Shell Rotella 15W-40 Usage

[turbo dan]

8 minutes ago, BOAB said:

I know people will argue against this, but it makes sense, to me, to use a motorcycle specific oil in a motorcycle.   Bikes are not little cars.  A few years ago I tried a number of different oils and ended up settling on the Lucas 20w50 motorcycle synthetic because the oil ran cooler (I have an oil temp gauge) and quieter.  The quieter part may be subjective, but the temperature is a real thing.

I'm not a petrochemical engineer, no doubt about it.  That's why I ran the stuff in a 14000 RPM inline four with a shared sump and had Blackstone take a look to verify that it was suitable for the application.  No guesswork there.  I was skeptical at first too.  The shit works great.

5 minutes ago, Bigfatredpig said:

https://factorysupplyoutlet.com/sae-10w-40-motorcycle-oil-5-gal-pail-1-pal-ea/?cmp_id=9681132611&adg_id=102534259834&kwd=&device=m&gclid=CjwKCAiAudD_BRBXEiwAudakXzszAA61GfMRyd029B4laPIVrHDZVEUn_-aY69wz7OmR3LtHt4pSuBoCO3wQAvD_BwE
 

Well that's $20 a gallon and I presume they don't offer free shipping on 35 pounds of oil.  Not quite close on price.  I'm sure it's good stuff, no way I'm mail ordering oil though.

[Oregon lightweight moto]

5 minutes ago, Chuck. said:

It is low ash because it is used in turbo engines and the turbo bearings are very hot form the exhaust heat.  And those "low speed" diesel run high boost pressures, my Cummins and CAT ran 30-32psi. Seems to me that a 12litre 500+hp diesel isn't low stress.

I get people will bend over backwards defending being cheap but I just don’t get it.

I also don’t see how buying shell products from Walmart helps the sport in any fashion.  Lucas oil, Amsoil, they are American companies that are based in America and sponsor the sport. Why you wouldn’t want to support them is beyond me.  
 

1 minute ago, turbo dan said:

I'm not a petrochemical engineer, no doubt about it.  That's why I ran the stuff in a 14000 RPM inline four with a shared sump and had Blackstone take a look to verify that it was suitable for the application.  No guesswork there.  I was skeptical at first too.  The shit works great.

Well that's $20 a gallon and I presume they don't offer free shipping on 35 pounds of oil.  Not quite close on price.  I'm sure it's good stuff, no way I'm mail ordering oil though.

They offer 50 gallon jugs at a cheaper price point. 

[TrailerParkMethChef]

16 minutes ago, BOAB said:

Is Tuesday Rotella day?

Now I have no scientific evidence to back this up but Tuesday seems to be the noob Rotella/2T vs. 4T/Zombie thread revival day. 

[turbo dan]

7 minutes ago, Chuck. said:

Seems to me that a 12litre 500+hp diesel isn't low stress.

Hell no they aren't.  Compression ratio around 20:1, turbocharged and running a healthy dose of EGR.  Lots of heat, lots of pressure.  Hydraulic fuel injection operating off of engine oil.

That's a rough environment.  A shared sump motorcycle is not a demanding application by comparison.

[turbo dan]

14 minutes ago, Bigfatredpig said:

They offer 50 gallon jugs at a cheaper price point. 

Can't find a price on that.  I do see the 55 gallon drum, item #10769.  If they can do $15 a gallon that would be $825.  The weight listed is 440 pounds for that drum, I would imagine that costs a few hundred bucks to ship.

Doesn't make any more sense than $13 a gallon for Rotella, available at my local hick town Walmart.  I don't really have room in the garage for a 55 gallon drum of dirt bike oil anyway.

Edited January 5, 2021 by turbo dan

[yz250f 78]

High rpm of today’s motocross bikes plus the heat will shear this oil down!  In a race application on a Yamaha, which are known to run hot,after one moto rotella drains out like black water!  Might be certified for your clutch but does it protect your engine from wear.  Shits famous only cuz it’s cheap!

[turbo dan]

1 minute ago, yz250f 78 said:

High rpm of today’s motocross bikes plus the heat will shear this oil down!  In a race application on a Yamaha, which are known to run hot,after one moto rotella drains out like black water!  Might be certified for your clutch but does it protect your engine from wear.  Shits famous only cuz it’s cheap!

Ran it for 3000 mile intervals in my 14000 RPM Yamaha 600.  Came out looking very good.  Analysis came back excellent.  There is a 100% chance that you are talking out of your ass here.

[Hans Schmid]

3 minutes ago, yz250f 78 said:

High rpm of today’s motocross bikes plus the heat will shear this oil down!  In a race application on a Yamaha, which are known to run hot,after one moto rotella drains out like black water!  Might be certified for your clutch but does it protect your engine from wear.  Shits famous only cuz it’s cheap!

Yes, cause everyone thinks they are some wizard superstar on a bike and keep it at 13k everywhere they go. 

Simply put, Rotella (even if it's considered less superior) is going to be more then adequate for all riders on bikes. And Rotellas proven track record over millions of bikes/trucks/sleds/etc would confirm this... 

[Motox367]

Mix Rotella and 927 together and got one hell of a oil ?

[highmarker]

1 hour ago, GP said:

Yeah, my silly neighbors spend more than that for a quart, buy into the hype. 

And yes, when I got my '98 KTM it had a Shell sticker on it and recommended in the manual.   Depends on who is spending sponsorship $$ that year, that's it.

Ktm spec'd valvoline in the USA manuals and service bulletin mid 80's.  Dextron ATF in two-strokes. Racers handbook reg leaded gas mixed with super unleaded. But only one brand ,Chevron. In Europe it was shell products.

[Slackkinhard]

5 hours ago, elrontx said:

i put rotella in a old xr 600 i used to own and shortly after the clutch went. i also used in in a kx 250f i used to own and the valves got tight  week after that. i got the valves adjusted shortly after that the top end went.as well. sold the bike for pennies on the dollar.  it might have been a coincidence but i dont use it anymore. 

total coincidence. I've run that stuff forever in everything....never a failure due to oil. Been some failures due to lack of oil, but never oil quality

[Slackkinhard]

12 minutes ago, highmarker said:

Ktm spec'd valvoline in the USA manuals and service bulletin mid 80's.  Dextron ATF in two-strokes. Racers handbook reg leaded gas mixed with super unleaded. But only one brand ,Chevron. In Europe it was shell products.

My '12 Husky has Castrol stickers all over it

[Chuck.]

1 hour ago, turbo dan said:

Hell no they aren't.  Compression ratio around 20:1, turbocharged and running a healthy dose of EGR.  Lots of heat, lots of pressure.  Hydraulic fuel injection operating off of engine oil.

That's a rough environment.  A shared sump motorcycle is not a demanding application by comparison.

Except maybe temperature on an air cooled MC.  The diesel oils have a lot of detergent to deal with diesel soot, don't know if that is needed on a MC. 
One other item I find interesting is CAT is very specific on oil change intervals depending on: type of service, type/brand of oil, and crankcase capacity. And almost all engines are designed with similar limits on piston speed so a long stroke engine at low speeds will have similar piston speeds to a short stroke engine at high speeds.
Emissions and EPA gas mileage requirements have really changed oil chemistry. A few year ago Shell's exemption from some additives expired so the Rotella oils are now more similar to car oils. Since not all oils are created equal there is a problem of selecting an oil and although this guy's tests are for a single criteria I find it a good filter to select oils. https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/

[dmac1]

Works fine for me...even though some say it won't cuz it doesn't have the fancy crap that motorcycles need. The clutch gears are slicing up those molecules so the shear factor....blah blah blah. ? Run it forever and yeah...it might not do as good as a high dollar oil cuz maybe some additives in whatever fancy oil work some magic. Who leaves oil in their dirt bike engines that long? (ok...some prolly do...not me tho)

Change it on schedule...if the oil is cheap, who cares if ya change it early...in fact...go for it!  Just no low friction crap in the clutch.

[CAPT ED]

Ok I have been using Rotella T4 in my 1982 suzuki GS750T, 2003 KLX400R, 300 KINGQUAD and 1992 RMX250 (trans.) Just wondering if ROTELLA T6 is better, or for my 2007 HONDA RINCON 680 ?

[turbo dan]

T6 doesn't make sense in my opinion.  It is less shear stable due to the wider viscosity index and it is significantly more expensive.  There are better oils for the same price or less, T4 being one of them.

[Slackkinhard]

I typed this up once before years ago...no change today.

What I've found using Rotella vs Lucas/Valvoline/Castrol/Motorex in thumpers is that there is an accumulation of build up on the exhaust valve stems that I don't see on the Lucas/Valvoline/Castrol/Motorex motors. Never had a problem with it...doesn't seem to have any effect at all, but I've seen it enough times to say there is correlation. Nothing else about it ever caused me any concern, and for whatever reason, it does seem to help the Rekluse clutch work right. Other oils 'chatter' or don't hook up as well. 

Used rotella in lots of smoker gear boxes...heck I'll use about anything in a smoker gear box....just keep it full.

BTW, ATF isn't oil, it's hydraulic fluid...different properties, but if changed often enough, should be ok in a smoker gear box long run.

I'm a fan of that Lucas smoker oil...used to get a gallon for $20 at a local autoparts store, but they upped the price

[Chuck.]

For shared sumps you need to use an oil that is compatible with a wet clutch, Rotella is but there are energy saving car oils that are not because of antifriction additives. A JASO-MA cert is.

As for gear shear breakdown of oil viscosity the XRs are famous for that and the XR200R seem the most susceptible to experience notchy shifting when the oil shears down in viscosity. The worst for me have been the Honda Pro oils so I no longer them.  Rotella dino lasts longer than the syn versions, and is actually pretty good.  Redline seem better than Motul 300V. Because of a high lift cam in my XR I'm now using Valvoline VR1 oil and it seems to outlive Rotella or Redline before notchy shifting.  One other really very good oil is Torco 4T but hard to find at my location.

On 2T tranny or separate tranny like some CRFs use you need to use an oil that is compatible with wet clutches. I have a Honda-Montesa Trials bike and a very thin Elf gear oil is recommended for the tranny, expensive and difficult to find. I found a Valvoline Dextron VI synthetic ATF that is only slightly thicker so I tried it. Great no drag smooth clutch operation!  So I tried it in my CRF250X, same results. ATF is a gear oil for wet clutches and a lot of 2T folks use it but it comes in several types and viscosities.

[highmarker]

Felt a little more confident about using ATF in bike trans when I serviced my F250 5spd manual. It used regular dex merc ATF nothing fancy on a truck with camper and tow optioned. STD service interval. Mazda built.

 

 

[turbo dan]

1 minute ago, highmarker said:

Felt a little more confident about using ATF in bike trans when I serviced my F250 5spd manual. It used regular dex merc ATF nothing fancy on a truck with camper and tow optioned. STD service interval. Mazda built.

Depends on the manufacturers recommendation.  Lot of bike gearboxes are spec'd for a 10w30 or 10w40.  ATF is less than half of the required viscosity.  In a gearbox designed for it with appropriate clearances you'll have no problems.  Rotella is cheaper though.