Oil

CX500 & CX650 Turbo Forum

Oil

kingbobdole 06-24-2008, 9:15 PM
As the subject says, this will be an oil thread. In the past I have used the recommended Honda Oil, but as of recent, with the heat and the bike being a bit of a leaker, I am more heading for topping it off with a good 20w-50 oil.

Now you probably think I'm crazy, but I figure with the high turbo heat and the leakyness, it was a good option. So far, no issue, and in fact I swear that it runs quieter.... maybe because it might actually be keeping the oil in it.

In the past on my old turbocharged Subarus I have had good results running 15w-40 Diesel grade oil... I didn't want to run diesel in the bike, so I just went 20-50.

Thoughts? Ideas?

just FYI I'll be taking the bike apart again sometime to tighten/reseal the front end again... but I think the thing just wants to leak.

1979 Honda CX500
1982 Honda CX500 TTTTUUURRRBBBOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Re: Oil

George in Indiana 06-24-2008, 11:05 PM
Since you're not riding it in sub zero temperatures I don't see why you would have issues with it. The 20w50 is just going to do better when the outside temperatures are blistering hot. I used to use 20W50 Castrol synthetic blend from June to August when it was available. Don't go below 40 and you're fine.

I'm now using Shell Rotella T full synthetic 5W40 in all my bikes. It's diesel oil but also meets the current API ratings for gas engines. It contains more of the additives needed in a motorcycle engine than a standard car oil. Those additives have been reduced over the years due to emission requirements that diesel engines don't have to adhere to.
The test results are amazing and you can't beat the price at $16 a gallon.

CX500 TURBO
CX650 TURBO
'86 Honda Elite 150 Deluxe
'04 GSX1300R Hayabusa

Re: Oil

Lockman 06-25-2008, 4:46 AM

I know this thread is for the turbos...but I have a GL 500 and was wondering what would be the best oil to start using in it. Of ceourse I know what the manual calls for...but I didn't know if the synthetic was bettter..or.. the diesel your talking about. I would have never guessed to try that.

This is my first bike..so everything is new to me on this. I haven't even changed the oil in this bike yet. Or the final drive oil either. Any suggestions on any of the general mainteenace fluids would be appreciated.. I want to go out and stock my garage with what I need...

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Re: Oil

George in Indiana 06-25-2008, 5:56 AM
For a regular CX I'd recommend Castrol GTX 10W40. That's all I ever used in my CX500C. A standard CX isn't hard on oil so a synthetic would be overkill.

Only thing I don't recommend is following the Honda manual on the change interval. If I recall it was some stupid amount of miles with the filter being replaced every other oil change.
Change it every 2500 to 3000 miles or six months which ever comes first and replace the filter every time. Do that and the engine will last 200,000+ miles.

Whatever oil you choose, look at the API crecent on the bottle and make sure it does NOT say "energy conserving". I doubt you'll ever find a 10W40 with those additives but it doesn't hurt to double check. If you use that type of oil your clutch will start to slip.

CX500 TURBO
CX650 TURBO
'86 Honda Elite 150 Deluxe
'04 GSX1300R Hayabusa

Re: Oil

Anonymous 06-25-2008, 8:24 PM
<BLOCKQUOTE><table width="85%"><tr><td class="txt4"><img src="/cs/Themes/default/images/icon-quote.gif"> <strong>George in Indiana wrote:</strong></td></tr><tr><td class="quoteTable"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="100%" valign="top" class="txt4">Since you're not riding it in sub zero temperatures I don't see why you would have issues with it. The 20w50 is just going to do better when the outside temperatures are blistering hot. I used to use 20W50 Castrol synthetic blend from June to August when it was available. Don't go below 40 and you're fine.

I'm now using Shell Rotella T full synthetic 5W40 in all my bikes. It's diesel oil but also meets the current API ratings for gas engines. It contains more of the additives needed in a motorcycle engine than a standard car oil. Those additives have been reduced over the years due to emission requirements that diesel engines don't have to adhere to.
The test results are amazing and you can't beat the price at $16 a gallon.</td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

I had clutch slipping problems on boast with Rotella 5w40, switched back to Castrol 20w 50 and slipping was gone. Other forums have reported slipage with Rotella would not touch the stuff with a 10 foot pole. The only good thing about that stuff its cheap and it's at WALMART.

Re: Oil

George in Indiana 06-25-2008, 8:54 PM
Anonymous,

Odd considering my 500T and 650T has never had any signs of slippage under full boost in any gear. Maybe it's time to take your bike to a professional and have the clutch fixed and/or adjusted properly?

CX500 TURBO
CX650 TURBO
'86 Honda Elite 150 Deluxe
'04 GSX1300R Hayabusa

Re: Oil

Anonymous 06-26-2008, 7:04 AM
<BLOCKQUOTE><table width="85%"><tr><td class="txt4"><img src="/cs/Themes/default/images/icon-quote.gif"> <strong>George in Indiana wrote:</strong></td></tr><tr><td class="quoteTable"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="100%" valign="top" class="txt4">Anonymous,

Odd considering my 500T and 650T has never had any signs of slippage under full boost in any gear. Maybe it's time to take your bike to a professional and have the clutch fixed and/or adjusted properly?</td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

NOT just time to change the cheap TRUCK oil........nothing wrong with the clutch or the adjustment....15,000 orginal miles

Re: Oil

George in Indiana 06-26-2008, 7:11 PM
Anonymous,

And yet for some reason you chose to use that cheap truck oil? Could it be because a simple google search shows countless discussions praising it? Even from guys who are so obsessed they send out samples for analysis?

http://www.fireblades.org/forums/general-discussion/61110-shell-rotella-synthetic-full-analysis.html

Let me guess...you now use SPAMSoil?

CX500 TURBO
CX650 TURBO
'86 Honda Elite 150 Deluxe
'04 GSX1300R Hayabusa

Re: Oil

CXTURBOBOOST 06-26-2008, 8:33 PM
Mobil 1 MX4T

Works great, and clutch is like it should be!

Re: Oil

George in Indiana 06-26-2008, 9:06 PM

CXTURBOBOOST wrote:
Mobil 1 MX4T Works great, and clutch is like it should be!

I've used that too with no issues. For some reason it's getting hard to find. Even Walmart has stopped selling it around here.

CX500 TURBO
CX650 TURBO
'86 Honda Elite 150 Deluxe
'04 GSX1300R Hayabusa

Re: Oil

CXTURBOBOOST 06-27-2008, 6:17 AM
I have to buy it from the mobil dealer in town.

Hey George--You should see the 500T I brought home with 69 original miles! Original owner-Under a cover all its life.

Pete

Re: Oil

dozer1 06-27-2008, 7:03 AM

1980 CX500 Ratbike "Stella"
1979 CX500 Deluxe(Parts)
Dozer1 AKA Snowplow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TK5VY90ILs&feature=related

Re: Oil

George in Indiana 06-27-2008, 3:47 PM

CXTURBOBOOST wrote:
I have to buy it from the mobil dealer in town. Hey George--You should see the 500T I brought home with 69 original miles! Original owner-Under a cover all its life. Pete

You gotta be kidding me! That's like winning the lottery. :) Any pics yet? Interesting history behind it?

CX500 TURBO
CX650 TURBO
'86 Honda Elite 150 Deluxe
'04 GSX1300R Hayabusa

Re: Oil

CXTURBOBOOST 06-27-2008, 7:00 PM
A small town dealer closed the doors in the beginning of the 80's. My "new" bike was bought in 1988 off of the showroom floor. The original owner trailered it home, drove it 69 miles that day, then put it in the shed under cover where it had been until I bought it from him. It is very nice :) I'm a proud papa. It doesn't run yet, I've been to nervous to touch it. It's like going back in a time machine. I call it my time capsule. I will work on getting it running next month. Both original keys, and the tire gauge still in the plastic wrapper with twisty tie. Original owner manual never opened. What else can I say? I hit the lottery....

Pete

Re: Oil lottery ticket

showkey 06-29-2008, 7:39 AM
Was that a $1 or $5 quick pick?????

Re: Oil lottery ticket

CXTURBOBOOST 06-29-2008, 11:05 AM
I'm shameful to say that I paid more for the "new" bike than we did for Dad's back new in '82. I just never figured I would get this kind of opportunity again. It is an original owner bike ( not school bike) with only 69 miles. It is untouched by human hands. Tires are still like new, oil never been changed. Does anybody else have any "new" ones out there? I don't know????

Re: Oil lottery ticket

RichNCT 06-29-2008, 12:12 PM
A fellow named Rich 'Liver///more' (name distorted to offer some respect for his ID, his name is there if you just read the letters) told me a few years ago he had several, one with single digit mileage as I recall, and a couple with very low mileage. He has traveled the country collecting them, rather quietly I guess. I met him VMD several years ago, another good reason to go. He used to be an infrequent poster on the Swedish site. I believe JT met him that year too. Everyone else who met him has died mysteriously, go figure, I didn't know these bikes were shrouded in that level of "need to know". Now you are at risk too.

Born to be relatively wild

Re: Oil lottery ticket

George in Indiana 06-29-2008, 12:36 PM
That's the find of a lifetime and no doubt worth the price.
In all the years of following classifieds and ebay I've never seen a 500 with that low of mileage. I've seen many 650s but imo school bikes don't count and most are in poor shape from being disassembled hundreds of times and tossed around.

So will you ride this one?

CX500 TURBO
CX650 TURBO
'86 Honda Elite 150 Deluxe
'04 GSX1300R Hayabusa

Re: Oil lottery ticket

CXSarnia 06-29-2008, 1:10 PM

"In all the years of following classifieds and ebay I've never seen a 500 with that low of mileage"

There was a nice find on E-bay last winter, a CBX (1047cc) with under a 1000 on it. Sold for over 20,000 US$

1979 CX500 Deluxe Newest ride in the fleet
1982 CB750K Daily rider September 1999
1982 CX500 Custom - project Originally bought April 1982 reacquired April 2006

Re: Oil lottery ticket

CXTURBOBOOST 06-29-2008, 2:31 PM
I've seen other low mileage bikes, but they were school bikes. This is an original..

George--

I won't ride this one... Pure show bike. it is tooooo nicccceeee. The original tires are even in new condition!!!!

Next month the injectors will get pulled, and sent in to be gone through. Then I have oem fuel hoses and fuel filter to put back on it. An oil change, new plugs, and she should be ready to fire. I'll probably change out the coolant and w/p seal also. I've never seen another original bike with this low of miles. I've been collecting CXT's since new in 82. They may be out there, but I've never seen them. Some may be school bikes. I have all of the documentation on this including the original sale bill! She's the queen... Now if I can just find a NOS Turbo cover to go over her.....

Pete

Re: Oil lottery ticket

hakko808 06-30-2008, 10:15 PM
With a bike that original, do you hurt the value by any sort of disassembly?

Re: Oil lottery ticket

CXTURBOBOOST 07-01-2008, 2:53 PM
The original injectors will go back in the bike, and all other parts will be NOS Honda parts back on the bike. I will make every effort to not put a scratch on anything....
She's a beauty....

PK