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[stinkwheel]

I don't think multigrade engine oils existed when the bullet was designed.

[Exile]

I use Castrol 20/50. If Carlsberg made oil......

[Wheaters]

I don't think multigrade engine oils existed when the bullet was designed.

I think you're correct, multigrade oils first appeared in the very late 1950s/early 1960s and I was told that they were originally meant for the Leyland Mini, which shared the engine oil with the gearbox.

BSA and other bike manufacturers of the time recommended a 40 grade oil in summer, 30 grade in winter. No-one ever bothered to make a 30W/40 "multigrade" oil, as far as I'm aware; there would have been little point in it because the actual difference in viscosities is small. I used to use Silkolene "Donington 30" and "Chatsworth 40" in my Beesa 4 strokes (I think that's the correct way round; it was over 45 years ago).

The two grades of a multigrade are there to cater for very cold and very hot conditions - most engines run at a temperature somewhere in between the two extremes and probably still need a 30 or 40 grade.

For a while I used Duckhams Q20W/50 green oil in my tuned 250. It burned it like it was going out of fashion. It rapidly thinned out.

[tribonnie]

As I was a bit bored I thought I would scan all available forums and groups. I have collated all results in a spreadsheet to determine which, by general worldwide experience is the best oil for a Enfield.

And the result is ...... any old slippery brown stuff will do

[Wheaters]

As I was a bit bored I thought I would scan all available forums and groups. I have collated all results in a spreadsheet to determine which, by general worldwide experience is the best oil for a Enfield.

And the result is ...... any old slippery brown stuff will do

Brown sauce...... for good HP ?

[stinkwheel]

I'm not too fussy about it either. It goes through so much that the amount of the original oil that gets drained at an oil change will be approaching homeopathic dilutions. I try to get oil designed for diesel engine when I can. It has a high detergent content which should help it cope with the high levels of carbon these engines produce and give minimal sludging which is desireable in an engine with an oil filter (but probably wasn't on many of its counterparts from the 50's and 60's which relied on draining the sump to remove particulates).

[Cranky]

Dont forget you UCE guys that you do not need friction modifiers because of the clutch.

I realy dont think the RE has a poor clutch but some have and can make the clutch slip.

Straight deisel oil is what I would suggest.

Synthetic was made for formula one to lubricate crazy hot engines. Spending money on that stuff for a RE is like feeding staberries to a pig.

[Wheaters]

As the head chemist at Silkolene/Fuchs oils points out, all modern engine oils are, to some extent, part synthetic.

Also, a “synthetic“ oil might not be all it’s cracked up to be (pun intended).

[PeteF]

Interesting the references to the iron barrel models burning oil.
I ran a 350 for 20k miles and never had to add oil between changes. I did change at 2k miles though.

[John-M]

It is a bit daft suggesting that the engine was designed for 20/40 oil, as multigrade oil hadn't been invented in 1948, in the same way that synthetic oil wasn't widely available in the 70's and 80's.
Modern oils have come oi in leaps and bounds over the years and it seems daft not to take advantage of modern technology. Years ago old engines used to be full of black sludge and burnt oil, semi-synthetic doesn't seem to do this. I have just dismantled an old Redditch Bullet engine and the oil tank had an inch of black treacle like oil at the bottom, that's what you get from old fashioned oil.
I use 10-40 semi-synthetic oil in my Enfields, it is available cheap enough from motor-factors or supermarkets, its viscosity is near enough to what the manufacturers recommended and it might just be a little more robust than mineral oil.