Rear End / Final Drive Oil

Reveille

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Apr 23, 2013
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Re: Final gear oil brand

OK thread revival here. Plus who really wants to read a new oil thread right? I recently sold a boat and have some Quicksilver high performance gear lube left over. 3 new unopened quarts to be exact. This stuff is SAE 90, green and super slimey stuff. It does an incredible job in out board and I/O drives so I got to thinking.... I wonder if it would be suitable for a shaft drive motorcycle. Any thoughts? Specifications of the lubricant are impressive. I currently use Maxima hypoid with good results but was curious about the marine gear lube.
 

Mtbjay

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Re: 2 types of yamalube for final drive - which one do I use?

This is an old thread. But... I too, just underwent the confusion over which Yamahalube Final Drive to buy, "friction modified," or "Exclusive: FJR/V-Max formula." Most of the counter guys at Beaverton were confused, but one guy confidently recommended the "friction-modified" formula. When I got home, I looked up Yamahalube Final Drive Oil on Yamaha's website. I found that they (now) recommend their "exclusive" lube for the Super Tenere along with FJR and V-Max. (Bottles must be o-l-d! I would think they'd get some new labels done with the next run!)

I returned the first bottle, and bought the exclusive for... (gasp :eek:) $25/qt. (!) at the local dealer. (Really?!)

As noted previously here, none of the important specs are on the bottles of Yamahalube (weight & grade). Lame. And I'm sure it's just repackaged brand "x" lube too. Got half a mind to return it as Mobile 1 is $11/qt.
 

_AF

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2 types of yamalube for final drive - which one do I use?

Our dealer in Russia now use Motul Gear 300 75W-90 instead of Yamalube.
I just returned from a trip in Middle Asia and there is no oil flow from final drive sealing. And thats a good news, because before I always had this problem. Even my dealer changed the whole bike by warranty due to this problem lust summer after two years and 32K Km.
So, it looks that problem was in original Yama oil.


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OldRider

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Re: 2 types of yamalube for final drive - which one do I use?

I'm pretty sure the "friction modified" stuff goes in the front differential on four wheelers. A lot of four wheelers have a clutch pack in the front differential for slippage, where as the final drive is only a set of gears and bearings. The first four wheeler with four wheel drive was the Honda 350 Foreman and it had a bad problem with the 80/90 gear oil not getting into the clutch pack and the front end would make noise and be real jerky. Ford sold a friction modifier additive that came in a 2-3 oz. bottle. All you had to do was squirt a bottle full in the front diff. and that old Foreman would turn like magic.
 

coastie

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Re: 2 types of yamalube for final drive - which one do I use?

There is a sticky with pretty much all this information.
 

Hungry Tiger

2012 Blue S10
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Pasadena, CA
Re: 2 types of yamalube for final drive - which one do I use?

If Yamalube Exclusive is designed for VMax & FJR's, then it's overkill for S10's - so that's what I use.

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stevent

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Buckley
Re: 2 types of yamalube for final drive - which one do I use?

It says on the Yamalube website the Exclusive oil is for FJR/Vmax and Super Tenere, Probably because the massive amounts of torque and horsepower these bikes put out would turn any other oil into boiling water and leave it wimpering near the vent hole trying to escape like a man on a sinking ship....

Or not.... either way That's what they recommend so that's what I use. $25 a bottle is a little steep but you're using 200cc at a time, it's going to last awhile...
 

Hayviator

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Yamaha's shaft-drive oil/lube is nearly $30/quart. WW has Valvoline 80W90 gear oil for less than $6.50/quart, and it appears to meet the Yamaha specs in the owner's manual.

I'm only interested in hearing from anyone that can give me a legitimate reason NOT to use the Valvoline. I change FD oil at every oil change, so I'm already exceeding the suggested intervals by quite a bit. I'm not interested in building another oil thread, but I did come from a KLR so my motivations here should be obvious.
 

Koinz

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Re: Shafted on the Lube?

I use whatever gear oil I find as long as it says somewhere on the bottle that it's hypoid gear lube or high performance blah blah blah and I might change it every couple of years. Gear oil doesn't degrade like engine oil and there are no combustible contaminents in the final drive as well like there is in an engine.

Last time I got lucky and one of my kids had some Amsoil Gear Lube hanging around, so I used it ;D
 

Dallara

Creaks When Walks
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Re: Shafted on the Lube?

~


I wouldn't worry a yocto-second about using the Valvoline gear oil. I used the Yamalube stuff for 2 or 3 final drive lube changes in the first 5,000 miles, but I've been using Mobil 1 synthetic 75w-90 LS in the 36,000+ miles since. No problems, no leaks. Flawless, and it looks great coming out when I change it.


After all, some lube company makes the Yamalube gear oil, not Yamaha. Hell, maybe it's re-labeled Valvoline! ::025::


Dallara




~
 

Mzee

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Re: Shafted on the Lube?

Koinz said:
I use whatever gear oil I find as long as it says somewhere on the bottle that it's hypoid gear lube or high performance blah blah blah and I might change it every couple of years. Gear oil doesn't degrade like engine oil and there are no combustible contaminents in the final drive as well like there is in an engine.

Last time I got lucky and one of my kids had some Amsoil Gear Lube hanging around, so I used it ;D
I use something called motorex hypoid gear oil.
 

RED CAT

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Re: Shafted on the Lube?

You can use any synthetic Gear Lube 75/90W. I use the Canadian Tire stuff and change it often. Only takes 10 minutes.
 

mcbrien

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Re: Shafted on the Lube?

The yamaha drive lube at my dealer is $10.00 a quart. I
don't know what the $30.00 a quart stuff is all about?
 

Hayviator

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Re: Shafted on the Lube?

Valvoline it will be then. Thanks for your input. And when I said YamOil is $30/qt, what I meant was $26.xx a quart plus about $2.29 in sales tax, so yeah, about $30. Local multi brand dealer with normal prices on about everything in the shop except this particular anomaly.
 

Yamajet

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Re: 2 types of yamalube for final drive - which one do I use?

The spec in the s10 service manual is the "exclusive" or the same as the fjr and vmax.
 

coastie

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Re: 2 types of yamalube for final drive - which one do I use?

Well I have used several types of synthetic gear oil. Just make sure the weight matches. I have had no issues. Think I have royal purple in there now. Last time it was mobile, and have also used castrol.
 

Kurgan

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When I took delivery of my S10 last week, I asked the Tech who showed me various features of the bike if there were any particular things I should be mindful of. The only thing he mentioned is that it would be best to use the Genuine Yamaha Oil recommended in the owners manual for the final drive. He said although it's ok to use other brands, he and the other techs seem to feel the Yamaha oil works best...quietest, less vibration, less wear, etc.

What's the experience been here with the membership?
 

EricV

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I've used the Yamaha oil intended for high speed, (sustained speeds over 70), in the past and it's good stuff. Still, it was stupidly expensive for a pint. Yamaha spec'd that for the FJR, but oddly doesn't for the Super Tenere. The Yamaha fluid for my first couple of changes was fine and I wouldn't say it's a bad product at all. But FD issues are very, very rare on Yamahas in general.

I discovered that Valvoline SYNpower full synthetic gear lube in the 75W-90 flavor runs noticeably cooler, (try touching the FD housing after a freeway run), and meets all the specifications, plus some, that Yamaha calls for. Bonus, it's cheaper, comes in quarts and makes a really easy job of filling the final drive, so I do it more often, just because it takes so little extra time when I'm doing an oil change.

I'm not the highest mileage Super Ten here, but I'm likely up there at 95k miles. No issues with the FD. And after a few changes it starts coming out cleaner too, which seemed like a Good Thing™.
 

RED CAT

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Never tried the Yamaha stuff. Just use 100% Syn 75-90W. Change it every time I change the engine oil. $14. a litre/quart gives me 5 oil changes.
 
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