Modern Vespa

i have a nice fresh jug of Quaker state 10w30 non synthetic....

would it be OK for my GTS 250?

i know manual says 5w40 but shouldn't this be fine if not driving in extreme heat conditions / stop and go traffic etc??

reading oil specs, looks like 10w30 good for like -20 to almost +40 celsius lol should cover my driving conditions!!

I would recommend full synthetic motorcycle/scooter specific 4T oil.
Not a good idea to put automotive oil in.

Answer: NO. Read the manual, it provides the specifications for the motor oil you should use. Of course you can use anything but any mechanical problems you encounter are on you. It's a free country after all.

As said above, your bike needs a fully synthetic oil, and this should be one suitable for motorcycles as is can cope better with the high engine revs, high heat, and high torque loadings in your engine. Bike specific fully synthetic oil reduces engine wear to almost zero compared to non synthetic oils which don't flow or splash easily when cold and don't cling as well as synthetics at high revs, and go out of spec quickly too! 5/40 fully syn oil is ok for most temp situations unless you live in ultra high heat climate or very very cold.

good advice ! I guess I will get some 5w40 synthetic

although the stuff I have does meet the API spec, so shouldn't have catastrophic effects

Frankly, I wouldn't even use the 0/30 non-syn as a flushing oil.

Is your Quaker State motorcycle speceffic?
Anything will work in a tight pinch, but...

You live is a colder climate. so the 30 is ok.
I run 10w40 with no effects. I live in a temperate climate.
You have to take into consideration Vespa is based in Italy, warm climate.

By no means starting a debate, but get synthetic. Don't mix syn and focal.
It will create deposits in you engine. Not good!
Best advice get the right stuff.
But emergencies happen. Had good luck ordering online.
Walmart is a good place to start.

Mixing oils doesn't cause deposits.

So you're doing oil analysis every oil change? Because that or a tear down are the only way to know you aren't doing damage to the motor.
And Piaggio takes temps into consideration when selecting recommended oils.

The link below has some good info on the subject.

https://mobiloil.com/en/faq/ask-our-auto-experts/questions-for-auto-experts/difference-between-car-and-motorcycle-oils

My owners manual for the BV500 indicates synthetic oil, SAE 5-40 API SL or higher.
It does not specify particularly "MOTORCYCLE OIL" from this I would assume any synthetic 5-40 automobile engine oil can be used without fear of damaging the engine, providing the API classification is SL or higher.

http://www.pqiamerica.com/apiserviceclass.htm

Usually when an oil is marked as "motorcycle oil" , it is because it is safe to work with a wet clutch. Since modern Vespas don't have a wet clutch, I would use exactly what the factory specs for oil.

Sorry to those of you that have been here a while, I'm going to repeat myself...

Manufacturers (obviously) have a vested interest in their companies' survival and continued success.
Why would they recommend an oil to use if it wasn't safe to use?
Think what would happen to the company if hundreds of engines became damaged and force warranty replacement?
Or if hundreds became damaged just after the warranty expired? The damage to the company's reputation would be just as bad and people would shun their product.

Listen to what the owner's manual recommends.

Great info.

I was referring to the weight oil he is using. And standard Mobil 1 car oil doesn't meat the specs.

Can you name one motor oil grade or brand you could buy at any store today (Canola oil is not motor oil), that will cause catastrophic engine failures in hundreds of brand new Vespas during the warranty period?
Manufacturers choose the grade of oil for their engines for a lot of reasons. Making the engine last as long as possible is not one of them.
10-30 won't cause catastrophic engine failure the moment it's added, but it's not ideal and isn't going to help the engine last a long time. .

^^^ this! What he says!...lol.

I would add that although motor car oil may meet the specs for use in our Vespas' it isn't the best oil to use. That's any viscosity. Motorcycle oil is so muich better at lubricating your engine than car oil. It has better anti-static cling at high revs (car oil does not cling well at high revs). It has better long string molecular additives that don't shear and/or break down at high heat or high revs (remember your bike engine spends it life revving 3 or 4 times higher during it life than a car engine, and at higher localised temps). And so motorcycle oil will stay in spec so much better and for longer. There's other stuff too that's better about motorcycle oil but won't go into it here. Just saying!

I've read a bunch of oil threads but this may just be the__________________! fill in the blanks...

I can do better than that kantuckid. I spent years designing & developing engines, testing them and the oils that went into them. I worked with not just my own team of highly skilled engineers, but the oil companies who developed oils for both cars and motorcycles. They were fantastic guys, multi skilled in metallurgy and every aspect of tribology. It probably isn't widely known but the oil guys assist the engineers at many different stages of engine and oil development. They often come up with oil solutions to engineering problems. The point being...always use the right oil for your engine! If it's a scooter it lasts longer with a proper bike oil in it. In most cases, car oil doesn't cut it anywhere near as good as a bike oil! Engineers have proven this over and over but many folks don't want to hear that! Lol!

I'm a fix-it guy not a designer or an engineer. My apprenticeship did include seminars from lubrication engineers so I feel I'm well versed in the basics. I was also trained as a military helo mechanic and ran an SCCA1275 cc Mini car back when.
I have always been dependent on what "you guys" say to use for oil.
I was having some fun and not singling out anyone in particular.
I am a very good listener, like to learn & a very greasy guy.

I'll stir the pot, HA!-most of my machines get Rotella T6 and I keep a maintenance dry erase board in my shop for a bunch of machines.


I did read lately that a farm chain box store here-Rural King sells their house brand, full syn oil in many weights for a great price. It's pkg. by Warren Oil Co., a reputable company who has a webpage with their formulations for all to peruse.

Yeah...knew you weren't having a go at anyone kantuckid. You sound just like me in fact...love to learn!

Oil thread lovers rejoice-
Every day low price: Rural King, Full Synthetic oil in multiple weight range choices, including the stuff you want in your oil?

$10.99 for a 5 quart jug. As said it's pkg by Warren Oil Co., with lots of online content analysis information. Best oil deal I've seen in a long time.

Jeez!

I understand the "quest for knowledge" or "in an emergency" but we are talking about slightly over a quart of oil! Why not just use what is spec'd?

I think someone could have sunk a well and got their own oil by the time this thread finishes up.

Carry on.

+1

WTH, we're still on page one. That's child's play for oil threads, innit?

So far. I think that this could run...

Don't think so! This is not a proper oil thread...not really any technical stuff needed here...moving on, nothing to see here...lol.

To read a thread about motor oil and then to try to imagine that modern Vespas are rugged dependable machines is simply not possible.
If you are fussing about putting 10-30 oil in a Vespa your scooter is far too delicate. It simply won't break.
Change the oil, ride long enough to heat the engine and burn off corrosive acids produced by combustion and you will be fine.
Before the internet era it was difficult or expensive to find motorcycle specific oils. I used car oils. Nothing ever happened to my motorcycle transmissions.
Modern oils are amazing. Change when specified, do your best with the grading and keep riding. Your world will not blow up.

I have an MP3 that was a Piaggio buy back that says you're wrong. The owner blow up two motors using stanadrd Mobil 1 oil and had to take Piaggio to court to get the scooter bought back because Piaggio was blaming it on the oil he was using.

This thread lacks one of the primary aspects of a good oil thread! There's not one reference to Bob's the Oil Guy Forum?
As for tech specs., I tried that tactic but given I'm too lazy to post or link the oil specs. I referenced r.e., Warren Oil Co., go figure...

Oh the 90s... when a lowly motorcycle parts pusher could seem like a savant pushing OEM branded oils and products. (its what the manufacturer calls for!!) Anything they didn't stock was "garbage"...lol.
Oh and my favorite line of the uninformed dealer... "We can order that".

Then came the Internet and modern logistics...now you too could order from the comfort of your home and never waste precious hours to "grab parts" at a local shop and hear excuses why the stuff you paid for 2 weeks ago still isnt in!
Ironically there are still losers in the industry that still use the "Its being shipped" excuse.

please define "blow up"?
Also maybe a short summary of the facts of the case. Maybe a case # so I can read them as the stenographer recorded them...lol.

The "logistics" of shipping (horse, steam, rail, truck, air) were there prior to the internet. The web buys get us off the phone to buy parts.
Oh, and whats a stenographer?

Oh no... there was definitely a surge in shipping volume after 2000. This I know for a fact. A stenographer is a court reporter who transcribes the statements made in court. I would love to read what Piaggio cited as the basis for incorrect oil.

Rod went through the block in under 2,400 miles both times. Bike only has 4,800 miles on it.

It's quite common for warranty to be refused on the grounds of "the wrong oil" being used. At least in the car world, and increasingly in the bike world. I know also that some bike engine claims have had warranty refused because I was the guy assigned to investigate the cases. My company developed both car and bike engines for mostly smaller niche manufacturers. Like almost any engine these engines were oil specific...meaning the use of any oil not meeting the specific requirements laid down in the owners handbook would cause damage not covered by the warranty. The days when oil is oil are long gone! It is easy to check what causes mostly any engine failure and thanks to modern technology we can see at the molecular level what the damaged parts tell us. Sometimes it's a failure due to manufacturing, but those are becoming much rarer. But what we were increasingly seeing is owners causing the problem by not using the correct grade or more particularly the correct oil specification product. This often can lead to very accelerated engine wear to specific components such as camshafts (a'la VW pd engines) and piston rings etc. Our 800cc triple engine which was developed for use in cars and bikes suffered from camshaft failure at between 50-75,000 miles if the wrong oil spec was used. With the right oil, it would cover around 200,000 miles before work was needed. It can make that much difference! So you can see why manufacturers get touchy about oil.

My own example is 100,000 Miles using synthetic oils of varying weights not motorcycle specific. Everything worked nothing blew up. Not a friends bike-mine!
Most Vespas on this forum are lucky to see a thousand miles a year. It's more important to change the oil each year than by the mileage. To vary the weight or not use motorcycle specific oil may be wrong in the polemical style used on internet fora but it still works fine empirically speaking.

That's great conchscooter! Sadly it doesn't always work that way for everyone.

I'm gonna echo the timelessly wise voice of Aviator... follow the manual.

If you have an extra jug of something laying around, use it in the machine that is the most basic in your stable... the lawn mower, snowblower, lawn tractor. Those things aren't picky, and if you do kerplode the engine, it ain't big bucks.

Thing is, NOTHING always works any way for everyone.