Three different oils in an air-cooled Kawasaki four...

[richard612]

Lab: Schaeffer's Specialized Lubricants

Engine: 739cc air/oil-cooled four-stroke four-cylinder motorcycle engine with combined transmission and wet clutch.

Miles on engine: 27,154

Miles on oil sample: 3000

Miles on oil filter: 3000

Oil: Texaco Havoline 20W-50 (Current API SL formulation).

Make-up oil added: Approx 5% of total crankcase volume.

Operating conditions: 65F to 100F, mixed high and low speed/RPM, no short trips, moderate idle time

Engine condition/tune: Good overall. Mild knock at startup. Factory jetting, pilot screws 3 turns out (overrich idle). Modified exhaust and airbox, stock air filter element.

Results from previous 3k mile analysis of Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40 are in "()"

Results from previous 3k mile analysis of Rotella T Synthetic 5W-40 are in "[]"

Copper: 1ppm [2ppm] (2ppm)
Iron: 12ppm [10ppm] (16ppm)
Chromium: 0ppm [0ppm] (0ppm)
Aluminum: 4ppm [3ppm] (6ppm)
Lead: 0ppm [1ppm] (1ppm)
Moly: 3ppm [3ppm] (71ppm)
Phosphorus: 832ppm [976ppm] (1769ppm)
Zinc: 1005ppm [972ppm] (1852ppm)
Magnesium: 48ppm [220ppm] (757ppm)
Calcium: 2339ppm [2950ppm] (4071ppm)

Anti-freeze: 0% [0%] (0%)
Fuel Dilution: none [none] (none)
H2O: 0% [0%] (0%)
Silicon: 3ppm [2ppm] (3ppm)
Viscosity: 15.34cSt@100C [13.94cSt@100C] (13.67cSt@100C)
Mfr viscosity spec: 19.0cSt@100C [14.6cSt@100C] (15.5cSt@100C)

Oxidation: 1% [0%] (9%)
Nitration: 0% [0%] (2%)
TBN: Not tested.
Soot: Not tested.

[ September 14, 2003, 02:13 AM: Message edited by: richard612 ]

 

[quadrun1]

The results are very close, except for retained viscosity--here we can see that Shell's Rotella T Syn was superior. I read somewhere that Shell's viscosity index improvers are among the best...

According to your data,

Rotella T Syn - thinned 4.5%
Delvac 1300 - thinned 11.8%
Havoline - thinned 19.3%

The more UOAs I see of the Rotella T Syn, the more I like it, especially at Walmart's price!

Thanks for posting.

Jason

 

[doyall]

Humm ... there may be something to this passenger car motor oils not being ideal for use in motorcycles thing.

 

[friendly_jacek]

So, Delvac contains moly?
I did not know this.
Yet, the iron was the highest with delvac.
Go figure. Was the pattern of use similar?
If so, rotella 5w40 is your answer.

 

[Bror Jace]

" Humm ... there may be something to this passenger car motor oils not being ideal for use in motorcycles thing."

Because of the thinning? Heck, that's nuttin' Take a look for the OEM Honda cycle oils. They thin out of grade verrrry quickly.

--- Bror Jace

 

[richard612]

Pattern of use was quite similar with the three oils. I have no explanation for the 12ppm iron versus the 16ppm with the Delvac 1300. The 20W-50 made the tranny shift very poorly. I expected a lousy iron number...

As for the car-oil-in-the-bike thing, I'll put those Rotella numbers up against any foo-foo cyke oil...

[ September 15, 2003, 10:52 PM: Message edited by: richard612 ]

 

[Chris]

Why not try some real synthetic like the 15-50 M-1 SS?

 

[tmorris1]

With regular Mobil 1 you might have clutch slipping problems. I would try the Mobil 1 motorcycle oil instead, it has no friction modifiers and is supposed to be safe for wet clutches. Some have problems with slippage and some don't.

 

[Brio]

The reason why some have problems & some don't is clutch material. sintered metal are prone while organic(example-cork) do not. My Triumph triple only specifies SH synt.,no mention of Jasco-ma, so i run 'red cap' which is also the rec. wieght.

 

[nicrfe1370]

quote:

---

Originally posted by richard612:
As for the car-oil-in-the-bike thing, I'll put those Rotella numbers up against any foo-foo cyke oil...

---

I'm with you, those are dynamite numbers in any situation, and especially so when you consider that the oil in this bike has to do far more than it would in any car!

 

[JohnBrowning]

Delvac 1300= $6 a gallon Shell Roteel-T Syn= $12

I am impressed that a $6 oil almost matched the performance of an oil costing twice as much! It makes you wounder how Delvac-1 would do in this application! Delvac-1 costs double the price of Rotella-T Syntetic!