What engine oil are you using?

Discussion in 'TR650' started by Coffee, Mar 4, 2013.

  1. Trapperj Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Knoxville TN
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    Tr 650 Strada
    Other Motorcycles:
    R1200 GS RALLY..KLR 650..Zrx 1200
    Friend of mine is a Motul dealer. He said if I'd run the Motul decals on the bike he'd supply the oil & brake fluid. I reckon they make some quality stuff...and the colors of the decals are Husky red. Never hurts that I'm a cheap bastard at heart too. Color me Motul Red!
    PaulC, HuskyDude and McKay like this.
  2. Coffee CH Owner

    Location:
    Between homes - in ft Wayne IN
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2006 TE250, 2013 TR650 Terra - sold
    Update of information in this thread. Seems quality oil is in the $8 to $12 per liter range. Now to check what is available locally.

    Regardless, I will need to buy some oil soon.

    Screen Shot 2013-03-09 at 9.38.40 AM.png
    FabOneUp likes this.
  3. mario33 Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Warsaw, Poland
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    TR650 Terra'13 - Lady in Red 2
    Other Motorcycles:
    none
    Mine was filled with Castrol Power Racing 10w50 by the dealer when new. Next change planning to switch to 10w40.
  4. Coffee CH Owner

    Location:
    Between homes - in ft Wayne IN
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2006 TE250, 2013 TR650 Terra - sold
    Well.

    I went to town yesterday and looked for motorcycle oil. Results? Could not find one quart of oil rated for, or even mentioning 'motorcycle' on its label.
    In some ways, this town is by far the smallest town I've ever lived in, and I used to live in a town that did not have a single stop light...

    Need to re-think this 'support the local economy' thought process.
  5. kjackbrown Keep on keepin on.

    Location:
    Fresno, Ca.
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    TR650 Terra
    Other Motorcycles:
    KLR650
    Lol...but you have access to some pretty darn good wineries close by :cheers:
    PaulC and Coffee like this.
  6. McKay Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Sanger, Ca
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2015 FE350S, 2016 TE300
    Coffee, you note on your chart that Spectro looks unimpressive, what did you find on that? I promise not to argue :D
  7. Coffee CH Owner

    Location:
    Between homes - in ft Wayne IN
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2006 TE250, 2013 TR650 Terra - sold
    Someone posted a link to something called an 'oil bible'.. post 36? of this thread. Time marches on, and that seemed to be published about 2002? so obviously things are not the same. Amsoil looked impressive in all categories though.
    PaulC likes this.
  8. McKay Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Sanger, Ca
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2015 FE350S, 2016 TE300
    I don't think Spectro has changed their formulation since then. Ill go read the bible. Id try Amsoil if I didn't have to listen to the puppets trying to make me a dealer every time I bought some! :(
  9. Motosportz CH Sponsor

    Location:
    Vancouver WA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2021 TE250i, 570 Berg, 500 KTM, 790R
    Other Motorcycles:
    many
    I love Amsoil 2 stroke oil but tried it in my 4 stroke and 2 stroke gearbox and found it to make the shifting notchy which keeps me from using it there. Just my findings.
    Trapperj and Coffee like this.
  10. McKay Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Sanger, Ca
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2015 FE350S, 2016 TE300
    UGGGGGGG! The very first thing that book wants is for you to become an affiliate, I gave it three pages of my attention and all three were selling memberships. :mad:
    The book has motives other than educating the public on motor oil, its a marketing scheme and might be why Amsoil comes out looking so well in it.
  11. Coffee CH Owner

    Location:
    Between homes - in ft Wayne IN
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2006 TE250, 2013 TR650 Terra - sold
    I did not pay too much attention to that, if for no other reason it made little sense.
    I did go to the bottom where the results were, and when needed, looked up a bit in the document for what the implications of each rating was.. regardless, these types of things needed to be taken with a 'huge grain of salt'.

    It did occur to me there may have been an affiliation with "TheOilSite dot com" and Amsoil, and I did look up who the owner of that site is, and he is not listed as an Amsoil dealer.

    As far as their business model goes, I've nothing per se against a multi-level marketing system...

    HOWEVER - after experimenting for quite some time on multiple computers....

    Here is what I see when first going to "Amsoil dot com", see the "Find Amsoil Near You" in yellow?

    amsoil site before searching for a dealer.PNG


    After clicking on that, then typing in a zip code, I select one of the dealers websites, here is one of them:

    amsoil site before clicking on BuyNow on a dealers website.PNG


    THEN, after I click "Shop Online", I am re-directed to the Amsoil shopping site - so apparently it is a drop ship system where referral $ is involved - which I *suppose* is ok...

    BUT - when I go back to the original "Amsoil dot com" site, notice how the yellow "Find Amsoil Near You" button is gone?

    amsoil site after searching for a dealer.PNG


    Obviously a cookie was set in my computer... but that turned out to be a *particularly* tenacious cookie, which I REALLY did not appreciate.

    I'm fairly sure that I can say with confidence, that I will never ever be buying any Amsoil products... that type of business is not my style.

    I am more of a 'keep things honest, straight forward, and simple' person.
  12. Motosportz CH Sponsor

    Location:
    Vancouver WA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2021 TE250i, 570 Berg, 500 KTM, 790R
    Other Motorcycles:
    many
    do what you want but Amsoil is really good stuff regardless of the marketing strategy. I love the 2 stroke oils. Goolge, amazon and many other do that same thing marketing wise. I kinda like it as the advertising becomes way more catering to my needs. At least it is not random stuff i could care less about. I always find it funny when say i am searching google for grips and then I get on another site or do a google search and all of a sudden all my advertising links are for grips :>) As a heavy internet user I learn to ignore a lot of on line advertising.
  13. Tinken Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Hesperia, CA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    MY12 WR511
    Other Motorcycles:
    Yamaha
    Which grade and manufacture does Husqvarna recommend for the 650's? And what was the original recommended grade and brand for the BMW based engine?
  14. Coffee CH Owner

    Location:
    Between homes - in ft Wayne IN
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2006 TE250, 2013 TR650 Terra - sold
    :) I do understand cookies and how that affects search results. :)

    This is a stretch, but pretend Motosportz, Bills Motocycle Plus, and the rest of the Cafe Husky Sponsors shown in this picture all sell the same things:
    Screen Shot 2013-03-12 at 11.02.05 AM.png
    Then someone clicks on Bills Motorcycle Plus and takes a quick peek around, then, quietly, without ever being told, a cookie is set, and from then on, all they see is this:
    Screen Shot 2013-03-12 at 11.02.16 AM.png

    What I was referring to, was *sorta* comparable to what I just described.
  15. McKay Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Sanger, Ca
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2015 FE350S, 2016 TE300
    Dang, that's some serious digging you did, not sure your 'keeping it simple' :) but darn sure appreciate you digging.
    I have no issue with the marketing thing, just when its deceptive is when Im out, good products or not. :thumbsup:
  16. FabOneUp Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Pikes Peak, Colorado
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    '13 TR650 Terra
    Other Motorcycles:
    '14 KTM 450 XC-W '11 BMW R1200GS
    There are specific instructions here. I never meant for anyone to pay too much attention to the oil brand results, but more to take in all the knowledge about base stocks, oil sampling, the importance of quality filtering, the effects of wax in oil and such. There are at least 100 pages of great stuff there if you care to know. FILTER out the rest :).

    I also have mixed results on Amsoil in my bikes like Motosportz mentions. My Buell runs cooler and smoother with it in the motor...but is horrifying in the primary case along with other synthetics. I had a Dodge Hemi that would run well on nothing but Castrol synthetics.

    The big problem too is that no other motor oil company's (none that I know of) will do comparison tests with detailed results like Amsoil does. The brand floods the Internet and it is difficult to find anything else. That is why I recommend people take oil samples. How the oil you choose is performing will be a fact, not a guess. If sampling is too expensive, what you feel in performance is the best alternative.

    Coffee made the chart of oils we are wanting to use, but I would like to see a similar chart after the summer on what oils we actually use in the end.
  17. McKay Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Sanger, Ca
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2015 FE350S, 2016 TE300
    As a helicopter mechanic I take oil samples every 50 hours for analysis. My tests run about $300 each. They provide data I need to make sure my crew gets home safe but far more data than will ever be needed for a recreational sport such as ours. The lay person cannot decipher the results effectively and without the manufacturer supplying data on each and every material used in their products (I know of none that do), the results' interpretations are pretty much useless.
    Use an oil that works for each of us is probably the best advice we can get.

    I do appreciate you linking the report and have nothing bad to say about it other then it is purely written for marketing and that turns me off immediately.
    nev.. likes this.
  18. Tinken Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Hesperia, CA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    MY12 WR511
    Other Motorcycles:
    Yamaha
    That's a huge spread of different oil grades. I am assuming that the manufacture recommends 40w oil?
  19. Coffee CH Owner

    Location:
    Between homes - in ft Wayne IN
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2006 TE250, 2013 TR650 Terra - sold
    Sorry, did not have time to answer your question before, here is a copy/paste from the owners manual, which I believe is what they recommend for the other newer Husqvarna bikes:
    Engine, gearbox and primary drive lubricating oil
    . . . . . . . . . . . . CASTROL POWER1 RACING SAE 10W-50

    The title of this thread is "what engine oil are you using? So not surprisingly there are a wide variety of answers - I was simply trying to get a starting point.

    Edit: as noted in the other oil thread you are posting in, that recommended oil is not available in the usa. What is available is this, which is kinda sorta similar:
    Castrol 06412 Power RS Racing 10W-50 4-Stroke Motorcycle Oil
  20. Tinken Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Hesperia, CA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    MY12 WR511
    Other Motorcycles:
    Yamaha
    Oh okay, same as the 250/310s which we discussed in another thread recently. Thanks Coffee.