Rotella oil

[voyager55]

Is the Shell rotella oil still good to use? I don't use synthetic

[GrandpaDenny]

Is the Shell rotella oil still good to use? I don't use synthetic

I use Rotella T6 full synthetic in Gertrude, Rotella T5 (synthetic blend) in Geraldine (Honda 500 Shadow). I went with the T5 instead of T4 full dino because of the price. I'm not planning to keep Geraldine long enough to see if the synthetic blend causes any problems such as leaks (it's an '84).

[cushman eagle]

I have been using T-6 5w-40 for 10+ years,and almost 66,000 miles,and have seen no issues yet

[voyager55]

So is T4 the way to go if I want dino oil?

[Thadbaker86voyager]

Have used regular 15w-40 Rotella in everything for 20+ years no problems. Haven’t had a reason to use the synthetic version. No need to fix a problem you don’t have! Lol!

[SgtSlag]

I ran with Rotella T6 Full Synthetic, 5W-40, for a couple of years. I started having shifting issues, more than normal. On a hunch, I went back to the dyno version, 15W-40: the shifting issues disappeared (false neutrals between every gear...). The manual specifies a minimum viscosity of 10 weight, so using the T6 5W-40, means that I was using an oil thinner than recommended. I would suggest using an oil which is within the specified range of 10 to 40, conventional, synthetic, or a blend. The viscosity is critical, in modern engines, and I assume, to a lesser extent, it is the same in older engines. YMMV, but you will never go wrong using oil within the specified viscosity ranges. Cheers!

[Dave]

I ran with Rotella T6 Full Synthetic, 5W-40, for a couple of years. I started having shifting issues, more than normal. On a hunch, I went back to the dyno version, 15W-40: the shifting issues disappeared (false neutrals between every gear...). The manual specifies a minimum viscosity of 10 weight, so using the T6 5W-40, means that I was using an oil thinner than recommended. I would suggest using an oil which is within the specified range of 10 to 40, conventional, synthetic, or a blend. The viscosity is critical, in modern engines, and I assume, to a lesser extent, it is the same in older engines. YMMV, but you will never go wrong using oil within the specified viscosity ranges. Cheers!

Since both oils are xW40, they should have the same viscosity at operating temperature. The 5W40 will be thinner when cold than the 15W40.

[SgtSlag]

Dave, you are absolutely correct. However, it takes several minutes for the oil to thicken up to 40 weight. During that warm-up, it is is 5 weight, thin, and your bearings are wearing. Like I said, YMMV. I was just sharing that I found that switching to the 15W-40 solved my false neutral issues. It is your bike, your decision. Just offering my experiences for you to compare to your experiences.

I would recommend staying within the recommended viscosity ranges for any newer vehicle, however. Their tolerances are razor thin. Cheers!

[Dave]

The oil doesn't actually get thinner as it gets warm a higher multi vis oil simply doesn't thin out as much. It could be argued that 5W40 is better because it flows better at low temperatures ensuring that the oil flows quickly to parts needing lubrication. That said, since Kaw recommends 10W40 or 20W50 for the Voyager, its viscosity needs aren't critical. As for 5W vs 10W, the actual viscosity difference is not that great. For a given temperature, a 5W at a certain temperature will be about the same viscosity as a 10W at a temperature about 5 degrees warmer.