and is giving me more safety !!
Today I got 2 bottles of goben(IOCL 10W30) as gift from my friend,he got it from his pal who works for IOCL , these are samples and got it for free !! So next change will be GOBEN 10W30.

[Pinaki]

Awful road conditions in Calcutta now + gonna be 40+ this 10th , I haven't gone anywhere near 100kmph in these last few years , so I couldn't tell ... but i've been on 20w40 this whole summer .. both on the cbz-x & my newish splendor & it definitely feels much better on the engine . Another thing I noticed is that the 20w40 (motul 3000 4T plus) is producing much better compression & clutch bite on the older cbz-x engine , than the HH 10w30 ever did . I've three bottles of the gulf 10w30 left too .. will use it up in winter from nov-feb .
I also got news from friends about this new oil from IOCL (goben) . Do give us your rating on it after use & and also the market price of it , it's 900ml pack , right ?

[amitmalve]

shell advance ultra 10w40 review

@ dhiraj
I have used this fully synthetic shell advance ultra 10w40 in my honda dazzler. (Rs 700/-, mrp Rs 750/-). You also write your experience later.

pros -
Oil circulates quickly throughout the engine, so less time for engine warm up required during early mornings.
Being a lighter oil, engine revs more freely without any resistance right up-to the rev limiter.
Overall engine feels smoother & no heating issue even after high speed long distance riding.
Smooths clutch engagement & gear shifting.

cons -
After 2k kilometers there is a constant drop in oil level. Eventually my oil level went below the low mark @2.9K only. (there is nothing wrong with my bike's engine). So unless you top-up, this oil won't go more than 3k kms (due to oil level only, no problem in oil's color or viscosity). Also for top-up you have to buy a whole new can of 1lit @ rs 700/- mrp 750/-, so I don't think its worth that(2cans = rs 1400/-). Its better to go for motul 300v @rs 890/- instead, I guess.

[dhiraj]

@ dhiraj
I have used this fully synthetic shell advance ultra 10w40 in my honda dazzler. (Rs 700/-, mrp Rs 750/-). You also write your experience later.

pros -
Oil circulates quickly throughout the engine, so less time for engine warm up required during early mornings.
Being a lighter oil, engine revs more freely without any resistance right up-to the rev limiter.
Overall engine feels smoother & no heating issue even after high speed long distance riding.
Smooths clutch engagement & gear shifting.

cons -
After 2k kilometers there is a constant drop in oil level. Eventually my oil level went below the low mark @2.9K only. (there is nothing wrong with my bike's engine). So unless you top-up, this oil won't go more than 3k kms (due to oil level only, no problem in oil's color or viscosity). Also for top-up you have to buy a whole new can of 1lit @ rs 700/- mrp 750/-, so I don't think its worth that(2cans = rs 1400/-). Its better to go for motul 300v @rs 890/- instead, I guess.

Thanks dear for review.... i need at least a month and one or two long drive to test it, so will be in position to give the review. one of my friend gave me its for only Rs. 600 though the printed MRP is Rs. 755...