hello all, since my rebuild i have changed the oil quite a bit, i have tried several types but seem to have the same problem, at about 1000km the gears get hard to change and motor seems to rum a bit warm on 100-200km rides.        have any of you got a good oil you can recommend for me to try, it seems i might need to look more closley at the 20-4- 15-30 10-50 ratings? help please.  worst case i'll just have to keep changing at 1000km as that fixes it?!!!!!  our temps here in the pacific are 26-30deg in summer 10-20 in winter.
thanks people.

Hi Jon.....Bob here. I use Penzoil Motorcycle Oil in my XV920RH. 10-30 in the cooler weather 15-40 in the hot weather. The important thing is to use oil rated for motorcycles as it contains an important zink additive not allowed in automotive motor oils in most countries. The zink supplys protection against micro seizures at elevated temperatures. I don't know if this will fix your shifting problem. The hard shifting may be due to mis-adjusted clutch or warped plates.
Happy cycling.
Bob

thanks, the shifting problem is along with a bit more noise, as soon as i change the oil it sorts out ,,, more k's gets hard again, change oil comes right again, real nice again accuatly, thats where i think its the oil, worst i tried is shell m/c semi synt. keep suggestions comming, will try till i find a good one.
THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT BOB.

Hello Jon,
You better avoid all kinds of synthetic oil, to get rid of Your shifting problems. Try "simple" 20 W - ..., which is fit for the climate You live in and also reduces the oil consumption. Give it a try.
Stefan

thanks, nothing like keeping it simple, shall give it a go..

I've tryed semisynthetic 10-40 oil (all year) with good result. I think most modern oils have additives that contains some sort of metal (or m-oxides) to prevent engine breakdown in the event of low oil pressure.
Bad shifting often gets better if you raise the oil-level to max and keep it there.
See also; http://bykrmom.viragotech.com/VTFAQ/faq26.htm
It's an interesting issue to diskuss!
Dr Piston has lots of good advices regarding Yamaha V-engines;
http://www.drpiston.com/

A quote from a reliable source (http://www.xs11.com/stories/mcnoil94.htm);
"Stretching the Truth - Just a Bit
Motorcycle oil producers make a multitude of claims for their products, some of which are extremely difficult to substantiate, and others which are simply outdated and no longer applicable. This is not to say that all claims made for the superiority of motorcycle oils are necessarily false, only that the actual differences between them and their automotive counterparts may be considerably less than we have been lead to believe. For example:
Claim - Since the introduction of catalytic converters in utomobiles, the best anti-wear agents have been limited by law to the amount that an be used in automotive oils, but are present in greater concentration in motorcycle oils.
Fact - Phosphorous deteriorates the catalyst in converters and is therefore restricted to a very small percentage in automotive oils. Phosphorous is also an essential element in one of the best anti-wear agents, ZDDP (zinc dialkyldithiophosphate), which is a primary component of such over-the-counter engine additives as STP Engine Treatment.
While it is true that slightly increased concentrations of ZDDP are found in some motorcycle oils (such as Spectro products), it is also true that these concentrations still fall under the governmental limits, otherwise these oils could not be used in the new converter-equipped motorcycles from BMW and Yamaha. Also, it should be noted that ZDDP is a "last line of defense"-type additive, generally only coming into play under extremely severe conditions where actual metal-to-metal contact occurs within an engine, something that should never happen under normal operating conditions."
My own experiences is that if you want buy a good quality oil and not pay an overprize; do not by motorcycle oil! If the oil is SG-rated it's as good as any overprized motorcycle oil.
My brother in law that has been working as a motorcycle mechanic for many years has the same opinion.