Triumph oil? For Tiger 800...

I got a whole lot of 10/50 synthetic BMW oil left over which I will gladly use in the Tiger.......should be just fine...

The manual does not call for synthetic.

There is no point at all in using full synth in this tiger engine , semi is fine

2012 Owner's Handbook, Tiger 800, page 80:

"Fill the engine with a 10W/40 or 10W/50 semi or fully synthetic motorcyle engine oil that meets spcification API SH (or higher) AND JASA MH such as Castrol Power 1 Racing 4T 10W-40 (fully synthetic)."

I'm experiencing high-effort shifting with my 800 Roadie, suspect that the dealer may have used a semi or even non-synthetic at the 600 mile service. I will be replacing whatever is in my engine with a motorcycle-specific fully synthetic oil this week.

Many companies are shipping high performance cars and bike with fully synthetic from the factory. Experiments have shown that the "break-in with dino oil" line of thinking was just a myth. The rings seat just fine and synthetic oil reduces wear. Reduced wear is a good thing at every point in an engine's life. High performance engine builders will also mostly tell you to break it in exactly like you plan on using it. Run it like you stole it from day one. Performance will increase as it breaks in and you aren't going to hurt it.

I am using Castrol Power RS 10W50 (full synth) and my shifter is "snick snick" smooth.

Amsoil! Oh so smooth. Best oil IMO!!

I'm just getting ready to do the second oil change (3000 mi) on my 800, and plan to use Amsoil 10W 40... are you still happy with your choice?

First change at 300 - Maxima 10-40 semi-synthetic.
Just did the second - 2200 miles - Amsoil 10-40 synthetic motorcyle oil.

It did smooth out the shifting. Otherwise no difference. I'm just an amsoil fanatic - run it in every vehicle I own...I've got a mini-fleet.

The maxima wasn't that dirty, but once all drained out it was pretty opaque so I was glad to change it.

I'm just not gettting the fuel economy though. But then I ride it like a striped-assed ape.

I use Amsoil 20-50 in all my bikes. 10-50 or 20-50 not much difference. It's good stuff.

Cheers, Moe

My dealer, Brian, at D&D Import Cycles in Norfolk, VA (GREAT guy/dealer) told me Triumph had supply problems with Mobil 1 and this is the reason they switched to Castrol. He also told me he has seen Speed Triples where the rings did not seat following Triumph's recommendation to switch to full synthetic at the first oil change and so he recommends not switching to full synthetic until the second oil change to ensure proper seating of the rings. Bottom line: It won't hurt to continue using semi synthetic indefinitely, but it could hurt to switch to synthetic too soon. For some reason the T-800's darken the oil very quickly and maybe someone here can explain likely reasons. My XC's four quarts turn as dark in 250 miles as my DR650's two quarts turn in 500 (estimated, but you get the idea). Higher operating temps???

20-50? why not 10-40 like what it should run.

The book says 10-40 or 10-50 and I buy my Amsoil 20-50 by the case so use it in my Tiger and Harley. It doesn't get all that cold here so the 20 weight is OK. I prefer 50 weight in the hot weather anyway. I checked with my local dealer and they use 20-50 in all the Tigers they service. In any event 10-50 here in Canada is an odd ball weight and hard to find and I don't really want to order 10-40 and 20-50.

Moe

Just changed my 800xc an hour ago from the Castrol that was in it to Amsoil 20-50...run it in my Tiger 1050...Rocket III...Thruxton...probably the wife uses it in her secret recipe smoothies too...5-30 Amsoil in all the 4 legged vehicles...works for me

what's the difference between 10/50 10/40 5/40... etc...

I was under the impression the first number was the weight, like how thick it is which lower is better in colder conditions but whats the second number for? I live in northern Cali so i wouldn't say it gets really that cold but i ride a lot so i can put a lighter weight for the winter. I avg 1500 a month so i do a good amount of oil changes.

And for full syn, how often are y'all changing the oil? I used to do 2k-2500 miles for non-syn, should i do the same? Couldn't find a mileage range in the manual...

Rotella here, too. All the bikes. Works a treat.

Multi-viscosity oils are rated with 2 numbers - cold and hot rating. A higher first number is higher viscosity at cold, a higher second number is higher viscosity when hot. The tiger is rated for 10-40. Amsoil has both 10-40 and 20-50. Pretty much everyone runs a 20-50 or even a 15-60 in lightweight racing four-strokes, like your KTM 350/500. The smaller engine turns higher rpms, has smaller oil capacity, and can run much hotter. Or for a looser motor, like a harley or other big v-twin. The oil weight specified by the manufacturer is what should be run - that's what they built the tolerences around and tested it with. The tiger is like a honda civic motor with 4-quart sump - that's why it gets a quite long OCI (oil change inteval). A racing 4-stroke like a KTM350 holds one quart. When they had split cases there was about half a quart in the engine sump, the other half in the gearbox. And speaking of which, a motorcycle is fairly unique in that the oil sump also lubes the gearbox and wet clutch - and that is why a motorcycle specific oil is highly recommended rather than a synthetic designed for an automobile. The gearbox is also why some oils breakdown sooner due to the gears chopping up the oil - known as 'shear'. A synthetic oil is much more stable, molecularly, compared to a conventional. They are also more thermal stabile.

Without getting into too much oil mumbo-jumbo, it's has been generally accepted that the shorter spread between a cold and hot rating the more stable the oil is long term. Also that lighter wieght oil, while easier to start when cold and less drag for better fuel economy, heavier oil can provide higher film strength in a hot motor. For hot summer running there's absolutely no problem running a 20-50 oil, but I would go 10-40 for winter running. The bike has a very competent thermostat and cooling system so it tends to run at the same temperature regardless of ambient temp. Oil forumulators create a variety additive packages to a base oil stock, petroleum base or symthetic base, to match the requirements of a given application.

The tiger is very easy on oil with a quite large capacity (for what it is) but trying to run an extended drain interval over a wide variety of use and conditions can run the risk of over using the oil. The manufacturer OCI is based on having adequate reserves of the total additive package over the interval under 'normal' use conditions. Extremes of condition, like short trips, dirt riding, extremes of conditions can contaminate oil sooner than the factory OCI. Like your car, there's a 50% shorter OCI for extreme conditions - they used to call it 'commercial use', or 'taxi use'.

To tell for sure if your OCI is adequate one could always send an oil sample in for analysis, then you would know if you could go longer or shorter on the OCI. They cost about $25, Blackstone is very popular. IMO, for a couple of bucks more you can buy oil and a filter and just change it, so although I use Amsoil in everything I own I tend to run it for half of the factory OCI. I'm sure it's a total waste of money and effort, but I have peace of mind that way - oil and filters are about the cheapest thing about motoring in general. Amsoil, or any quality Group IV or V base stock will easily last the factory OCI.


EDIT: BTW, everything you could want to know about oils and them some is here: www.bobistheoilguy.com

I did the 500 mile oil change myself when as I live 100+ miles from a dealer. Then when i was down there had them do the 500 miles service (800 miles) except oil change. I saved the oil i drained and use it for other things (chainsaw, generator, mower) as it looked so good.

I just bought 2 qts of full syn 4t and 2 qts of reg for a blend. I always end up changing oil a lots sooner than the recommendations. As soon as there is any shifting issue is when I change it, Could be 2k miles or could be 5k miles on my bikes that shared engine oil with trans oil.

On bikes that that have a separate I use a heavier oil for the primary.

Thanks for the detailed response! I will probably aim for the oil changes around 2k then. I do a little dirt but mostly freeway miles for commuting.

I would rather waste money and time on oil and filters to have the same peace of mind as you... Oil is dirt cheap compared to fixing a fcked up engine...

10w40

The JASO MA specification is specific to motorcycle oils, due to the higher heat they generate than that of automobiles. JASO oil supposed to break down less.