An unintentional mod

[drumminman]

Yep, this is another oil thread, but I had to write about this as I am shocked at the results.

First a little background.

Bought my 05 new and broke it in with a 30 mile oil and filter change (Stock Filter - Castrol GTX 10W40)

600 mile oil change (Purolator ML16818 filter and Valvoline VR 20W50)

2000 mile oil change (Perform filter and Amsoil 10W40 Synthetic)

3500 mile oil change (Purolator filter and Maxima Maxim 4 Extra 15W50)

5000 mile oil change (Purolator filter and Silkolene Pro 4 SX ester/PAO Synthetic)

and finally the reason for this post: 6100 mile oil change (Purolator filter and Silkolene Pro 4 Plus ester synthetic 5W40)

This stuff is mucho expensive, so much so that after I bought it I had second thoughts. But since it's non returnable I went ahead and used it.

My first 50 miles I thought it's about the same as the Pro 4 SX.

But since then I've been blown away at how much smoother the Busa shifts and runs, especially when it's warmed up. SOP Dyno tells me I've got a small increase in HP and the shifting is sooooo much smoother that sometimes it goes into gear (even 1st to 2nd) without even a clunk. I thought I missed a shift the first time this happened!

I consider this a mod because the Busa ran well with the other oils. Although all the other synthetics are decent I would rank them in the following order (good-better-best) for Tranny/engine smoothness:

Amsoil - a definite improvement over the dinos I used

Maxima - a little better than the amsoil, especially on those 90+ summer days

Silkolene Pro 4 SX - I bought this on sale for $5/quart, even though it's for off road racing. JASO MA SG rated, I was surprised that the BUSA seemed to like it better than the Maxima as the Maxima has a really stout add pack.

Silkolene Pro 4 Plus - Absolutely the best I've tried. It's so much better than the othhers that I'll have a hard time putting anything else in the crankcase.

Now for the bad news. FUCHS recently had a price increase, a major one! I bought a 4L container for $68.00. So that plus a Purolator filter from Pep Boys means that my oil changes (which I do twice a year) mean that I'll be paying $74.00 x 2 = $148.00 per year for oil changes.

Still it's a no brainer. I'm now a Pro 4 Plus fan!

 

[JuiceSC]

Good info, but that is STEEP for oil.

I pretty much had the similiar experience 2 years ago when I switched to synthetic from dino. I tried it on my 750 just to see if I could tell the difference. Factory filter and used castrol syntec. I had one of my best track days. The bike ran smoother/crisper and shifting was definitely improved much like you said.

 

[WWJD]

I been dieing to use Silkolene. Just gotta make the leap.

What price can you put on the BEST of something?

It's worth it, knowing there is nothing better

 

[Justyntym]

I went thru almost the exact same oil progression you did and wound up with the silkolene...it is good stuff and the "clunky" busa tranny does need all the help it can get.

It is pricy but I'll probably stay with it to, although I thought AMSoil was a close second.

Silkolene does have the engine purring like a lion though

 

[Mr. Anderson]

you might also want to try shell rotella T synthetic 5w-40. walmart has it for like 13 a gallon. good stuff. their supertech is a good brand

 

[NCpanther01]

D, good write up! I'm switching becasue I have a 02 and nothing but the best for baby!!!

 

[marlboroman71818]

(Mr. Anderson @ May 04 2007,07:31) you might also want to try shell rotella T synthetic 5w-40. walmart has it for like 13 a gallon. good stuff. their supertech is a good brand

to many detergents in diesel engine oil. bad for small bearing clearences. Also Mobil Delvac has a better base oil

 

[dadofthree]

That's three times what I'm paying for zuki dino and filter. Might just have to go that route after my warranty ends this summer eventhough I'm doing 4 to 5 changes a year.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

(marlboroman71818 @ May 04 2007,11:20)

to many detergents in diesel engine oil. bad for small bearing clearences. Also Mobil Delvac has a better base oil

actually, the added detergents are great for the transmission and it is still a good PAO based synthetic.

 

[Vic_E55_2001]

(drumminman @ May 04 2007,06:35) Yep, this is another oil thread, but I had to write about this as I am shocked at the results.

First a little background.

Bought my 05 new and broke it in with a 30 mile oil and filter change (Stock Filter - Castrol GTX 10W40)

600 mile oil change (Purolator ML16818 filter and Valvoline VR 20W50)

2000 mile oil change (Perform filter and Amsoil 10W40 Synthetic)

3500 mile oil change (Purolator filter and Maxima Maxim 4 Extra 15W50)

5000 mile oil change (Purolator filter and Silkolene Pro 4 SX ester/PAO Synthetic)

and finally the reason for this post: 6100 mile oil change (Purolator filter and Silkolene Pro 4 Plus ester synthetic 5W40)

This stuff is mucho expensive, so much so that after I bought it I had second thoughts. But since it's non returnable I went ahead and used it.

My first 50 miles I thought it's about the same as the Pro 4 SX.

But since then I've been blown away at how much smoother the Busa shifts and runs, especially when it's warmed up. SOP Dyno tells me I've got a small increase in HP and the shifting is sooooo much smoother that sometimes it goes into gear (even 1st to 2nd) without even a clunk. I thought I missed a shift the first time this happened!

I consider this a mod because the Busa ran well with the other oils. Although all the other synthetics are decent I would rank them in the following order (good-better-best) for Tranny/engine smoothness:

Amsoil - a definite improvement over the dinos I used

Maxima - a little better than the amsoil, especially on those 90+ summer days

Silkolene Pro 4 SX - I bought this on sale for $5/quart, even though it's for off road racing. JASO MA SG rated, I was surprised that the BUSA seemed to like it better than the Maxima as the Maxima has a really stout add pack.

Silkolene Pro 4 Plus - Absolutely the best I've tried. It's so much better than the othhers that I'll have a hard time putting anything else in the crankcase.

Now for the bad news. FUCHS recently had a price increase, a major one! I bought a 4L container for $68.00. So that plus a Purolator filter from Pep Boys means that my oil changes (which I do twice a year) mean that I'll be paying $74.00 x 2 = $148.00 per year for oil changes.

Still it's a no brainer. I'm now a Pro 4 Plus fan!

or switch to any synth from day 1 and enjoy the smooth tranny.

What amazed me every time is that seat-of-the-pants analysis of what runs better in the Busa.

I can bet anyone that Mobil-1 15-50 is good as any specific motorcycle oils including 3 times more expensive.

I prefer Amsoil only because I can get a better deal buying bulk.

1500 Miles for synthetic oil is way short, unless you racing every day. If you want to know for sure how is your oil doing send it for analysis, don`t waste your money on unnecessary oil change ( better for the environment too)

 

[drumminman]

(WWJD @ May 04 2007,05:48) I been dieing to use Silkolene.  Just gotta make the leap.

What price can you put on the BEST of something?  

 It's worth it, knowing there is nothing better

Take a chance WWJD. I had heard this about the Pro 4 Plus, but I really didn't think it'd be better than the other synthetics I used.

I had been going heavier weight in the summer and lighter in the winter, but the performance of this oil may cause me to rethink this. It may well be unnecesary to do more than one oil change per year.

As to the Shell Rotella Synthetic Mr. A posted about It's a group III, not a PAO based oil. I've heard good things about it too.

As to Mobil 1 15W-50 I haven't tried it, but looking at how it's built I doubt that it would do as well as the Pro 4 Plus. Mobil has taken the PAO out of most of their lineup and gone to Group III. It's a decent base stock, but the oil is not that special. How would you compare the Mobil 1 to the Amsoil?

One of the reasons I like the ester based oils is that they do well in engines that get a little warm, so it's like an extra insurance policy should you I get stuck in traffic.

 

[Learjett]

I switched from dino to Amsoil this year. I've put around 500 miles on it so far, most of it going to the Bash, and I have been pleasantly surprised! My transmission mainly only clunks when it's cold, after she warms up a bit it's amazing the difference so I know what you mean about going with a synthetic... it's the only way to go!

 

[mzrsq]

My Busa Likes the Pro 4 Plus also, Check with Josh (RidersNation, board sponsor) for better pricing.

Got some fresh sittng in the garage, just can't find the time to change it.

 

[Big Tuna]

I love the rotella synthetic 5w/40.....Im having no problems and my oil analysis comes back great.