Oil question from newbie,sorry!

Hello,
I just bought bike today,1982 xj650, I have no manuals to show what type of oil to use,and it's capacity at change. The previous owner left a little oil filter in a box with the bike. The bike was part of an estate sale so no one around to ask questions. Sorry if this is a repeat already answered somewhere. I tried searching the topic here and just can't find it.
Thanks in advance!

 

Congratulations, now make the expenditure for a maintenance manual, it will be the BEST investment you can make for your machine's continued happy existance.
Ahem... As for your question:
The 82 650 uses 2.65 litres (approximately 2.8 quarts so purchase 3 quarts to cover it) of any quality oil that is NOT energy conserving. Look at the API seal to determine if it is or not. If it is energy conserving, you WILL have clutch slippage problems. Weight will be dependent upon ambient temperatures that you will be operating in. Lighter oil for lower temps, heavier for higher. If you are just cleaning out the system, I'd use 10/40 to start out with and change within a few hundred miles.
Now for the big question...which brand?
This question undoubtedly causes the single biggest row with folks around here so I'll not go into any details (or endorsements) about which to use. Just chose one that you have a good feeling using that satisfies the non-energy conserving admonition. I will respond if you ask for my preference but you gotta ask first (that way I don't get yelled at).
Welcome to a very enjoyable past time!

 

Robert,
Thanks you for the response. I just rebuilt the carbs today,right after picking the bike up. I understand your oil recommendation statement. I am new to the Yamaha 650,but have had many bikes. I build custom Honda 1800 VTX's as a hobby and had a number of Harley's. The 650 was a find at an estate sale while looking at furniture of all things. Paid $200.00 for it. Just would not start with out spraying starter fluid. Took care of that already! Need to replace a fork seal and pads/shoes and she's good to go!

 

Well, sort of. You need to check the valve clearances because you've no idea when it was last done. Plus replace the brake fluid; flush it out completely with new. And check the date code on the tires, 10+ year old tubeless tires aren't all that safe...

The best bet is to dig up a factory service manual and go through the "maintenance" section item by item in order and leaving nothing out. This is really the only way to make one of these old crocks 100% safe and fully operational.

 

Finding advice on the right oil is easy, kinda like:

Politics

Religion

Who's "better", blondes, brunettes, or redheads?

 

Personally I run Spectro 20W-40 (conventional) "motorcycle" oil when it's still somewhat 'nippy' out, and Castrol 4T 20W50 (conventional) "motorcycle" oil for the summer.

These are personal preferences; Robert is correct in that you need to stay away from "energy conserving" (friction-modified) oils as they can and will cause clutch and/or starter clutch issues. Any good, conventional 10W-40 or 20W50 (depending on climate) should be fine as long as it's not "tweaked" as outlined above.

 

Fitz, so any conventional(car oil) will work with out the energy conserving logo? For some reasons, my local stores have motorcycle oil(not synthetic) but they're much more expensive than 'regular car' oil. If this is the case, I'll have more money in my pocket. Thanks!

 

Pretty much, except for one thing: They had to cut down the amount of zinc in the additives in car oil, not motorcycle oil, and from what I understand, these old motors like a high zinc content.

I ran Castrol GTX 20W50 for the last 35+ years in my Norton but with all the changes have recently switched to Castrol 4T "motorcycle" oil.

You should be fine with any good automotive oil that doesn't say "energy conserving" but I like the added security.

 

I suppose I'll step in and mention that I have been using Castrol GTX 20W50 for years without problems but bear in mind, I'm in southern California where the temps are usually 60F to 80F year round. Thanks for the back-up Fitz!