10W-60 eni or 20-50 mobil 1

[guzzi771]

I live in austin texas where the temperature almost never gets below freezing and I only get my V7III and Norge out of the garage for a ride when the temperature is 50-85 degrees and mostly ride in the country . Moto Guzzi says use 10-60 eni or castrol  I've been running eni  in both of my Guzzi's but is that really the best oil or is 20-50 mobil 1 better I've been using 20-50 mobil 1 in all my Japanese motorcycles with good results .

[Gliderjohn]

 
GliderJohn

[rschrum]

I would go by the manual, but any full synthetic 10-60 will be fine. Silkolene had some great deals going on.

[SLDMRossi]

Of course, in the case of emergency...the wrong oil is always better than no oil.

Steven Rossi
East Haddam, CT

[guzzi771]

Of course, in the case of emergency...the wrong oil is always better than no oil.

Steven Rossi
East Haddam, CT

     I agree olive oil is better than no oil but is 10-60 really better than 20- 50 or about the same ?

[Bulldog9]

     I agree olive oil is better than no oil but is 10-60 really better than 20- 50 or about the same ?

'Better' is subjective. Does the manufacturer (Guzzi) Spec it? That's the issue. Can you use it? sure. Will it destroy you motor? As Clausewitz said 'it depends'  IMO, best practice is to stick in the range/grade the manufacturer recommends.

[Gusable]

I’m with you on the Mobil 1 15/50. It’s magic juice in a LOT of bikes ( oilhead GS for example). I’m gonna run it in my 98 ev but it calls for 20/50 I think.  I’m in Dallas btw!

[coast range rider]

For cold engine operation at 50 degrees F, the 20 part of the rating instead of 10 should be fine. But with engine at normal operating temperature at 85 degrees F, the 50 part of the rating means it will not lubricate as engine is designed for, running the 60 (hot) part of the rating. It does not make sense to use 20-50 in an engine designed for 10-60. The wear will increase because the 20-50 is too thin at operating temperature.

[rschrum]

If the Norge is a 8v, the 10-60 is important, otherwise not as much.

[guzzi771]

For cold engine operation at 50 degrees F, the 20 part of the rating instead of 10 should be fine. But with engine at normal operating temperature at 85 degrees F, the 50 part of the rating means it will not lubricate as engine is designed for, running the 60 (hot) part of the rating. It does not make sense to use 20-50 in an engine designed for 10-60. The wear will increase because the 20-50 is too thin at operating temperature.

Thanks thats kinda what I was thinking in the cooler months Oct-april 20-50 should be ok , I'm getting to old to ride in the hot texas heat

[guzzi771]

If the Norge is a 8v, the 10-60 is important, otherwise not as much.

Yes , it's a 8V thanks for the advice I'll keep using the eni 10-60 its just hard to find AF1 racing is the only place I can find it

[bad Chad]

Why?  Haven’t we payed enough? ::cry

[Lannis]

Yes , it's a 8V thanks for the advice I'll keep using the eni 10-60 its just hard to find AF1 racing is the only place I can find it

Even the Guzzi manual tells you that you can use "any 10w60 oil meeting the specification", which means it doesn't have to be ENI or AGIP brand.   

Available on-line everywhere.   No reason to ever run low on it; just stay one oil change ahead, and you're good for months; if you run low, that quick, busy fella in brown shorts will drop you off a few quarts right at your door!

Lannis

[LowRyter]

I was thinking that Eni brand was out of the North American market.  There are several other brands in that weight for motorcycle oil, Motul and Shell being two.

[Warren Rhen]

Not to get in any kind of oil thread war but I've heard Eni is not a full synthetic.But Eni 10-60 is what I run in my Guzzi's and change avery 7000 miles like they recomend. I do run Mobil 1 in my other vehicles

[guzzi771]

Not to get in any kind of oil thread war but I've heard Eni is not a full synthetic.But Eni 10-60 is what I run in my Guzzi's and change avery 7000 miles like they recomend. I do run Mobil 1 in my other vehicles

I'm not sure if eni  is 100% synthetic all it says on the bottle is ''top synthetic technology'' . how many miles do you have on your Guzzi 7000 is a lot of miles between oil changes ?

[Ncdan]

I just changed oil in my 1400, using the 10-60 racing oil purchased from Harpers. The oil which came out had 6K miles and was still relatively clear and clean. At these oil change  intervals there is no reason not to use high quality recommend oil in ones bike. JMHO:)

[earemike]

Additives...

I run a penrite 20/50 that is “plus 10” - they claim like a 20/60

There is probably a variation in claimed and actual viscosity for different brands...

In the good old days I don’t remember seeing a 60w motorcycle oil - stays slightly thicker at high temps?

I’d be guessing it’s more a marketing thing...

...but I should have just 

[kballowe]

a good place for research

www.bobistheoilguy. com

Real world oil analysis on used oil from all manner of applications, including motorcycles.

And more.

[kingoffleece]

Why anyone would use 50 at the top end when 60 is specified is beyond me.
In fact, I've seen a tech bulletin from Guzzi that states 10-60 supersedes the old 20-50 rating.  I'll go with the factory on this one.

[Lannis]

I'm not sure if eni  is 100% synthetic all it says on the bottle is ''top synthetic technology'' . how many miles do you have on your Guzzi 7000 is a lot of miles between oil changes ?

It's a different world today; 6250 miles is the manual recommendation on all my Guzzis .... 10,000 mile interval on my Triumph Trophy triple .... As long as the oil meets the specs (weight and SAE), whether it's "100% synthetic" or not doesn't matter.

Lannis

[Caffeineo]

Get an oil analysis on the 10-60 then run the 20-50 and get another oil analysis. Compare them and if there is not a significant change showing increased wear with the 20-50 you should be good to go. Might want to do an occasional oil analysis if running the 20-50 to make sure it continues to provide good performance. Only way to know for sure.
Of course the oil analysis may end up costing more than just running the 10-60...........

[bodine99]

Sikolene, Val VR-1,Motul, Maxima all have easy to get 10/60 motorbike oil at your local bike shop or on line

[Beowulf]

The eni oil follows stricter european standards and believe it or not is the better oil compared to mobil(I know religous sacrilege). There are better oils than both.

So at risk of being ridiculed. None will probably seize your engine. However why not run the oem really high quality better than mobil one what the manufacturer calls for oil easily availible with the click of a button? Ebay...eni us website. Af1

Or just buy redline 10w60? Mobil one is not a full synthetic. Eni actually is. Why outguess what the manufacturer spent a lot of time and trouble optimizing?

Redline 10w60 is great. Any high quality 10w60.

Motul and eni are really on par with one another.
2 to 4 liters of oil isnt a lot of money. I don't see the justification for using 20-50. Its funny but things tend to last when following manufacturer oil recommendations. Jmho

[Chuck in Indiana]

I stick with SG rated oils. I used to use Redline, but it is no longer SG rated. <shrug>
(bumping oil thread) 

[Lannis]

Redline 10w60 is great. Any high quality 10w60.

Motul and eni are really on par with one another.
2 to 4 liters of oil isnt a lot of money. I don't see the justification for using 20-50. Its funny but things tend to last when following manufacturer oil recommendations.

After following years of oil threads, I think you can sort of distill down the reasons for someone (not necessarily in this case, but in general) asking "Can I Use A Different Oil Than What The Manual Says In My Bike?"

1) Cost.    "The recommended oil costs too much.   It costs $12.50 a quart and I can get RoyalRedMobil on sale at WalMart for $8.50.    That's a $12 savings on every 5000 mile oil change, so I save almost $20 a year!"   That's critical, I suppose, especially if an engine rebuild is $3500.

2) Availability.   "My local Advance/Pep/Zone has 10W30 every day.   I have to go all the way across town to get the recommended oil.   It's just too hard to do!"    The only place this is valid is for our Canadian brethren, who have often responded to this criticism with "We cannot get 10W60 oil shipped to Canada and no one sells it here."   Otherwise, this seems a strange reason to not buy the right oil.

3)  Wanting to be different.   EVERYONE has a tendency to want to be an 'insider', to be in on a secret, and to not 'follow the herd', especially us rufty-tufty independent hard-arsed loner motorcyclists.  So we like to join a little club that has cabalistic knowledge of how to get around the manufacturers' obvious attempts to get us to Conform and to buy our oil from international cartels (from which they get a kickback, see).   "PM me and I'll let you in on the REAL deal - you can use 30W re-refined chainsaw oil and it works better than ENI!   Been running my bike for 20,000 miles and it hasn't blown up, so that PROVES it!"

Oil threads are always long and interesting because they have very little to do with the mechanical properties of lubrication relative to one's bike, and much to do with human nature ....

Lannis

[Two Checks]

Quote from: Chuck in Indiana on Today at 10:33:32 AM

I stick with SG rated oils. I used to use Redline, but it is no longer SG rated. <shrug>
(bumping oil thread) 

That is because SG is obsolete. Use the Red Line oil of the right viscosity if you want to use RL. The new ratings supersede the old ones.

[bad Chad]

Eni 10w60 is true synthetic, that is the base product is synthetic Ester, like Motol , Silkon and many others. Cheaper synthetics are made from a petroleum base, which is why they cost less.

[Beowulf]

I tell myself i won't bite on a oil thread and than i cant help myself...too much fun

[kballowe]

One of my Moto Guzzi owner's manuals recommends Castrol products, and 10W60. 

The Porsche guys really like this oil.  I realize that's German, so you may want to add an eye-dropper of olive oil (extra virgin if you got it) to each quart, if you're planning to put this in your Goose.