What is the best Oil.

[Botch]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Thanks for the hand's-on report! :thumbup:

I'm more concerned, however, that you have to put your bike away, hope its nothing permanent!

 

[rvbiker]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

It is important to use oil designed specifically for motorcycles especially when the bike has a wet clutch. Motorcycle oil has friction modifiers to prevent clutch slippage.
Motorcycle Oil FAQs

 

[rvbiker]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Shell Rotella T has no friction modifiers and will cause your clutch to slip and chatter.
http://motorcyclebloggers.com/2005/07/16/rotella-t-5w40-synthetic-oil/

 

[stevesnj]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Thats why I use Mobil 1 4T 10W-40 for motorcycles. Its a proven oil with a long history.

 

[rvbiker]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

yup, that's what I use. Walmart used to carry it but discontinued it

 

[brad81987]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Shell Rotella T has no friction modifiers and will cause your clutch to slip and chatter.
http://motorcyclebloggers.com/2005/07/16/rotella-t-5w40-synthetic-oil/

Your post doesnt make sense. You sound like you're slamming it as a bad product for bikes but then link to a page that praises it? I'm confused.

 

[brad81987]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

It is important to use oil designed specifically for motorcycles especially when the bike has a wet clutch. Motorcycle oil has friction modifiers to prevent clutch slippage.
Motorcycle Oil FAQs

Here i believe the page you linked to begs the opposite:
"So unlike Mobil 1 for cars, Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W-40 has no friction modifiers, which could lead to clutch slippage."

BTW- not trying to be an a$$, just making sure I understand. I run regular Rotella T 15W-40, thinking of switching to the new synthetic coming out eventually that meets JASO MA specs

 

[fz6nick]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Thats why I use Mobil 1 4T 10W-40 for motorcycles. Its a proven oil with a long history.

Same here, love it.

 

[dimitre977]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Shell Rotella T has no friction modifiers and will cause your clutch to slip and chatter.
http://motorcyclebloggers.com/2005/07/16/rotella-t-5w40-synthetic-oil/

Thanks for the link that was a very good read. I read this article from the page you linked to. But like brad81987 said after reading that I think the Rotella T would be just fine. According to the article you want a oil that does not have friciton modifiers in it. The way I read the article was the friciton modifiers are added to lower friciton for increased fuel efficiency which in turn could cause clutch slippage in a motorcyle. I also believe this is why our owners manual tells us to not use oils labeled "Enegry Conserving", these are oils that have had friciton modifiers added to them.

 

[wolfc70]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

It is important to use oil designed specifically for motorcycles especially when the bike has a wet clutch. Motorcycle oil has friction modifiers to prevent clutch slippage.
Motorcycle Oil FAQs

I think you have it backwards. Wet clutches do not like friction modifiers. As soon as you get out of the x-20, x-30 range of automotive oils, friction modifiers are absent. Any oil that says "energy conserving" on the API label has friction modifiers. Diesel engine oil is designed for severe use and has a robust additive package to deal with high temp/high shear situations. HDEO oils do not have to meet fuel economy requirements so friction modifiers are not needed. Rotell T 15w-40 has met the JASO MA specification for wet clutches. The Rotella T synthetic 5w-40 does not meet the requirement due to a higher ash content. Rotella T syn is a awsome oil and has proven to be an exceptional motorcycle oil. Shell will never market the Rotella as a motorcycle oil as it already has an excellent HDEO following.

Friction modifiers have long alkyl chains for consistent viscosity, and are polar compunds for adhering to metal surfaces and reduce surface friction.

 

[OhSixFZ6]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

I live in a part of the world that regularly sees highs in the upper 90's and even 100's (farenheit). What weight of rotella should i use? I was gonna use 20w-40 like the manual say (if they even make it in that weight).

 

[OneTrack]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Rotella T 15w-40 has met the JASO MA specification for wet clutches. The Rotella T synthetic 5w-40 does not meet the requirement due to a higher ash content.

Are you saying that I shouldn't be using Rotella T synthetic 5w40 in my FZ6, but should be using 15w40?

 

[rvbiker]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Brad81987: You are correct, I misstated my point.:spank: Sorry for your confusion. Friction modifiers are NOT found in Mobil 1 synthetic motorcycle oil as the first link states. The second link has numerous other good links and goes in depth about the subject. The point to my post is that using a motor oil not meant for motorcycles can create problems with a wet clutch because of the additives present in automobile oils. I added the links so everyone could read for themselves the differences of each type of oil.

Thanks for making me aware of this:thumbup:, I don’t want to mislead or confuse anyone.

 

[dimitre977]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Rotell T 15w-40 has met the JASO MA specification for wet clutches. The Rotella T synthetic 5w-40 does not meet the requirement due to a higher ash content. .

Not trying to say you are wrong wolfc70 just trying to add some more info. I was looking at the Shell website and I do not see anything about Rotella T 15w-40 meeting JASO MA specs, but at the bottom of this page it shows that Rotella T 5w-40 synthetic acutally has a lower ash count 1.3% compared to 1.5% for the 15w-40. JASO is the Japanese Automotive Standards Organization(I didn't know this until 15 min. ago), maybe Shell felt this particular oil did not need that certification.

 

[mglowe]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

...I was looking at the Shell website and I do not see anything about Rotella T 15w-40 meeting JASO MA specs...

Your not going too, however, I posted awhile back on this:

#23

 

[hot4teach]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Does anybody just use the Yamalube Synthetic?

 

[Nelly]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

I had my 1st service performed at the selling dealership, and they installed Motul mineral oil. This caused some issues, particularly a "screech" that would come from the clutch on occasion when engaging it. When I got to about 2000 km's, I decided to install some synthetic oil. Amsoil was on sale at our local Canadian Tire store, so I put in Amsoil 10w40 and replaced the oil filter.
Fast forward to this morning, and just over 3000 km's later. I did an oil change on my 06 FZ6 in preparation for putting it in storage (medical issues ) and installed Shell Rotella T 5w40 synthetic, along with a PureOne oil filter. I took the bike for a spin this afternoon and WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!
Now, just so you know, I am a fully licensed auto mechanic even though I don't work on the bench anymore, so am not subject to sales hype or imaginary improvements.
If I hadn't experienced the difference myself, I wouldn't have believed it. My bike vibrates less....MUCH less, has more power and the clutch and transmission work like a dream. The engine even sounds different...and I'm not kidding. It also runs cooler by a full bar on the dash display. Wow.
That does it for me. Rotella 1, Amsoil 0. End of story.

I agree with Botch, Good luck with your own repairs.
The debate is not close though as we can't Rotella here in the UK.

Good luck.

Nelly

 

[Kamloops]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

I used Rotella 15W-40 CJ-4 OIL (non synthetic)
According to Shell - Rotella T with Triple Protection 15W-40 and our soon to be introduced Rotella T Synthetic 5W-40 CJ-4 do meet JASO MA
I noticed a big difference when I used this oil


[/I]Quote:

...

Thanks for the opportunity to respond to your inquiry, and thanks for using Shell products.

ROTELLA T SAE 15W-40 and ROTELLA T Synthetic SAE 5W-40 are universal oils, meeting needs of many 4-stroke gasoline as well as most diesel engines. They have performance credentials (API Service Categories SL and CI-4 & CI-4 PLUS) for lubricating both kinds of engines. Consequently, ROTELLA T can be a good choice for four-stroke motorcycle/ATV engines.

It's best to consult your owner's manual for recommended oil quality. If your engine manufacturer recommends oil meeting any of these API Service Categories; CF-4, CG-4, CH-4, CI-4 & CI-4 PLUS, and/or SH, SJ, and SL, or any earlier but obsolete category, then ROTELLA T may be a good choice.

ROTELLA T does not contain friction modifiers that are added to many passenger-car-only-oils, and it does not comply with all requirements of ILSAC GF-1, GF-2 and GF-3 (the ILSAC oil specifications are often recommended by many gasoline passenger car engine manufacturers). That can be good for motorcycle/ATV use. Friction modifiers can upset wet clutch operation. And the ILSAC requirements limit phosphorus content. Diesel engines and other engines with highly loaded valve trains, as well as transmissions, need extra (compared to passenger car engines)
extreme pressure wear protection, which is provided by an additive that contains phosphorus.

One negative might be where the engine manufacturer recommends oil meeting JASO requirements. Part of the JASO requirement limits ashcontent to 1.2%. Ash content of ROTELLA T exceeds this limit. Oil ash contributes to combustion chamber and spark plug deposits.


Best Regards,

Greg Raley=20
Tel: +1 281 544 8621=20
Email: [email protected]=20
Internet: The Shell global homepage - Global

End Quote

Also note from another email post:

Quote:

We recently ran the JASO MA friction test on Rotella T with Triple Protection 15W-40, Rotella T Synthetic 5W-40 (CI-4) and our Rotella T Synthetic 5W-40 CJ-4.
All three oils passed the wet clutch friction test. Rotella T Synthetic 5W-40 (CI-4) has more than 1.2% ash (JASO MA spec limit) so it can not be classified as JASO MA. However, Rotella T with Triple Protection 15W-40 and our soon to be introduced Rotella T Synthetic 5W-40 CJ-4 do meet JASO MA."

If you have any additional questions please call us at 800-231-6950.
Thank you for your interest in Shell products.


Richard Moore
Staff Engineer

Shell Global Solutions (US) Inc.
Westhollow Technology Center
PO Box 4327
Houston, TX 77210
United States of America

End Quote

 

[wolfc70]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Not trying to say you are wrong wolfc70 just trying to add some more info. I was looking at the Shell website and I do not see anything about Rotella T 15w-40 meeting JASO MA specs, but at the bottom of this page it shows that Rotella T 5w-40 synthetic acutally has a lower ash count 1.3% compared to 1.5% for the 15w-40. JASO is the Japanese Automotive Standards Organization(I didn't know this until 15 min. ago), maybe Shell felt this particular oil did not need that certification.

The new "Tripple Protection" 15w-40 meets the spec. Shell does not advertise this anywhere, but if you email them about it, they respond it meets the JASO MA requirement. The soon to be released synthetic Rotella will also meet the spec. Again I doubt Shell will advertise any of this. Those "in the know" will of course tell others, and more specualtion will circulate on forums the world over!:spank:

 

[wolfc70]

Re: The debate is over. Rotella T wins!

Are you saying that I shouldn't be using Rotella T synthetic 5w40 in my FZ6, but should be using 15w40?

Yes, do not touch your bike as it may be in a fragile state, it may explode or implode at any time!



The slight extra ash will only be a concern if you bike consumes more than "normal" amounts of oil. Enjoy your ride!:Sport: