Quicksilver synthetic?

[wader]

Good morning!
I have about 3,000 miles on my bike and doing an oil change this spring.  Previous oil has been standard and considering going to a full synthetic. Two questions:
 
1. When moving from regular oil to a synthetic, do I need to do anything 'special', or just drain, replace filter, fill and ride?
 
2. I saw a brand at Walmart called Quicksilver.  They have a 10w-40 full synthetic for about $7/qt.  Does anyone know much about this?  I understand after a quick internet search it is produced by Mercury.  I am not an oil wizard/god.  Any input?
 
3. I guess I have 3 questions ) do you think it is better to run an expensive 'regular' oil or a cheaper synthetic?  I am sure there are a lot of opinions out there, data would be useful.  I live in Wisconsin so nowhere near riding year round...I change oil every spring and average between 1,500-3,000 miles a year.  Thanks for your advice and input.

[Brick]

Check this out...
 
https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/lowdown-on-motorcycle-engine-oil

[koth442]

$7 / qt is pretty common. Typically I buy the large jugs at $22-27 for 4 quarts which is a little less than $7 / qt. I also run a 5w-40 which may be cheaper than a 10w-40 motorcycle specific oil.

[britelitebob]

Good morning! I have about 3,000 miles on my bike and doing an oil change this spring.  Previous oil has been standard and considering going to a full synthetic. Two questions:
 
1. When moving from regular oil to a synthetic, do I need to do anything 'special', or just drain, replace filter, fill and ride?
 
2. I saw a brand at Walmart called Quicksilver.  They have a 10w-40 full synthetic for about $7/qt.  Does anyone know much about this?  I understand after a quick internet search it is produced by Mercury.  I am not an oil wizard/god.  Any input?
 
3. I guess I have 3 questions ) do you think it is better to run an expensive 'regular' oil or a cheaper synthetic?  I am sure there are a lot of opinions out there, data would be useful.  I live in Wisconsin so nowhere near riding year round...I change oil every spring and average between 1,500-3,000 miles a year.  Thanks for your advice and input.

You can just drain and replace the regular oil with synthetic. 
I don't know why anyone would even consider using regular oil when the new synthetics are so much better, synthetic oil will also extend your service intervals so you end up saving money in the long run.
 
You can use any oil you like but I would recomend you buy oil from oil companies like Shell or Mobile because that way you will know what your getting. Oil from companies like Mercury or Yamaha may be good but their not oil companies so their paying God only knows who to fill those containers and I doubt their putting Mobil 1 in them bottles.

[Tusk]

I've heard what goes without saying should be said. Be careful to use motorcycle specific oil or oil with out friction modifiers.
 
A quote from the article Brick linked: "Traditionally motorcycles used oil designed for automobiles, but as fuel efficiency demands for cars increased, friction modifiers have been added to the oil package. Certain kinds of friction modifiers, however, are great for cars and light trucks but can cause clutch slip in motorcycles. Recognizing that certain oils were causing issues for motorcyclists, the JASO stepped up and introduced two standards for motorcycle oils based on the SAE’s (Society of Automotive Engineers)Clutch Friction Test: MA for bikes with wet clutches and MB for bikes with automatic transmissions. If your bike has a wet clutch you’ll want to make sure you see that motorcycle-specific MA classification. Conversely, you want to steer clear of MB oils and any oil that’s labeled as “energy conserving” since both blends will contain problematic friction modifiers."
 
edit: I do see that Quicksilver does have a motorcycle specific oil.
 

[britelitebob]

All the major oil companies have a motorcycle specific oils as well for the people that are willing to pay the additional cost for the little motorcycle on the bottle but you probably won't find them at Wal Mart.

[2and3cylinders]

Shell Rotella T6 full syn is MA certified and 1 gal is $22 at Wal-Mart
 
Filters are more of a concern
 
I run the Pulolator BOSS PBL-14610 which is 3" long for more volume, check them out!

[wader]

I pulled the trigger and put in the Quicksilver full synthetic with a K&N filter. Took it for a test drive and was amazed how much smoother the shifting was compared to plain oil. I'll never go back. Thanks for your advice everyone.