GLC
Member
My 2022 NC750xD is coming up for its first 8000-mile oil change (after the initial 600 mile one) and its a pretty simple DIY job, not even needing any filter changes, so despite my advancing years I thought even I could undo one screw and refill with oil. The simple question of which oil to use saw me on Amazon/Walmart looking for the best deals. I like to go full synthetic but at not too ridiculous a price so around $27 will get you a gallon of Mobil 1 10-30 or the Valvoline 10-30. But wait a minute! Take a closer look at the manual (page 113) and the Honda approved API certifications on these synthetic oils. The Honda owner's manual clearly states that any oil marked with the American Pretoleum Institute seal showing "resource conserving" or "energy conserving" is NOT recommended. Pictures of these stamps with big X's through them emphasize this point in the manual. So, I started looking at other top brands such as Castrol GTX, Pennzoil Platinum, Shell and they all have "resource conserving" or "energy conserving" labels. The only oil I could find that doesn't have these labels is ....the Honda brand GN4, which is of course the oil recommended in the owner's manual and is I believe a mineral oil, not synthetic. Honda's HP4S synthetic oil is twice the price of the GN4 recommended oil.
So I sat down and thought about this. Is Honda trying to tell us that none of the top branded oils sold around the world are suitable for the NC750x or have they just thought up a good way to scare us into buying the Honda brand by disqualifying all the other brands? Or is the DCT such a peculiar piece of machinery that only GN4 oil is suitable? Then I thought about my riding here in rural Eastern Maryland where at 60 mph (legal limit here) the bike never normally gets above 4000rpm (60mph = 3000rpm), so hardly a stressed racing performance. Plus, it's never Arizona hot or Montana cold. So after hours of web searching, I caved and just bought the GN4 while acknowledging I have probably just been conned by Honda. What do you all think? And by the way does "energy conserving" and "resource conserving" have any technical value whatsoever? I doubt it. What do these terms actually mean? Are they just an API greenwash gimmick. I used to work for Shell in the aviation oil sales department when synthetic oils first came out for aircraft and there sure is a world of difference in performance between mineral oils and synthetic oils in aircraft jet engines. Somehow, I doubt my NC is going to need quite those performance characteristics the way I ride in my location. Appreciate any comments.
So I sat down and thought about this. Is Honda trying to tell us that none of the top branded oils sold around the world are suitable for the NC750x or have they just thought up a good way to scare us into buying the Honda brand by disqualifying all the other brands? Or is the DCT such a peculiar piece of machinery that only GN4 oil is suitable? Then I thought about my riding here in rural Eastern Maryland where at 60 mph (legal limit here) the bike never normally gets above 4000rpm (60mph = 3000rpm), so hardly a stressed racing performance. Plus, it's never Arizona hot or Montana cold. So after hours of web searching, I caved and just bought the GN4 while acknowledging I have probably just been conned by Honda. What do you all think? And by the way does "energy conserving" and "resource conserving" have any technical value whatsoever? I doubt it. What do these terms actually mean? Are they just an API greenwash gimmick. I used to work for Shell in the aviation oil sales department when synthetic oils first came out for aircraft and there sure is a world of difference in performance between mineral oils and synthetic oils in aircraft jet engines. Somehow, I doubt my NC is going to need quite those performance characteristics the way I ride in my location. Appreciate any comments.