Synthetic oil?

[timis1942]

Is it okay to use synthetic oil on my 2001 XII?

[doug of so fla]

Yes, synthetic is fine to use 10/40 or 15/40, 20/50, depending on your riding climate.

Just be aware NOT to use any that says "Energy Conserving" on label or similar description as it is not for a wet clutch application.

[Mr Jensee]

Save your money. Get Rotella T 15/40 Diesel oil and your Voyager will love it. It seems the bike thrives on it.

[davidl]

Rotella T 15/40. If it's good enough for Carl Leo, it's good enough for me.

[ghostler]

Been using Rotella T 15/40 or its generic brand last 3 oil changes, has worked out well.

I also add in Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer (10%). It is a wetting agent, when I removed the head cover off my old 1987 Suzuki Savage after sitting 2 weeks, interior looked wet as if was just run. Caveat with the Savage, Lucas eventually caused clutch slippage, went away when I stopped using. (Don't know if needed new clutch or not, perhaps par for then 26 YO bike.)

Haven't had that problem yet with the Voyager. Helps with dry starts until oil starts pumping onto bearings. (YMMV with this step, IMO.)

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

+1 on the Rotella here
When I bought my Voyager XII, I started with Mobil 1 full-syn but ended up switching to Rotella and haven't had a lick of problems (plus saved a ton of money)!

[chevyman1]

The last oil change I used Rotella T 15/40, Was using Castol edge before that haven't noticed any difference other then the price.

[trigger12]

This question is for the guys that use the Rotella T 15-40 diesel engine oil:

1. Those who've switched: Why did you switch from SYNTHETIC to Rotella T 15-40?

2. Those who've been using Rotella T 15-40: How is the viscosity if the oil after draining?

A little background & explanation:
For the past 11 years, I've been running SYN oil in my '03 Honda 750 Nighthawk. Mainly because of concerns about the meshing of the transmission gears causing shear to the recommended DYN oil, and the extra heat breakdown with an air cooled engine. This causes the DYN oil to have the viscosity of Kerosene after 1000 miles. After switching to SYN, all ran fine, and I felt comfortable changing the oil at the recommended 4000 miles, rather than 3000 miles.

Now that I have the Voyager with the water cooled engine, heat breakdown isn't a concern. However,
I still wonder about the possibility of shear from the meshing of the transmission gears. I understand that diesel engine oil is tougher than standard gasoline engine oil because of the higher mechanical pressures that it must endure. But gear meshing presents a different mechanical force on oil than normal engine components.

I hope that I don't sound like I'm worrying too much, but I want to make it way past 100K without any problems.


Thanks for the good read.

[Me Again]

This question is for the guys that use the Rotella T 15-40 diesel engine oil:

1. Those who've switched: Why did you switch from SYNTHETIC to Rotella T 15-40?

2. Those who've been using Rotella T 15-40: How is the viscosity if the oil after draining?



Thanks for the good read.

I ride a 1300 so there are a few variations .
I switched for 3 reasons
First is Carls recommendation .Anyone gets 300000 miles out of a bike has to be doing something right .
Second was price . 1300 takes 7 quarts so it's like getting a couple of free quarts.
Third was clutch slippage . When I would stand on it the clutch would slip noticeably ,have not found that with Rotella.
Personally I would think you would have less shear with Rotella than you would have clutch slippage with synthetic
Still on my first oil change but after 2000 miles it looks pretty good yet.
Bill
You can ask me in January how the 15w works

[trigger12]

Bill,

Likely I'll go to the diesel engine oil. Shouldn be a proble. And it's cheaper. As far as SYN oil goes, I've never had a clutch slip problem with the Honda. I reckon with that 1300, there's a little more weight (I had an '85 a few years back).

If you ride like me, never below 30 degrees, you will be fine with the 15-40 oil. Black ice scares me off the bike.


Happy trails!

[cushman eagle]

I have been using Rotella T-6 5w-40 since I could not find anything else that would not brake down in my GS1100GK back about 10 years ago.I haven't gone back ,even though the VXII that I have had for 6 years and 33000 mile,really doesn't get hot enough to need it.I have had no problems with it .

[Mr Jensee]

I was using Castrol Syntec before taking Carl Leo's advise on the Voyager. I used Castrol on 2 other bikes a 79 Suzuki GS and a ZRX1100. I have been using Shell Rotella now for 5 years on the Voyager, able to buy it by the Gallon and it just works. Like others have said, it saves money and the bike thrives on it.

[ghostler]

2. Those who've been using Rotella T 15-40: How is the viscosity if the oil after draining? A little background & explanation: For the past 11 years, I've been running SYN oil in my '03 Honda 750 Nighthawk. Mainly because of concerns about the meshing of the transmission gears causing shear to the recommended DYN oil, and the extra heat breakdown with an air cooled engine. This causes the DYN oil to have the viscosity of Kerosene after 1000 miles. After switching to SYN, all ran fine, and I felt comfortable changing the oil at the recommended 4000 miles, rather than 3000 miles.

I had a negative experience with using standard 10W-40 auto Dino oil. Experience is described here:

https://amervoyassoc.org/forum/viewtopi ... =15&t=8113

Jug I used was 10 years old or more. Seemed okay 1st couple hundred miles. Then took a 900 mile trip mostly at high speeds. Stopped about 25 miles from destination for a break. Engine was running very noisy, clattering, was concerned I might have somehow damaged it. Rode the last 25 miles on surface streets at lower speeds.

When I changed the oil hot, it was so thin it poured out like water, hitting the drain pan and splashing out the pan such that it surprised me. Following advice herein, I changed it out with 3 qts 10 oz Rotella and of my own cognizance added 12 oz (10% of volume) Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer. The combination of the 2 quieted it down considerably and I made the trip back safely. Since, I've gone another 7k or 8k miles and noise hasn't returned.

Now that I have the Voyager with the water cooled engine, heat breakdown isn't a concern. However, I still wonder about the possibility of shear from the meshing of the transmission gears. I understand that diesel engine oil is tougher than standard gasoline engine oil because of the higher mechanical pressures that it must endure. But gear meshing presents a different mechanical force on oil than normal engine components.

I hope that I don't sound like I'm worrying too much, but I want to make it way past 100K without any problems. Thanks for the good read.

I change oil every 4k - 5k miles, which is less than 6k max recommended in the manual. Hot, it comes out a little thinner, but nothing like my earlier experience with the 10 YO oil. Besides, I find the Rotella a little cheaper in 4 or 5 gallon jugs and it goes on sale periodically. That's when I pick up several jugs. Advice found here has me sold on Rotella.

[SgtSlag]

I used the Rotella T6 Synthetic for a couple of years. My V-XII started having intermittent shifting issues where it missed a gear going into a false Neutral, between every gear, including 2-3, 3-4, and 4-5. The T6 is actually too thin, being 5W-40, so I switched to the dyno T, 15W-40: shifting issues almost disappeared entirely -- still happens once in a great while, but nothing like it was (suspect operator errors: sloppy shifting, not lifting gear-shift high enough).

The reality is that the T6 is, in fact, a highly refined dyno oil. It is so highly refined, that it behaves like a full synthetic. The law allows them to label it a synthetic, even though it is made without any Type IV oils. I've read that even Mobil 1 is now only highly refined Type III base oils, no Type IV oil. Don't know for sure.

The Rotella T oil is very high quality, and it is within the correct viscosity range, as specified by Kawasaki (10W-40, I believe, is the correct viscosity range). The T6, 5-weight oil (when cold) is too thin. With oil which is too thin, you lose the film strength, which means there is too little oil film on the parts, at start-up. Bottom line: whatever type of oil you choose, make certain it is within the correct viscosity range: not too thin, not too thick, for your particular application, to avoid unnecessary wear on the engine. Cheers!