Engine Oils

[bobysaxena]

As I can see your ambient temps remain between 20C-40C year around , you'd do well to stick to the most popular grade of oil in India . I do not know your riding needs & availability at your location, but if you choose to stick to mineral oils , which is good & adequate for your bike .. Motul 3000 4T plus 20w40 , Yamalube SG/SL 20w40 mineral (easily available at yamaha service) , Gulf pride 4T 20w40 , Shell AX3 & AX5 20w40 are all good oils .

Hey brother this is Boby Saxena, as advised by you I am using Motul 3000 20w40 engine oil in my HH Splendor NXG, It is due for change in a couple of hundred kms, but due to climatic change specially in the morning the bike is very much sluggish for a couple of km (at least 5Km) before it becomes normal, should I use 10w30 grade oil for the winter season, waiting for your valuable suggestion in this regard. Can you pls also guide me where can I get original spares i.e. Air Filters etc I am not able to find it in my area for my model.

[anindyameister]

@anindyameister i guess the hard gear shifts was caused more cause of the chain drying up

I don't think so because the birdy has an o-ring chain. And the next morning when I checked, the chain had decent amount of lubrication.

[Aneesh@4GHz]

Is it normal for oil levels to drop after a long ride ?? I took my thunderbird to it's first long ride 2 days ago. Started with odo reading 1500KM and when I returned it was reading 1779. On the way back I noticed gearshift became harder than usual(Which is pretty hard and noisy for enfields) and every now and then false neutrals were visiting me. The next morning when I did some preliminary visual inspection on the birdy, I noticed oil level dropped a bit. I can always top up the oil level, but is this kind of behavior normal ??

I think dropping oil level with a riding of 279kms is not normal.hm.. Did you see any oil leaking?or is the oil burning by spark plug?Check spark plug color. Correct me if i am wrong.

@anindyameister i guess the hard gear shifts was caused more cause of the chain drying up

Will dry chain cause harder gear shifts?

should I use 10w30 grade oil for the winter season

Its always recommended to use lower grade oils like 10W30 during winter.

[anindyameister]

I think dropping oil level with a riding of 279kms is not normal.hm.. Did you see any oil leaking?or is the oil burning by spark plug?Check spark plug color. Correct me if i am wrong.

Now that you mention it, I should clarify a bit. Ever since my oil change of first service, my oil window was completely full-as in overfilled. And now after the reduction in the level, the level has come down to the max mark and is correct according to the manual. I always had the feeling that the oil was overfilled and the oil might burn in the cylinder and cause carbon fouling, but instead decided that service center guys, who deal with these engines knew better than me and my completely theoretical knowledge. There is no visible oil leak, thougn the area around the gasket seals are a bit too greasy it seems( I think extra hot oil seeped through the seals and mixed with dust to become grease) and I will definitely check the spark plugs for fouling. Another thing I should mention is that up until the ride, I attained max speeds of 70 and that also in 2-3 min bursts. But this was the first time I held 70kmph speed for nearly 10-15 mins at a time and gave momentary throttle blips to reach speeds of 80kmph from time to time.

[Aneesh@4GHz]

my oil window was completely full-as in overfilled.

Never overfill oil.

though the area around the gasket seals are a bit too greasy it seems( I think extra hot oil seeped through the seals and mixed with dust to become grease)

hm..Post a pic of it.It might be the culprit,I had oil leak in my ZMA from tappet bolt area which reduced my engine oil level drastically. So never leave it as unimportant.

and I will definitely check the spark plugs for fouling.

Let us know the results.

I attained max speeds of 70 and that also in 2-3 min bursts. But this was the first time I held 70kmph speed for nearly 10-15 mins at a time and gave momentary throttle blips to reach speeds of 80kmph from time to time.

Riding at 70 or 80km/h in a Thunderbird is not a problem!

[SriKi.GSpian]

As I can see your ambient temps remain between 20C-40C year around , you'd do well to stick to the most popular grade of oil in India . I do not know your riding needs & availability at your location, but if you choose to stick to mineral oils , which is good & adequate for your bike .. Motul 3000 4T plus 20w40 , Yamalube SG/SL 20w40 mineral (easily available at yamaha service) , Gulf pride 4T 20w40 , Shell AX3 & AX5 20w40 are all good oils .

thanks for ur reply bro , but i stay in chennai ! and i look for semi synthetic and fully synthetic oil..pls tell me the options bro i have bro !

[Pinaki]

Is it normal for oil levels to drop after a long ride ?? I took my thunderbird to it's first long ride 2 days ago. Started with odo reading 1500KM and when I returned it was reading 1779. On the way back I noticed gearshift became harder than usual(Which is pretty hard and noisy for enfields) and every now and then false neutrals were visiting me. The next morning when I did some preliminary visual inspection on the birdy, I noticed oil level dropped a bit. I can always top up the oil level, but is this kind of behavior normal ??

Depends on how much oil has gone and what oil you were using and how hot your engine got on the way . Were you on synthetic ? Then this is common . As Aneesh suggested , keep an eye on the plug , check if it is oily(shiny) black . Touch inside the fag end of the tailpipe(when it's cool) and feel if it's kinda oily .

Now that you mention it, I should clarify a bit. Ever since my oil change of first service, my oil window was completely full-as in overfilled. And now after the reduction in the level, the level has come down to the max mark and is correct according to the manual. I always had the feeling that the oil was overfilled and the oil might burn in the cylinder and cause carbon fouling, but instead decided that service center guys, who deal with these engines knew better than me and my completely theoretical knowledge. There is no visible oil leak, thougn the area around the gasket seals are a bit too greasy it seems( I think extra hot oil seeped through the seals and mixed with dust to become grease) and I will definitely check the spark plugs for fouling. Another thing I should mention is that up until the ride, I attained max speeds of 70 and that also in 2-3 min bursts. But this was the first time I held 70kmph speed for nearly 10-15 mins at a time and gave momentary throttle blips to reach speeds of 80kmph from time to time.

Top up the oil if necessary. Clean the engine well with kerosene-rag first then detergent and water ( of course when it's not hot ) . Wipe dry . Keep riding it for few hundred kilometers . Keep a careful watch on the gaskets joints etc area to see if that dusty (dust sticking to oil) patch reappears . If it does, visit the ASC .

Hey brother this is Boby Saxena, as advised by you I am using Motul 3000 20w40 engine oil in my HH Splendor NXG, It is due for change in a couple of hundred kms, but due to climatic change specially in the morning the bike is very much sluggish for a couple of km (at least 5Km) before it becomes normal, should I use 10w30 grade oil for the winter season, waiting for your valuable suggestion in this regard. Can you pls also guide me where can I get original spares i.e. Air Filters etc I am not able to find it in my area for my model.

Yes , this is normal behaviour of 20w40 oil in winter specially with a newish engine in the very early mornings . I don't bother and just warm up the engine in idle for a full minute before riding on . Winter is a month and a half here anyway . But if you wish you can switch to 10w30 oil for these 2-4 cooler months , no problem . That'll certainly give you quick warm-ups and oil circulation for now. Remember to switch back to 20w40 in march-april again .
You can get the Tide-Water(veedol) made HeroHonda 10w30 oil at one Anwar Shah Road shop for 175 Rs a bottle . It's the first shop on the right after you enter Anwar Shah Road from the Tipu-Sultan Masjid side , about a hundred meters from the masjid . This is a good oil . Avoid the BPCL made HH oil .

Will dry chain cause harder gear shifts?

Yes . But I dunno why this happens , I've just observed this effect thru all my bikes .

thanks for ur reply bro , but i stay in chennai ! and i look for semi synthetic and fully synthetic oil..pls tell me the options bro i have bro !

What is the problem in Chennai ? The recommended oil for your bike and climate is 20w40 mineral . No semi/full synthetic in that grade here . If you insist on synthetic you can try out Motul 300v Factory line 10w40, Shell Advance Ultra 10w40 etc .

[SriKi.GSpian]

What is the problem in Chennai ? The recommended oil for your bike and climate is 20w40 mineral . No semi/full synthetic in that grade here . If you insist on synthetic you can try out Motul 300v Factory line 10w40, Shell Advance Ultra 10w40 etc .

thanks bro !

[Aneesh@4GHz]

Yes . But I dunno why this happens , I've just observed this effect thru all my bikes .

Ok,Thanks for the reply bro.Where can i get SAE90 oil? or should i use bearing grease,I had used bearing grease in chain but i am not satisfied with it.

[Drifty]

Where can i get SAE90 oil? or should i use bearing grease,I had used bearing grease in chain but i am not satisfied with it.

SAE90 gear oil can be found at any big automobile spares shop.I am using the Elf gear oil and found it pretty good.Grease attracts a lot of dirt as you may know,requires frequent cleaning so its anyday better to stick with the gear oil or chain spray.

[Aneesh@4GHz]

SAE90 gear oil can be found at any big automobile spares shop.I am using the Elf gear oil and found it pretty good.Grease attracts a lot of dirt as you may know,requires frequent cleaning so its anyday better to stick with the gear oil or chain spray.

Thanks for the reply bro,Will get Gear oil and what about 20W40 engine oil? Will it be ok?

[Pinaki]

Ok,Thanks for the reply bro.Where can i get SAE90 oil? or should i use bearing grease,I had used bearing grease in chain but i am not satisfied with it.

I used to use Castrol SAE90 alone for chain oiling . Now on our dear psr's suggestion I am using bearing grease ( tub of brown thick HP "bearing grease" written in hindi ) after the oil . Grease lightly just after the oil sets for an hour or so .This is working much better .
The oil penetrates the rollers ( I have non o-ring chain ) and lubricates nicely and the grease kinda locks the oil in there and eliminates chain noise & shuffling . This stays on way longer than oil alone . Like a more than a month . Oil alone needed weekly touch up because of throw off at high speed .

SAE90 gear oil can be found at any big automobile spares shop.I am using the Elf gear oil and found it pretty good.Grease attracts a lot of dirt as you may know,requires frequent cleaning so its anyday better to stick with the gear oil or chain spray.

Right .

Thanks for the reply bro,Will get Gear oil and what about 20W40 engine oil? Will it be ok?

Any oil will work for some time in a pinch . 20w40 engine oil ( fresh ) will stay on for like 100kms at most . Works well, no other problem with it .

[Pinaki]

Hey brother this is Boby Saxena, as advised by you I am using Motul 3000 20w40 engine oil in my HH Splendor NXG, It is due for change in a couple of hundred kms, but due to climatic change specially in the morning the bike is very much sluggish for a couple of km (at least 5Km) before it becomes normal, should I use 10w30 grade oil for the winter season, waiting for your valuable suggestion in this regard. Can you pls also guide me where can I get original spares i.e. Air Filters etc I am not able to find it in my area for my model.

Sorry , I didn't read your whole post last time . You'll get all spares & parts for any HeroHonda bike in kolkata at Bansal Motors , Wellington , near Jyoti cinema hall . They are the authorised distributors for HeroHonda for all of Bengal . They take pre-orders .If they don't have it , it is unlikely any other dealer or service center will .

[Aneesh@4GHz]

I used to use Castrol SAE90 alone for chain oiling . Now on our dear psr's suggestion I am using bearing grease ( tub of brown thick HP "bearing grease" written in hindi ) after the oil . Grease lightly just after the oil sets for an hour or so .This is working much better .The oil penetrates the rollers ( I have non o-ring chain ) and lubricates nicely and the grease kinda locks the oil in there and eliminates chain noise & shuffling . This stays on way longer than oil alone . Like a more than a month . Oil alone needed weekly touch up because of throw off at high speed .

So firstly oil the chain and then apply bearing grease right? As per PSR sir's recommendation,me too bought a tub of Bearing grease of MAK,500gms. But with Grease alone,its thrown away very quickly.

Any oil will work for some time in a pinch . 20w40 engine oil ( fresh ) will stay on for like 100kms at most . Works well, no other problem with it .

OK,I always use new/fresh oil for lubing the chain.

[bobysaxena]

Depends on how much oil has gone and what oil you were using and how hot your engine got on the way . Were you on synthetic ? Then this is common . As Aneesh suggested , keep an eye on the plug , check if it is oily(shiny) black . Touch inside the fag end of the tailpipe(when it's cool) and feel if it's kinda oily .

Top up the oil if necessary. Clean the engine well with kerosene-rag first then detergent and water ( of course when it's not hot ) . Wipe dry . Keep riding it for few hundred kilometers . Keep a careful watch on the gaskets joints etc area to see if that dusty (dust sticking to oil) patch reappears . If it does, visit the ASC .
Yes , this is normal behaviour of 20w40 oil in winter specially with a newish engine in the very early mornings . I don't bother and just warm up the engine in idle for a full minute before riding on . Winter is a month and a half here anyway . But if you wish you can switch to 10w30 oil for these 2-4 cooler months , no problem . That'll certainly give you quick warm-ups and oil circulation for now. Remember to switch back to 20w40 in march-april again .
You can get the Tide-Water(veedol) made HeroHonda 10w30 oil at one Anwar Shah Road shop for 175 Rs a bottle . It's the first shop on the right after you enter Anwar Shah Road from the Tipu-Sultan Masjid side , about a hundred meters from the masjid . This is a good oil . Avoid the BPCL made HH oil .

Yes . But I dunno why this happens , I've just observed this effect thru all my bikes .
What is the problem in Chennai ? The recommended oil for your bike and climate is 20w40 mineral . No semi/full synthetic in that grade here . If you insist on synthetic you can try out Motul 300v Factory line 10w40, Shell Advance Ultra 10w40 etc .

Thanks for your advise Pinaki . I had already procured Gulf 10w30 engine oil . Can you pls advise where to procure the Air filter (i.e.Paper type), it needs a replacement but I could not find at any shop.