Lets have some fun: final drive oil??

[jcctx]

Oil good, use some!!!!!!!

[Bulldog9]

I use 75/90 in both and in everything. Ain't got no time to mess around.  I did buy the 85/140 when the Stornello was new, and did 1 change with it while under warranty and also on the V85 for the first service. But going going forward will use the GL5 75/90. I try to use the FLAPS available Valvoline Synthetic.

[YellowDuck]

The only question I really have on this topic...why does gear oil smell so bad?  It's truly revolting.  Is it full of sulfur?

[faffi]

In my experience, it only smell crap when worn and old, not fresh. Same with fork oil and ATF, that can develop a terrible smell over time. My take is that if it smells, it's been used too long.

[Dirk_S]

In my experience, it only smell crap when worn and old, not fresh. Same with fork oil and ATF, that can develop a terrible smell over time. My take is that if it smells, it's been used too long.

I’ve gotta disagree there. I don’t have a good sense of smell, but I can smell gear oil right out of the bottle. It’s indeed rank stuff. I spilled a small amount in the back of my sidecar, and even after a decent wipedown with Simple Green, it still stinks.

A quick search of the Googles points out phosphate but especially sulfur compounds as the culprits.

[faffi]

Perhaps my brain is fading - isn't lack of smell a sign of dementia? Anyway, I do not have a habit of sticking my nose into oil bottles, but I did not notice anything sickening when replacing the oils in the V9 or the BT1100. No automotive oil smells nice, but nor do they tend to fill the room.

[DoubleGuzzi]

Nah,'fresh' oil smells good; it infuses into one's nostrils and gives that homely garage sense. 

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

I used to carry a bottle of gear oil, in two zip-lock bags, in a Givi hard pannier to top off a chain oiler while touring. The bottle cracked and gear oil made it through both bags. Even after washing with washing powder that pannier smelled rank. Maybe next month the pumpkin spice variety of it will be available though.

[Dirk_S]

Perhaps my brain is fading - isn't lack of smell a sign of dementia? Anyway, I do not have a habit of sticking my nose into oil bottles, but I did not notice anything sickening when replacing the oils in the V9 or the BT1100. No automotive oil smells nice, but nor do they tend to fill the room.

Guess these proteins in my head have been folding backwards since birth 44 years ago :) - never had a good sense of smell, amongst other things (folks—don’t drink while your baby’s in the womb lest you risk another Dirk entering this world…be warned). Not great for having natural gas as my heat source. Anyway…

I’m not saying gear oil stink spreads out. But get your nose near it, or spill 1/4 a liter in the back of your car/sidecar, and you’ll notice.