Rotella giving me issues..... maybe?

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Man fellas... I have been a Rotella lover for years and all my bikes up to this point have been, crazy happy with it poured in the sump.

Until......

Last weekend I found and purchased a mint condition 2011 Victory Vegas with only 11k on the dial. As I do with any used bike I purchase, I promptly dump the oil and filter, screw on a new filter and pour in new oil... always Rotella. For this Victory, it calls for 20w40 semi-synthetic. I poured in a 50/50 mix of T4 and T6, 15w40. The initial ride seemed really good on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday morning, the wife and I head out on a 2-up for lunch and some cruisin...... shifting is the classic notchy.. but easy and smooth. Then on Monday afternoon, I need to run an errand and decide to ride the bike.

For goodness sakes, I have trouble getting the tranny to shift into 1st.... into Neutral.... into 2nd. Everything above 2nd is just fine. The two days before, whatever oil was in the sump, helped the tranny/shifting to function just fine.

Victory's aren't anything like Harley's.... Victory needs one oil in the shared sump.

Has anyone else encountered this????? Any thoughts and ideas?

Honestly, T4, 15w40 has always given me the smoothest shifts in any transmission and I am thinking I might just try.... straight-up, T4 Dino in this dude.


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Why mix oils? I'd try a different brand and not mix weights. Good luck.
 
I know you won't want to hear this, but you might have to do some searching around until you find the right oil to make it happy. I just bought a Kawasaki Voyager with a common sump. The manual says to use a ma, ma1, ma2 jaso rated oil, with a API rating of sl, to keep the clutch happy. It also is a common sump for the primary and clutch. I plan on using Valvoline 10/40 , or 20/50 wt Motorcycle oil because they meet the mfgrs specs. .,,,
 
A thought/idea. T5 15W40 syn blend worked well in my shared sump ZRX1200. One of the better reports I've had and stayed in grade over a 3200 mile OCI. Since you're already going with a 50-50 blend, this may be worth a go. I know, I know no JASO specs on the bottle but I absolutely have faith in it. It's not rocket science that it won't have anything in it that would be a problem based on analysis. They aren't putting a secret pixie dust in there that would harm a shared sump system (i.e. wet clutch). With that said, only issues I have seen or heard with any oil are in older bikes that have many years or many miles on them and that can happen with any oil.

If all else fails, M1 20w50 is bomb proof in my experience in a shared sump with respect to shift quality retention. Many Victory owners run 20w50. My thought is Victory said 20w40 at the time because there weren't any or many available. They sold lots of 20w40 at their dealerships. You don't design a bike around oil that's very limited availability unless you were going to supply the availability.
 
Why mix oils? I'd try a different brand and not mix weights. Good luck.

Nube... I will spare you my response.... Read a little.

I know you won't want to hear this, but you might have to do some searching around until you find the right oil to make it happy. I just bought a Kawasaki Voyager with a common sump. The manual says to use a ma, ma1, ma2 jaso rated oil, with a API rating of sl, to keep the clutch happy. It also is a common sump for the primary and clutch. I plan on using Valvoline 10/40 , or 20/50 wt Motorcycle oil because they meet the mfgrs specs. .,,,

As you probably know, Rotella 15w40, both T4 and T6 have the MA rating. Yep, its a dance to find the right oil. No offense, but I haven't found a single bike that like the Valvoline Motorcycle Oil. Won't ever buy it again.

A thought/idea. T5 15W40 syn blend worked well in my shared sump ZRX1200. One of the better reports I've had and stayed in grade over a 3200 mile OCI. Since you're already going with a 50-50 blend, this may be worth a go. I know, I know no JASO specs on the bottle but I absolutely have faith in it. It's not rocket science that it won't have anything in it that would be a problem based on analysis. They aren't putting a secret pixie dust in there that would harm a shared sump system (i.e. wet clutch). With that said, only issues I have seen or heard with any oil are in older bikes that have many years or many miles on them and that can happen with any oil.

If all else fails, M1 20w50 is bomb proof in my experience in a shared sump with respect to shift quality retention. Many Victory owners run 20w50. My thought is Victory said 20w40 at the time because there weren't any or many available. They sold lots of 20w40 at their dealerships. You don't design a bike around oil that's very limited availability unless you were going to supply the availability.

Ahhh... some good feedback. Yeah, as we all know, there is sometimes a dance we have to do to find the magic elixir.... Yep, I will probably have to start experimenting a little....

And yes... I think it is hogwash that T5 doesn't carry the Jaso rating.... I suspect they just didn't test it.

Still wondering if anyone has some specific experience with a Victory......


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I've always found it interesting that a supplier would have an oil that they claim on the label meets a spec or performance level but they don't take advantage of the marketing benefits of registering it. This situation is an example. A lot of people discuss the excellent performance of Rotella T's in common sump motorcycles and Shell states that they meet JASO MA/MA2 but the oils are not registered.
 
I guess it could be the oil but I would not expect it on a fresh change. Have you checked the shift linkage and clutch cable. I would lube the linkage and adjust the cable. Victory did have an issue with the earlier bikes but I think they got it corrected by 2011. Are you using a heal/toe shifter. I have noticed that if the toe is adjusted a bit too high it makes finding neutral a pain and upshifting is more difficult if you like to use the toe end.
 
Here is another thread of a member having shifting issue with his Victory using Rotella T6.

 
Nice bike!! lots of comments on oils in Vics on the Vic forums + many run the Rotella 15-40. i have a 13 Hammer in Pa + it likes 15-50 real synthetic + never used any + clutch is fine. gears are straight cut so a little rough but tough + make sure clutch is adjusted properly. good luck with your good lookin ride + check victory forums + the VOG-victory owners group
 
All I can tell you is Amsoil motorcycle oil shifts better than M1 motorcycle oil in my bike. Ymmv
 
I've always found it interesting that a supplier would have an oil that they claim on the label meets a spec or performance level but they don't take advantage of the marketing benefits of registering it. This situation is an example. A lot of people discuss the excellent performance of Rotella T's in common sump motorcycles and Shell states that they meet JASO MA/MA2 but the oils are not registered.
Most motorcycle people just look for the "meets or exceeds JASO MA/MA2" text on the bottle. Most people don't even know about the JASO registration or what the JASO registered logo looks like, or means. If a manufacturer prints on the bottle that it meets or exceeds JASO MA/MA2, then I don't really have a reason to think it doesn't.
 
Honestly, T4, 15w40 has always given me the smoothest shifts in any transmission and I am thinking I might just try.... straight-up, T4 Dino in this dude.
My Vstrom always shifted “smoove as butta” with T4. With an average of only 1,000 miles a year I’m wondering if the clutch plates are sticking and some time and miles, hot and cold cycles might free them up? IMO the T4 would certainly be worth a try. EDIT: Have “little BigJohn“ ride the Vic and see what she thinks! 🤷‍♀️
 
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Mixing oils is a crap shoot that may upset the balance and negate protection...
Technically speaking it is not recommended...

Blackstone Labs wisdom

"Usually, at least several of these additives will be synergistic. That
is, they react mutually, in groups of two or more, to create an effect
that none of them could attain individually. Changing or adding to
this formula can upset the balance and negate the protective effect
the formula was meant to achieve, even if you are only adding more of
something that was already included in the initial package."

"This information should also be taken into account when adding to the
oil already in your bike or when mixing oils for any reason, such as
synthetic with petroleum. In these cases, always make sure the oils
you are putting together have the same rating. This tells you their
additive packages are basically the same, or at least compatible, and
are less likely to upset the balance or counteract each other."


 
Any thoughts and ideas?

I have plenty of ideas after 50 years dealing with riding and racing customers who complained
about shift quality... it was the clutch and not oil that fixed the problem... Manufactures
warn owners that our gears can't shift smoothly if our clutch is part way engaged...

How to check for unwanted clutch drag...

Here are the steps how to check and eliminate unwanted clutch drag...

1 Place your bike on the center stand...

2 Start engine and establish a steady idle at 212ºF (operating temp)...

3 Squeeze in the clutch lever and shift into first gear...

4 Continue holding in the clutch lever and note if the rear wheel coast to stop or not...
if it continues spinning that's unwanted drag... adjust...

To adjust a cable equipped bike turn the small knob clock wise (out)
1/4 turn and test for clutch drag... if your bike is equipped with
hydraulics bleed system for bubbles...

Ultimately you want the rear wheel to coast to a stop when the engine
is idling and first gear selected with the clutch lever is squeezed in...

A tip on shift TECHNIQUE...

I think we are after the same thing... smooth shift without upsetting
the suspension... the secret is moving the foot quicker than clutch or
throttle... go easy with the clutch and throttle but move your foot
quick... but worry there is no such thing as too quick... its early
form of seem less shifting...
 
Technically speaking motorcycle oil is reformulated auto oil... however if you only look at the oil can marketing the answer is YES...

asmoil10w40v10w40m1-jpg.26940

mobil-1-racing-4t-10w-40-motorcycle-oil-45.png

BLS, quit using a comparison with an oil Mobil no longer makes. 10w40 4T racing hasn't had 1800 ppm of zinc for a decade or more. Are you that disconnected or is it just laziness? The ONLY 10w40 besides 10w40 4T Racing Mobil offers is "High Mileage" with 900 ppm zinc and 800 ppm phosphorus. It's misleading and it is WRONG for you to purport yourself as some sort of expert with old data. Do you have a reason for continually gaslighting to support your cause? 50 years means nothing. You were probably doing the same thing to people back then when they weren't as wise or had the opportunity to actually evaluate what you post for themselves. Stop!
 
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