Oil Weight ??

[ndbigfish]

I've tried a couple of synthetics; Royal Purple (10W-40 & 20W-50)) and Rotella T6 (5W-40). I honestly think that the shifting is more difficult or notchy feeling with the synthetics than with Rotella 15W-40 HDEO. I have no desire to try Mobil 10W-40 4T at $10 quart. I quit using RP because of price ($11 a QT) and it quickly lost the smooth shifting characteristics. Delo 400 shifts the best in my bike, but it only lasted for about 2,200 miles and then it was back to rough shifting; also I worried about the amount of molybdenum possibly causing the clutch to slip. It gets hot here in South Central Texas; already been in the mid 80s. I used 10W-40 all the time when I lived in the northern plains. 10W-40 or 15W-40 would serve you well. To use synthetic or not is your choice. Personally I can't make my self leave the oil in longer than 3,000 miles, so what is the benefit of synthetic for me, not sure?

[ffron69]

Just switched myne to the Rotella T-6 5w40 so far so good

[hammer]

Ron I love your sig!! Truer words were never spoken. Peer pressure for sure.

[ffron69]

Originally Posted by hammer

Ron I love your sig!! Truer words were never spoken. Peer pressure for sure.

Thaks Hammer

Hello my name is Ron & I'm a mod-a-holic!

[recumbentbob]

The 10w40 and 20w50 oil I had been using is Mobil 1 MC oil at $9.50 a qt I'm switching. And since Rotella T is now JASO-MA certified I'm going to that.
For some reason I'm just not comfortable with the 5-w40 grade so I will go with the conventional Rotella T in 15w40 and change every 3000 miles.
When I was using the Mobil I changed every 4000 miles.

I'll use it in both the Nomad and my wife's 950 Yamaha

[billyboy]

The "W" rating is the "winter" or viscosity of the oil tested at extreme low temps. The 40 weight rating is the viscosity at engine operating temp. So, a 5W rating means that the oil will behave like a 5 weight oil at the low temp for cold starting lubrication.

So, unless you're worried about starting your motorcycle engine at -10F to go for a ride, the W rating doesn't matter. A 5W-40 is NOT thinner (or more viscous) than a 10W- or 15W-40 unless you live in the Arctic.

It gets in the 90s during the summer here in northeast Ohio, but not every day. So, while you could go to a heavier weight in summer, I wouldn't bother unless I happened to need to change the oil in late June/early July when it starts getting really warm.

A 5W- or 10W- or 15W-40 all year would be fine in my opinion. There is a chart in the Kaw manual.

[snarleybill08]

oil opinions are like a-holes, everyone has one. there are so many oil experts out there that don't know didily. go to bobistheoilguy.com that is where the real experts hang out. you can spend hours there and learn alot, and form your own honest opinions on the best oil for any mechanical device from motorcycles to industrial machinery with actual oil analysis. just go there and click on forums, and start learning. i hear more folks say my oil works better than your oil when the fact is how would they know. why people deviate from buying top name brand tested oils and buy off brand snake oil, i will never understand. i know the color's pretty or the name sounds exotic. been there done that. go by the owners manual on viscosity and use a good quality name brand oil and change it and the filter at regular interval and believe it or not that motor will love you. here's food for thought. everyone worries about viscosity being to thin. picture how thin the oil film is in twocycle engines when the oil is diluted by the gasoline. at a ratio of 50 to 1 as in chain saws and some outboard motors. the thinner the oil the faster it can get to, and cool vital engine parts such as bearings and piston rings. the newer engine run tight tolerances and require a lower viscosity to circulate properly. bill

[phenrichs]

snarleybill that is good advice except that bobistheoilguy and similar sites haven't been updated in a while. So one should take note that their advice on specific brand/type of oil may no longer be available or may have been renamed. Like the rotella T6 which so far appears to be just a repackage of their original full synthetic.

[snarleybill08]

Originally Posted by OP

snarleybill that is good advice except that bobistheoilguy and similar sites haven't been updated in a while. So one should take note that their advice on specific brand/type of oil may no longer be available or may have been renamed. Like the rotella T6 which so far appears to be just a repackage of their original full synthetic.

i may be wrong but i think basically the t6 has the jaso approval, probably the same oil. the forums on bob the oil guy are used daily. they have some excellent oil analysis forums where you can see how the oil performs in various motorcycles, and motor vehicles.

[phenrichs]

Crap thanks. I didn't know there was a forum over there. I have been missing out.

[landman]

mobil one 10-40 synthetic year round is what i have used for a few years now on several differant bikes with excellent results.
temps here run from 100 degrees to -25 degrees.

[jay02904]

Just wanted to add my recent experience regarding the hot topic of oil...I changed the oil in my 2008 nomad (4,500miles) used Mobil 1 Full Syn/V-Twin 20w50. The ambient temp was about 65 degrees. I started her up and shifted into first, the bike "jumped" forward and stalled. So I started her again and with the clutch held in the bike actually began to roll forward in first??? So I called the dealer and his answer was it was slippage due to synthetic oil...went back to autozone with 1 of 4 quarts to refund, nice guy refunded me all $45, then bought 4 quarts of valvoline 20w50 conventional motorcycle oil changed the oil out again and the bike has been fine. Any thoughts or similar results out there? Thank you :)

[hammer]

Hey jay, wouldn't that be grabbage not slippage????

[jay02904]

Ha true!

[lonewolf]

Originally Posted by snarleybill08

i may be wrong but i think basically the t6 has the jaso approval, probably the same oil. the forums on bob the oil guy are used daily. they have some excellent oil analysis forums where you can see how the oil performs in various motorcycles, and motor vehicles.

word is, it is the same oil, rotella just never went for the jaso rating before.