Final Gear Oil Question

[FJRPittsburgh]

Yamaha already had a standard differential oil they marketed, but say not to use it in the FJR and Vmax. So obviously Yamaha believes a unique formulation is required for the FJR. I find it hard to believe that Yamaha is pulling some sort of marketing scam to sell us a special lube if it’s not require. Not much profit to be made on gear lube.

https://www.chapmoto.com/yamalube-shaft-drive-gear-oil.html?sku=19-1120&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8Nu7ic-k_wIVqAitBh0eHgz5EAQYASABEgLRMPD_BwE

Yamaha's gear oil is not required for the final drive. That's so silly.

 

[Diablo1]

If the Exclusive oil is not necessary or required, why would Yamaha develop and market this new oil when they already have a shaft drive oil? Yamaha continues to market two different shaft drive oils.

 

[harper]

If the Exclusive oil is not necessary or required, why would Yamaha develop and market this new oil when they already have a shaft drive oil? Yamaha continues to market two different shaft drive oils.

Just use Yamaha's gear oil. Don't try to convert the heathens with hundreds of thousands of miles of collective experience successfully doing otherwise. No one is going to fault you for it. You don't have to justify it.

 

[SkooterG]

A 10W-50 oil covers their entire temperature range, but who is going to ride at 110F+ ambient temperature?

Me.
.

 

[FJRPittsburgh]

If the Exclusive oil is not necessary or required, why would Yamaha develop and market this new oil when they already have a shaft drive oil? Yamaha continues to market two different shaft drive oils.

So you would think it was necessary to purchase.

 

[Diablo1]

So you would think it was necessary to purchase.

Why wouldn’t they just take the old oil and put it in a new bottle to maximize profit with zero effort?

 

[RossKean]

Why wouldn’t they just take the old oil and put it in a new bottle to maximize profit with zero effort?

I highly doubt that there is any effort required on Yamaha's behalf other than package labeling. They are engineers and designers, not petroleum chemists. They do not manufacture their lubricants but job it out to the lowest bidder that can meet the engineering specifications. They may specify viscosity, conventional vs synthetic, additives, foaming properties, temperature coefficients, chemical oxidative stability, lubricity/additives etc., but I would bet dollars to doughnuts that this is not a unique Yamaha product - far more likely a rebranded off-the-shelf (and highly marked up price) product from Mobil1, Shell, Castrol, Lucas etc. As said, it certainly won't hurt to use it and in the big scheme of things, the cost per mile is still cheap (although far more than the store brand I use). Do what you are comfortable doing, but don't suggest I am making a big mistake with my choices. I will, perhaps, listen once you have a half million kilometers on your bike(s) without failure and my rear drive goes up in flames tomorrow.