Oil
 

I just finished changing my oil. Not too messy . ;)

The oil used during my first oil change was Shell Rotella T. Rotella T provides the API certifications but does not, or is no JASO certified.

As I understand, the JASO certification is suppose to help the oil lubricate both engine and clutch.

I have been sensing that my clutch has been slightly slipping when it is initially engaged, so I decided to give the JASO oil a try.

I selected a synthetic blend by Castrol 10W40 Actevo 4T that I got at Walmart for less than $6/Qt. This is more expensive that the Shell Rotella T, but not that much.

After changing the oil I went for a short ride on a local twisty road, Harmony Grove. The engine at idle seemed quieter, and yes, the clutch doesn't slip like it used to. The other advantage is the engine feels stronger when "trying" to accelerate.

My initial impression is that the JASO synthetic blend oil is well worth the couple of extra $ for 1.7L of oil. :D

Dave,

The Rotella T6 has the JASO MA certification but it's full synthetic. I used that in my Tiger 1050 for 40,000 miles changing it every 2500. I even sent it out to blackstone labs to have it analyzed and it worked fine.

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...blackstone.png

With how little oil this bike uses I'll probably stick to a motorcycle brand as the cost difference won't be much. The Tiger used 3.5 quarts per change.

My Moto Guzzi uses Unicorn blood at about 20 dollars a quart and you need 4 per change. 10w-60 isn't easy to find!

I'm glad the Castrol motor oil is working well for you, Dave. :tup:

I use Mobil, Delvac, 15W/40 motor oil in all my motorcycles. I don't know if it is JASO certified, but it does a superb job protecting my engines, and the clutches work great. :tup: My Zongshen ZS200GY-2 is approaching 70,000 miles on the odometer using this motor oil. ;)

I have not heard of anyone having problems with Shell Rotella T. :hmm: If you do a search for Shell Rotella T on Thumpertalk, ADVRider, et cetera, you will find many happy customers. I use Mobil Delvac because it works great, and I can buy it for $13/gallon at several local stores.

Every year Mobil offers a $5 rebate per gallon for Mobil Delvac. I always stock up at the time of the rebate, so I get my 15W/40 motor oil for $8/gallon. :tup:

Here are two interesting articles on motorcycle motor oil. :)

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Oils1.html
http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Consumables.html

Here is a link to an interesting thread on the topic of motor oil.

http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=13021

Every bike and every rider prefers their own brand, but Rotella T6 made the clutch on my Vstrom 650 and my wife's tu250x sticky and the shifting notchy so I've pretty much given up on it. Both bikes prefer Mobil1 or AMSoil 10W-40 synthetic motorcycle oil. I haven't tried Rotella T6 in the RX3, but it's working fine for many folks here.

AMSoil and proper tire pressure bumped my wife's mpg from 85 to 100+. I have a couple more quarts set aside for the RX3's next oil change. I'm currently on the last of the Maxima semi-synthetic I got from CSC.

Wow! I guess every bike is different, and it doesn't hurt to experiment with different motor oils. ;)

In the old days you were warned not to switch motor oils, or you might have engine troubles. However, with modern oil technology, switching motor oil is not a problem. :)

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...&Number=850016

The Mobil, Delvac, 15W/40 works great in my Zongshen RX3, and I get it for $8/gallon, so I am happy. :tup: My clutch works great, the bike shifts easily, and I get excellent fuel mileage, so I am not inclined to switch. :)

They're on the basic (white) Rotella http://www.shell.com/rotella/products/tpl-pro.html

If anyone is interested in trying Mobil, Delvac, 15W/40 motor oil, now is a good time. Until October 29, WalMart is selling the one-gallon jugs of Mobil Delvac for $11.22. :tup:

https://mobildelvac.com/en/promotion...lmart-rollback

Also, until the end of October, Mobil is offering the $5 rebate per gallon for Mobil Delvac 1300 (15W/40). I think it's time for me to stock up on motor oil. ;)

https://mobildelvac.com/en/promotion...ave60Promotion

Castrol power1 / racing 10-40 great performance all weather type (summer 35-45 centgrat degres. - winter 5 - 25 my experience's )

Passed spring i try most popular motul 5100 (semi syntetic) 15-50 (think my places very hot on summer +40c ) but performance feel bit down.

So 10-40 much better for performance high rpm and all , just oil color changed easy turned black(iread internet forums sad oil color turned black=mean oil is good worked idk.) , and maximum every 1500 /2000 kilometer changed oil.

note: im used always high rpm (zs177mm/nc250 supermoto/cross version.)

note 2 : my oil filter all steel , not paper.

I've also used castrol 10W-40 RT synthetic and thought it did very well.

OK, I'm confused here :shrug:, had to look up Supd's Walmart link... I see "Protect your diesel engine with Mobil Delvac™.

I would never have thought to use diesel engine oil in my motorcycles :hmm:

Diesel engine oil and 4 stroke motorcycle specific (as marketed) engine oil are basically the same? :hmm:, :hmm:, :hmm:

I'm going to have to look into this a bit more.

Diesel oil caveat
 

It depends on the specific oil, Robin.
First, must not have additives to reduce friction that will affect the wet clutch with it's composite fiber discs.
Second, must be able to resist foaming under the higher rpm's that a gasoline engine normally runs at.

Although bigger diesels operate at lower rpm, they are placing more load on some critical components (crank pins, rod bearings, etc.) due to the higher compression ratio, typically around 20:1, that they use and the resulting combustion force. Since a diesel is also inherently more dirty under the piston rings, the oil must be able to carry the contaminants to the filter.

Great strides have been made in diesel technology in recent times, much of it thanks to the emissions standards in Europe and the popularity of diesels there. Are you aware of the diesel powered cars that have competed in, and won, the Le Mans 24 races in recent years?

Diligence and homework is needed in oil selection, but there are choices out there.

Mobil 1 Motorcycle Oil
 

I switched to Mobil 1 10W-40 m/c oil at about 1,000 miles on my RX3. Works fine but I did not achieve the MPG gain or a noticeable increase in smoothness that I expected. I will continue to use Mobile 1 in my other bikes since they seem to run better on the full synthetic. For the RX3 next time I may try the Castrol blend that Dave mentioned. But $8 a gallon for Delvac is tempting!

The following articles are written in English, but they contain a large amount of excellent information regarding motor oil for motorcycles. :tup:

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Oils1.html
http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Consumables.html

Here is a link to an interesting thread on the topic of motor oil.

http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=13021

Shell Rotella T, Chevron Delo 400, and Mobil Delvac 1300 have been proven to work very well for motorcycles. :tup: These oils do not foam, and they work well with a motorcycle's wet clutch. :)

I have ridden my Zongshen ZS200GY-2 for most of its 70,000 miles using Mobil Delvac 1300. The articles I listed in this post explain the reasons why commercial, diesel motor oil does an excellent job in motorcycles. :)

Here is a quote from the first article to which I linked regarding commercial diesel oil.

The additive packages for C (commercial) certification are designed to promote engine life. The additive packages for C rated oils contain extra buffers and detergents to keep the engine clean and free of acids. C rated oils are far better than S oils at holding and dispersing combustion byproducts and other contaminants, and at not becoming acidic. Traditionally these oils are primarily used in diesel motors, which are very expensive and are expected to last a million miles or more. When an engine rebuild costs $10,000 - $15,000 and puts you out of work for a week or three, you don't mind paying a bit more for your oil. The C certification tests have been largely developed by Mack, Caterpillar, Detroit and Cummins to provide the additives necessary to keep these engines running a long time.