2011 Kawasaki Concours 14 Rotella T6

Status
Not open for further replies.
I'm using Rotella T 5w40 and last oil change at 3,000km it drained like water, and after reading here I now realize that with a shared transmission on my bike the 5w40 is not holding up. I also have a K&N air filter and should start oiling it regularly. I'm thinking of switching to a 15w40 grade oil from now on. I rarely ride when temps are lower than 10c. I've also thought about adding a few ounces of ZDDP zinc to my oil changes but someone said not to do that and that it would do harm. What's the opinion on that, will adding ZDDP help my bike?
 
Last edited:
I'm with sunruh on wide viscosity spread oils, like the RTS 5w40. Even many 10w40's will shear pretty quick in shared sump bikes. You may be very surprised to find that a 10w30 will hold up well in a shared sump,and if Kawasaki allows it, I'd try the Rotella 10w30. If not, give the 15w40 flavor a run. I think you'll find it lasts longer than the 5w40. If they allow a thicker oil, I've found that Havoline 20w50 does well in my Honda ST1300 right up to 4k miles. I haven't run it past that, and don't plan to. When I catch it on sale at AA, it's less than 3.00 a quart.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Degreaser
I'm using Rotella T 5w40 and last oil change at 3,000km it drained like water


watching it drain doesnt indicate its true viscosity.

did you watch how it poured in new?

and then in your head (3k later) compared the flow?

just razzing ya.

to my eyes, srt 5w40 pours new out of the jug very quickly. much faster than say a 10w40 does or even 10w30, but that should be expected since its 5w and not 10w.

the *ONLY* large vis spread oil that i have tested that has been worth more than the 2cents my post is worth has been motul 5100 10w50. now thats a big spread! its also super spendy.
it also went through the mixmaster of doom and finished with an 84.3susvis.

in some bikes srt 5w40 will work and work great, but i seriousally doubt that bike will have a shared sump or spin any kind of rpms.

steve
 
Originally Posted By: ddtmoto
I have been running Texas Tea M/C 10w40 in my '09 40k mile C14 for over a year with changes at 4k miles. I like it as much as Redline 10w40, at half the price. I do add 2oz of zddplus or zddpmax. The added zinc and phos really help with smooth shifting. This adds about $4 to the cost of an oil change, but still cheaper than any other M/C syns that I have tried. The much improved shifting is very important to me...


Shifting smoothness is directly related to clutch grip, the less clutch grip, the smoother the shifting. When you pull in the clutch the plates seperate but still have some contact, the less grip under this condition the less drag the clutch has on the shifting process.

Long term you could be causing premature clutch slippage
 
BTw the rotella products have about the strongest clutch grip of any oil Ive seen, the 15w40 I refuse to use, cause it makes the shifting so notchy, the 5 w40 is okay, its just those light weights dont hold up well in my bikes.

But your basically taking a strong grip clutch oil, and diluting it with your Home remedy of excess ZDDP and Phos, why not just use an oil that offers more you shifting slickness?

Rotella 5w40 used to be about 4 dollars perquart, now its closer to 7 bucks, for cheap oil, kind of expensive, but even cheap oil nowadays is expensive.
 
I read the 10 Chapters of Motor Oil 101 on the link below.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/

I found it very interesting. Now, in those chapters, the author ends up stating that a 0wXX or even a 5wXX grade is better. And in this thread, the recommendation is for a higher 15wXX grade winter oil. I think the author of Motor Oil 101 gives his recommendation on chapter 9 or 10, but still, he's in favour of the lower 0wXX or 5wXX Winter startup grades. I am rethinking my decision to get a 15w40 for my motorcycle after reading his comments, and wonder if I should stick with 5w40 or even a 10w40, but go no higher in the winter grade than 10.

Any opinions on that, and on the Motor Oil 101 Author's opinions?
 
I found a JASO-MA Genuine Honda 5W-30 that I run in one of my bikes in the winter.

Watching the water temp gauge, it never gets over 150 or 160 ...... and when you're camped out and it's 17 degrees, that 5W sure cranks over a lot easier.
grin2.gif


Other than that, I run the Rotella 15W-40 is just about everything - and have done so for more than 20 years.

The exception is that Delvac 15W-40 goes in the primary chain case on my Harley. Best, smoothest oil I've found. Only thing it does is lube that primary chain and the clutch basket, so I don't care if it's 40 or 30 or even 20.
 
I don't think bringing ZDDP amd Phos levels back to pre Nazi EPA nanny changes will do anything negative to a wet clutch. I have at least 60k miles on bikes using added zddp. I have never worn out a clutch, even in one of my dirt bikes. I really liked the old T5 5w40. Until the new levels of zinc and phos mandated by the epa. Shell had to change to the new 'T6' 5w40 with far less levels of the good old anti wear ingredients. Bring zddp level back up and shifting smoothness returns for me... I would rather not pay 12 to 20 bucks a quart for zinc loaded good shiftin motorcycle oil.
 
I would not call zinc levels brought back to pre mandate levels excessive. I am near the levels the old T5 5w40 and many good M/C oils now. 1600 to 1800ppm. Of course too much of a good thing, over 2400ppm, is said to be possibly corrosive. Not everyone notices a change in shifting with different oils. And some bikes are more tolerant of said oils. So, not a big deal to most riders. I run into riders all the time that did noticed a change in shifting a few years ago, not all of them felt it an issue. I just give them food for thought. Me, I have too much time on my hands perhaps. But it works for me....
 
My C-14 with 2K miles on it and about 1.5K on it's OCI is starting to have chunky shifting now with a quality 10W40 bike oil. I wrote it off as to that's the way Kawasakis shift, like a dump truck. Not really bad shifting but not the snic snic snic feel a Honda has.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top