Synthetic Oil

I obsess over the oil for my motorcycle. It's really foolish, given I change the darn stuff about every 2000 miles. I change it that frequently more just so I feel "involved" with the maintenance of my bike. I can do little beyond changing oil. :-(

Whether the full synthetic oil makes any appreciable difference, I can't say. I at least imagine that the shifting is quieter and smoother. (My motorcycle's transmission and clutch shares the engine oil with the other components of the engine. That's different from some H-D motorcycles, which have transmissions separate from the engine, allowing oil specific to each application to be used. A shared configuration is more difficult on the oil because -- I am to understand -- there is enormous pressure and shearing forces at work in a transmission.)

The Amsoil full synthetic is not cheap -- $7/quart. I'm debating in my mind the value of that ... the "benefit" is extended change intervals, but I don't take advantage of that. I could probably get by with any decent oil. One option I read a lot about on the motorcycle forums is Shell Rotella-T heavy-duty truck oil. Apparently the requirements for oil in a big rig are surprisingly similar to a shared-transmission motorcycle. Rotella-T goes for $8/gallon.

I'm being foolish about this, of course. But it's something relatively harmless to obsess over.