Can I use Auto oil in my motorcycle, do I need fuel stabilizer?

Question

Hi I am new to riding and hope you more experienced riders can offer some advice...

I have a Suzuki GS500F which requires 10W-40 oil. I went to buy some oil and saw there is oil for autos and oil for motorcycles/ATVs. Is it okay to use auto oil in a motorcycle?

A friend told me that I should put fuel stabilizer in the gas before the winter. Should I add every time I fill up, as noted on the bottle?

My bike uses a choke. Is it normal to have to use the choke to start the motorcycle during the current warm weather? I thought a choke is only needed for cold weather starts. Is there something wrong with the bike? I just bought it new from a dealer a week ago.

Thanks!

Answer 1

You can use auto oil, best if it has wet clutches (like yours) you need to get one that is NOT energy conserving as it makes them too slick (look at the little circle of specifications). Shell Rotella is very popular. Just use what weight it is supposed to be and match it as close as possible.



Fuel Stabilizer is good for long term storage, but if you get it out once or twice over the winter you should be fine. Even if you don't I wouldn't worry about it unless you leave it in for more than 6 months. Your battery however will need attention. They make a battery maintainer that you leave on all the time its in storage. Go start it every month for a minute just to keep everything "wet".



Choking is normal even if its warm out.



EDIT: People, I have had motorcycles for 25 years and never lost an engine. If you read my post you will see I told him not to use energy conserving oil, which is the additives you speak of. Do a search on advrider.com about using Shell Rotella, but don't ask the question about oil unless you want to be made fun of. They make oil for bikes TO CHARGE YOU MORE and nothing else. If there is any doubt, read your manual.

Answer 2

No, Stabil is only meant to stabilize your fuel from turning sour over time. I don't have to store (stupid-brave-*** that I am) but I did read of what I thought was a cool way to do some interior protection without too much hassle. Ride your bike down to close to empty, add a tablespoon of ATF to the fuel, run the engine for one minute, shut off, add Stabil to a full tank of fuel and store away. Added @ James- Simple connection. One beer - can still pull plugs. One more beer - missed one cylinder. Three beers on an in-line 4 is 2-stroke?!?

Answer 3

Look at what you did now...you went and had to ask this question. Owners are very passionate about what brand/type/rating/weight, etc... oil they choose. It's kind of like politics. You can ask one question and get 10 different answers. I'm going to attempt to shed some light on the situation myself, if possible. Years back Motorcycle Consumer News did a lengthy article on the bike versus car oil debate themselves. They had a bunch of different brands for car and bike. Some were straight regular dead dino, some synthetic mix, and some straight synthetic. They had an independent lab with a machine that separates oil down to its basic compounds using centrifugal force run all these brands/weights and you know what they found? Not much difference between the two except for the price. Oh for sure the bike oils did have more additives to them than the comparable car oil, but MCN came to the conclusion it wasn't worth it for being double (or more!) the price of the car stuff. After my SV was done with the engine break-in, I switched to Mobil 1 full synthetic car oil in the 15w-50 range (the non energy conserving rating) and never looked back. I change my oil around the 2,500-3,000 mile mark and am still on my original clutch. Never had a problem with clutch slippage in the 87,000+ miles I put on her running back and forth to work and doing side errands. On a side note in that article done by MCN, people that did run the car oils, and then went to the drag strip, did indeed experience some slipping of the clutch plates. But this was more or less attributed to the extreme environment that the bike was in, not to every day use like what most normal people ride in. My advice then would be this: if you plan on using your bike for racing (whether it be drag, track, or whatever), run the bike only oil, as the clutch and engine in general will be beat to death. Regular back and forth and playing around with friends on the street?, then run a decent car oil (if you wish).

Answer 4

yes its normal to need the choke on cold start up.

you don't need a fuel stabilizer unless your going to leave the gas in the tank more than 5 or 6 weeks.

the oil question is a little more complicated & results from the EPA mandated removal of ZDDP from all gasoline engine oil made after 11/2004. this was done to extend the automobile catalytic converter life from the pre 2005 100,000 miles to the post 2004 150,000 miles.

this caused a lot of premature camshaft failures in small block chevy's & other flat tappet engines before the public became aware of it.

long story short. don't use any auto oil with an SM rating.

any diesel rated oil (CJ4) or SF/SG rated oil is fine.

any full synthetic oil is supposed to be ok in bikes but I have my doubts.

heres a link to one site that go's into more detail about it.

http://www.motorcycleanchor.com/motorcycle/how_to/mc_oil.html

Answer 5

To start with, don't you just love. People who get insulting, if you disagree with them.



Now on to oil. All oil, is made from the same stock. The only differences, are in the additives. Not sure on synthetic oils, but from what I've read. They are all, pretty much the same also. The only difference between, motorcycle oil and automotive oil. Is in the additives, put in them. The additives in motorcycle oil, help the oil deal . With the different jobs, motorcycle has to do.



Automotive oil, only has one job to do and that's lube the motor. A motorcycle oil, has to do two or three jobs. Lube the motor, lube the Transmission, lube the clutch. That is why motorcycle oil, is more expensive. It has more, additives in it. These additives help motorcycle oil, deal better with the transmission and the clutch. Automotive oil, doesn't have those additives and doesn't do as good a job.



The reason motorcycle manufactures don't say to use motorcycle oil is. Because they assume, that is the oil you will use. Harley says to use Harley-Davidson oil. Not Harley- Davidson motorcycle oil. Because motorcycle oil, is the only oil they sell. The other manufactures, do the same. They recommend, the oil they sell and that's all motorcycle oil. They also say that, If it is necessary to add oil between oil changes and if there brand is not available. Use the highest classification motor oil, you can obtain. Meaning any oil, is better than no oil.



Now, you can use automotive oil in your motorcycle. It will not kill your motor, or hurt your transmission much. Automotive motor oil is not formulated, to take the shear forces of your transmission. If your clutch uses motor oil, automotive oil may shorten, the life of the clutch.



Side note, for 25+ years. I have used nothing but Amsoil, in my trucks and my motorcycles. I have 145,000. miles on my truck and 200,000. miles on my Harley. I also have an old Sears lawn tractor, I bought in the late 1980's. I have never had, an oil related problem and I have always used the proper oil, for the vehicle.



Manufacture recommended oil, is not always the best oil to use. They get paid by the oil company's, to recommend their oil.

Answer 6

Fuel stabilizer for winter storage? Almost normal here in Wisconsin 4-6 month snow season. Stabil and Seafoam as previously noted- I've used both. Choke needed 'cold' means cold engine- newer lean burn engines need a bit of choke, older rich runners like /2 BMWs just need a short tickle on carb button, my goldwing like about 20 seconds choke after starting. Oil-- this is the big argument apparently so this is what I used to sell for cycles- Valvoline racing oil or cycle oil was rated 20 to 50 degrees hotter than liquid cooled standard Valvoline. Diesel oil was usually rated higher temperature than car oil also the figure was flow and compressibility at 240 or 250 degrees instead of 200 or 220 degrees . This was the recommendation for the aircooled VWs also- 20-50 Valvoline or Castrol or the 15-40 diesel like the Mobil or Rotella. Od BMWs and Haleys had dry clutch's, the Honda 750-4s were the wet clutch users that liked the 20-50 in summer in Chicago. Less oil consumption and smooth clutch action.

Answer 7

Any modern "NON-Energy Conserving" oil off the shelf will work. You should use fuel stabilizer if stored for long lengths of time. Alternatively, starting the bike every couple weeks will at least keep the carbs from gumming up, and the battery's charge topped up if you are not using a tender. Using every tank full is just throwing money away. And lastly most bikes these days need a choke to start even when it's 80 Degrees outside due to their lean jetting to pass EPA/CARB Standards.



Also anyone who tells you "YOU MUST USE MOTO OIL OR YOUR BIKE WILL TURN INTO A GIANT FLAMING BALL OF FIRE!!!" Needs to support that statement with a documented case, or stop giving answers on this site. Those are usually Hardly Ableson mechanics or people who take their bikes to someone else to maintain.

Answer 8

I've been using car oil in my motorcycles for the past 30 years. Only once had a clutch slip and that was because it was 140,000 miles on it, so was just needing replaced anyway.

Answer 9

GS500F will be fine with an oil like Shell Rotella-T 5W-40 Synthetic heck even the 15W-40 would be fine as well.



The reason for Motorcycle Specific oils is because of the Wet Clutch and Modern Energy Conserving Oils (The bottle with a Star Burst on the bottle) will cause the clutches to slip on some bikes. Non-Energy Conserving Oils are safe for the wet clutches because they don't have the friction modifiers that Energy Conserving oils do.



I recently bought several bottles of LUCAS 20W-50 Synthetic Racing oil for $2/quart on clearance at Pep-Boys. This oil doesn't say "Motorcycle" on it but when you look at the Ratings it is JASO-MA approved which means "Safe for Wet-Clutches" and it works perfectly in my DRZ400S

Answer 10

You may use any oils that meet the manufacturer's specifications as to weight and service.

Each service grade directly replaces the previous one.

SJ oils may be used in place of SG and SH.

Do not go backwards in the ratings - pretty much only possible if you have old stock kicking around.

Do not use any oil marked "Energy Conserving".

You will not find this on 10W40 oils.



You may use stabilizer year-round, but just keeping a constant flow through the tank by riding and re-filling is fine for normal use. Gas doesn't go bad when you keep burning and replacing it. Stabilizer is recommended for storage, when sitting gas can go bad.



Choke is normal on most any engine for the first start.

Answer 11

You should NOT use automotive motor oil in a motorcycle.



First. Motorcycle engines run hotter than the engine in an automobile. Motorcycle oil will have additives that deal better with the additional heat.



Second. Motorcycles use what is called a wet clutch. This means that the clutch is rotating in the engine oil. Motorcycle oil will have additives that are wet clutch friendly.



You will find that motorcycle oil is noticeably more expensive than automotive motor oil. You can save some money by buying your motorcycle oil at an automotive parts store. Most automotive parts stores will have a motorcycle section with motorcycle oil.



On my motorcycle I use a Wix oil filter. These are far superior to the cheap made in China filters that the motorcycle dealer will sell you. They cost more than a more common Fram or Purolator filter but less than a dealer filter. You can find these at any automotive parts store that sells Wix filters. I usually need to special order my filter. It doesn't cost extra for a special order. I usually have my filter in a day or so. Wix Filter 24931 fits your bike.



You only need fuel stabilizer if you intend on not riding the motorcycle for any longer than about 30 days. If the bike will not be used for longer than 30 days, then some fuel stabilizer is a very good idea. Sta-Bil and Sea Foam are the most popular. Gasoline will start turning into a shellac type substance after about 30 days. Motorcycle carburetors have some extremely small fuel passages that can be blocked by this shellac. I prefer Sea Foam because it is also one of the best fuel system cleaners that you will find. It is also a good idea to store the bike with a full tank of fuel. With a full tank you get less condensation in the tank and less possibility for rust in the tank.



Like I said before, I use Sea Foam in my bike. It does a very good job of keeping the carburetors clean. I add about 1 ounce per gallon of gasoline.



As in the previous answer. It is very common to need to choke a cold engine even in warm weather. On my bike I always need to use the choke to start it up when the engine is not at normal operating temperature. My bike has a semi automatic choke. When I set the choke it will partially open on its own after a short time. I will usually manually open the choke the rest of the way after about a mile of riding.

Answer 12

DO NOT listen to the above answer. You SHOULD NOT use automotive oil in a motorcycle...that is why they make oil specifically for bikes!!!!



Automotive oil contains additives that will damage the friction material on wet clutches and it not designed for the extreme conditions motorcycles experience.



Fuel stabilizer is to be used when storing vehicles for long periods of time to keep the gas from going bad, it is not needed for everyday use. For winter storage, LUCAS fuel stabilizer is great, best on the market is Star Tron... http://mystarbrite.com/startron/ .....just follow the directions on the bottle, with a nearly empty tank, add the correct amount, fill up the tank ride the bike a few miles to circulate it through the entire system, then put away....also note, CHANGE OIL BEFORE PUTTING INTO STORAGE, DO NOT STORE A BIKE WITH OLD USED OIL, used oil contains acids that over time, in storage can attack the metal engine parts, always stor engines with fresh oil in them.



The choke or enricher is usually needed on most carbed bikes for easier "cold start ups" and to help warm up the engine quickly, not just cold weather, cold means engine not at operating temp. Even fuel injection systems run a rich mixture controlled by the computer until the engine reaches normal operating temp, then leans it out.



EDIT...For the uninformed out there that think just because someone is a Factory Trained Master of Technology, he must only use what the factory recommends...NOT....I use only Amsoil after initial break-ins.........now, here's a link to the Amsoil MOTORCYCLE oil page that SPECIFICALLY dexcribes why oil is speicfically designed for motorcycles..... http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/mcv.aspx



Everyone has their own opinion, mine is you have a motorcycle use motorcycle oil...you have a car, use automotive oil, you have a diesel, use diesel oil, you have an airplane, use aviation oil.........

a perfect analogy.......if you have cancer, would you want your general practioner treating you, or an oncologist???

Got hemmorhoids?....would you go to a podiatris or proctologist????.......does you pu$$y hurt?....try a gynocologist, not a dermatologist!!!!



I also see by all the thumbs up I and a couple others have, most people agree, I also see alot of thumbs DOWN for the people saying, yeah, go ahead use car oil, it won't hurt a thing....maybe it won't...BUT...what if it does....while the bike is under warranty, if the dealer/manufacturer finds that the wrong oil was used, guess what....YOU ARE S.O.L!!!.....and yes, they do sometimes check!!!

Answer 13

Rotella is very popular in the motorcycle community as it's a diesel truck oil. I've used it exclusively except for parts of third world countries where the only oil you can use is what you can find.

ANY oil that is made from dinosaur goo is better than none.

My experience is in the real world, not in a mail order motorcycle trade school where the curriculum is aimed at talking to men who dress in leather and think a snot rag doubles as a helmet.

Then again your GS500 will outlast any boat anchor that generally needs rebuilt before it's first oil change anyway.

Save the fancy dealer sold oil for guys who ride on the track, where it possibly may make a difference. But remember those motors get rebuilt for each race.

Answer 14

Jeebus... do people really think that Suzuki or BMW or Hardley Davidson has oil special made for their bikes? It's the same stuff in over priced packaging sold at the dealer to folks dumb enough to pay the price. I'm another sucka for Shell Rotella. Oil is oil if it meets or exceeds the specs in the book.



Answer this and let it be done. Does your bikes owners manual say use "motorcycle oil" or use an engine oil that fits the defined specs?

Answer 15

You can use any oil that is NOT energy conserving. The friction modifiers in "Energy conserving" oils will screw up your wet clutch. I use Shell Rotella T. I buy it by the gallon at Wally World because it is cheap and does the job......well.



On a side note: if your tagline is "Mad XXX" or "vtwin XXX" you obviously spend too much time buying branded gear from the Motor Company and HAVE NO CLUE how to maintain a bike. Put on your pirate gear, buy yourself a parrot and teach it to say "YARRRRR" because you don't know a thing about motorcycles.

Answer 16

bkdjr200 is correct (answer # 1). You can indeed use an auto oil, if it is properly rated for motrocycle usage. I use Shell Rotella in both of my Triumphs. Works great.



Reading comprehension for the win. ADV!



Oh, and not all motorcycles have a wet clutch.

Answer 17

These answers that say you can't use auto oil are full of crap. You most certainly can as long as it doesn't say "energy conserving" in the white circle on the back of the bottle. Like the first answerer stated Shell Rotella is a very popular choice. Listen to the first guy, he knows what he's talking about.