I bought thr 15w40 T6 and will be putting it in my bike next month. Last year i ran a 50 50 mix of 15w40 t4 and 5w40 T6
Rotella T6 15w-40 Is JASO MA2 Rated
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Had slippage with my Ducati 696 using the T6 5W-40 synthetic. It was rated JASO MA2, but during WOT shifts, I'd get an RPM spike for each shift. It was very noticeable and my datalogger caught it. I dumped it out and went with M1 20W-50 V-Twin and it went back to normal. Now I'm running Castrol 10W-50 synthetic (JASO MA/MA2) and it seems fine.
That oil is the recommended oil in the 2014+ BMW R1200RT, and used it flawlessly in the VStrom 1000 and ZRX1200. Clutch slippage with T6 5w40 is not par for the course with any bike or brand.
do y'all think this would stand up to 3500-4000 miles intervals in an air cooled, common sump, small displacement bike like I have...yamaha v star 250
Well, it would have as good a shot in that as in any bike I would think, but still is a shear down queen of oils. That small engine probably spec'd 10w-40 when it was new as well as a 3000 mile or thereabouts OCI.
I would run a 10w40 MC specific dino oil or a 15w40 HDEO and call it good. Air cooled engines have looser tolerances by nature and the oil is dirty with contaminants and has a lot more heat induced stress at times than a liquid cooled bike. Synthetic oils don't make sense to me on a 3000 mile OCI. My 1980 XS1100 called for 2500 mile oil changes, and shifting was going away at that point anyway. Supertech 15w40 or 20w50 was a great oil of choice for many XS1100 owners.
Originally Posted by Bonz
That oil is the recommended oil in the 2014+ BMW R1200RT, and used it flawlessly in the VStrom 1000 and ZRX1200. Clutch slippage with T6 5w40 is not par for the course with any bike or brand.
Originally Posted by Merek
Advance is now carrying Shell motorcycle oil but last I checked it's $12.99 qt. I'd love to try it in mine but I can find other motorcycle oil for less, even Mobil 1 is cheaper.
Originally Posted by Kamele0N
Took the first ride if the season with the V Strom 1000 last night using this new T6 15w40 and so far so good. There was no clutch slippage, odd noises or anything thing else that could be bad to note. It ran smooth, shifted great and I think it might rev just a touch quicker. Big thumbs up so far!
Finally... my local WallyWorld offered it.....
I purchased a gallon.
Tell you all.... the ultimate litmus on this oil is the KTM 950. This engine is the most finicky of any that I have every owned. The only oil it really loves is conventional, Rotella 15w40. So I will dump what is in the sump and add this "elixir oil" to see how she does..... If it is a negatory.... I will go back to conventional 15w40 with all the JASO ratings.
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/yxBpv9l.jpg)
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Interesting that everyone keeps saying that T4 and T6 are JASO MA rated, but they are not.
Rotella T4 and T6 labels state "Meets the performance requirements of: ... JASO MA/MA2".
"Meets requirements of" is not the same thing as JASO MA/MA2 licensed/certified.
![[Linked Image]](https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/attachments/usergals/2019/05/full-4879-32537-2018_09_01_23.37.34.jpg)
Where on the bottle is the MA rating square with their certification number?
All JASO MA/MA2 certified oils will have that, just like this bottle of Honda oil:
![[Linked Image]](https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/attachments/usergals/2019/05/full-4879-32536-jaso.jpg)
Where is any Rotella on the JASO MA/MA2 licensing list?
While I agree Rotella (and Delo, and most other HDEO) work great in most wet clutch bikes and most likely meet or exceed the MA/MA2 specs, none of them are JASO MA/MA2 licensed.
I am running Peak Syn-Blend 15w-40 HDEO in my bike right now, and it says nothing on the label about JASO MA at all. I have no issue using it, but I also know it is not designed for it.
Some "motorcycle" oils from Mobil, Castrol and Valvoline also are not MA licensed oils. Again, check the list or look at the back of the bottle.
Nope. As you mentioned, the Mobil 1 V Twin is for Harley bikes, so no need for the JASO MA/MA2 certification. Probably works fine in wet clutches, but not certified for it.
and to be clear, I have nothing against using Rotella in a wet clutch bike, just the fact that everyone seems to be thinking that advertising wording on the label and website is the same thing as having the correct licensing/certifications. You have as much of a guarantee from Shell using T4, T5 or T6, since non of them are JASO MA/MA2 licensed.
Why they have this wording on T4 and T6, well, easy to see, it sells. Why is it not on T5, no idea.
Where on the bottle is the MA rating square with their certification number?
All JASO MA/MA2 certified oils will have that, just like this bottle of Honda oil:
Where is any Rotella on the JASO MA/MA2 licensing list?
While I agree Rotella (and Delo, and most other HDEO) work great in most wet clutch bikes and most likely meet or exceed the MA/MA2 specs, none of them are JASO MA/MA2 licensed.
I am running Peak Syn-Blend 15w-40 HDEO in my bike right now, and it says nothing on the label about JASO MA at all. I have no issue using it, but I also know it is not designed for it.
Some "motorcycle" oils from Mobil, Castrol and Valvoline also are not MA licensed oils. Again, check the list or look at the back of the bottle.
Originally Posted by Truckedup
I believe the JASO rating is up to the manufacturer...? I'm looking at a year old bottle of Mobil1 Vtwin with a outline of a Harley type bike on the front and JASO is nowhere to be found..
The old " meets the requirements of " issue.
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Originally Posted by BigJohn
Finally... my local WallyWorld offered it.....
I purchased a gallon.
Tell you all.... the ultimate litmus on this oil is the KTM 950. This engine is the most finicky of any that I have every owned. The only oil it really loves is conventional, Rotella 15w40. So I will dump what is in the sump and add this "elixir oil" to see how she does..... If it is a negatory.... I will go back to conventional 15w40 with all the JASO ratings.
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dnewton3
Staff member
That lube, as well as many others, is not licensed.
Shell (SOPUS) is assuring us it "meets the requirements" of MA/MA2.
This is likely because it's not worth the money for the full license, when they know that Rotella is a small market for bikes. But they also know it would qualify, if tested.
This is not unique; there are many premium lubes that don't always seek full license for all applications, and they claim "meets requirements" ...
Amsoil, RL, RP and some others do this. Does that stop the faithful from using them just because they don't have the license? No it does not.
I use Rotella T4 15w-40 in my Victory, and it does just find by me. It "meets requirements" but is not licensed. And I sleep well at night.
Yes, actual JASO MA/MA2 rated oil must be labeled as such in accordance with Appendix 5 of this document:
http://www.jalos.or.jp/onfile/pdf/4T_EV1904.pdf
Originally Posted by dnewton3
That lube, as well as many others, is not licensed.
Shell (SOPUS) is assuring us it "meets the requirements" of MA/MA2.
This is likely because it's not worth the money for the full license, when they know that Rotella is a small market for bikes. But they also know it would qualify, if tested.
This is not unique; there are many premium lubes that don't always seek full license for all applications, and they claim "meets requirements" ...
Amsoil, RL, RP and some others do this. Does that stop the faithful from using them just because they don't have the license? No it does not.
I use Rotella T4 15w-40 in my Victory, and it does just find by me. It "meets requirements" but is not licensed. And I sleep well at night.
Shell rates it for motorcycle use. Their reputation is on the line, I know of not a single incident where any Rotella 15w40 oil has caused a problem in a shared sump. Playing the warranty card to cast doubt is over and done with, it isn't an issue.
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Long time no post, but I am just about out of my stash of "old" formula T6 5W-40 so I came back here to see what is the latest and greatest. Low and behold, another oil controversy. What fun! My two cents is that I have been using the old T6 for close to 39,000 miles in my Kawasaki EX500 with absolutely no issues, changing about every 3000 miles or one season for a few years I didn't ride the bike much. I would be somewhat wary about going to T6 15W-40 simply for the cold startup issue. Yes, I rarely start when it is below freezing, but the bike may have cold soaked overnight well down into single digits or below. Even with starts in the low 40s the motor definitely spins better with the 5W as opposed to the 15W. In fact, I noticed a significant difference in how my boat diesel starts going from 15W-40 to 10W-30 semi-syn, and most of those starts are well above freezing. I've noted the same thing when comparing 5W-30 dino and 5W-30 synthetic in a variety of cars. There is a noticeable difference even around freezing, and when you get down to zero and below the difference in starting is significant. How much the easy starting of the motorcycle relates to the synthetic bit vs the W rating I don't know, but it just seems logical that an easier start is good for the engine. On the other end of the thermometer I have made many summer trips using the old T6 5W-40 with temperatures in the 90s with the engine running 6-7K with no complaints. Probably the ideal would be to run the T6 15W-40 in the summer and the T6 5W-40 in the spring and fall. May just do that, though I prefer to keep things simple. My opinion on the JASO MA rating is that it is great Shell at leasts lets us know it meets the spec. I would rather use an oil that lets me know that information up front instead of making us guess that other HDEOs are OK.
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