why did this guy give me 20w-50 oil?

[hlaalu]

So i went to the shop today to pick up a new spark plug and some oil. I just got home and noticed he gave me a pro honda 4-stroke motorcycle oil SAE 20W-50 SJ. Will this work? I know the manual says to use a 10w40, but I told the guy what kind of bike i have so i figured he gave me the right stuff, i should have checked the bag but I didn't. Anyways, can I use this stuff or should I just get some 10w40?

[Dwight_Rudder]

For summer use, it will work. 10W40 is year round.

Dwight

[hlaalu]

thx dwight, i put it in, runs great. nice to have a second opinion ?

[redrider606]

should work same thing happened to me but i noticed in manual it says 10w-40 or the honda racing oils

[heybuddy1901]

oil is oil is oil.

IF you change it regularly.

the 20w50 is perfect for summer riding because it protects a bit better in the high temps.

as long as its motorcycle specific you can pretty much run any weight oil.

cept maybe not gear oil, but it would be interesting lol

but like i said, if you change it on a regular basis and dont let it break down alot then youll be fine.

i run 10/40 in the crf's and cbr

prob switching to 10/50 next oil change.

[Dust_Devil]

yup 20-50 for the summer is how I roll to.

[CL13579]

I'm currently running Chevron 10w30 ec rated oil in my '07 CRF230F. These oil threads and "which oil is best" questions have been beggin' to get answered for a long time, so I figured I'd do a little experimenting.

So far, in my personal bikes, I've run 10w30, 10w40, 15w40, 20w50, straight 30wt, and probably some others. I've run Quaker State, Motorcraft, Chevron, and a host of other oils I've pulled off of the shelf over the years.

I've never had a lick of trouble with any of them, and knock on wood I've never had a single oil related failure in any of my bikes.

I put on hundreds of hours per year on the trail, and clutches in my bikes last for many years.

Next I'm going to run 5w20 Penzoil (everyone knows Penzoil is the worst.... right?) :-)

[xr650Lbenbriand]

my bike is smoking so i put 20w50 to help it

[Dwight_Rudder]

oil is oil is oil.

IF you change it regularly.

the 20w50 is perfect for summer riding because it protects a bit better in the high temps.

as long as its motorcycle specific you can pretty much run any weight oil.

cept maybe not gear oil, but it would be interesting lol

but like i said, if you change it on a regular basis and dont let it break down alot then youll be fine.

i run 10/40 in the crf's and cbr

prob switching to 10/50 next oil change.

Motorcycle specific is good BUT,

Use the correct type and weight oil. Some of the newer engines (KTM RC4 engines)need thinner oils as they have very small oil orfices and do not flow very well until the oil is fully warmed up. There have been engines destroyed from running 20W50 in a engine that needs a 5W40 or 10W40 and revving too quickly.

Dwight ?

[iron range rob]

If I remember correctly (don't have the manual in front of me at the moment), 10w30 and 10w40 Honda oils are recommended for the 230. If our bikes were liquid cooled, I would be more inclined to agree that it is OK to use a different weight oil than is recommended. Since the 230 is an air/oil cooled engine, I don't think it is wise to use something other than what Honda recommends. There HAS to be a good reason that they recommend those weights. As for using different brands of oil instead of the Honda oil, I am using the Honda oil at least until the warranty period is over. It is my opinion that Honda oil is no better or no worse than any other oil no matter what claims they make. Maybe there are some secret additives in there that are better for the engine and clutch.... The Honda oil is not horribly expensive, so I will probably keep buying it.

Hey Exploring WA - please keep us posted on what your findings are.

[Commander Jesus]

I run Bel Ray thumper 4 stroke semi synthetic oil in all my machines. You can tell there is a serious difference just by the way it coats the funnel, where the honda oil seems thinner with less of a coating.

[h7wae14t]

The 20/50 will be fine in the summertime as mentioned above...it's got the SJ rating and will be alright in a Honda...