Best Engine Oil for RTR 160

viky_s · 15th October 2008, 10:10

hi guys,
my rtr160 has just completed 450kms . its first service was done earlier(about 300kms) so the oil wasn't changed.
Now i would like to change the oil.
Please suggest some good oil brands and the grades.
Should i go for full synthetic or semi ?

awaiting your valuable comments

regards
viky

praful · 15th October 2008, 10:54

Stick to the company recommended mineral oil atleast for the first 2K kms, you can then consider switching to a semi-synth oil.

Go for a fully synth oil only after 5K kms are over.

Aston.Martin · 20th October 2008, 14:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by praful

Stick to the company recommended mineral oil atleast for the first 2K kms, you can then consider switching to a semi-synth oil.

Go for a fully synth oil only after 5K kms are over.

Which is the best synth oil ?

praful · 20th October 2008, 14:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aston.Martin

Which is the best synth oil ?

And that deserves a new thread all together!

Well I have personally just used Motul 300V, reviews off the net talk a lot about the fully synth oils from Mobil and Amsoil.

As far is 300V is concered, well its amazing. Shifts remain smooth even after 4K kms of riding. But it doesn't work in the VFM aspect for me.

sreerama · 7th December 2008, 20:19

Yes as above said stick to the recommended engine oil at least for 2000kms as the engine has to break in & the rings should be sealed completely for future use.

If u use synthetic oil earlier the normal break in will not happen at all.

After 2000kms use any 20 50 oil as it will cut the engine vibes of rtr much better. Valvoline premium is a very good oil for rtr.

Raccoon · 8th December 2008, 19:37

I believe TVS has its own branded oil made by BP. You could consider using that, at least for 1 - 2 thousand km. After that you could consider a fully synthetic. Motul should be a good option.

Please stick to the viscosity grade recommended by TVS! If I remember correct, it is SAE 20w40 for the RTR. Also, dont use oils of lower API rating than the one recommened. Dont evaluate an oil just by the smoothness it provides... there are too many factors involved!! Do NOT use 20w50 if a 20w40 is recommended.

Also do NOT use a car oil in bikes!

Gregory · 8th December 2008, 20:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raccoon

I believe TVS has its own branded oil made by BP. You could consider using that, at least for 1 - 2 thousand km. After that you could consider a fully synthetic. Motul should be a good option.

Please stick to the viscosity grade recommended by TVS! If I remember correct, it is SAE 20w40 for the RTR. Also, dont use oils of lower API rating than the one recommened. Dont evaluate an oil just by the smoothness it provides... there are too many factors involved!! Do NOT use 20w50 if a 20w40 is recommended.

Also do NOT use a car oil in bikes!

Why do you say that we shouldnt use 20w50 on a bike which has a recomendation of 20w40?

As far as I know the 20w has to be the same but the 40/50 the higher the better?

crazydiablo · 8th December 2008, 23:04

Motul 300V or Castrol Power 1 racing. I would prefer Motul 300V.

Sankar · 8th December 2008, 23:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gregory

As far as I know the 20w has to be the same but the 40/50 the higher the better?

It's the other way around. Unless you live in very cold regions you need not bother about 20W/15W/5W or whatever that comes before the W. It's the rating the precedes W (for eg: 50 in 20W50) should you be bothered about.

aaggoswami · 8th December 2008, 23:58

Just a query. My Suzuki Zeus has done 8K kms +. The dealer puts in " Idemitsu " from " Savita Chemicals ". I would like to put in synthetic oil.
But I think the clutch life will be reduced because of this.
So how come bikes like RTR and Karizma are able to digest the Synthetic oil ?
What brand oil can I put in my bike ?

Raccoon · 9th December 2008, 00:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gregory

Why do you say that we shouldnt use 20w50 on a bike which has a recomendation of 20w40?

As far as I know the 20w has to be the same but the 40/50 the higher the better?

Cant get into it right now, for want of time... but in a nutshell, just stick to the manuf recommendation! Do some research online if you want to know why.

Quote:

But I think the clutch life will be reduced because of this.
So how come bikes like RTR and Karizma are able to digest the Synthetic oil ?

Why do you think Zeus cant 'digest' fully synth oil? There should be no poroblem if you use a fully synth bike oil (JASO MA certified). Fully synth is anyday better than mineral oil. But personally, I dont find them cost effective, and havent used them. But thats upto you to decide.

sreerama · 9th December 2008, 08:04

hi for my unicorn honda recommends honda 2040 mineral oil. Its good for normal riding. Once you ride it hard you will feel the difference of performance of oils & honda oil is very bad for that i feel. Mostly i get engine heating problems if i ride 100+ continiously for 15 min in the highway. After that 40grade oils become like water & i donot feel the viscosity & engine runs harsher like water poured into it & even get tappet noise in the lower gears itself. Tried many oils mostly only 20w50 withstands hard riding.

RTR is a high reving bike & gets vibes,tappet noise,engine heating easily.
So i recomended 20w50 valvoline premium which is a synthetic blend oil specially for motorcycles & even reduces above all said & engine heating at high speeds considerabally than many oils which i have tested so far.

But i have not tested fully synthetic oils. It damages clutch a long run only when u use oils like eg mobil 1(not sure) which are designed for cars,not for bikes as i think car doesnot have wet clutch(not sure).

You can use synthetic oils after 2k specially for bikes like new castrol synthetic,motual etc which has some additives specially to reduce clutch slipage for motorcycles.

Raccoon · 9th December 2008, 17:58

Strange that the Honda oil does not seem to be performing well. What is the API rating of the oil, btw?

Try the new bike oil from Tide Water (cant recall the name)... I believe its 20w40 and semi-synth. Not used it myself, but have heard good things about it. Dont pay much attention to companies claiming semi-synth tho... its likely more of a marketing gimmick.

bose.srijit · 14th September 2010, 11:15

hey, look i have done around 4k kilometers on my Apache RTR160, one thing i would like to bring to the notice of my fellow BHPians is that the "TVS has its own branded oil made by BP" has its own share of problems, it leads to engine heating and noise when you are at high speeds and after a 1000KM certainly the pickup also reduces. I was certianly looking for a replacement.
From the Recommendation of my esteemed members i will try out the Full Synt oil and update on my findings.

15th October 2008, 10:10	#1
viky_s BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Nashik Posts: 129 Thanked: 51 Times	Best Engine Oil for RTR 160 hi guys, my rtr160 has just completed 450kms . its first service was done earlier(about 300kms) so the oil wasn't changed. Now i would like to change the oil. Please suggest some good oil brands and the grades. Should i go for full synthetic or semi ? awaiting your valuable comments regards viky
	() Thanks

15th October 2008, 10:54	#2
praful Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Paris Posts: 1,020 Thanked: 611 Times View My Garage	Stick to the company recommended mineral oil atleast for the first 2K kms, you can then consider switching to a semi-synth oil. Go for a fully synth oil only after 5K kms are over.
	() Thanks

7th December 2008, 20:19	#5
sreerama BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 88 Thanked: 11 Times	Yes as above said stick to the recommended engine oil at least for 2000kms as the engine has to break in & the rings should be sealed completely for future use. If u use synthetic oil earlier the normal break in will not happen at all. After 2000kms use any 20 50 oil as it will cut the engine vibes of rtr much better. Valvoline premium is a very good oil for rtr.
	() Thanks

8th December 2008, 19:37	#6
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	I believe TVS has its own branded oil made by BP. You could consider using that, at least for 1 - 2 thousand km. After that you could consider a fully synthetic. Motul should be a good option. Please stick to the viscosity grade recommended by TVS! If I remember correct, it is SAE 20w40 for the RTR. Also, dont use oils of lower API rating than the one recommened. Dont evaluate an oil just by the smoothness it provides... there are too many factors involved!! Do NOT use 20w50 if a 20w40 is recommended. Also do NOT use a car oil in bikes!
	() Thanks

8th December 2008, 23:04	#8
crazydiablo BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore/San Francisco Posts: 854 Thanked: 24 Times View My Garage	Motul 300V or Castrol Power 1 racing. I would prefer Motul 300V.
	() Thanks

8th December 2008, 23:58	#10
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,982 Thanked: 2,930 Times	Just a query. My Suzuki Zeus has done 8K kms +. The dealer puts in " Idemitsu " from " Savita Chemicals ". I would like to put in synthetic oil. But I think the clutch life will be reduced because of this. So how come bikes like RTR and Karizma are able to digest the Synthetic oil ? What brand oil can I put in my bike ?
	() Thanks

9th December 2008, 08:04	#12
sreerama BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 88 Thanked: 11 Times	hi for my unicorn honda recommends honda 2040 mineral oil. Its good for normal riding. Once you ride it hard you will feel the difference of performance of oils & honda oil is very bad for that i feel. Mostly i get engine heating problems if i ride 100+ continiously for 15 min in the highway. After that 40grade oils become like water & i donot feel the viscosity & engine runs harsher like water poured into it & even get tappet noise in the lower gears itself. Tried many oils mostly only 20w50 withstands hard riding. RTR is a high reving bike & gets vibes,tappet noise,engine heating easily. So i recomended 20w50 valvoline premium which is a synthetic blend oil specially for motorcycles & even reduces above all said & engine heating at high speeds considerabally than many oils which i have tested so far. But i have not tested fully synthetic oils. It damages clutch a long run only when u use oils like eg mobil 1(not sure) which are designed for cars,not for bikes as i think car doesnot have wet clutch(not sure). You can use synthetic oils after 2k specially for bikes like new castrol synthetic,motual etc which has some additives specially to reduce clutch slipage for motorcycles.
	() Thanks

9th December 2008, 17:58	#13
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	Strange that the Honda oil does not seem to be performing well. What is the API rating of the oil, btw? Try the new bike oil from Tide Water (cant recall the name)... I believe its 20w40 and semi-synth. Not used it myself, but have heard good things about it. Dont pay much attention to companies claiming semi-synth tho... its likely more of a marketing gimmick.
	() Thanks

14th September 2010, 11:15	#14
bose.srijit Newbie Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4 Thanked: Once	hey, look i have done around 4k kilometers on my Apache RTR160, one thing i would like to bring to the notice of my fellow BHPians is that the "TVS has its own branded oil made by BP" has its own share of problems, it leads to engine heating and noise when you are at high speeds and after a 1000KM certainly the pickup also reduces. I was certianly looking for a replacement. From the Recommendation of my esteemed members i will try out the Full Synt oil and update on my findings.
	() Thanks