I (and I assume many of you) have been listening to your wife complain about the high cost of this and that. It was all brought home to me two days ago. I went to my usual source of Honda parts, a nearby dealership. I've been buying GN4 oil (gallon) from them for 19.95, then 22 or 23, last I remember it was $26, but this week it was $33 and change - $36+ including tax. Wow! (Honda's suggested price seems to be that $33+.
Sticker Shock
- Thread starter SMSW
- Start date
Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
I use Mobil 1 Racing Oil and on a 'good' day I can find it at WallyWorld for $10+ a quart - $40+ a gallon.
When you throw in a good filter, an oil change is between $40 - $50 - not counting your time.
When you throw in a good filter, an oil change is between $40 - $50 - not counting your time.
The Valvoline 10w40 4 stroke Motorcycle Oil (dino) sold at Walmart for about $6 dollars a quart, returned a much better UOA than the Honda GN4.
Honda just keeps raising their prices as long as folks keep buying it.
Honda don't make the stuff.
Honda just keeps raising their prices as long as folks keep buying it.
Honda don't make the stuff.
There's too many variables in engines, riders, conditions of use to realistically compare random UOAs. Methodology of standardized testing is missing..... rendering results useless.
Oil is good - use some and change it to manufacturers recommendations. Oil threads are full of everything but oil related engine failures.
Oil is good - use some and change it to manufacturers recommendations. Oil threads are full of everything but oil related engine failures.
Your looking farther than you need to see.....
Honda does not make their oil, an oil manufacturer makes it for them, you know like Valvoline, Chevron, Warren lubricants etc.
So if these companies market their own oil for motorcycles, why not save money buying directly from them, rather than Pay Honda's stupid, inflated prices?
Worst case, their oil(s) meet all the very same requirements for motorcycle oil that Honda claims, and often raise the bar and get better results, but I understand that you bleed Honda Red, and have to defend them to the end
And while its only been a few UOA's with these two brands of oil(s), in Honda ST1300's, Ridden by the same rider(s) under the same conditions, the Honda oil NEVER beat the other oils.
Keep defending Honda, they need your help and loyalty with all the issues and recalls they've been having lately
Honda does not make their oil, an oil manufacturer makes it for them, you know like Valvoline, Chevron, Warren lubricants etc.
So if these companies market their own oil for motorcycles, why not save money buying directly from them, rather than Pay Honda's stupid, inflated prices?
Worst case, their oil(s) meet all the very same requirements for motorcycle oil that Honda claims, and often raise the bar and get better results, but I understand that you bleed Honda Red, and have to defend them to the end
And while its only been a few UOA's with these two brands of oil(s), in Honda ST1300's, Ridden by the same rider(s) under the same conditions, the Honda oil NEVER beat the other oils.
Keep defending Honda, they need your help and loyalty with all the issues and recalls they've been having lately
Well technically Valvoline doesn’t make its own oil either but rather now the Saudis do through Aramco.
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Wait, what about the Valvoline 15W40 Premium Blue!? Pretty sure it has been working just fine for the last 20k miles. $35 for a gallon and a filter.
I've used Honda's GN4 almost exclusively for two reasons. One, it's a good motorcycle oil approved for bikes with wet clutches, and I don't have to worry about energy saving additives or a brand name changing the certifications without prominent notice on the container. Two, it has always been competitively priced. When some guys were touting brand A or B on sale at Walmart, I invariably found the sale was over, the shelves were bare, and the regular price was higher than the $20/gallon at my dealership. This particular dealer was selling GN4 for less than I would pay online. I continued using it in my Suzi VStrom for those two reasons (every time I checked, the Suzi dealer charged more for both GN4 and Suzi oil than the other Honda dealership.Your looking farther than you need to see.....
Honda does not make their oil, an oil manufacturer makes it for them, you know like Valvoline, Chevron, Warren lubricants etc.
So if these companies market their own oil for motorcycles, why not save money buying directly from them, rather than Pay Honda's stupid, inflated prices?
Worst case, their oil(s) meet all the very same requirements for motorcycle oil that Honda claims, and often raise the bar and get better results, but I understand that you bleed Honda Red, and have to defend them to the end
And while its only been a few UOA's with these two brands of oil(s), in Honda ST1300's, Ridden by the same rider(s) under the same conditions, the Honda oil NEVER beat the other oils.
Keep defending Honda, they need your help and loyalty with all the issues and recalls they've been having lately
I will challenge you to defend your statement, "Ridden by the same rider(s) under the same conditions, the Honda oil NEVER beat the other oils." What criteria are you using to define 'beat'? I'd hope you are not going to rely on anecdotal evidence or a belief system not based on research findings.
Sadlsor
Site Supporter
I mentioned in another thread I wandered by my BMW stealer to just price the filter and oil, figuring I'd pay 10 or 15 dollars over box store prices, for the convenience and to support the dealership.
When the parts guy told me $112 - AFTER I told him I wasn't interested in his $10 crush washer - I had to laugh.
Seems the BMW oil was $25 / quart, and they didn't have a gallon container.
What a flipping joke.
I knew BMW stuff would be marked up, but that is just insane. And heaven forbid I ask how much they charge to do the oil change.
When the parts guy told me $112 - AFTER I told him I wasn't interested in his $10 crush washer - I had to laugh.
Seems the BMW oil was $25 / quart, and they didn't have a gallon container.
What a flipping joke.
I knew BMW stuff would be marked up, but that is just insane. And heaven forbid I ask how much they charge to do the oil change.
rwthomas1
Site Supporter
Considering the cost of, well, everything else that I have to purchase far more frequently like food, gas, etc. has increased dramatically, the cost of the occasional oil change ain't even a blip on the radar.
I'm guessing Idemitsu makes it, the packaging, black bottle, red cap looks identical.
Sadlsor
Site Supporter
I have finely-tuned radar.
Sort of. Idemitsu is Honda Motor Company's oldest vendor relationship dating from the late 1940s. Idemitsu specs the oil for Honda and in the North American market Idemitsu and Conoco Phillips 66 blend, bottle, and distribute it. Idemitsu used to have a distributor relationship with Shell in the USA ( I don't know if they still do ). If you wanted Idemitsu branded products they were available through authorized Shell distributors and Rotella and Idemitsu motor oils were stored side by side in warehouses across the country. It's a complicated world.
