Ester based oils

firstime911

Active Member
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Sep 19, 2019
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Bangkok, cheap beer, good party
I thought long and hard before starting another engine oil thread but I was wondering if anyone on here has used an ester based oil in their S10 - or any other bike for that matter?
As I understand it according to API, group 5 oils are ester based and engineered for high performance engines and therefore afford a greater level of "protection/performance" than group 4 oils which are fully synthetic.
Brands of oil don't really mean anything to me - names are unimportant, some people swear by Castrol/Mobil/Motul etc, that's their choice and I've no argument with that. I choose my oil by the specification but I've never heard anyone talk of ester tech in the same breath as engine oil, hence my question.
The stuff I've seen is API SL & JASO MA/MA2 spec. so it meets the needs and is £28.49 for 10 litres, my head says it's right but I would just like to hear if anyone has real world experience of using this type of oil.
Well i did some research on this topic mainly because i want to select the best value oil, From my understanding;
Ester core oil group v is good because of its ability to remove all the stain in the engine better than other syn, bring out performance.
PAO is oil group v is good also similar function. Then Group 3 is synthetic base, and 2 1 is dinosaurs fossil mineral.

Assuming we talking about multi grade oil xxw x0, is like cocktail mixed which they don’t tell you the formula, what’s inside, knowing systhetic base is better, so look for 100% synthetic label, not full or semi synthetic, technosynthesis . The oil company mostly using group 3 oil (cheaper) as a base and add up PAO, and or Ester + addictive @ which a amount they don’t tell you, we pay the price for purely marketing brand. Motul 7100 is Group 3 +4 + ester a bit. 300v + more ester( what % don’t know) Better base oil will result in oil stability in various temperatures.
API,JASO,.. this one is the basic standard and envionramtal standard, phosphorus, zinc, reduction.. just follow the manual or goes higher.

When i purchase oil I look for its viscosity index (ASTM D2270)higher is better making its stabilize at wider temperature range, and Kenetic Viscotiy at 100C, lower is more HP, and Viscoity at 40C higher is better protection in cold start, and what brand what model depends on your location; price is vary.
I’ve been using Motul 300v Ester oil, yeah i love it smooth, engine run very quiet, really love it but very high price. VI is at 160, vi 40c is 82.3, Vi 100C 13.3 mm/s, compare this to the other well known brand that i use and its 1/3 of the 300v’s price. VI 161, Vi40c 82, Vi100c 13.1 mm/s.. So why pay more for almost same result. However, if my goal is for race I’d pay for 300v because ester syn will clean indside the engine for more smoothness better than PAO.

Hope this help, this is just a basic info, not oil expert but just looking for the good value best performance oil.
 
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ballisticexchris

Guest
The advantage of the 7100 is it can be mixed. Motul 300v is not recommended to be mixed with other oils. You can mix it but then it loses its lubricating properties.

I'm using the 7100 in my Super Tenere from here on out since breaking in the motor. It has the same exact FZG (Forschungsstelle für Zahnrader und Getriebebau) test results as the 300V and is cheaper. FZG is a research center for gears and gear manufacturing based in Germany.

Both 7100 and 300V have a FLS (Failure Load Stage) of 14 which is the highest gear load before failure. I will still continue to use the Motul 300V in my Beta just for the fact it is used in a much more harsh environment than the Super Tenere.
 

Shuckers

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Sep 9, 2019
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Folkestone UK
The advantage of the 7100 is it can be mixed. Motul 300v is not recommended to be mixed with other oils. You can mix it but then it loses its lubricating properties.

I'm using the 7100 in my Super Tenere from here on out since breaking in the motor. It has the same exact FZG (Forschungsstelle für Zahnrader und Getriebebau) test results as the 300V and is cheaper. FZG is a research center for gears and gear manufacturing based in Germany.

Both 7100 and 300V have a FLS (Failure Load Stage) of 14 which is the highest gear load before failure. I will still continue to use the Motul 300V in my Beta just for the fact it is used in a much more harsh environment than the Super Tenere.
Iv been using Silkolene comp 4 Ester based 10W40W in my S10 30k, wife’s Yam nmax125 and sons Yam MT125. Also use the 20w50w variant in BMW R1150GS 73k. Found it to be an excellent oil, although Iv never come across a bad modern oil....
 
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ballisticexchris

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In reality any of these Ester based oils work really well. For me Motul is available at almost any motorcycle shop and is pretty cheap.
 

s.ga.rider

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Dec 23, 2019
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South Georgia
I just ordered a gallon of Maxima Proplus from amazon to try. Its $37 for the 10w40 and $40 for the 10w50. Ive been running m1 in it and the shifting gets rough around 3k miles.
 

Revz

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Aug 13, 2020
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Central Minnesota
I admire your approach. So far the only wrench on my tenere after initial setup has been mine, except tires.

Ill probably have a good indy shop here, check valves and install a graves manyal cct when i hit 25k, otherwise its all me. I too, consider non reliance on a dealer to be a point of pride and independence.

Ordered some motul t4 7100 for the tenere, will give is a good workout and send it to the lab later. Thanks for a great info.
Gunslinger, when you get the Blackstone report back, please share the results with us.
 

gunslinger_006

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May 21, 2016
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961
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Seattle, Washington
I dug up an old analysis i did just after initial breakin on the oem yamalube. Here it is for comparison. Ill add the new report once i get enough miles on this oil, which will take a while since the season is winding down here.




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Kruzzin5

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Oct 14, 2019
Messages
415
Location
Newmarket, Ontario
Not necessarily. The oil light on the Ténéré is a level light as a opposed to a pressure light. If the warning lamp illuminates on this bike it just means you’re low on oil, not out of oil. The engine still has normal oil pressure. No damage would occur as long as the warning is heeded and oil is added before the level gets too low and the pump starts sucking air.

You can tell it’s a level sensing system by just turning on the key. If you wait a few seconds, without staring the engine, the oil light goes out all by itself. In a pressure sensing system, the light would remain on until the engine is started and the oil pump starts pumping.


Good info, did not know that!
 

jwrands

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Jan 6, 2021
Messages
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Location
San Luis Obispo, CA
Rest assured if you have an oil leak and the low light comes on the Super Tenere, your engine is toast with cheap oils. Walmart Rotella lovers will be calling a a flatbed and have an expensive repair bill. I'll repair the leak, refill oil and be back on the road with Ester based oil.
FWIW I lost all my oil due to a cracked oil pan while riding solo off-road and had to ride 30 careful miles before I could get cell service. No catastrophic engine failure, and cylinders/rings still in spec at engine teardown at 90k mi, 10k mi after the incident. I was running conventional 10w-40.
 
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ballisticexchris

Guest
FWIW I lost all my oil due to a cracked oil pan while riding solo off-road and had to ride 30 careful miles before I could get cell service. No catastrophic engine failure, and cylinders/rings still in spec at engine teardown at 90k mi, 10k mi after the incident. I was running conventional 10w-40.
I honestly find it hard to believe you could run a motor dry from any oil for 30 miles.
 

gunslinger_006

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I honestly find it hard to believe you could run a motor dry from any oil for 30 miles.
I was at a harley rally and they tried to “kill a jap bike” for fun. An old honda cb750.

They started it and raised it up in the air on a crane.

Minutes went by. Nothing but a purr.

Then they got desperate so they lowered it, drained the oil, and got it up in the air running again.

23 more minutes went by before that poor thing finally died.

It was like a honda commercial. I thought it was hilarious.


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Jlq1969

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May 5, 2018
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Argentina
I dug up an old analysis i did just after initial breakin on the oem yamalube. Here it is for comparison. Ill add the new report once i get enough miles on this oil, which will take a while since the season is winding down here.




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so, every morning, we can take a tablespoon of used oil, to avoid osteoporosis:)
 

WJBertrand

Ventura Highway
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Jun 20, 2015
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Ventura, CA
I was at a harley rally and they tried to “kill a jap bike” for fun. An old honda cb750.

They started it and raised it up in the air on a crane.

Minutes went by. Nothing but a purr.

Then they got desperate so they lowered it, drained the oil, and got it up in the air running again.

23 more minutes went by before that poor thing finally died.

It was like a honda commercial. I thought it was hilarious.


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I saw a similar thing one time at a mostly Harley swap meet, except it was a 4-cylinder Gold Wing engine. They connected a battery and a gas can to it and wedged the throttle wide open. Damn thing ran until the whole gallon of gas was gone. There was no coolant in the water jackets either. Someone came up with another gallon gas and then they also drained all the oil. They fired it back up at full throttle again. I think they were hoping for a catastrophic, parts scattering, spectacular failure. Instead the engine went through about 3/4 of the second gallon of gas and then slowly lost RPM and finally stopped. The disappointment was palpable. I think each run was 20+ minutes or so. I was pretty impressed and the stunt had the opposite to the intended effect on those in attendance.

The guy that tried to blow up the GW engine, rented a stall every Friday night at the swap meet (OC Fair Grounds) with a bunch of gas tanks from various Japanese bikes. He also had a big sledge hammer and charged folks a buck to take a whack at one of them. I used to go the swap meet only because there was a vendor there that had a good deal on tires, but 75% of the stuff was Harley parts. Strange days.
 

gunslinger_006

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Joined
May 21, 2016
Messages
961
Location
Seattle, Washington
I saw a similar thing one time at a mostly Harley swap meet, except it was a 4-cylinder Gold Wing engine. They connected a battery and a gas can to it and wedged the throttle wide open. Damn thing ran until the whole gallon of gas was gone. There was no coolant in the water jackets either. Someone came up with another gallon gas and then they also drained all the oil. They fired it back up at full throttle again. I think they were hoping for a catastrophic, parts scattering, spectacular failure. Instead the engine went through about 3/4 of the second gallon of gas and then slowly lost RPM and finally stopped. The disappointment was palpable. I think each run was 20+ minutes or so. I was pretty impressed and the stunt had the opposite to the intended effect on those in attendance.

The guy that tried to blow up the GW engine, rented a stall every Friday night at the swap meet (OC Fair Grounds) with a bunch of gas tanks from various Japanese bikes. He also had a big sledge hammer and charged folks a buck to take a whack at one of them. I used to go the swap meet only because there was a vendor there that had a good deal on tires, but 75% of the stuff was Harley parts. Strange days.
Wtf that is hilarious you and I saw nearly the same thing. Small world. Freakin hondas man.


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