Engine oil

You don't need T6. Synthetic oil holds and advantage over dino oil in terms of high temperature stability and longevity, but something tells me you won't have to worry about either living in Hawaii (unless you decide to ride over Kilauea).

martin_csr wrote:

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By Ojisan rider : ...
Case in point. Shell Rotella or Delo oils. I know I can get the dino oil, but never seen the synthetic ones, yet.
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Shell Rotella T 15-40 is a regular oil, not synthetic, and the Chevron Delo 15W-40 I use mentioned above is also a regular oil.
Shell Rotella T4 is a regular oil & it's the "improved" version of Rotella T, but I did not see ZDDP listed in an MSDS.
Rotella T6 is synthetic, and Rotella T5 is a synthetic blend oil (regular oil + synthetic oil mixed together).

You can probably use any heavy duty oil marketed for diesel engines, since they usually have the anti-wear additive ZDDP which is the same compound found in motorcycle oils. Most MSDS product sheets will indicate the amount of ZDDP, usually around 1-2%, but sometimes indicated as PPM.

One thing to consider is your climate: If it's cold, the 15W-40 may not be good for cold starts.

All motor oils have zinc and phosphorus. It's just a matter of how much. Automotive oils are in the 700 ppm range these, diesel oils in the 1100 range. Motorcycle oils seem to vary: the newer motorcycle oils intended for modern bikes with cats have less than 1000 but some of the standard dino juice are similar to the dino diesel range. Back in the day the better anti wear oils were 1500+. Too much ZDDP and you can foul plugs and what have you so there is such a thing as too much. The numbers posted here are generalized, not all are the same so please keep this in mind.

I have been running Rotella T6 full synthetic. I notice my clutch wanting to break loose when the bike is cold, but not so noticeable when at operating temps. Anyway.. I screwed up a while back and put some dino (automotive oil not JATO rated) in my engine for break in purposes (duh!) I did the clutch plate soaking in the citrus de-greaser and replaced the clutch springs (K&L aftermarkets) , and it seemed fine for a while, but last night I could feel it again. I wonder if the T-6 synthetic alolowing the slipage, or if there is still some remnants of the automotive oil circulating around in my motor, and I needed to do the "clutch rescue" routine again.. OR if the K&L springs went weak already. ??? Thoughts?

My clutch frictions and steels after cleaning, also the business side of my pressure plate.



The aftermarket springs I installed.

old_kaw wrote: I have been running Rotella T6 full synthetic. I notice my clutch wanting to break loose when the bike is cold, but not so noticeable when at operating temps. Anyway.. I screwed up a while back and put some dino (automotive oil not JATO rated) in my engine for break in purposes (duh!) I did the clutch plate soaking in the citrus de-greaser and replaced the clutch springs (K&L aftermarkets) , and it seemed fine for a while, but last night I could feel it again. I wonder if the T-6 synthetic alolowing the slipage, or if there is still some remnants of the automotive oil circulating around in my motor, and I needed to do the "clutch rescue" routine again.. OR if the K&L springs went weak already. ??? Thoughts?

My clutch frictions and steels after cleaning, also the business side of my pressure plate.

The aftermarket springs I installed.

Looks like aftermarket clutch plates. That could be part of the problem. I use T6 in several bikes and never once had any slippage when using stock clutches. T6 is MA certified too.

Nessism wrote:

old_kaw wrote: I have been running Rotella T6 full synthetic. I notice my clutch wanting to break loose when the bike is cold, but not so noticeable when at operating temps. Anyway.. I screwed up a while back and put some dino (automotive oil not JATO rated) in my engine for break in purposes (duh!) I did the clutch plate soaking in the citrus de-greaser and replaced the clutch springs (K&L aftermarkets) , and it seemed fine for a while, but last night I could feel it again. I wonder if the T-6 synthetic allowing the slippage, or if there is still some remnants of the automotive oil circulating around in my motor, and I needed to do the "clutch rescue" routine again.. OR if the K&L springs went weak already. ??? Thoughts?

My clutch frictions and steels after cleaning, also the business side of my pressure plate.

The aftermarket springs I installed.

Looks like aftermarket clutch plates. That could be part of the problem. I use T6 in several bikes and never once had any slippage when using stock clutches. T6 is MA certified too.

I rescued the bike at 9K miles, so as far as I know it has never had the clutch plates replaced. I'm kinda leaning towards the cheap K&L aftermarket springs being weak and some residual "high mileage" additives still floating around inside my motor.

When I pour on the coals, this bike just plain comes to life. If it doesn't break the back tire loose, the clutch lets go.