Rotella T5 and T6 in 10w30

Just curious, has anyone has tried the T6 10w30 in their bike yet?
I would have, if I could have found it on a shelf locally. I found the T5 10w30 for a great price and ran that though. Didn't notice any difference in the fat pig klr. The manual says you can run a 30 but most klr riders stick with a 40. I drained it and refilled with 5w40 T6. Once my T6 supply runs dry I'm going to change over to 0w40 m1 as I use that in all my other engines.
 
Curious if anyone has tried the new T6 10w30 in a shared sump bike?

It's odd that the T6 no longer has the JASO MA letters on the bottle, but has a picture of a little motorcycle on the front (next to similar pics of a car, truck, and boat).

And... After years of not having them, the T5 10w30 now sports the JASO MA letters, but no lil' motorcycle pic on the bottle!

It makes me wonder if the different flavors of Rotella each have their own separate marketing budget, with separate marketing people, and they're being encouraged to compete against each other, perhaps unintentionally.
 
If there's a motorcycle on the label, but no mention of the oil meeting JASO MA or MA1/MA2 anywhere on the bottle, then I wouldn't assume the motorcycle on the label means it's JASO rated. Maybe try to email Rotella through their website and see it they respond.
 
Well you pay your money and you get the ability to use the official logo on the product, so that is a license to me. Nevertheless, Rotella doesn't use the proper JASO logo so you have that. "Recommended for" is about as good as it gets.
I wanted to make a comment about the JASO logo after reading though this older thread. Many oils that are listed in the filed list of JASO motorcycle oils (link in post 7), do not use the JASO logo on the oil bottle, nor even use the "oil code" number on the bottle. They just say it meets JASO specs.

Example is Castrol Power1 4T, 10W-40, which I have 3 bottle of and just looked at the bottle and took the photo below, and there is no JASO logo or oil code number shown on the bottle. It just says: "Exceeds industry specifications: API SL and JASO MA-2 standards." So referring to the JASO file list of oil is really the only sure way to know if the oil test data has ever been sent to JASO for registration. Lack of a JASO logo on the bottle doesn't mean much.

It's line 113 in the July 1, 2024 list of JASO oils.

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I wanted to make a comment about the JASO logo after reading though this older thread. Many oils that are listed in the filed list of JASO motorcycle oils (link in post 7), do not use the JASO logo on the oil bottle, nor even use the "oil code" number on the bottle. They just say it meets JASO specs.

Example is Castrol Power 1 4T, 10W-40, which I have 3 bottle of and just looked at the bottle and took the photo below, and there is no JASO logo or oil code number shown on the bottle. It just says: "Exceeds industry specifications: API SL and JASO MA-2 standards." So referring to the JASO file list of oil is really the only sure way to know if the oil test data has ever been sent to JASO for registration. Lack of a JASO logo on the bottle doesn't mean much.

It's line 113 in the July 1, 2024 list of JASO oils.

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Which is very weird to me. But then some blenders have what I call reverse obfuscation and this is likely another example of that.
 
Which is very weird to me. But then some blenders have what I call reverse obfuscation and this is likely another example of that.
Apparently it's not a requirement, but a choice to use the JASO logo on the bottle if the oil is registered with JASO. I think the JASO documentation makes it sound like it's an option for the oil maker/seller.
 
Apparently it's not a requirement, but a choice to use the JASO logo on the bottle if the oil is registered with JASO. I think the JASO documentation makes it sound like it's an option for the oil maker.
Yes, you are correct. Then again, I just don’t see why blenders and manufacturers don’t make it clear when they have something that is of value.
 
Yes, you are correct. Then again, I just don’t see why blenders and manufacturers don’t make it clear when they have something that is of value.
Agree ... strange they don't use the JASO logo if the oil is on the list. I've noticed that oil that's sold through dealerships, like Yamalube and Kawasaki brand oils, do use the JASO logo.

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Agree ... strange they don't use the JASO logo if the oil is on the list. I've noticed that oil that's sold through dealerships, like Yamalube and Kawasaki brand oils, do use the JASO logo.

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JASO MA is a Japanese standard.

All of the oils you posted with the JASO logo are marketed by Japanese companies.

It's not clear to me that large non-Japanese oil companies see the same value in the JASO standards that the Japanese companies do.

For dedicated motorcycle specific oils, the odds of them sporting a JASO MA label are much higher than a diesel oil that also is frequently used for motorcycles.
 
JASO MA is a Japanese standard.

All of the oils you posted with the JASO logo are marketed by Japanese companies.

It's not clear to me that large non-Japanese oil companies see the same value in the JASO standards that the Japanese companies do.

For dedicated motorcycle specific oils, the odds of them sporting a JASO MA label are much higher than a diesel oil that also is frequently used for motorcycles.
I highly doubt those motorcycle brand oils are made by "Japanese oil companies". Think it has more to do with the oil being sold through the motorcycle dealerships, with the bike brand on the oil bottles. Honda and Suzuki oils most likely have the JASO logo on the bottles too. Not sure about non-Japanese motorcycle brands, maybe they use the JASO logo also if they are on the JASO registration list.
 
I highly doubt those motorcycle brand oils are made by "Japanese oil companies". Think it has more to do with the oil being sold through the motorcycle dealerships. Honda and Suzuki oils most likely have the JASO logo on the bottles too. Not sure about non-Japanese motorcycle brands, maybe they use the JASO logo also if they are on the JASO registration list.
Just to be clear, I didn't say Japanese oil companies. I said marketed by Japanese companies. Which would include oil sold through Japanese motorcycle dealerships.

Six of one, half dozen of the other kinda thing.

JASO MA2 seems universally accepted by the motorcycle folks, whether they are Japanese or not.

I was just trying to conjecture a reason behind Rotella's inconsistent labelling with regards to JASO standards.

I think your suggestion about emailing Shell is on the money. I haven't had very good luck receiving a reply from Shell in the past.

If they didn't make such a good product, I would have given up on them years ago!
 
JASO MA2 seems universally accepted by the motorcycle folks, whether they are Japanese or not.
I'd venture to bet that every big name motorcycle maker will spec a JASO rated oil for the wet clutch use. It won't always be MA2. My Yamaha XSR900 specs just MA, and it does have a catalytic converter and an O2 sensor. Typically MA2 will be speced for bikes with a catalytic converter, but not always it seems.

I was just trying to conjecture a reason behind Rotella's inconsistent labelling with regards to JASO standards.

I think your suggestion about emailing Shell is on the money. I haven't had very good luck receiving a reply from Shell in the past.

If they didn't make such a good product, I would have given up on them years ago!
Yeah, only Shell could answer why they do what they do. If they ever do answer your questions please let us know.
 
Sorry/Not sorry for bumping my old thread...

Has anyone tried the T6 10w30?

My local Walmart sells both the T5 and T6 in 10w30 for the same price.

I know the T5 10w30 works in my CB1100, and T4 15w40 works well in my Shadow VT750s, but I had a bad experience when I tried the T6 15w40 in one of my Shadows...

So I'm curious about the T6 10w30, but since I know the T5 works well for me, I'm thinking I don't want to try T6 again unless someone can vouch for it.

As I said near the beginning of this thread, the T6 has a little motorcycle graphic on the jug, but no JASO MA/MA2 letters. The T5 has the JASO MA/MA2 letters, but no motorcycle graphic...

Anyhow, the T5 has been working well for me in my CB1100 for a couple of years now... But I'm curious if the "full" synthetic might be better for the air cooled motor in Texas summer heat...
 
The Geek tackles the question whether or not Diesel oils are better than auto oils... personally I've never used or even recommend Diesel oils however many of my customers do swear by the stuff because they believe its more robust...

 
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Understanding synthetics means more refining to remove less desirable
elements from crude until what’s left is mostly higher-performing
molecular structures. Waxy stuff had to go because it made oil congeal
at winter temperatures. Aromatics had to go because they lost
viscosity too rapidly when hot. Unsaturates had to go because they
were vulnerable to heat-driven gumming and sludging. And so on.

Synthetics were invented to give owners advantages conventional oils could not...
technically speaking they will meet and exceed your mileage expectations...

Manufacture synthetic goals...

Higher viscosity index
Better viscosity stability at varied temperatures
Better chemical and shear stability
Consistent fluidity
Better lubricity at low temperatures
Faster lubrication at start-up in low temperatures
Resistance to oxidation (thickening), thermal breakdown, and oil sludge problem
Excellent protection at high temperatures
Engine cleanliness
Outstanding protection against harmful deposits
Cleaner running engines
Lower oil evaporation
More engine power
Lower maintenance cost

full-45634-36930-mineraloil1.jpg




full-45634-36931-synthetic_vs_mineraloil6.jpg
 
Understanding synthetics means more refining to remove less desirable
elements from crude until what’s left is mostly higher-performing
molecular structures. Waxy stuff had to go because it made oil congeal
at winter temperatures. Aromatics had to go because they lost
viscosity too rapidly when hot. Unsaturates had to go because they
were vulnerable to heat-driven gumming and sludging. And so on.

Synthetics were invented to give owners advantages conventional oils could not...
technically speaking they will meet and exceed your mileage expectations...

Manufacture synthetic goals...

Higher viscosity index
Better viscosity stability at varied temperatures
Better chemical and shear stability
Consistent fluidity
Better lubricity at low temperatures
Faster lubrication at start-up in low temperatures
Resistance to oxidation (thickening), thermal breakdown, and oil sludge problem
Excellent protection at high temperatures
Engine cleanliness
Outstanding protection against harmful deposits
Cleaner running engines
Lower oil evaporation
More engine power
Lower maintenance cost

full-45634-36930-mineraloil1.jpg




full-45634-36931-synthetic_vs_mineraloil6.jpg

Dang, I'm going to drain the Motul 300V 4T in all of my sportbikes, and use some mineral oil.

Look at how the power just shoots skyward on the mineral oil!!!!
 
Color me stupid but it looks like the mineral oil is showing a much better power increase. Double check that before submitting to Popular Mechanics for "cut and paste" litany of the month.
 
Color me stupid but it looks like the mineral oil is showing a much better power increase. Double check that before submitting to Popular Mechanics for "cut and paste" litany of the month.
Or maybe it means that power has an uphill battle. :LOL:
 
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