Oil for Africa Twin DCT

[David_g]

Since it's an automatic dual clutch transmission I don't like the idea of using an oil that doesn't meet Honda specs and hoping for the best--since I might not feel if it something wasn't happening as it should. OTOH if I can find something cheap and readily available, great. Else I can go to cycle gear or honda dealer.

The owner's manual lists
10W30 Jaso, API SG or better. But Honda seems to list that for a lot of bikes, including ones with regular gear boxes. And some apparently have more choices (e.g. 10W40) listed in the owners manual. 10W40 should give more choices in a Jaso MA oil.

What's your experience with oil in DCT bikes? In the Africa Twin?

 

[userfriendly]

How did you get you hands on one of those bikes? They quit taking deposits on them in Canada 6 months ago.

 

[JoelB]

In the US these bikes are sitting in showrooms all over the place.

 

[David_g]

There weren't very many on the market around here. Nearest dealer had none, and wouldn't get another until late November. A dealer 90 miles away had one of each (DCT and the other kind), though the DCT wasn't the color I wanted. I found a red DCT at a dealer 40 miles away, and that was all the Africa Twins they had.

 

[David_g]

I'm also curious how good a job this 30 grade oil does at protecting the gearbox. If Honda didn't recommend it for so many bikes I wouldn't have thought it adequate.

 

[David_g]

Oops I had a typo above. I've read the NC700X lists additional choices like 10W40 in the service manual. No idea what's in the service manual for mine, but I only see 10W30 in the owners manual, with no ambient temp range, and alternate grades as is commonly given.

 

[SuperSalad]

If Honda says the 10W-30 is adequate I would assume it wouldn't be too thin to protect; at least not for the amount of time the warranty covers

Using an SAE 40 would likely not hurt anything and might extend part life, but it might also effect the auto-clutch function.

 

[bulwnkl]

Originally Posted By: David_g
Oops I had a typo above. I've read the NC700X lists additional choices like 10W40 in the service manual. No idea what's in the service manual for mine, but I only see 10W30 in the owners manual, with no ambient temp range, and alternate grades as is commonly given.


Correct. The NCX _owners_ manual only lists 10W30, which is the case for at least most new Honda street bikes. The NCX _service_ manual also lists 10W40, and many dealer service departments in southern AZ use the 10W40. I have used 10W30 for all of my NCX's ~45,000 miles, and much of that has been on Redline's 10W30. The DCT version of the NCX appears to be as durable as the manual tranny model (mine's a manual). Based on that, I wouldn't sweat the durability of your DCT.

FWIW, Honda's 4-stroke oils seem to shear pretty far pretty fast, so if you're concerned about that (and I don't claim you should be), you might consider a 15W40 diesel/all-fleet oil. As I said, though, I run a 10W30 in southern AZ, and I ride year-round.

 

[bonjo]

In europe, they are selling like hot cakes

since the dct is new and unknown to you, I would stick with the manufacturer's recommendation if I were you. Although I would be surprised if the handbook did not suggest alternative viscosities depending on different environment temperatures

 

[David_g]

Originally Posted By: bonjo
since the dct is new and unknown to you, I would stick with the manufacturer's recommendation if I were you. Although I would be surprised if the handbook did not suggest alternative viscosities depending on different environment temperatures

So far I have stuck to manufacturer's recommendations.

Someone posted a page of the service manual on an AT forum, and it didn't list alternate grades. I was surprised.

 

[kmrcstintn]

what starts as a 30wt will end up as a 20wt after the transmission shears it down...might wanna contact Honda to confirm their awareness of that fact and see of they stick to the 10w-30 JASO recommendation! see if they allow a 10w-40 JASO after your clarification...