Motul 80w/90 GL 5 - Final drive oil - Black ???

The last lot I bought was a Yamaha product - Yamalube GL-5 80w-90. I never noticed what colour it was, and I've not taken any out.
 
For some reason, Motul likes to add a colorant to their various oils, as this thread on a Triumph forum reveals, so possibly their GL-5 is coloured black?

www.triumphrat.net

Motul is Red?

So I sent my wife to the Triumph dealership nearest us, in Germany, last week to pick up some Motul 15W50 4T. They didn't have any 4L bottles so they filled her an empty brake fluid jug from their barrel of it in the back. Very nice of them. (The brake fluid jug was clean) Well I finally got...
www.triumphrat.net www.triumphrat.net
 
ST1100GOLD said:
See no reason not to use it, Motul datasheet seems to cover all requirements of an ST ... ...
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Agreed, in fact it looks like good stuff. You probably don't want to use a heavily fortified moly oil for your gearbox with a wet clutch though.

Anyone remember Arco Graphite oil? Now that stuff right out of the can was BLACK! Turns out the graphite, though a good lubricant, would pack in around the piston rings, causing them to stick down in their grooves, resulting in excess oil consumption. Besides that any dripping on pavement was impossible to clean up. Didn't last long on the market.
 
Bush said:
For some reason, Motul likes to add a colorant to their various oils, as this thread on a Triumph forum reveals, so possibly their GL-5 is coloured black?

www.triumphrat.net

Motul is Red?

So I sent my wife to the Triumph dealership nearest us, in Germany, last week to pick up some Motul 15W50 4T. They didn't have any 4L bottles so they filled her an empty brake fluid jug from their barrel of it in the back. Very nice of them. (The brake fluid jug was clean) Well I finally got...
www.triumphrat.net www.triumphrat.net
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Thats what I felt like when I started poring the black oil in. At the time there where only Bikers with chain drives around our club shop - nobody had seen oil like that. Today called the shop ,and they said Motul colored their oil . I also called a buddy that drives BMW's , he sort of confirmed it. We only have one MC store/shop in this town, and Motul is the only oil they sell there (but plenty of other places sell oil). It's probably ok, - just weird when you expecting honey color and it looks like heavy used diesel oil.
 
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I also did a engine oil and filter change - Motul oil - that had the normal color
 
Found this on google -from 2014- . Makes me feel better anyway

Hi, I done my 1st oil / filter and diff oil change recently, it was always done before this at the motorcycle shop, after it was done I remembered the oil from the diff when it was drained was smooth and a darkish syrup look about it, the new oil that was sold to me from the bike shop is a very dark gray, close to black colour oil. It says on the container .... Gear Box / Reinforced formulated MoS2 . Gearbox and Differential Oil ....... MOTUL SAE 80 W 90 Mineral.......
Does this sound like the right oil for my 2009 M109R ..... Just seems odd that it looks and feels nothing like my old oil .....
 
jonjonboo said:
I agree with everything you put here, and it doesn’t matter to me if you put peanut oil in your final drive. I’m sitting here bored at the moment with my coffee reading post in one of my fav forums and decided to put my input on a subject I’m kind of an expert on. Take it or leave it- it don’t matter - I’m not looking for a debate
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I think your wrong, peanut oil and banana peals work the best.. debate that :rofl1:
 
Interesting. Back in the 80's and later, a moly additive was the hot stuff to add to a Guzzi's final drive.
 
jonjonboo said:
I’m just teasing, do whatever you want. As an aircraft mechanic for @ 40 years with a hobby of maintaining and rebuilding all types of motorcycles I wouldn’t use black colored moly based oil in a final drive. My reason being a technician checks the clarity/color of oil as part of inspection when changing oil, can’t do this with the moly based oil. I only use 75/90 wt synthetic.
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I supervised our helicopter mechanics for several years. Greatest group of guys and anal to a T which is what you want from anyone working on aircraft. Surgeons could learn from aviation mechanics. Im sure your bike is flawless as well. Your answer makes total sense.
 
mcarver351 said:
I supervised our helicopter mechanics for several years. Greatest group of guys and anal to a T which is what you want from anyone working on aircraft. Surgeons could learn from aviation mechanics. Im sure your bike is flawless as well. Your answer makes total sense.
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Helicopters are my specialty and yes my motorcycles lack nothing for care and attention - thanks :)
 
jonjonboo said:
.... I wouldn’t use black colored moly based oil in a final drive. My reason being a technician checks the clarity/color of oil as part of inspection when changing oil...
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This would also be my (only) objection about using a "dark" oil...
Once a year or after a long trip I remove the filler plug to peek inside/take a drop on my fingertip and check if the original bright red gear-saver oil shows sign of discoloration...
(same goes for brake fluids, fork-oils or coolants; darkening/change of color are signs of breakdown, chemical change and contamination...)
 
jonjonboo said:
You got me - no debate here sir
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Like you I'm bored at work ... look what is posted in a google search"
Since your differential/gear oil can go bad over time and needs to be replaced, you should be aware of the symptoms that indicate the oil needs to be changed.

Signs your differential/gear oil needs to be changed and/or replaced include:

  • The oil is contaminated with substances or metal particles
  • Grinding noise as you turn corners
  • Humming noises because the gears are grinding against each other due to low lubricant
  • Vibrations while you are driving down the road"
All those signs to me mean to me it's already too late and there is some damage already.. Here is another one ."
Why is my diff oil black?
Black oil indicates that the axle seals are leaking and you are getting black moly grease from the steering knuckles into the housing. ... Make sure that any oil in the rear end is compatible with a friction type limited slip diff.
***** :rofl1:
"
 
Hey! Sorry about change the main topic of this post but I'm a new owner of an 1991 ST (no ABS no cruise control) and I have a great doubt related to the differential. Does anyone know who just change the differential gear ratio? I want it longer or heavy to reduce the consumption of fuel.
 
I think he's asking about changing the final drive gear ratio, wants to make it even taller than it already is. To answer his question, I don't recall ever hearing anybody change the gear ratio, I doubt its something that the average rider could do. I think you'd need to re-make the pinion and drive gears with a different drive ratio, since replacement parts with different ratios don't exist.

BTW, should have started a new thread on this, your question is way out of scope for the original title.
 
Just make sure you tell the new owner if you ever sell your bike. I'm sure his heart will skip a beat when he goes to change it out. When I purchased my 05 in 09, I religiously changed out the final drive oil evertime I did an oil change on the engine.
Kept doing it till all the silver slivers disappeared. Must of been like 4 changes.
Honey colored oil and a white sheet of paper and a high powered flashlight helped me determine when the final flush was done.
I do an oil inspection on it yearly and haven't had any debris in the honey 80W-90 colored oil yet.
It's so little of an amount of oil to warrant sending it for an oil analysis, just keep changing it out till it comes debris free.
I also mark the fill cap with a pencil mark before removing it. My other Honda had the same fill cap and it broke into many pieces when I went a bit to far on torquing it back on.
 
dwalby said:
I think he's asking about changing the final drive gear ratio, wants to make it even taller than it already is.
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That's how I read it. I have a very fuzzy recollection of somebody doing something similar for the GL1000. It was a new hub assembly that bolted up the the drive shaft. I don't recall if any additional work was done to the running gear on the bike. It may have been just a dream as I seem to recall it was JR who was selling these.
 
JACK 67 said:
Early Synthetics were always black, manufacture probably hasnt changed the formula past 30 years.
or . . it's graphite laden, i would use it (but then, i kinda stupid)
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All is well , the black stuff is still in there, no problems with the final drive yet .
 
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