wrong oil

15W oil should be fine as long as it's not super cold outside.

I agree that the regular auto oil should be okay as long as it's not Energy Conserving. EC oils are typically 5W and 0W, so 10W is typically not affected.

Rotella is good stuff, as is most diesel oil (regardless of whether or not it has the MA reference). Diesel oil makers don't make a ton of money off motorcycle guys, so most don't bother to go through the costly certification process. But that doesn't mean the oil isn't good to use in a motorcycle though.

gwyon wrote: "Valvoline Premium Conventional 10W-40." On sale at Autozone. I don't see an Energy Conserving Seal. I'll be in town tomorrow, so I'll shop around for JASO-MA compliant oil. And a new filter.

10-40 weight never has the energy conserving badge, neither does 20-50. I don't know for sure if it means there is no moly in it (?) I actually run 10-40 car oil in mine but it was purchased some years back before they started adding so much junk to it. These days, I agree with buying whatever has the MA rating to be safe.

I use Valvoline 20-50 Racing Motorcycle oil have for years,36 to be exact, and have never had any clutch problems.... Their racing oil contains ZDDP as it always has... It is not a energy saving oil... I also would not flush with kerosene or diesel, put new oil & filter in and run it 100-2000 miles then change the oil/filter and you should be good to go....

What part of Maine are you in? I grew up in Hampden

gwyon wrote: Thanks martin_csr, I'll look for the Rotella 15W tomorrow. I already drained the Valvoline, so I'll make a fresh start with new oil.
Thanks for the pics, Steve. I'll keep them in mind while I'm shoveling my deck this afternoon.

Attachment IMG_2879.jpg not found

Oh, my god. That's pretty and I thought I got cabin fever in the summer. It's nothing compared to that. I just work on Bossie in the box and ride early in the day or not at all.
How hot are your summers?
Steve

I'm in the Midcoast area of Maine. In July, that same deck gets so hot I can't walk on it barefoot. And yet, the summer nights and mornings can be chilly, which is why I decided to go with 10W-40.