Is this the correct shaft drive oil?

[ADKsuper10]

The dude at the Yamaha shop told me this is what was need for the Super Tenere. Is this the right stuff? Going to do my first oil change/final drive change soon.

Thanks guys.

 

[EricV]

Yes, that is what Yamaha recommends, and it's good stuff, though expensive for what you get. I used that on the FJR when it was new, but changed over to Valvoline Synpower 75W-90 full synthetic gear lube because it runs cooler and is less expensive. With over 160k miles on the FJR and over 100k miles on the Gen I Super Tenere, I've never had a hint of final drive issues on either one. The Synpower is cheap enough that I don't feel robbed when I change the final drive fluid every oil change and it's easier with the built in spout on the Valvoline Synpower bottle.

 

[ADKsuper10]

Thanks Eric appreciate it.

 

[racer1735]

Yamaha recommends 75w-90. It can be any brand, but Mobil 1 and Valvoline are the most prevalent.

 

[colorider]

Yamaha recommends 75w-90. It can be any brand, but Mobil 1 and Valvoline are the most prevalent.

Not entirely accurate. Yamaha calls for the same rear drive oil in the Tenere, the FJR and the V-max and it's the stuff pictured by the OP in his original post. IIRC, it first showed up as the recommended rear drive oil for the V-max and later it showed up in the FJR and Tenere.

MANY of us have deviated from the recommended oil to Mobil 1, Valvoline, etc with no (known) issues.

::024::

 

[ADKsuper10]

Not entirely accurate. Yamaha calls for the same rear drive oil in the Tenere, the FJR and the V-max and it's the stuff pictured by the OP in his original post. IIRC, it first showed up as the recommended rear drive oil for the V-max and later it showed up in the FJR and Tenere.

MANY of us have deviated from the recommended oil to Mobil 1, Valvoline, etc with no (known) issues.

::024::

Thanks for the clarification. I bought one quart of it and sheesh expensive is right. Should be good for at least 3 changes so maybe when its gone I'll switch over - by then my warranty should be over.

Wonder when they'll get around to printing the labels to reflect to be used by the FJR, V-Max, AND Super Tenere (or maybe they have and the bottle I bought has been on the shelf for awhile)

 

[EricV]

Wonder when they'll get around to printing the labels to reflect to be used by the FJR, V-Max, AND Super Tenere (or maybe they have and the bottle I bought has been on the shelf for awhile)

Don't hold your breath. There has been one label change that I am aware of, and that added the VMax wording, along with minor changes. It used to be "high speed" use oil, until several of us questioned Yamaha directly about what constituted "high speed" only to be told sustained travel over 70 mph. : So basically that included everyone in modern countries. I recall paying somethign like $34 for pint back in the early days of the FJR.

 

[arjayes]

$17.35 per quart at Rocky Mountain ATV:

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/774/35536/Yamalube-Shaft-Drive-Oil-Exclusive

That's down from $21.99 last time I bought a quart from RMATV in June of 2014. So at least the price is moving in the right direction!

By comparison the Valvoline is about $12 at Walmart. I'll gladly pay the extra $5 for the Yamalube.

 

[EricV]

I didn't stop using the Yamalube shaft oil because of the price, but because of how much cooler the diff runs with the Valvoline Synpower. Put your hand on the diff after your next ride. (be careful) Mine would be too hot to leave my hand on more than briefly with the Yamalube, but only warm with the Valvoline. I found this true with the FJR and the S10.

 

[White19]

I watched a video on changing the shaft oil. The guy in the video said that the ST calls for a specific oil without any additives. He even explained that there are 2 different Yamalube shaft oils. One with the additives and one without. He was pretty convincing. Any one care to comment? I know the Yamalube is expensive but mine is brand new and I just want to treat her right. I have some synthetic Valvoline 75w90 on hand that I used in my FJR but it has the additives.

 

[Checkswrecks]

If it was on the internet it must be true.

Seriously, I've never used the Yamalube for a shaft and never had an issue. I know that the local Yamaha dealer hasn't ever used it when doing service on customer bikes either.

 

[RCinNC]

I'm with Checkswrecks on this; the internet's full of self appointed experts, and I've never used the Yamalube gear oil. I have to ask myself what could be so unique about their final drive components that would necessitate some sort of special blend of gear oil, and that any quality 80W-90 gear oil designed for the exact same application wouldn't suffice. If there was an actual danger in using non-Yamalube, then I'd expect the owner's manual and service manual to say "don't use any other lubricant", the way they do when they specify not to use energy conserving oil when changing the oil. I usually change the final drive oil when I do an oil change, and so far in 61,000 miles on my 2014, I've never had an issue.

I'm almost out of the 80W-90 gear oil I've been using, so I think I'll give EricV's suggestion a try. Less heat is almost always better.

 

[RCinNC]

Yamaha recommends 75w-90. It can be any brand, but Mobil 1 and Valvoline are the most prevalent.

What year is your S10? I looked in my manual for my 2014 just to confirm, and it says 80W-90 API GL-5 or SAE 80 API GL-4 hypoid gear oil. Have they changed that requirement between model years?

 

[EricV]

I watched a video on changing the shaft oil. The guy in the video said that the ST calls for a specific oil without any additives. He even explained that there are 2 different Yamalube shaft oils. One with the additives and one without. He was pretty convincing. Any one care to comment? I know the Yamalube is expensive but mine is brand new and I just want to treat her right. I have some synthetic Valvoline 75w90 on hand that I used in my FJR but it has the additives.

Gear oils are rated with a GL rating. That number is important and refers to different properties, including some additives. For example, GL-4 gear oils are typically used in differentials with clutch type Limited Slip units. If you put a GL-5 gear oil in a clutch type LSD it is too slippery, (greater lubricity), in part from the additives, and the clutch pack will chatter. That's part of why the ratings exist. GL5 is not "better" than GL4, it's for a different application.

The Super Ten has no clutch plates in the diff/final drive pumpkin, it's just gears. Page 2-2 in the FSM for Gen II bikes only lists the Yamaha p/n ACC-SHFTD-EX-00. The marine gear case lube bottles specifically say GL4 on them, but the specified Yamalube for the FJR/VMax and Super Ten does not list the GL rating. I have little doubt that it's a GL5 rated oil, due to the design. Friction modified implies additives. The guy doing the videos may be trying to give good info, (don't we all), but I very much doubt any gear oil has no additives other than strait weight stuff. My '15 Owner's manual, Page 2-17 says the same thing as RCinNC's, so GL4 or GL5 are acceptable.

Just as my own personal empirical results, I put 162k on my FJR and 109k on my Gen I Super Ten with zero problems or seal leaks. The FJR used the specified Yamalube for the first 6 oil changes or perhaps the first 24k miles before changing to the Valvoline Synpower GL5 75W90 oil. The Super Ten used it from the first change at 600 miles. The current Gen II Super Ten only has 34k on it and I bought it used at 3200 miles and changed the fluids when I got it and has always used the Valvoline GL5 Synpower gear oil. No issues there either.

Remember that "high speed" is sustained over 70 mph from Yamaha's mouth. I personally have spoken to Yamaha customer service rep in Katella, CA about this back around 2005 and was passed off to one of their tech guys. He essentially said if I was a day ride kind of guy, it doesn't matter. If I got on the bike and spent a few hours or more at highway speeds, I should use the GL5 rated "high speed" gear oil.

 

[Scubatech]

I've always used the Valvoline GL5 in my FJR's & S10 too. Works great!!

 

[WJBertrand]

I always understood that GL5 was intended for hypoid type gears. Hypoid gears have the centerline of the pinion gear (shaft) at a different position than the centerline of the ring gear, (centerlines do not intersect) usually the pinion gear centerline is below the ring gear centerline. Wikipedia has a good treatise on the design. Hypoid gear sets are common in cars in part because it allows lower placement of the drive shaft and a smaller center hump in the car’s floor.

If you get down at a low angle and eyeball the Super Ténéré’s final drive you can see that the pinion centerline is slightly below the axle/ring gear centerline, making it a hypoid design. This is the first bike I’ve seen with that design. All of my previous bikes had non-hypoid final drive gears, i.e. the centerlines of the ring and pinion gears are at the same height and imaginary extended lines would intersect. I read somewhere that the reason Yamaha chose this design is that it somehow reduces the tendency of the rear of the bike to jack up under throttle.

A hypoid gear set has to endure more slippage motion between the gear teeth than an on-center design, thus calling for different lubrication properties afforded by GL5 rated lubricants. I’ve heard that GL5 lubes are too slippery for use in most automotive manual transmissions because it prevents the synchronizers from working properly.

Additives for limited slip differentials are a separate requirement and you can buy GL5 oils rated or not rated for limited slip rear ends. I think all 75w-140 oils but not all 75w-90 oils contain the additives for LS differentials.

Considering the design of the Super Ténéré final drive, I’d make sure to use a GL5 rated lubricant.


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[RCinNC]

I don't think you have to stick to the GL-5 rating. Like I posted earlier, Yamaha themselves spec two different gear oils: 80W-90 API GL-5 or SAE 80 API GL-4 hypoid gear oil. I'm by no means an oil guru, and I usually stick to the manufacturer's specs on things like oil weights, but the manual does identify that particular weight of GL-4 oil to be acceptable.

I appreciate EricV's explanation of the GL ratings; I never knew any of that.

 

[EricV]

Great observation WJB. The Valvoline Synpower 75W90 I have in the garage is marked GL5 for limited slip, fwiw. I can't recall if that particular brand/wt comes both ways.

 

[bnschroder]

When I bought my 2014 I had a bottle of the regular Yamalube 80W-90 oil from when I owner a V-Star 650, so I used that until I ran out of it. Then I purchased the more expensive "Exclusive" stuff that only says "For FJR and V-Max" on the bottle and started using it.
The observation I made is that the regular oil always looked pretty bad when I changed it, even after 4000 miles (I typically change it with every oil change) whereas the "Exclusive" came out crystal clear and still pretty light. Go figure, but I think I am going to spend the extra bucks for the good stuff.

 

[RCinNC]

How much of that difference in price do you think is directly attributable to Yamaha charging extra for something with their name on it? Yamaha doesn't make their own gear lube, or oil, or what have you; it's made by one of the major petroleum manufacturers, either to specs from Yamaha or Yamaha buys it in bulk and adds whatever additives they want. At one time their engine oil was made by Torco, a Canadian company, for Canadian Yamaha; I've read that it was also made by Citgo at one point for the US Yamaha market. Either way, they purchase it in bulk, and then tack on the standard name brand parts markup. Harley does the same thing with their "specially blended just for Harley" oil.

I'm sure that, in addition to the profit motive, one big reason that Yamaha recommends their own oil is because that's the oil that was used in the development process, and they want to stick with a known entity. If they tell you to use their oil, they know it's been tested in their product, and that it doesn't produce any undesirable side effects in the bike. That doesn't mean that no other oil is acceptable, or that their oil is "better", but it does free Yamaha from having to test every other gear oil.

I'd definitely be curious about what sort of Unobtanium compound Yamaha specs for their gear oil that makes it cost $21.99 for a quart as opposed to, say, MasterPro GL5 80W-90 hypoid gear oil for $7.99 a quart.