This will probably start a conversation. The oil spec for water cooled motors is 10W/40 Air cooled motors were always 15W/50 Some argue 15W/50 will leave a coating of oil on the rockers (weak point) when the motor is left over a period of time reducing wear and the flaking rocker syndrome, however, it will also be more viscous (thick) at cold temperatures and require careful warming up. The choice, as they say, is yours
I've been using Comma " Coldmaster Super Coolant " . It's a good value product with a dilution chart on the label . Ethylene Glycol is Ethylene Glycol regardless of what make is on the label . The more concentrated it comes in the bottle the better in my opinion ..... .... why pay for water already added to the bottle? I use 2 parts water to one part coolant , not so much for freezing protection but for good heat transfer . I reckon that the higher the density of coolant , the more heat it can carry to the radiator . But the bike spent many years in a hot climate so freezing wasn't really an issue .
Water is the best coolant but tends to boil and corrode whatever it comes into contact with, coolant (whatever formula you get)raises the boiling temperature of the water and aids cooling at high temperatures, the coolant comes with corrosion inhibitors in place to help reduce corrosion. You only need to worry about aluminium corrosion in the radiator to be fair so a modern coolant suitable for aluminium is good. Comma is a perfectly good product for oils and coolants, they meet the required specs as do the other brands. The coolant change intervals are based on the effectiveness of the corrosion inhibitors more than the coolant performance.
With coolant, make sure the mixture is right, especially in hot climates. Too strong a mix (too much glycol) will prevent proper cooling. Also, non glycol coolants are less messy (sticky) and may be required if you are going to take the bike to the track. Don't mix Dot5 or Dot 5.1 with Dot 4. If moving to Dot 5 make sure it's a full replacement. Dot 4 is good as long as it's clear and fresh. My 2c worth. Not going near the oil argument
i have been happy using Motul products, full list here- https://www.motul.com/gb/en/lubrica...65abbbc7218?type_name=916+Biposto+(1994-1998) and for oil i have always used Motul 15w50 300V factory line 50 euros for 4 litres on most online shops/ ebay etc
Motul 300V certainly does. I've serviced my 916 after standing for 4 months and noticed the cams & rockers have a good coating on them...
Agreed . The corrosion inhibitors that come in the bottle are a valuable bonus , especially where aluminium is concerned ! Any brand that fits the bill is fine with me ..... ... so long as paying for water at ten quid a litre isn't involved , ...... as featured in the " ready to use , pre-mixed " varieties .
