Yet more Rotella T questions

[NobleHops]

Is it winter yet? Here's your first oil thread.

Just got a flyer form Sams ona screaming deal on Shell Rotella T: $68 for(6) 1 gallon jugs. It says the oil exceeds API CJ-4. This is not much help to me: Last I knew any oil designated SJ or higher second letter, was fine, and that enerygy conserving oils were bad for wet clutches. I also recall that synthetic oils have been attributed to slipping starter clutches on CBXen.

What's the scoop with this oil? Is CJ-4 spec oil OK? Is is suitable for motos?

N.

[EMS]

Here's your first oil thread.

This whole oil thing has been discussed so many times, and so many opinions voiced, it is hard to decide what to believe and what to do.
Personally, I have made up my mind that there is only ONE reason NOT to use any automotive oil in a CBX, and that is the valve train. The absence of zinc additives in modern automotive oils can cause wear on flat (non-roller) valve lifters. I don't really buy into the argument anymore that synthetics causing leaks and friction reducers cause clutches to slip.
I have never used Shell Rotella, but I know of other CBXers who have for years. Whether a newer specification is still O.K. or bad now, I don't know. Rotella is a Diesel engine oil and the CJ4 spec is formulated to work with engines that meet the emission requirements which brought us low-sulfur Diesel. And it seems like CJ4 has lower zinc levels.
I am sure somebody wil step up to the plate and give a great lecture about his own experience.
I use a variety of different oils due to the different design engines in my motorcycles and I am happy with what I am doing. Last time I changed oil in one of the CBXes, I used a non-synthetic Valvoline motorcycle spec 20W50. I may use something different next time

[Don]

Rotella is a Diesel engine oil and the CJ4 spec is formulated to work with engines that meet the emission requirements which brought us low-sulfur Diesel. And it seems like CJ4 has lower zinc levels

That's always been my opinion too - I use Rotella in my diesel garden tractor and have also used it in truck diesels, along with Chevron RPM Delo. Every diesel I've ever serviced has gotten one or the other of those . . . . I personally wouldn't use either in any gasoline engine

They formulate all sorts of oils for very specific purposes - Some for diesel engines, some for gasoline engines and some for air cooled gasoline engines. I've never been tempted to use an oil for something they didn't design it for

I don't really buy into the argument anymore that synthetics causing leaks and friction reducers cause clutches to slip

Less than 500 miles after putting air cooled motorcycle specific synthetic into my CBX my starter clutch started occasionally going crazy - The starter will freely run like it does in a car when the Bendix fails to engage the flywheel. Not al the time, but every 3rd or 4th push of the starter button. Never did this even once in the previous 8,000 miles using the Honda GN-4 oil

In a panic, I called Dave McMunn and he told me this is pretty common on CBX's when switching to synthetic. Not all of them do it, but a significant number do and it appears I have one of those

Don

[Mopar_Tony_SF1]

Get passed the motorcycle oil marketing BS and see the results of my 5W40 Rotella T used oil analysis. The current 5W40 Rotella is also carries JASO MA certification, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=5932

[zxbob]

I love sythetic oils - I've run nothing but Red Line 10W40 for years in all my bikes.

I intend to do the same with the CBX - I need to live and learn for myself.

Bob

[barryadam]

Less than 500 miles after putting air cooled motorcycle specific synthetic into my CBX my starter clutch started occasionally going crazy - The starter will freely run like it does in a car when the Bendix fails to engage the flywheel. Not al the time, but every 3rd or 4th push of the starter button. Never did this even once in the previous 8,000 miles using the Honda GN-4 oil

In a panic, I called Dave McMunn and he told me this is pretty common on CBX's when switching to synthetic. Not all of them do it, but a significant number do and it appears I have one of those

Don

Don,

Did that stop happening once you switched back to semi-synthetic or non-synthetic?
Or has it happened with semi-synthetic as well?

Barry

[Don]

Barry,

The engine currently has about 12,000 miles on it since new. All it ever had in it before was Honda GN4 oil - The synthetic just went in at the last oil change a month or so ago. Starter clutch was as normal for the first 250 miles or so . . . . no sign of anything different. Now the clutch fails to engage maybe every 4th or 5th push of the starter button, though when it first started doing this, it would 'miss' sometimes 3 or 4 times in a row. I haven't figured out (yet) if it's getting better or worse. I'm going to monitor it and stick with the synthetic for now . . . . unless it gets much worse

I had always been a little scared of synthetic because of stories I'd heard about it making the wet clutches slip, but that's not been the case with mine so far - But then this clutch was brand new at the same time the synthetic went in, so we'll see as it ages

Tony - I have no idea how to interpret your oil analysis. To the uneducated layman, it seems like there's lots of metals flowing around in there for oil with only 3,000 miles on it. It would mean more if you had an analysis done of a crankcase of used 'standard' oil with about the same mileage on it so you'd have something to rank it against - Maybe it's better than it would have been with the Honda recommended GN4 oil . . . . who knows? I'll assume those are good results when compared to whatever you were using previously or you probably wouldn't have posted them ;)

The only 'reference' I could find was an all aluminum BMW car engine which had about half the copper, iron and lead content of your oil when checked at 7500 miles

Don

[Cammer]

When I had my 1997 GL1500SE, I used nothing but Mobil One and changed it every 6000 as per Hondas instructions and the clutch NEVER slipped nor did it use any oil in the 70,000 miles I put on it. I use Rotella in my Diesel Dodge, and Castrol 5w 30 in my 139K 1996 Chev Lumina 3.1 V-6.