maybe just maybe spring is finally here… boy it felt good to ride the bike to work today well except for getting stuck behind a school bus on rt7 an the person in the left lane wouldn’t pass the dam bus
Good for you man!
75* tomorrow, but with a 30%-50% chance of showers. might be able to squeeze in a ride.
I finally got around to changing my oil and it was really dirty. Not sure how old it was, I really hope the previous owner didn’t let that oil sit in there for 4 years, the bike only has about 1400 miles.
The oil was like water, and it was dark brown lol
Anyway, I want to see how well it shifts with fresh oil. It felt kinda clunky compared to the R6.
and by spring you mean rain?
what oil are you using? Just wondering.
Not sure what oil was in it before, but I filled it with Shell Rotella T6 5w-40 and a K&N filter
Rotella is a diesel truck oil, but many motorcycle owners use it so I figured I would give it a try.
I would advise against use of Auto oils for a number of reasons.
I think the argument is the T6 is JASO MA rated; I’ve read online about a lot of people use it but personally I don’t.
If it’s got MA rating then it’s technically a motorcycle oil :tongue
Most Auto oils aren’t designed for wet clutch applications, have “energy consuming” friction coefficients and have a few other points which bikes face where cars typically don’t.
But if it meets the MA rating then by all means.
May be a nice alternative to me paying $8 a quart for Amsoil.
totally agree !
but Rotella is different
if you’re interested, here’s an oil analysis that someone did comparing various moto oils and Rotella (also there’s an auto oil analysis in there for comparison). very interesting stuff:
ps- walmart carries the 4 quart jug of Rotella for $20
That is also one of the reason why a lot of people use them, even racers. I will probably be using them on my SV also.
Isn’t it a 5w40?
That’s a thinner start up viscosity though.
I’ll look into this.
IMO, I would spend a little more and use a good synthetic ester oil (Silkolene, Motul, Maxima) for street bike. Since those oil will be in your bike for much longer (3~4000 miles) before it gets changed and honestly you will probably be doing only two oil change a season. For track bike and race bikes, the oil gets dumped after one race weekend or 2 trackdays. IMO, they simply won’t stay long enough in the bike to justify the cost.
Having said that, there are many many people using T6 for street bike with zero issues and are very happy with it.
I was skeptical too at first, but after hearing all the good reviews from motorcycle owners and seeing the analysis results I think this oil is even better than a lot of the motorcycle-specific stuff out there.
Well I know it’s not better than Amsoil but its certainly is cheaper.
And if it’s damn near as good it may be a worth the switch.
Amsoil may be better, but according to the results from that analysis I posted it probably isn’t better by much.
Using the less-expensive Rotella and changing more frequently may be a better option that using Amsoil
I change my oil between 2700-3000 miles on my bike always do, I use honda oil or bel-ray
reminds me I gotta get the stuff to do the oil in my rc so I’m ready
I wouldn’t swear by any bike brand auto oil, they just outsource and relabel, they don’t make their own.
Such as Yamaha lube some people swear by.
That Rotella seems like a good option.
I know people out Rotella diesel in Subarus but I had a very bad experience where all of Rotella somehow burned/leaked off from gaskets causing my oil light to turn on as I took a hard left. 3.5 quarts later I was back at level (car takes about 4.2)
Didnt use it since, didn’t have a problem since. Who knows.