What make of Oil?

[Mand]

It is time for me to top up the oil in my Monster. I have read in the manual that I am to use Shell Ultra 4 - my local bike shop doesn't sell that, however it sells an "equivalent" - Silkolene?

Can anybody please advise me if that would be okay?

Just one comment though, my bike had its first year service back in June and I think they were a bit mean with the oil, I have done about 900 miles since that service and I do a lot of town riding (would that make a difference)?

Thanks

Mand

[A Yerbury]

that would be fine, shell is reccomended as they have tie ins with shell ditto agip andchampion plugs. silkolene fully synth is pricier as it contains magical additives and red pigment. In fact ducati used to rec agip but for a while it was unavailable in the uk.
"agip 4t super racing or any good quality fully-synthetic motor oil sae 5w/40"
lexy.

[berto]

;) Where do you live ??Uranus perhaps...you can get shell feckin everywhere so get it ...right.

[A Yerbury]

er yes berto "every where" except her local bike shop! the silkolene is fine. if you dont wish to travel further afield.

[Julie]

;) Where do you live ??Uranus perhaps...you can get shell feckin everywhere so get it ...right.

sounding like an arse again!

[logyk]

Most Shell garages stock 4 stroke Motorcycle oils.

I would strongly recommend sticking with the oil put in the bike by the dealer servicing your bike.......are you sure this was Shell? A phone call to the dealer would confirm.

Shell have a website giving the location of the nearest garage with telephone numbers...so you can check they have the oil before travelling.

How did we cope before the internet ? :D

[A Yerbury]

"How did we cope before the internet ? " I think we just ignored the manufacturers paranoia marketing bulls**t! :)
Alex.

[S4 MAD]

hi at work here i have a quiet a few bootles of shell helix ultra 5w-40
give me a buzz on tuesday when ican sort out a nice hopefully cheap
price 01932 355300.

any one else intrested just buzz me tuesday ask for martin.

[Mand]

Thanks for your help everybody.

As for Shell garages, they are few and far between, only four in Leicestershire - perhaps they are on the planet Uranus Berto??? :twisted:

Mand the Martian

[Zimbo]

Main dealers don't necessarily use shell. My local one (Riders) has used rock oil in it's workshop for years, I was told by one of their counter staff recently.

[DavidT]

I suspect what the factory recommends is more to do with the cost of their bulk supplies - the company that supplies the correct oil at the best price gets the factory endorsement and therefore the profit from owners sticking to that recommendation. Silkolene have expanded their synthetic Pro4+ range and now have a 5/40 and a 10/50. Its interesting that although the factory now recommends Shell Advance Ultra, for old 'bikes like mine the Agip 4T super racing is listed on their web (http://www.agip.ch/lubrifiants/a/lubrifiant/4tracing.html) site as a 20/50.

[Spike]

Use what ever is at hand as long as the spec is the same Mand not a lot of difference only brand names. :twisted:

[Duke John]

I agree with Spike, there is no problem mixing oils, most are made using the same base oils anyway. Most important is that you have the right quantity in, and that the specification is right.
Cheers
Ducati John.

[nik_the_brief]

I agree with Spike too.

Actually Halfords own 4 stroke motorcycle engine oil is bloody good value for money and has never caused my bike any problems. The most important thing is to make sure you change it at the correct service intervals (or preferably before).

There's conflicting advice about additives (if that's your bag) - there are a few on the market - Slick50 etc. Some people have raised concerns that it can cause clutch problems in wet clutched Monnies but I've never actually met anyone who has encountered this. Most people believe it's just a waste of money.

A trawl through the old threads on oils and additives will prove useful reading for you too. :burnout:

[spacemonkey]

I've mentioned the research done by the AA before concerning oil additives like Slick 50. They found that it was just an expensive way to coat the oil filter. Totally useless. If you have concerns, then just use a decent oil in the first place, of at least semi synth spec. Avoid the 0W fully synths as it is too thin for these engines. 5w is borderline, but if you want a TRUE fully synth it has to be 5w. A 10w or above is not a true ester based fully synth, but a hydrocracked mineral oil. True synths are built 'brick by brick' in a lab, and thus cost a **** load more. Trouble is the oil companies can call this inferior hydrocracked oil 'fully synth' due to a court case of Mobil vs Castrol. Only in Germany do they have to declare. However, these oils ARE vastly superior to normal mineral oils, it's just they are not true synthetics, such as PAO or Ester based oils which are. All 0w oils need to be "true" synthetic to meet the -35 degC test to the SAE 40/30. 5w oils are usually a PAO or a blend of hydrocracked oils with some synthetic added to meet the -30 degC test, however there are good and bad. Just about ALL 10w and 15w oils are hydrockacked or molecularly modified mineral oils although there are some exceptions like Mobil 1, Silkolene and Redline to name a few. It's complicated and information of what an oil is made up of is never on the can so beware if an oil says Synthetic on the can, in 90% of cases it is not a true synthetic and therefore inferior.


You get what you pay for...