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The oil spec conundrum

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 6:40 am
by Haarek
The owners manual dictates that I should use SAE 10W-30 oil in my scooter.

"Fine" I thought

The owners manual also states that the oil should have no low-friction additives or have "fuel-saving" properties.

"Allright" I thought

A vanilla SAE 10W-30 oil with no friction modifiers. Piece of cake! ....not....

In Norway I can't for the life of me find an oil that ticks all the boxes without turning to motorcycle oil meant for wet clutches.

The spec I'm looking for is a SAE 10W-30 oil that meets API SG (or better) and JASO MB standards. Motul has such an oil, but it seems to me it is unavailable in stores.At least in my country.

I'm going to ask my dealer what oil they use, but I higly suspect they use the same 10W-30 motorcycle oil they use on all their wet-clutch bikes.

Since one of the Forzas fortes is fuel consumption I want to give it the oil Honda actually intends for it.

I can however get a 10W40 weight oil that ticks all the other boxes (https://www.xlmoto.no/olje-mineral-4t-m ... 0w40-mb-1l ), but I really don't want to use a more viscous oil in a brand new machine tuned for fuel consumption.

So, what do you guys think? Should I just go for wet-clutch motorcycle oil, go for the 10W40 scooter oil or a third option?

Re: The oil spec conundrum

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 6:50 am
by Mel46
Hmmm... you are in Norway. I'm not sure what they stock there, but in the United States I use Mobil 1 full synthetic for my bikes. Still, someone over there might suggest something else because of availability.

Re: The oil spec conundrum

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 7:48 am
by easyrider
You are taking this to a higher level that is required for this engine. Any good quality automotive multi grade oil 10w-40 or whatever will work just fine and any fuel savings is inconsequential or negligible. Don't over think this just keep your oil reasonably clean and the scoot will outlive you mostlikely, or rather your ownership period.

Re: The oil spec conundrum

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 7:53 am
by springer1
I higly suspect they use the same 10W-30 motorcycle oil they use on all their wet-clutch bikes.
Yep, just do that and don't worry about it.

Re: The oil spec conundrum

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 11:17 am
by gn2
Any 10w30 motorcycle oil will be fine.
Problem of friction modifiers only applies to wet clutch bikes.

Re: The oil spec conundrum

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 2:48 pm
by Haarek
gn2 wrote:Any 10w30 motorcycle oil will be fine.
Yes, I'm also convinced it won't be harmful to use motorcycle oil with the correct weight. Thanks to everyone that replied! There seems to be consensus on the matter.
However I think it's strange that Honda specifies a particular oil that for some reason is not widely available or even heard of. The Forza is afaik the best selling scooter in Europe at the moment and apparently they get serviced with oil that is not following OEM requirements.

I have now done 300km on the new Forza and average around 2.2 L/100km. I just don't like the idea of gimping (albeit with minuscule effect) the excellent fuel economy with less than optimal consumables.

Re: The oil spec conundrum

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 5:56 pm
by gn2
Honda simply specify one oil that's safe across the whole range of their two wheelers.
So long as its proper half decent oil from a reputable brand, it'll be fine.

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-780-10w30- ... e-oil.aspx