The International CBX Owners Association

I have been running 100% synthetic oil since the last oil change. The bike seems to smoke less when gearing down. I was low on oil, so I accidently put in about a half a litre of 10:40 Four stroke oil. Can this cause a problem when mixing 100% synthetic oil with regular 4 stroke oil? I took the bike for a spin today and noticed that when I rev the bike up while it is idling it smokes quite badly. Could this be due to mixing the oil. I need an oil change anyways. Perhaps if I change the oil will this possibly correct the smoking problem? I heard with synthetic oil the bike should not smoke. When I rev the bike up it does still smoke.

Thanks

All oils can cause smoking if overfilled or for other reasons. With Amsoil synthetic (what I use in the 82) they say it mixes perfectly well with any oil but mixing somewhat defeats its purpose. Running synthetic gives you longer changing intervals as well, another benefit.

DevonCbx wrote:I have been running 100% synthetic oil since the last oil change. The bike seems to smoke less when gearing down. I was low on oil, so I accidently put in about a half a litre of 10:40 Four stroke oil. Can this cause a problem when mixing 100% synthetic oil with regular 4 stroke oil? I took the bike for a spin today and noticed that when I rev the bike up while it is idling it smokes quite badly. Could this be due to mixing the oil. I need an oil change anyways. Perhaps if I change the oil will this possibly correct the smoking problem? I heard with synthetic oil the bike should not smoke. When I rev the bike up it does still smoke.

Thanks

I think if you read the Mobil 1 container it will state that it can be mixed with regular oil without issue. I mixed Mobil 1 and non synthetic many times on my CBX.

However .......in saying this.....when a bike smokes badly on regular oil and synthetic oil change stops this....then adding regular oil to the synthetic results in smoking yet again .....I think this might not be a coincidence

Sooooooooooo....I would recommend draining all the oil and put synthetic back in again and see what happens. This time ...all things being equal....consider going for an oil that worked in a CBX that had some of the exact same smoking issues that yours does and that oil was Mobil 1 car oil 15-45 or 15-50 which worked for me. Walmart has it for $26 for 5 quarts in the states.

Let us know how it all turns out.

I don't want to start an oil thread but it has been said many times before and although everybody has and is entitled to his/her own opinion, it is supported by virtually ALL experts: DO NOT use automotive spec motor oil, incl Mobil 1, in a unit motorcycle engine.
This is all I will say regarding this issue. I WILL NOT engage in a subsequent discussion

EMS wrote:I don't want to start an oil thread but it has been said many times before and although everybody has and is entitled to his/her own opinion, it is supported by virtually ALL experts: DO NOT use automotive spec motor oil, incl Mobil 1, in a unit motorcycle engine.
This is all I will say regarding this issue. I WILL NOT engage in a subsequent discussion

If Devon wants motocycle specific synthetic oil in place of Mobil 1 car oil ....that is up to him, but this does not change/effect the remaining recommendations I made related to what he actually asked about mixing synthetic and non synthetic oil which is not a problem.

This video link showing the piston condition of my 100k motor where I used Mobil 1 car oil speaks for itself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_u-D4vfUjw

Bottom line ...credible information from CBX owners that ride CBXs on what works in/on CBXs is valuable and always trumps general information from "experts", marketing talking heads and reports...in my view

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Related to not using synthetic car oil in motorcycles

Point 1: Before the recent advent of higher priced motorcycle specific synthetic oils ....none of the motorcycle oil "experts" were voicing disapproval of using synthetic car oil in motorcycles. :suspect:

Point 2: If 50% of motorcycle owners use motorcycle specific oil ..... wouldnt common sense tell us that if this was absolutely necessary the motorycycle motors of the remaining 50% that do not use motorcycle specific oil would littering the nations highways. When was the last time anyone has seen an oil induced engine oil breakdown while on a ride and dont most of us know riders that do not even change their oil. :suspect:

Point 3. Bottom line ...credible information from CBX owners that ride CBXs on what works in/on CBXs is valuable and always trumps general information from "experts", marketing talking heads and reports in my view

Car oil will make your clutch slip. That's why you shouldn't use car oil in a motorcycle. This is fact.

Welcome to the site trapshooter12....

Welcome Trapshooter12,

When you state "this is fact" are you talking about SG, SH, SJ or SL grade oils? Is it all automotive motor oils? Or is it just oils with friction modifiers (PTFEs)? Does it apply to all synthetics as well as dino based oils?

Having been around the block several times, I know there are a lot of people who believe that automotive oils should not be used in motorcycles, because they feel it makes the clutch slip or not enough ZDDP to keep the gears safe. I also know a lot of motorcyclists that use automotive oils and they do not have clutch problems. I bet they too think their "not having a problem" is a fact.

Cheers, Tom

I bought my first CBX in Germany in 1983. It was a 1982 prolink. It had 2,000 km on it. I put an oil temp guage on it and the guage pegged itself at 300f on a warm day in traffic. At the time there were no motorcycle specific synthetic oils. I immediately put mobil 1 synthetic car oil in it. I sold the bike about 6 years later with 160,000 km on it. Original clutch. The clutch was not as responsive as new but still very rideable. The bike had been on the racetrack a few times for track days. Never dragged raced. Always used mobil 1 synthetic car oil. My wirewheeled 79's been dragged raced with mobil 1 synthetic car oil quite a bit. Probably 20,000 miles+ of very hard usage. It will do a burnout if I so desire. I'm going to Castrol partial synthetic motorcycle oil in my CBX's now because they all have big coolers and heat is no problem. And the Castrol is much cheaper. Infact the oil not getting hot enough is probably a bigger problem for me. I'm tempted to fit an oil thermostat.

I just happened to pull out the Owners Manual for my bike and it states....

"Use only high detergent, premium quality motor oil certified to meet US automobile manufacturers' requirements for Service Classification SE or SF."

Now this is a bit of a sticky wicket, on one hand I got Honda, the people who make these machines saying it's O.K. but .......

I'm going to cut this short, I need to get started on that letter to Honda, they really should be told.

Cheers, Tom

I love an oil thread....

Now let me tell you about the Molybdenum additive I used to use. Ran it for 5000 very hard hot miles, stripped the engine down & could still see the factory cross hatching on the bores. Apart from carbon you wouldn't have thought the motor had run at all. Yes... I also found a buildup of Moly sludge in my sump but it didn't hurt anything. The motor & especially the gearbox never sounded sweeter...Then someone told me it would fcuk up my rubber seals & block up my galleries so I stopped using it...

How I do miss it...

Mobil Delvac MX 15W-40

I'm not going to use anything else on any of my bikes. Tried many, synth/mineral, Motorcycle/automotive, you name it.

Yes, this stuff is also rated gor gasoline engines, rating far over than what the original CBX requirement is.

Has been qualified for heavy duty transmission/wet clutch application too.

Trans and clutch operation haven't been this smooth ever.

Over now,
Juha

Who was that masked man...

O.K., here is a fact: Several years ago, the government mandated the removal of certain additives (I believe it was zinc-based ones) from automotive motor oil because they would clog up the catalytic converters and render them ineffective. Motor oil companies complied.
The absence of these additives will cause accelerated wear in non-roller valve lifters contacting the camshafts ( as in the CBX ). As most modern cars have roller followers or lifters contacting the cam lobes, it is not an issue. Many older motorcycles, however, have not. That's why there is a problem. It is not the clutch and not the pistons. Please read up on it. Don't just listen to hear-say and "experts" as Mike says. And especially don't believe those guys "who never had a problem" running car oils in their CBXes for years. They will not pick up the repair bill on your bike.

I didn't know that. If they did that about the same time they came out with motorcycle specific oils, then I never had cam wear problems because when they came out with motorcycle specific oils I started using them only. Kayeboo still prefers baby oil, says it doesn't leave stains on the sheets.

And Mobil Delvac 15/40 is formulated for big diesel rigs that don't have catalytic converters. Would it still have the zinc additive in it?