[Tynker]

You obviously don't know the meaning of "main stay". It just means that a lot of folks with Jap bikes use this oil, and have no problems. It is designed for heavy duty trucks, and has no "modifiers" like car oils have. I also has more "anti wear" chemicals it, than a lot of motorcycle oils.

 

[bevo1981]

The main issue with using non motorcycle oils is that automotive oils have modifiers (zinc) that are good for engines and bad for wet clutches on motorcycles. This is also true for synthetic oils.

Rotella T does not contain the modifiers.

I use it with no issues on clutch slip.

you put heavy duty diesel oil in your motorcycles? and you've never experienced any issues? am i reading this correctly?

 

[specs95t]

you put heavy duty diesel oil in your motorcycles? and you've never experienced any issues? am i reading this correctly?

Correct.

No issues of any kind.

I tried it after reading through similar kinds of threads on many a forum.

The things that I learned are as follows:

Oil discussions are very polarizing. Everyone has an opinion based on something they heard or read somewhere.

Some automotive oils clearly do not work in motorcycles - the additives they contain cause clutch pack slip.

Rotella T has a history of being used with success. This is partly due to availability - sold on Walmart, partly due to price - $20 or less for a gallon (Walmart).

Having worked on engines for many a year and seeing the effects of sludge buildup in engines, I am a big fan of replacing natural oil rather than "investing" in synthetic and running it longer. Again, this is a polarizing topic with lots of opinions.

In the end, I commend all those folks that take the time to get their hands a little dirty and do their own maintenance.

As to what oil is best - it is truly a personal preference - so go with what you are comfortable with.

Cheers!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[pauli466]

You obviously don't know the meaning of "main stay". It just means that a lot of folks with Jap bikes use this oil, and have no problems. It is designed for heavy duty trucks, and has no "modifiers" like car oils have. I also has more "anti wear" chemicals it, than a lot of motorcycle oils.

what exactly do you think antiwear additives are, they're ( friction modifiers ) exactly what the owners manual say's not use. i haven't met anyone who uses it and i'v been to lot of motorcycle rallies in 45 years of riding. i know some guys that have used rotella T 15/40 but nobody i'v met uses the T6. the ones that tried the T6 said the valve train got noisy quickly from viscosity breakdown. where did read it has more anti wear additives than some motorcycle specific oils, that sounds like a statement off the top of your head than a fact

 

[t84a]

Though marketed as an engine oil for diesel trucks, Rotella oil has found popularity with motorcyclists as well. The lack of "friction modifiers" in Rotella means they do not interfere with wet clutch operations. This is called a "shared sump" design, which is unlike automobiles which maintain separate oil reservoirs - one for the engine and one for the transmission. Used oil analysis (UOA) reports on BobIsTheOilGuy.com have shown wear metals levels comparable to oils marketed as motorcycle-specific.

JASO-MA
Both Rotella T 15W-40 conventional and, Rotella T6 5W-40 Synthetic both list the JASO MA standard; this information can be found on the bottle adjacent to the SAE/API rating stamp. JASO is an acronym that stands for "The Japanese Automotive Standards Organization." Note that the 10W-30 conventional oil does not list JASO-MA.

 

[chief ten bears]

what exactly do you think antiwear additives are, they're ( friction modifiers ) exactly what the owners manual say's not use. i haven't met anyone who uses it and i'v been to lot of motorcycle rallies in 45 years of riding. i know some guys that have used rotella T 15/40 but nobody i'v met uses the T6. the ones that tried the T6 said the valve train got noisy quickly from viscosity breakdown

Rotella T and T6 are Jaso MA rated...

Sent from my Blackberry Priv using Tapatalk

 

[pauli466]

You obviously don't know the meaning of "main stay". It just means that a lot of folks with Jap bikes use this oil, and have no problems. It is designed for heavy duty trucks, and has no "modifiers" like car oils have. I also has more "anti wear" chemicals it, than a lot of motorcycle oils.

main stay would mean "most" people not a "lot" of people use it in jap bikes which simply isn't true ether way. be honest and tell me what percentage of people "you" know that use it 1 out 10 maybe at best

 

[Tynker]

I have been riding bikes for over 58 years. I have been repairing them for most of that time also. For the last 20 or so years, I have been using Shell Rotella oil in all the bikes that I service, 5 or more a week, with great results. If my customer wants synthetic oil, I recommend T 6, or Mobil 1, for their bikes. I feel that I have a vast amount of experience with oils, and motorcycles. Again, it is not "just what I think" like you, it is from years of experience.I have also used Blackstone , to check the life of oils on many bikes with really good results. So, besides "your opinion" what do you have to back it up. I am out of this thread, because facts speak louder than opinion's

 

[98vstar]

I have heard from many many people they use Rotella even though it doesnt have the words "motorcycle" on it with great sucess. However I freaked out drained out the conventional Rotella 15-40 and put in Mobil 1 synthetic 10-40 meant for bikes. Bike seems to grab fine now but but who knows maybe I am nuts lol.

 

[chief ten bears]

I have heard from many many people they use Rotella even though it doesnt have the words "motorcycle" on it with great sucess. However I freaked out drained out the conventional Rotella 15-40 and put in Mobil 1 synthetic 10-40 meant for bikes. Bike seems to grab fine now but but who knows maybe I am nuts lol.

But it does have the words motorcycle on it... Right on the back, under the specifications, Rotella T bottles clearly statè JASO MA certified. That means motorcycle wet clutch. It doesn't mean anything else but motorcycle wet clutch...

Rotella T, T6, will never ever cause a clutch to slip. They go through and have the same certification of Yamalube`s own JASO MA rated oils, or every other single JASO MA rated oil in the entire world.

 

[98vstar]

But it does have the words motorcycle on it... Right on the back, under the specifications, Rotella T bottles clearly statè JASO MA certified. That means motorcycle wet clutch. It doesn't mean anything else but motorcycle wet clutch...

Rotella T, T6, will never ever cause a clutch to slip. They go through and have the same certification of Yamalube`s own JASO MA rated oils, or every other single JASO MA rated oil in the entire world.

Thanks and now I know for the future

 

[bevo1981]

 

[pauli466]

low weight oils came out for economical reasons. designed to get more mpg. that's the main purpose em

 

[SSC]

So I am a firm believer in using the proper oil per application. I will not use Automotive grade oil in a wet clutch motorcycle. In my old Harley sure no issue but motorcycle oils have friction modifiers similar to those in automatic transmission fluid for wet clutch applications. The zinc level will not cause slippage here is an interesting read about the zinc levels in mobile 1 oils. The MC spec oil has super high levels... Of course this is from the internet so im not sure one can trust it lol.

https://mobiloil.com/~/media/amer/us/pvl/files/pdfs/mobil-1-oil-product-specs-guide-2016.pdf

 

[BigBuddha76]

the zinc (zddp) is there as an additive for metal on metal wear, originally for flat tappet cams. Modern energy conserving oils have seen the levels drop significantly because the zinc is bad for catalyst exhaust sysems. zddp is good for our bikes because of the shared transmission. and it is jaso-ma certified and has passed wet clutch tests according to shell.

 

[InkyDoggy]

Your bike has a wet clutch, a heavy duty diesel most certainly does not.

I would dare to say that this is the primary reason why we are using motorcycle specific oils in our bikes, not plain motor oil.

Go get a proper oil with the correct additives for wet clutches and drain that heavy duty diesel oil asap.

That said... The rotella t probably won't damage your engine and should be safe to run but it is definitively causing your clutch issues.

Your full of it on the Rotella T. Apparently you must be fairly new to cycles. I have ridden over 50 years now and in my last 5 bikes I ran the Rotella T oil and it is perfect for any motorcycle. It has all the specs required to run it in a motorcycle with or without wet clutches. Get the facts straight before you spout off bad info to others. You probably didn't know that is can also be run in cars too.

 

[BP03]

I used almost strictly used Rotella T when I was still riding my 1100 (Except for about 600 miles when I just put in new cams and used Castrol). Never had a single issue, always ran great.

 

[Sick Mick]

Gotta love "oil" threads..... politics and religion take a back seat to oil don't they?

....lol....

 

[pauli466]

the zinc (zddp) is there as an additive for metal on metal wear, originally for flat tappet cams. Modern energy conserving oils have seen the levels drop significantly because the zinc is bad for catalyst exhaust sysems. zddp is good for our bikes because of the shared transmission. and it is jaso-ma certified and has passed wet clutch tests according to shell.

zinc doesn't come into play until there's actual metal to metal contact , its basicly there for cold starts when the oil has drained off the the bearings and other moving parts. there's also too kinds of zinc that's used and the oil manufacturer isn't require to specify which amount of which is used...The Truth About Zinc & Motor Oil | Driven Racing Oil extra zinc won't make oil better it just makes it last longer because zinc breaks down over time

 

[alarmguy]

Your bike has a wet clutch, a heavy duty diesel most certainly does not.

I would dare to say that this is the primary reason why we are using motorcycle specific oils in our bikes, not plain motor oil.

Go get a proper oil with the correct additives for wet clutches and drain that heavy duty diesel oil asap.

That said... The rotella t probably won't damage your engine and should be safe to run but it is definitively causing your clutch issues.

IMPOSSIBLE, The OPs oil change did not cause his clutch issue. #1 he used ROTELLA T, a JASO APPROVED OIL for his motorcycle.

Bottom line, if you have an EXISTING problem with your clutch it will become more pronounced after an oil change with nice new uncontaminated fluid you will feel the existing problem starts to slip more..

For some reason people think "heavy duty diesel oil" is something different then regular motor oil. It is in that fact that it carries more certifications then regular motor oil, translated = its better.

Any CJ4 Diesel Motor Oil you buy in the stores is ALSO RATED SM for GASOLINE ENGINES. It also by FAR meets more certifications then ANY MOTORCYCLE OIL.
ROTELLA IS THE BEST OF ALL WORLDS, as it meets and exceeds ALL the above requirements.

The "diesel" rating part of motor oil deals with concerns like piston deposits and shear.
It is also required in all new Harley Davidson motorcycles if not using Harley Davidson oil.

Rotella or not, ANY diesel 15/40 engine oil will work just fine in your motorcycle.