Switch to Synthetic?
This is why I love my readers. Bryan sent me in a great little write up on his switch to synthetic oil from good ol’ dino juice. This is a good lil read for those of you on the fence about making the switch. Anyone else made the switch and have had a similar experience? If so, post up for us in the comments!
Dear “Dr. Banging Hair” aka Mr 2Fiddy:
Hey I just wanted to write in and tell you about my experience with making the move to full synthetic oil with my bike.
I made the change at 1500 miles and I could tell an immediate difference. The bike became tighter feeling
where it has less of a buzzy feeling. My gears seem to flow like butter now with more sure shifting and easier downshifting when you pull up on a light and forget to downshift. Have not had the oil in the bike to test the mileage difference but I can only expect big numbers.
If people have not made the change in their bikes yet it is worth the extra money. I got my Mobile synthetic 4-stroke motorcycle specific oil at Wall-Mart where it was under 9 dollars a quart. Also they have a filter there for motorcycles made by FRAM Stock #CH6009 and it comes with replacement O-rings for 4 dollars instead of 8 or 9 dollars from the Kawasaki store. The filter looks exactly the same as the Kawi replacement oil filter and it is exactly the same size and shape so I am expecting it to work. They did not have a filter book at the Wal-Mart so I could look it up but I’m certain it will work.
Other synthetic oils at the motorcycle dealerships sell for 14 to 18 dollars a quart so the Mobile oil is a deal and is very high quality oil. Mobile oil is a name you can trust and I’ve been using it for years.
- Bryan
Outinthedark Said,
October 13, 2008 @ 4:08 pm
Watch out for replacement oil filters…
Kawasaki will void that warantee asap if you use an aftermarket filter. If you are still in your warantee pay the premium for the Kawasaki filter. Not much more and for the few oil filters you buy during that first year. If you have an extended plan weigh it significantly. If they can find any reason to void it they certainly will…
Also there is no reason why not to switch to synthetic before 1500 but Mobil 1 is absolutely top notch.
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adam f. Reply:
October 13th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
so what kinda oil filter do they expect u to use? cause i just went to a motorcycle shop and asked for a oil filter for the 08 ninja and thats what they gave me .
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Outinthedark Reply:
October 13th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Adam I just know from past experience with vehicle warantees they like to say something to the extent of…
“Since you used an aftermarket filter it damaged _______ part and will not be covered by your warantee”
Just past experience when I bought a new motorcycle that still had a warantee. I didn’t even put the new oil filter on it was the previous owner. Just saying be careful and look over your warantee before you slap that aftermarket part on. It’s a get out of jail free card for them.
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adam f. Reply:
October 14th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Oh i c . Thanks . so if i have to bring my bike in for any kind of warranty ill make sure to not bring it in with a after market oil filter thanks again for the heads up .
Bryan Thornhill Reply:
October 13th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
That’s good news to post. Maybe people should skip the FRAM filter. I just bought it to bring it home and compare it to the used stock filter on my porch. I used the Kawasaki anyways because I had already bought it but the idea of saving a few bucks is always on my mind.
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Popster Reply:
October 19th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Wix makes a filter that is a direct cross to the Kawasaki part number. Wix#24941
O’Reilly Auto Parts sells them for $7.49. I’ve used this filter with no problems. I also have been using Valvoline 4 stroke 20W50 (#743). Wix is a top quality filter brand and I don’t see any difference when compared to a Kawasaki brand filter. Comes with new o-rings. Heck, the Kawasaki filter could even be made by Wix. I don’t know this for sure, but they make filters for other companies. (NAPA Gold filters are made by Wix)
I agree with the Fram comment. They aren’t high on my list either. I’ve built several drag engines over the years (BBC/SBC) and have always used Wix filters and Valvoline oil with much success.
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Diablo0 Reply:
October 15th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
“Under this federal statute, a manufacturer, who issues a warranty on your motor vehicle, is prohibited from requiring you to use a particular brand of air filter, oil filter, or other service or maintenance item, unless such item is provided, free of charge, under your warranty or unless the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) waives this prohibition against the manufacturer. ”
http://www.knfilters.com/warrantyletter.htm
For them to deny warranty coverage because you used a non-OEM filter is against the law unless they provide the filters for free while under warranty or the FTC gives them permission.
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Outinthedark Reply:
October 15th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Good info Diablo0!
Fram has something similar…
http://www.fram.com/pdf/Warranty.pdf
Though they cite this little bugger…
[pulled from the Kawasaki GTPP here at http://www.kawasaki.com/Content/pdfs/GTPPCert.pdf
3. Repair or replacement required as a result of (i) accident or collision (ii) misuse, abuse or neglect (iii) lack of reasonable and proper maintenance (iv) repairs improperly performed
or replacement parts improperly installed (v) use of replacement parts or accessories not conforming to Kawasaki specifications which adversely effect performance and/or
durability; (vi) alterations or modifications not recommended or approved in writing by Kawasaki (vii) wear and deterioration (including loss of engine compression) occasioned by
the use of the product.
In combination they make it nearly impossible to use an aftermarket filter even though according to the FTC it is illegal. Sure you can fight it but many cannot. Just like your insurrance will not cover that aftermarket can you slapped on unless you specifically include it into your coverage [at least for my insurrance but one of my friend’s wrecked his ‘68 Plymouth and they gave him short about $3k due to aftermarket parts].
Many many many times they will deny coverage…check out what Ford did to this guy…
http://consumerist.com/5052258/fords-569837-pinging-noise
Check out google…many hits even one of the first with an Infinity g35 another with Ford. This happens frequently and is a pain to deal with.
http://tinyurl.com/FilterVoid
I had to fight for nearly a month for them to fix my engine all because of an aftermarket filter when the problem was a gasket and an o-ring. For me I’ll pay the $8 premium while I’m under warranty so I wont have to deal with those idiots.
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Diablo0 Reply:
October 16th, 2008 at 12:20 am
I agree, sometimes it’s just not worth the aggravation that it may cause and just pay the extra few bucks in order to avoid any possible risk of them causing a stink. However it can’t be stated that they WILL void your warranty if you use a aftermarket filter. Instead they MAY void your warranty if you use an aftermarket filter, if they can prove using evidence that the filter was the cause of the problem in the first place. Things such as the folds in the filter media was inconsistently spaced not allowing enough surface area to filter the oil properly or it being too tightly packed to cause a strain on the pump resulting in a failure. Claims like that which have evidence to back it up. All oil filters must pass SAE tests to show that they meet the engine manufactures requirements so by if a filter is SAE certified, shouldn’t it then mean that it meats Kawasaki’s specifications? A dealer service manager saying “Nope, non-OE filter… it’s the problem.” without actually proving it, can’t be done and if it is, like Jeff did in the consumerist.com link did, should dispute it to the regional rep. Then it if needed escalate it and if possible you can take legal action. However, as you said and I completely agree with… sometimes it’s better and easier just to pay the extra $X.XX to avoid possibly seeing this problem all together.
Another question, does anyone know who makes the Kawasaki filters? By that I mean more than likely Kawasaki doesn’t make their own filters and just purchases them from another manufacture such as Honeywell, Purolator, Champion Labs, etc… and sticks their name on it. Car manufactures do it a lot where a the automobile manufacture sells filters but they’re just rebadged Fram, Puralator, or another brand of filter then sold at a premium for having the manufactures name on it. I’m simply curious since you pay this premium for what you’d expect to be a quality filter most of the time and instead turns out to be a cheap Fram filter which in the past Fram hasn’t had good reviews on being a quality filter in the automotive market.
adam f. Reply:
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Hey . ive been wanting to put up an article on something i did on my bike . it only cost 25 dollars to do but i cant to seem how to put it up . do have any idea?
heres the link to my bike check out the wheels on it.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/adamallup/295739968_1004609802_0.jpg
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greenweenie Said,
October 13, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
I made the switch to Silkolene Semi-Synthetic at 600 miles- what I thought to be fair break-in mileage . It is important to note that you should NOT switch straight out to full synthetic with a new motor. At least this is what my race engine building friends preach. They use cheap ass oil to “set” the motor (break-in) then switch to semi, then full, or straight to full syn royal purple or whatever. regardless of your school of thought on break-in/switch over, I have had excellent results in both the Ninja and my KLR650 (21k on thumper) and have put THOUSANDS of hours on my little Honda 2kw EU series generator powering an off-grid cabin with full synthetic! On the Ninja, it added an immediate 3-6 mpg, and still climbing.
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dknollRX7 Said,
October 13, 2008 @ 5:40 pm
I agree, there are several threads open on various forums about switching over to synthetic oil from regular mineral based oil. The general consensus is that mineral oil should be used for at least the first 1000-1500mi so that the rings seat in correctly and other vital engine components break in. After that time, switching to synthetic won’t harm anything although some people speculate that you won’t really realize any benifits. I’m not sure as I haven’t done this yet, but some people have stated they have noticed a difference (don’t know if that is biased though).
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adam f. Said,
October 13, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
Oh yeah . go to YOUTUBE . and under search . Type in 09ninjarider . Theres a nice ass video of this guy doing wheelies and stoppies on his 09 stock Ninja 250! best video yet!
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Bryan Thornhill Reply:
October 13th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Man, I don’t know how that guy does that. This bike just does not have the low end power to pull it up correctly. He must be revving the snot out of it and dropping the clutch. If that’s how he’s doing it his bike won’t last long. That is so hard on your clutch, transmission, and chain and not recommended.
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greenweenie Reply:
October 14th, 2008 at 3:45 am
He must have gone up on the rear sprocket…AND be banging the clutch or I’ll eat a worm…Mine wouldn’t do it if I weighed 1fiddy! He is going uphill though, that might be helping a little…
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adam f. Reply:
October 14th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
From what he said he No mods . just revs it to almost redline . but i have to agree . that is really bad on the bike over all . but hey . if u got warranty why not ?! but gotta give him his props . he is the only one on youtube to get up on his 250r like that .
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Bthornhill Reply:
October 26th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Problem is it will probably hold up for the first year doing what he’s doing where the poor fellow who buys the bike next will have to deal with it. That’s why I try and buy my bikes new except when I know more about the bike or the original owner selling it.
greenweenie Said,
October 13, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
Here’s a question- Is everyone else’s fuel gauge as screwed up as mine? It reads just over 1/2 tank when completely full, and is on empty by about 140 miles…I would gladly trade the POS fuel gauge back for the temp gauge and a reserve petcock…Is this a valid warranty gripe?
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bthornhill Reply:
October 13th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Mine sucks, way off all the time. I just set my trip after fill up and have a good what the bike will run before I need to hit the gas pumps again.
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Jeff Reply:
October 14th, 2008 at 3:06 am
Mine reads fine.
Needle on full when tank is filled to neck on sidestand.
When it’s on E, and can put in ~4 gallons.
Still rather have a temp gauge.
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Tery Reply:
October 17th, 2008 at 11:23 am
My gauge is fine. I fill up ever 220 to 240 miles and I usually still have a gallon of gas left.
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Observer Said,
October 13, 2008 @ 10:19 pm
Im more interested in the wind screen he has on his bike in that picture of the quart of oil. LOL
Anyone able to identify which screen that is? Bryan, is that yours?
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bthornhill Reply:
October 14th, 2008 at 12:30 am
My mirrors are folded up. That’s why it looks like that. Forgot to take them down after parking at work. I have a Puig dark smoke windscreen otherwise.
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Observer Reply:
October 14th, 2008 at 4:23 am
LOL ok! Now that you say it I see it. The angle of the photo had me wondering what I was looking at. heh
Looked like some kind of windscreen batman would have on his bike
Back to the oil;
What brands are you all using for the break-in period before you switch to the synthetics?
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bthornhill Reply:
October 14th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I used Castrol 10W-40 4T motorcycle oil and I found it at my local Pep Boys auto supply. Meets all the requirements that Kawasaki requires. Paid 4 dollars a quart and it is great quality conventional oil.
I changed my oil in this sequence. At around 200 miles with no filter change conventional oil used, 600 miles no filter change conventional oil used, 1500 miles synthetic mobile oil and filter change.
I plan on doing future oil changes at about every 3,500 miles with the synthetic oil.
ghillie Said,
October 14, 2008 @ 10:34 am
Synthetics are the only way to go. Mobil 1 is a quality product, as there are others. But not all synthetics are the same. There are groupings of oils, and group 4 and 5 oils are true synthetics, group 3 oils are not true synthetics. Do your research people……Motul, Mobil 1, Amsoil, are some of the true synthetics. And even then, not all synthetics are equal………did I say do your research?
As for the comment that aftermarket filters will void your warranty is BULL! Now if the filter fails, or disenegrates, it’s on you and the filter company to fix it, Kawasaki can bow out. But you can use any filter you chose, read the Magnuson-Moss act.
With that said about filters, I would’t put a Fram filter on my lawnmower, they are absolute junk. If you don’t believe me, just check it out on-line. There are good aftermarket filters out there though, and again do your research.
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greenweenie Reply:
October 14th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I concur. In the big picture whats a few more bucks? We’re already bending over for top shelf oil- and then changing it 5 times as often as the manual says…
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Kitty Said,
October 15, 2008 @ 1:19 am
http://www.power-21.com/HoneywellPower21i/RelatedInfo.aspx?b=F&f=FRAM/framrv_motorcycle_1211.pdf
Proper filter is CH6012.
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Ryan Said,
October 17, 2008 @ 7:06 am
Thats funny about the filter, because I buy my oil filter from the darn dealership, and they don’t carry any Kawasaki branded filters. But anyway, I think this post is stupid, because if your not putting sythetic in your bike, you’re a moron. Seriously, its only 1.5 qt for crying out loud. Spend $10 for oil and you got it!
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Bryan Thornhill Reply:
October 18th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
With your 10 dollars spent on synthetic oil your not going to get very far. 1 qt. of synthetic oil starts at 10 dollars so your a little short. Also, if you do a filter change along with your oil change your going to need more then 1.5 qt. as stated in the manual plus the cost of the filter. I know the final number is not that much greater where 2 quarts will definitely fill it to the proper level but someone less knowledgeable my listen to you jabber and only put in 1.5 quarts and tear up their bike. If the post was so stupid why did you spend the time to read it and comment on it?
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Ryan Reply:
October 20th, 2008 at 7:21 am
“Just stating that this is a no brainer.” The amount of oil required is minimal to that amount in a car/truck, so putting sythetic in is the smart thing to do. Not sure though why the manual is wrong according to you, because its was dead on for my bike (and yes, I do replace the filter). If you put 2 quarts in it, which is easy to do if you don’t level the bike, you’ll cause damage to the system (unless the manual is wrong here also about overfilling!) I guess this is a good post for people riding this entry level bike and typically don’t know anything about a motorcycle yet.
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Wayne Said,
October 22, 2008 @ 10:31 am
I’ll be switching to Shell Rotella T Synthetic next spring, as soon as I un-winterize the bike with an oil & filter change. I’ve heard nothing but good things about using this hevier-weight oil in motorcycles.
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adam f. Said,
October 23, 2008 @ 7:04 pm
20 dollar crome wheels!
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/adamallup/295739968_1004609802_0.jpg
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Bryan Thornhill Reply:
October 24th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I remember back in the day guys and gals would do this with paint remover/oven cleaner and then polish the metal to give it that chrome like finish. I think the down side to this is you have to continually polish the wheels to keep them shiny as the air oxidizes them unless you have them clear coated.
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adam f. Reply:
October 24th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Ive never heard of having to continually polish it . i did it a while back on my 04 gxsr 750 and ive probably only polished it 3 times since 04 and it looks just like my 08 250r . so i guess it all depends on what kinda bike . and 10 minutes to polish your rims once in awhile aint really much maintanence for me. the fact that it changes the look on the bike gives it a better more expensive look its worth it! lol
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Bthornhill Reply:
October 26th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I have not done it on motorcycle wheels before but I have done it to other things where I just noticed that to keep the same ultra shinny, reflective appearance on these items that the buffing and polishing part needs to be done on a more regular basis. True chrome stays pretty shinny with little maintenance but does still need to be cleaned to take care of them. The polished look is cool for much less dollar. Did you mask off the center area that you did not want to strip with tape and then apply the removing agent with a brush? Describe the process that you went through to do what you did if you don‘t mind as others might be interested.
adam f. Reply:
October 26th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
yeah depending on what kinda crome does the company use on there bikes . my brother did it on his honda cbr 600 rr and his crome was alot brighter then my other bikes and it took less polishing . what we do is use a paint brush ( depending on how wide your rim is determines on how wide u want your paint brush) and fill up a regular soda can cut in half with (Air Craft remover)you can get air craft at Home depot. No need to Mask the middle if you have steady hands . and if you accidently take some of the paint off in the middle its good to have some brush on touch up paint . ( but make sure its the heat resistant paint). let the Air craft set for the time thats required i think its 15 minutes.
( remember its a long process and takes alot of patience so do sections at a time it will come out cleaner!) patience is the key! Ok after the paint starts bubbling . use (Steel Wool) You could buy this stuff at Home Depot . It comes in a packs different textures . ( get the fine Wool ) ( not the so rough ) rip off little peices of the steel wool .and conserve it . one pack should be more then enough to get the job done .
and poor alittle paint thinner on the wool and rubb paint off with it. ( this part will take alot of rubbing! . most of it should come off but youll notice there well be alot of spots of paint that didnt come off. so apply more Air Craft on those spots and repeat the process after u get most off. after that repeat the process on the rest of the sections. after u get all the paint off ( 6 hours Later! Lol) yeah it will problably take that long. Use ( Aluminum Polish ) Not ( chrome polish) and u could use regular bounty paper towel . and apply some on the paper towel and rubb it on the rim small circular motions . then use a clean paper towel and just wipe off all the polish . the polish should turn almost black when your applying it . after that . jump on your bike and cruise the town and sport your blingn rims! I did this process with out jack stands . so if u have some jack stands for bikes. it will save ALot of Time.
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Bthornhill Reply:
October 27th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Cool, thanks for the detailed step by step instructions.
Stuflecknoe Said,
November 1, 2008 @ 8:35 am
My mechanic said he will switch me to synthetic after 6000kms. He said that if you use it straight away, it sometimes glazes.
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Cam Said,
December 5, 2008 @ 12:36 am
As far as oil goes, I am a bit obsessive, I always try to use the best quality synthetics I could find. After calling a dealer locate about 45 minutes from me to ask if they had decent stock, I rode out to pick up a few quarts of Kawi’s fully synth stuff, not the best but affordable. When i got there I discovered that they didnt have nearly the stock that was stated on the phone. I politely mentioned the miscommunication and the clerk said that he would cut me a deal. He sold me a gallon of Motul 7100 full synthetic. After doing the change the difference was obvious. The bike ran tighter and smoother, sounded meaner, even fellow riders noticed the difference in sound right away. I was really impressed with the motul, everything from the performance to the cool red colour to the easy to use quick pour spout (an awesome touch)….I know for sure that I will pay an ultra premium price in order to get this stuff every time now….
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Nathan Said,
October 18, 2009 @ 9:05 pm
If a manufacturer tries to void warranty because of oil or oil filter it would only hold up in court if you used a less than reputable brand. I have fought manufacturers and had gearboxes replaced and engines based on the fact they can not void a warranty based on oil (when it was a design fault/ bad parts batch). At one stage the oil company was prepared to send lawyers to fight the manufacturer, manufacturer headed warning. However make sure you use exactly what is specified including sae standards etc.
Mention you have a barrister and you will take them to court and you find they change theiir tune very quickly. Then again if you believe the fob off, they got what they wanted, not to do work they get paid minimal to nothing for.
And for your bikes sake avoid motul mobil and anyone else that has a bigger budget on advertising than development.
Try this then comment, your bike is worth the extra
http://www.royalpurple.com.au
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