> What is the recommended synthetic motor oil brand and weight used, and for
> what climate?
I live near the desert and sometimes drive where it's really hot (115F in
the shade). Where I live isn't as hot, but it still never freezes.
I use only Valvoline full synthetic 20W50 in all my Triumphs. Yes, they
leak, but no worse on the synthetic than on dinosaur juice (as some have
claimed). And yes, the oil is somewhat pricey ($4.89/qt last time I looked
at Pep Boys), but that's cheap compared to the cost to rebuild the engine.
And I do push my oil changes out to about 10k miles, which IMO pretty much
fully compensates for the price (considering how much I like doing oil
changes).
One of the things I really like about the Valvoline full synthetic is that
it keeps the inside of the engine clean, especially the rocker shaft. Many
lesser oils seem to form sludge inside the shaft, which leads to poor
lubrication of the rocker arms. I'm also amazed at how well it sticks to
internal parts when the engine is shut down, helping to ensure adequate
lubrication when starting. And unlike some conventional oils, what I drain
out still looks and feels like oil, no viscosity changes. Some cheaper oils
come out thin and runny, almost like water !
> it essentially does it's own
> oil changes by leaking oil
While I understand your point here, IMO it's a mistake to assume that
leaking oil represents an oil change. I believe regular oil changes are
still a must, as the leak path may well be capable of separating the dirt
from the oil, and trapping it (the dirt) inside the engine !
> I have typically used Castrol GTX and either 10-40 or 20-50 weights.
After some bad experiences with it, I actively dislike Castrol GTX.
YMMV, NFI, etc.
Randall
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