[Sage]

I took my 2007 Goldwing to the dealer to have an oil change done and was told that my clutch plates are wearing. The two mechanics could tell from the smell. I only have 18,000 miles on my bike. The mechanic suspects it comes from my choice of oil. I use 10 - 30 Amsoil full synthetic. He recommends using regular petroleum based Honda motorcycle oil. He said the full synthetic oil also weakens the engine seals. He recommended that I stay with the full synthetic until the clutch plates eventually require replacing. He said that the plates have already soaked up synthetic oil, so I should stay with synthetic until the plates are eventually replaced. I would appreciate other opinions. The mechanic seemed very sincere, but thought regular petroleum based motorcycle oil is better for the GW. I wish I could minimize the damage that is being done to my clutch plates. Any recommendations or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[techdude2000]

Ummm, wonder what clutch plates smell like? Have you noticed any slipping or changes in the engagement point with the lever? If not, I wouldn't worry about it. There's a bunch of bikes on this board that have used synthetic oil for many thousands of miles without clutch damage. Your driving habits with the clutch will have a bigger impact on clutch life. As long as your oil selection doesn't include moly you should be OK.

 

[tfdeputydawg]

I just got a notice to send all my personal info to a holding company so I can get my check for $500,000. I have to sent the holding company $2500 to open my account so the $500,000 can be deposited.
I come closer to believing that than what the mechanic told you!

 

[Sage]

Ummm, wonder what clutch plates smell like? Have you noticed any slipping or changes in the engagement point with the lever? If not, I wouldn't worry about it. There's a bunch of bikes on this board that have used synthetic oil for many thousands of miles without clutch damage. Your driving habits with the clutch will have a bigger impact on clutch life. As long as your oil selection doesn't include moly you should be OK.

I have not noticed any slipping or change in the engagement point. I make sure I fully pull in the clutch lever when shifting gears and gradually release it. I got 225,000 out of the original clutch on my Honda accord. I'm very gentle with the clutch.

 

[31261]

I just got a notice to send all my personal info to a holding company so I can get my check for $500,000. I have to sent the holding company $2500 to open my account so the $500,000 can be deposited.
I come closer to believing that than what the mechanic told you!

I got one of those. They want a credit card number so they can put my money in that account.

Wha cha think? Can I have your credit card number. :lol:

Kit

 

[WingWing]

I just got a notice to send all my personal info to a holding company so I can get my check for $500,000. I have to sent the holding company $2500 to open my account so the $500,000 can be deposited.
I come closer to believing that than what the mechanic told you!

often, it seems we do not agree.
This time, we do!
:thumbup:

Dennis

 

[Wing Raider]

Amsoil 10/30 is it automative oil or is it Jaso MA spec motorcycle oil ? Just a thought !

 

[31261]

I took my 2007 Goldwing to the dealer to have an oil change done and was told that my clutch plates are wearing. The two mechanics could tell from the smell. I only have 18,000 miles on my bike. The mechanic suspects it comes from my choice of oil. I use 10 - 30 Amsoil full synthetic. He recommends using regular petroleum based Honda motorcycle oil. He said the full synthetic oil also weakens the engine seals. He recommended that I stay with the full synthetic until the clutch plates eventually require replacing. He said that the plates have already soaked up synthetic oil, so I should stay with synthetic until the plates are eventually replaced. I would appreciate other opinions. The mechanic seemed very sincere, but thought regular petroleum based motorcycle oil is better for the GW. I wish I could minimize the damage that is being done to my clutch plates. Any recommendations or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

OK serious answer.

What kind of amsoil? Is it the kind for automobiles or the kind made especially for motorcycles and a wet clutch. There is a difference.

Although rare, yes sometimes, full synthetic oil will cause a clutch to start slipping. So I guess I would listen to them this time as it does once in awhile happen. Oil will have a distinct smell if something such as the fiber plates are burning the oil, as does antifreeze and other things in the oil. It will also change color ......so just maybe it is so.

I would drain out a quart of the old oil, dump in a quart of mineral based auto transmission fluid and run the bike easy for about 25 miles, drain it all and put either a synthetic made for a wet clutch or regular ole dino oil in it.

Another thing that can cause the clutch to not seat properly and slip is the o ring or something out of place in the clutch housing plate and or the pressure plate of the clutch. The 1800 has an oil assisted clutch and if the clutch is not closing properly that could cause it.

I would flush it good, put new oil in it, run it a thousand miles, check it, run it another thousand, check it, run it to 3K check it, dump that, put new in and if no smell or problems show up, go back to normal. If the oil is still burning, I would suspect the clutch itself.

Kit

 

[LarryM]

Let's see. How can I put this that would not be too offensive, but still get the point across?

Go back to your dealer and tell him that they are a bunch of scumbags!

I really get disgusted when I read about retailers that will lie through their teeth just to sell their own product. (Either that, or they are completely incompetent) A lot of motorcycle dealers stock the exact Amsoil they claim is damaging your clutch. And after you tell them they are scumbags, you may want to ask them if they are aware that Honda sells its own brand of full synthetic for the Wing.

Either way, I would run away from that dealer as fast as you can. And you might want to mail a letter to the owner of the dealership to let him know the scams that his employees are pulling. He probably doesn't know.

Please share the name of this dealership with us. This is the only way we can know who the good and bad dealers are.

Lastly, there is something about Amsoil you should know, and this is completely separate from the dealer's BS claim. I think it is a very good oil, and owners have used it for millions of miles without issues. I am running it in my bike right now, simply because the bike shifts smoother with it.

However, last time I checked, Amsoil products are neither API or JASO certified. That means you are violating the requirements of your warranty maintenance requirements by using it. Honda could refuse to honor a warranty claim if you had engine or transmission problems, and they would not have to prove it was the oil that caused it. That does not mean they will, but they could legally do it.

The rumor is that the only reason their oil does not have API approval is because the levels of ZDDP are higher than allowable API requirements. Whether it is true or not doesn't matter. You are required to use a non EC oil that is API certified.

If you choose to take the risk, that's fine. But understand that you ARE taking a risk.

 

[chuck_b24]

I took my 2007 Goldwing to the dealer to have an oil change done and was told that my clutch plates are wearing. The two mechanics could tell from the smell. I only have 18,000 miles on my bike. The mechanic suspects it comes from my choice of oil. I use 10 - 30 Amsoil full synthetic. He recommends using regular petroleum based Honda motorcycle oil. He said the full synthetic oil also weakens the engine seals. He recommended that I stay with the full synthetic until the clutch plates eventually require replacing. He said that the plates have already soaked up synthetic oil, I would appreciate other opinions. The mechanic seemed very sincere, but thought regular petroleum based motorcycle oil is better for the GW. I wish I could minimize the damage that is being done to my clutch plates. Any recommendations or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

GO (RUN DONT WALK) TO ANOTHER DEALER NOW!!!!!!


He did say 1 good thing

" I should stay with synthetic until the plates are eventually replaced."

that should be about 500K miles..maybe if you abuse it!!!

to be BLUNT!!

HE IS FULL OF POOP!!! OR AT LEAST HOT AIR!!

 

[cycledude]

i don't think your mechanic was messing with you but i do suspect something is going wrong with your clutch, Amsoil is not causing the problem but something is wrong somewhere 4:

 

[Sage]

10-30 Amsoil Motorcycle Specific Oil

I use the Amsoil motorcycle specific full synthetic oil, not the oil for automobiles.

 

[31261]

I use the Amsoil motorcycle specific full synthetic oil, not the oil for automobiles.

Then I would check the oil every 1000 miles, smell it, watch it and if you see anymore problems, I would suspect a problem with the clutch assembly itself.

Hey you have time, the bike is not going to self destruct. I would just watch it , keep an eye on it and if you see burned or smelly oil, the most likely problem is lack of pressure to the clutch plates. That can be an o ring, cracked spring, bad piston, several things.

A good way to tell if the clutch on the 1800 is slipping is to put it in third gear, go along on a open straight road about 40 mph and open the throttle very fast and hard and watch the tach. If it picks up instantly it is ok, if the rpm does not match the engine sound and speed or it falls off then the clutch is slipping.

Kit

 

[tfdeputydawg]

I got one of those. They want a credit card number so they can put my money in that account.
Wha cha think? Can I have your credit card number. :lol:
Kit

BR549

often, it seems we do not agree.
This time, we do!
:thumbup:
Dennis

We do @ times but, it's nice we can be civil about it:thumbup:

 

[Sage]

Thank you everyone for the insight. I will watch it closely. The mechanic recommended the same thing.

 

[LarryM]

I use the Amsoil motorcycle specific full synthetic oil, not the oil for automobiles.

If you still have one of the bottles, take a look at the front. At the bottom of the front label it says, "safe for wet clutch use". Translated, that means it does not contain molybdenum, which is the only thing in oil that can cause a clutch to slip.

 

[Mongo Jerry]

I took my 2007 Goldwing to the dealer to have an oil change done and was told that my clutch plates are wearing. The two mechanics could tell from the smell. I only have 18,000 miles on my bike. The mechanic suspects it comes from my choice of oil. I use 10 - 30 Amsoil full synthetic. He recommends using regular petroleum based Honda motorcycle oil. He said the full synthetic oil also weakens the engine seals. He recommended that I stay with the full synthetic until the clutch plates eventually require replacing. He said that the plates have already soaked up synthetic oil, so I should stay with synthetic until the plates are eventually replaced. I would appreciate other opinions. The mechanic seemed very sincere, but thought regular petroleum based motorcycle oil is better for the GW. I wish I could minimize the damage that is being done to my clutch plates. Any recommendations or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

I would say that someone is trying to take you for a ride....and its sure as hell is NOT on a Gold Wing....thats for bloody sure...!!!

As for tha Amsoil....thats not a problem at all...car or bike oil...no probem as long as it does not have MOLY in it and its not energy conserving type which " MIGHT " lead to clutch slippage IF your boot it HARD..then maybe.

I have been using Amsoil for a long time and NO problem. I am using Amsoil 10W40 in my GW. I have used even car 10W30 that was marked as energy conserving....and NEVER had any issues with the engine or the clutch.

By the time you can smell burnt clutch in the oil....you will have noticed it LONG TIME BEFORE then.....that you have clutch issues.

Me thinks the SCUM BAGS are trying to clean you out.... You can always send a sample of oil in to a lab and get it tested as well....tell them that you think it might have clutch issues and to check the oil for clutch stuff in the oil. I bet it will come back as showing NORMAL....

 

[Mongo Jerry]

For what its worth...just about everyone has smelt what a automatic transmission smells like when its clutchs are burnt....I would say...use that smell as your guide in how your engine oil smells like. The smell of burning or burnt clutch is one that once you have smelt it.....you never forget it...

Plus you oil will in all likelyhood get very dark....very fast from burning clutch too. Not really sure of that one...have never burned up a clutch in a bike. Truck...YES...bad oil seal on the engine coated the clutch and pressure plate in oil...that was the ONLY time I have ever blown a clutch up in my life.

 

[Waldo]

Synthetic. The only Honda clutch I ever even HEARD of slipping was a Shadow clutch and we didn't even use syn, but dino. The clutch was just bad.

Even ENERGY CONSERVING oil won't make this 1800 clutch "burn" at all.

 

[cycledude]

i actually know a guy that had what sounds like the same problem u are experiencing, one day he was going down interstate 55 in Illinois and his oil lite came on so he shut it down and called Honda towing, they towed it to a Honda dealer, one of the first things the mechanic discovered was the clutch was slipping, at first Honda said it would not be covered under warranty, when the mechanic took it apart he found some part was not assembled correct and thats what was causing the problem, Honda covered everything including the rental of a ST1100 while the bike was being fixed :thumbup:

before he left on the trip he brought the bike over to my house complaining that a wheel bearing was bad, well this guy is always thinking there is something wrong when its not, so i showed him there was nothing wrong with the wheel bearings and sent him down the road, to this day i am sorry i did not take him more serious and take the bike for a test drive, the bike had rite around 15,000 miles when this happened