Topic: Rotella T is in the Howwwwwwwse!!

[Zeke]

No, Rotella T ain't another rapper.

Yeah, another dumb oil thread.

This was mentioned last week in a fork oil thread and so it didn't get alot of play.

"Most of the rumors regarding synthetic oil is not true.  The main reason that I use synthetic is to limit shearing in the transmission which affects the upper viscosity.  Essentially, after a few hundred miles your 10w-40 becomes 10w-35 and then 10w-30 and eventually lower.  Synthetic because of it's inherent nature to not thicken when cold needs little or no viscosity enhancers, therefore it will not shear." -- our jbailey...

and, the links:

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

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Consumables.html#Oil

This is some very interesting reading if you want to know why you shouldn't run regular auto oil (unless you want to change it every 1000miles).  Also talks about synthetics.

Basically, the jist is that regular oil wasn't designed to be run thru gears.  What would happen if you stuck your finger in gears?  It would get chopped up!  And that's exactly what happens to oil molecules in motorcycles.  Once the molecules are chopped up, you lose viscosity, and the oil isn't as good anymore. 

I was very suprised to hear that in commercial diesel engines they only change the oil every 150,000 miles -- and the reason is that the oil they use is higher quality and is resistant to breakdown.  Some of these "high quality" oils are now being called synthetic, even though they are from the earth and merely much cleaner....

It seems that there are "synthetics" out there that don't have the slippery additives -- but they are hard to find.

I'm riding my bike about 1200 miles every two weeks and the oil looks clean when I dump it -- I'm inclined to try one of these oils like Rotella T and see if I can use it without clutch slippage -- then I'll only change once a month or less....

Anyone else out there still pondering this age-old question?

Zeke

[Einyodeler]

I`ve been using Rotella T for years now in all of my bikes and cars. My wife works for a big trucking company and that`s all they run in their fleet of trucks and if it meets the criteria of their independent testing then it`ll work for me.

I still change my oil every 1000 miles in my bikes though.

[Uncle Ernie]

Never heard of it. Is Rotella a MC specific oil? Where do you get it?

[Einyodeler]

It`s actually formulated for diesel fleet use , which means it doesn`t have energy conserving ingredients that make your clutch slip and meets far stricter requirements than normal automotive oil.

        www.rotella.com/products/

[DCopp]

Use the 5w-40 synthetic...it is awesome and only 13.82 a gallon at Wally World!

[keith64]

been useing it for in my 74" that I got in Dec. with 36,000 miles on it and it works just great, no slippage, I love it.

[bryanj]

Rottella has been about for many years and made by Shell. To those wanting to extend the oil changes DONT remenber that a motorcycle is "tuned" more than any car/truck, runs hotter and revs way higher. Look at the BHP per litre. In the 70's Honda were getting, according to them, 100BHP+ per litre and cars dont get that yet---unless its a mega expensive Ferrari ar similar. By all means buy in bulk (25litr/5 imp gall drum should be easy) and use the "Fleet" oil I do but still change every 1500 miles or annually if you do little mileage. The oil i use is from a firm called Silkolene (Now Fuchs) and is called transfleet 15-40

[Uncle Ernie]

From what I'm reading here, the only reason to put 80-90 wieght gear oil in something like a BMW or Guzzi is so you can keep it all year.  By the time you change your gear oil at the end of the year, it's going to be more like a 10-20 wieght.(?) So should I be using this in all my bikes and car as a motor AND gearbox oil? What about in automatic transmissions?

[Terry in Australia]

Well pardon my ignorance here men, but after owning a dozen or so CB750's over near on 30 years, many of which were flogged mercilessly by PO's who didn't change the KMart oil in them for years at a time, and I don't think I've ever had one with a bad gearbox?

Or are you saying that once the transmission gears chop up the oil molecules it's no good for my engine anymore? Doesn't synthetic oil have molecules too? Will my 750 run OK on "Snake Oil"? Hmmmmnnn, it's no wonder a man drinks, ha ha! Cheers, Terry.

[jbailey]

Rotella T synthetic is a type III synthetic which means it is a highly refined mineral oil.  This really doesn't matter much.  The main advantage is that synthetic oil does NOT thicken at colder temperatures.  To make a multigrade oil from mineral oils (Type II) you use a light oil and add polymers to make it appear to increase in viscosity.  With a synthetic base oil (Type III, IV or V) the oil naturally does not thicken when cold and therefore appears to act like a mineral multigrade but without the polymers.  Most synthetics have little or NO polymers.  The advantage of this is that there is no sheraing in gears.

Gear oils are usually formulated to use little or no polymers because of this, so there is not the same issue in cars or motorcycles that do not use a common sump.

Rotella T synthetic is my choice because it is $13.84 a gallon at WalMart.  That makes it $3.46 per quart.  This is a much better bargain and has equivelant protection to any "motorcycle" oil out there.

Remember, oil related problems are not instataneous.  It takes years of abuse to ruin your bike.  There is no immediate damage that can be felt by running automotive oil (except for clutch slip because of the moly used in most automotive oils) in a motorcycle, but if you plan to keep the bike, which most of us plan to do, a little protection goes a long way.

By the way, there is NO moly in Rotella T (synthetic or regular) so your clutch will not slip.  I'm using it in my 1975 Honda and my son's 2004 Kawasaki.  Runs great and my son swears it shifts better.

Rotella T also has the advantage of increased levels of zinc and phosphorus which has been cut way back in automotive oils due to damage to catalytic converters.  Since our bikes and diesel trucks do not use catalytic converters they benefit from these additives.

Check out the Rotella Motorcycle forum:  http://www.rotella.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=Motorcycle

By the way, I do not work for Shell Oil Company!  Although I did have a breif stint with ExxonMobil and learned a tad bit about oil.

[Harry]

So, it seems Rotella is not available in Europe, at least not in Denmark. Anyone know what the equivalent is called here? There is something called Shell Helix for Diesel motors - is this the same? I mailed Shell Denmark the same question and am awaiting their reply.

Are the other manufacturers diesel oils compatible with our bikes - I'm thinking, like, Texaco´s Ursa? I would really love to use a 5W-40 synthetic in my bike in the winter, if its true that the diesel oils have no added fricition modifiers/Moly.

[bryanj]

Harry Rotella should be available where you are but you would probably have to go to a main oil supplier not a "local". As a local transport firm where they buy there lubs from

[Harry]

According to Shell, in Denmark Rotella has been replaced by "Shell Universal Engine Oil". I am not going to try it straight away, but will trawl the net and see if other Diesel-engine oils can be recommended.

[SteveD CB500F]

The oil i use is from a firm called Silkolene (Now Fuchs) and is called transfleet 15-40

I use Silkolene as well Bryan - but mine is the normal (expensive) bike shop variety.

Where do you get this Transfleet stuff?

[Zeke]

Just a quick update on my use of Rotella T....

I'm not using the synthetic -- using the stuff I can find, at around 8 bucks a gallon.

Two oil changes on it so far, and I don't think that I'll use it again.

No slipping problems, but after the engine warms the shifting gets very notchy -- and can't hit neutral without killing the engine.

This goes away after about 500 miles, which is probably after the trans chops up the oil good.

I'm not driving 100 miles a day anymore -- only 30 -- so this time I'm gonna try some synthetic motorcycle oil -- Maybe Honda GN4?

Zeke

[jbailey]

Try the Rotella Synthetic.  $13 a gallon at walmart.  Big difference as far as shifting.  I tried regular rotella when I first got the bike, but switched to synthetic.  My son uses it in his Ninja and '73 CB450.  The 450 used a little oil, but stopped after switching to Rotella Synthetic, plus he says it shifts much smoother.

[Zeke]

OK, I'll try to find some around for the next change.

Worth a try.

Thanks,

Zeke

[bistromath]

Honda GN4 is a 10W40 dino oil -- not synthetic.

So jbailey, are you saying Rotella uses less polymer viscosity-boosting additives than "regular" dino oil?

Is anyone here running a "true" synthetic (groups 4 or 5) in their wet clutch with success?

[jbailey]

That's right.

If you want a group 4 try Mobil 1 for motorcycles not the car type since they all contain Moly.

If you want a group 5 try Redline.  It is by far the best oil you can get and priced appropriately!  I use their GL4 gear oil in several of my cars.  Never tried it in the bike due to price.

A group 3 synthetic has the same benefits as a "true" synthetic especially if you change at normal drain intervals.  An ester based (group 5) would be best for extended drain intervals, but that is very rare in motorcycles, so why pay $9 a quart?

[Lumbee]

...anytime I need to kill 30 minutes at work I read the latest oil thread...and the beat goes on...   

[teamleader77]

Any thoughts on using Rotella T in my 78 cb750a?  Any adverse effects on the hondamatic trans?

[jbailey]

If you are asking about regular "dino" Rotella T (not synthetic) it is actually more like the oil that Honda intended than the modern 10w-40 automotive oils on the market now.  It should work fine in your Hondamatic.  The synthetic may or may not work.  I am not familiar with the transmission used in those bikes, so I would not reccomend trying anything other than what honda originally specified.  Since they probably used a 10w-40 or 20w-50, the 15w-40 should work fine.

[pmpski_1]

My understanding is that synthetic oils have more detergents in them. Using a synthetic oil may clean out some sludge that has been keeping your oil from leaking all over the place. Basically, using a synthetic oil in an old engine may cause leaks to appear.

Is this true for synthetic motorcyle oil?

[dusterdude]

pimp man,i dont believe that synthetics have any more detergents than any other oil made nowadays.

[Einyodeler]

I`ve never developed leaks in any of my old bikes from using synthetic oil.