My first oil change.

[robber57]

Ok, here's the bit that causes the troubles and misunderstanding;
In the honda manual when it comes to the engine oil honda technicians are a bit lazy and just copy/paste from other manuals.
The warning that wrong oil type can damage engine and gears/clutch or so is just a general warning stated in all manuals and when the manual was made they just copied from some other manual.
That means that some of the information is factual not right, but it does no harm to follow the directions.

The engine of a SH is just a 1 cylinder setup with cam and valve-train a water and oil pump and generator+startmotor, there are no gears nor a wet clutch in the engine itself so there are no gears or wet clutch to worry about when choosing oil.
If you read the owners manual precisely you can see it will show you an example of what a JASO standard label looks like and one page earlier it will tell you what JASO standard the engine oil should be, thats JASO MB.
Dont look at the picture which tells jaso MA(its just an example) but look one page prior and see in the list where it states what it should be and see that it is JASO MB.

JASO MA,MA1,MA2 are oils specifically for engines with a gear box and wet clutch, the number is relative to the engine load so MA is for a normal bike and MA2 is for hyper-sportbikes.

JASO MB is for engines without gears or a wet clutch so it is basically a good quality oil with properties that suits an engine with a relatively high rpm, overhead-cam,sliding cam followers,chain like in most motorcycles.
In the SH oils with JASO MA,MA1,MA2,MB are all suitable but your better of if you choose MB as it has better lubricating properties since it lacks the friction compounds for the clutch.

There is a gearbox in the SH but thats the final-reduction gearbox which is located at the rear wheel,it reduces the rpm in a 10:1 ratio through a double set of plain gears and gear-axles.
This gearbox is just a plain gearbox,all bearings are ball bearing and there are no bearing-bushes nor yellow metals in it.
For this final gearbox honda recommends either the same oil you put in the engine or a gear specific SAE 90-GL4/GL5 hypoid.
Dont think that the SAE-90 gear oil is much more viscous and thus will create more friction, it is marginally thicker compared to normal engine oil, the viscosity number for gear oil and engine oil are not the same , SAE90 gear oil compares aprox. to SAE40-50 engine oil.
So a 10W40 engine oils compares to a 75W-90 gear oil in viscosity but the gear oil has better properties to handle the specific needs of a transmission.

olie_v2.jpg

The trouble with using a "car-oil" in a motorcycle lies within the "low-saps" specifications for the latest generation car-oils.
Saps are:
- Sulphated Ash
- Phosphor
- Sulphur
These 3 compounds where previously used to boost the sliding characteristics of engine oils in particular the sliding properties needed to lubricate the cam ,cam follower and valves which have sliding surfaces.
In new cars these compounds destroy the catalytic converter and so had to be reduced hence the "low saps" formula, the car manufacturers followed by enhancing the cam-valve train to withstand these oils without damage.

Motorcycles are ,remarkably, quite conservative when it comes to cam and valve, most of them still have sliding cam followers/rockers and so need a "normal saps" or at the most a "mid-saps" oil, the JASO standard takes this into account where car oils dont.
Using latest generation car oil in a(any) motorcycle may ruin your cam and cam followers/rockers despite having "the latest in car oil technology" and having superior lubricating properties and even being "compatible for racing purposes".
The phrase "racing oil" is even more counter productive, true racing oil only has to last for a few hours and then it is changed, for a oil which has to perform every day without being changed every 500 km's other characteristics like long life shear properties and visco stability come in to the equation and are much,much more important then the last 0.2 % in friction reduction.

Low saps oils are usually labeled as "energy conserving", thats why the manual warns NOT to use these oils, if you come across any oil with viscosity below 10W40 or 10W30 you should be careful as these are usually low-saps and energy conserving oils.

[SHiHondarider]

Ok, here's the bit that causes the troubles and misunderstanding;
In the honda manual when it comes to the engine oil honda technicians are a bit lazy and just copy/paste from other manuals.
The warning that wrong oil type can damage engine and gears/clutch or so is just a general warning stated in all manuals and when the manual was made they just copied from some other manual.
That means that some of the information is factual not right, but it does no harm to follow the directions.

The engine of a SH is just a 1 cylinder setup with cam and valve-train a water and oil pump and generator+startmotor, there are no gears nor a wet clutch in the engine itself so there are no gears or wet clutch to worry about when choosing oil.
If you read the owners manual precisely you can see it will show you an example of what a JASO standard label looks like and one page earlier it will tell you what JASO standard the engine oil should be, thats JASO MB.
Dont look at the picture which tells jaso MA(its just an example) but look one page prior and see in the list where it states what it should be and see that it is JASO MB.

JASO MA,MA1,MA2 are oils specifically for engines with a gear box and wet clutch, the number is relative to the engine load so MA is for a normal bike and MA2 is for hyper-sportbikes.

JASO MB is for engines without gears or a wet clutch so it is basically a good quality oil with properties that suits an engine with a relatively high rpm, overhead-cam,sliding cam followers,chain like in most motorcycles.
In the SH oils with JASO MA,MA1,MA2,MB are all suitable but your better of if you choose MB as it has better lubricating properties since it lacks the friction compounds for the clutch.

There is a gearbox in the SH but thats the final-reduction gearbox which is located at the rear wheel,it reduces the rpm in a 10:1 ratio through a double set of plain gears and gear-axles.
This gearbox is just a plain gearbox,all bearings are ball bearing and there are no bearing-bushes nor yellow metals in it.
For this final gearbox honda recommends either the same oil you put in the engine or a gear specific SAE 90-GL4/GL5 hypoid.
Dont think that the SAE-90 gear oil is much more viscous and thus will create more friction, it is marginally thicker compared to normal engine oil, the viscosity number for gear oil and engine oil are not the same , SAE90 gear oil compares aprox. to SAE40-50 engine oil.
So a 10W40 engine oils compares to a 75W-90 gear oil in viscosity but the gear oil has better properties to handle the specific needs of a transmission.

olie_v2.jpg

The trouble with using a "car-oil" in a motorcycle lies within the "low-saps" specifications for the latest generation car-oils.
Saps are:
- Sulphated Ash
- Phosphor
- Sulphur
These 3 compounds where previously used to boost the sliding characteristics of engine oils in particular the sliding properties needed to lubricate the cam ,cam follower and valves which have sliding surfaces.
In new cars these compounds destroy the catalytic converter and so had to be reduced hence the "low saps" formula, the car manufacturers followed by enhancing the cam-valve train to withstand these oils without damage.

Motorcycles are ,remarkably, quite conservative when it comes to cam and valve, most of them still have sliding cam followers/rockers and so need a "normal saps" or at the most a "mid-saps" oil, the JASO standard takes this into account where car oils dont.
Using latest generation car oil in a(any) motorcycle may ruin your cam and cam followers/rockers despite having "the latest in car oil technology" and having superior lubricating properties and even being "compatible for racing purposes".
The phrase "racing oil" is even more counter productive, true racing oil only has to last for a few hours and then it is changed, for a oil which has to perform every day without being changed every 500 km's other characteristics like long life shear properties and visco stability come in to the equation and are much,much more important then the last 0.2 % in friction reduction.

Low saps oils are usually labeled as "energy conserving", thats why the manual warns NOT to use these oils, if you come across any oil with viscosity below 10W40 or 10W30 you should be careful as these are usually low-saps and energy conserving oils.

This is a great forum! No doubt about that and your reply was more than interesting-sound like you have been into bikes for some time now. I want to touch on the "racing oil" is more counter productive, true racing oil only has a last a few hours and then it is changed", this is were the Mobile 1 4T racing oil topic comes back into play. This oil is widely available at most large automotive chain stores. Now, can it handle "Superbike" racing of over 200 MPH @ RPMs of over 9,000+..I don't know? Most likely they may a "special" one for that. But I can tell you this, Mobil 1 rates it at 5,000 miles with the same protection/viscosity before you change it. Is it the best? 5 different guys might debate that, just as what is the best bike, Honda, Yamaha..etc. But I can tell you this, the Germans took Mobil 1 "automotive" oil and drove the hell out of it, thousands and thousands of miles. Took all the engines a part and checked for how much ware and tare were on the engines. They compared ALL the engines using different synthetic types and Mobil 1 engines were in the best shape. Thanks for the reply, great place to visit and learn!

[bigbird]

Mobil 1 4T is NOT a racing oil, but a great oil for everyday motorcycle use, as are many others.
I'm a big fan of Shell Rotella T6 synthetic. It's JASO rated, as well as WAY cheaper than Mobil 4T.

[SHiHondarider]

Bigbird, I just went to Mobil 1 website for the Mobil 1 4T oil. Here is how they describe it: Engineered for on-road, off-road and competition 4 cycle-engines

I guess it would be how you define competition, but it looks like to me that it can be used for racing according to the Mobil 1 oil company. The other one Lucas snythetic Racing Motorcycle pretty says the same thing.

[Arbiter]

Today I've changed oil by myself. It is task for 15 minutes.

I've used Castrol POWER 1 RACING 4T 10W-50 (about 10$/ 1dm3). I can reccommend this oil, it is second time that i've used this Castrol.

I change oil every 4000km, because there is no oil filter in our hondas, so better is to change often

[MotorPsycho]

Here's a different idea about avoiding the mess associated with having the center stand in the way of the oil drain.

SH150i_Oil_Change1.JPG

I used a jack stand under the muffler, where the muffler bolts to the frame. The scooter is leaning slightly to the right. I loosened the drain plug prior to taking the scooter off of the center stand to avoid jostling the scooter off of the jack stand. Actually, the stand holds the bike fairly steady.

MP

[Nikolaidis]

A question, i also going to change oils in the future, where you do you normally throw them?

[southerncannuck]

We have oil recycling sites at auto parts stores.

[robber57]

In Holland and other European country's its by law that whoever sells recyclable goods is obligated to take the old goods back for recycling without charge,that means that old tv's,radios,fridges and also oil,battery's(car/motorcycle or AA) can be returned at the (a) shop where you bought new.
And then there is cityhall which has a depot where you can bring recyclable goods including small chemical waste like oil,paint,medicines.
It seems the retailer are paying for this but they are not, when you buy a recyclable good in holland you pay a small amount as "recycling tax" which keeps this whole thing going,thats why its obligated for the shop and a right for the consumer.(and only consumers have this right,business-waste is not allowed)

Practically seen: every garage should be happy to take your old oil, especially because they receive some money for the old oil,old pure engine oil (not contaminated with other fluids) is no longer a nuisance but a commodity which can be refined in something useful.

[DarthEmma]

I bought a used 2010 Sh150i and the first thing I'm going to do is change the oil. I want to get a replacement drain plug and O-ring and screen before I start the job.

I was wondering if any of you have replaced the stock drain plug with a magnetic drain plug? I am thinking about doing that. Do any of you know the correct size (including thread pitch) of the drain plug?

All of the microfiche parts diagrams say "cap, oil hole", but they don't give the size.

Thanks.