Nice sharing! The summer temperatures here goes to 28-30C average. I would like to use 15w60/10w60 on the R NineT if always have a long riding in tropics. Does it make sense?
Hi @eggs79727, thanks for your valid question. 15W/50 works well in a range from -20 and up to 45 degrees Celsius air temperature (even under race conditions). 10w60 would expand that range by 5 degrees either side e.g -25 and 50 degrees celcius. There is a balance to be found, as the more viscose the oil the better it handles hotter remperatures, but also it takes longer to reach optimal temperature to reach all areas of your engine. The recommended viscosity should cover you just fine. We have similiar temperatures at certain times of summer where I live and I haven't experienced issues. If you ride mostly in stop/start traffic then it could be worth considering 10w/60. But you mentioned long riding, so 15w/50 should be just fine, just keep an eye on the engine temperature as that's the ultimate answer if 15w/50 works for your climate and if you really need to change. Hope that helps a little with your decision. Take care out there 👊✊️👍
Hey Jarrod, thanks for your post. Great question by the way, one which I think many non-liquid cooled bike owners will sometimes ask during ownership of an air / oil cooled bike. Oil takes a beating in a combustion engine, but it is amazingly good at doing its intended job. The more its temperature is pushed outside of its optimal range the less effective it becomes at coating and protecting those hard working engine internals. But to answer your question, oil will handle normal running temperatures up to around 110 degress C very well. After 110 your engine is still being protected, but that protection begins to drop off. After saying that, I have had familiar concerns myself in the past. If you do a lot of slow stop/start riding you could consider installing a fan which mounts on your oil radiator. But 80-110 degress C is within normal engine operating temperature. Though oil cooled engines tend to run hotter than liquid cooled. But to be safe, have your locally mechanic check it over.😀
@@outtheresomewhere thanks for the reply, as its going on winter here now in Australia, I'm more concerned about engine temp in summer time where as you know temps get quite high here
@@jarrodscott3360 Yes I understand your concern over in OZ :-) . I remember walking out the plane door in Brisbane and it was like a wall of thick heat. The bottom line is oil doesn't really start breaking down until about 135 degrees C. If you're at 120 in 18 degrees C, then if you wanted to play it safe, then go with a fan or a cooler which has higher heat dissipation. They are not visually distracting, yet provide that extra level of protection in extreme heat. The price varies considerably, e.g. a fan like Trail Tech vs a larger radiator like XRay.
