Mobile Delvac or Rotella?

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Just curious which may be better on an air cooled HOnda 750. I am running Rotella right now with no gripes. But, I have seen some really good reports on Delvac too. Is one any better than the other or is it a toss up?

What do you think a reasonable interval would be on a Honda 750 inline 4? Manual calls for 4K changes. I was thinking about 3K to be on the safe side with Shell Rotella? Note, this is the standard 15w40 in the white jug I am using right now. Thanks.

Is Delvac JASO rated?
 
You can go to the Petroleum quality institute of America website and look up the section where they did an analysis on the HDEO oils and compare the oils. Good reading to get some technical analysis data.
 
My friend had a '82 Goldwing. He used all the oils you mentioned and was the happiest with the Delvac 15/40. Said it had the best shifting feel for the entire oci. As far as the jaso rating, when your bike was made as the same applies to the Goldwing, the recommended oil to use was regular motor oil. Nothing special.So any of the oils you mentioned will work fine.They have for over 30 years.,,
 
Either of the oils mentioned will be fine for a 3k interval. Give WM Supertech 15w40 a try also. It has shown well in UOA, and has devoted users in the ST1300 and Gold Wing worlds.
 
Walmart in my area is carrying Quick silver Synthetic motorcycle oil. distributed by Mercury marine . 20/50 is $25 a gallon.
 
Originally Posted By: nomochevys
Just curious which may be better on an air cooled HOnda 750. I am running Rotella right now with no gripes. But, I have seen some really good reports on Delvac too. Is one any better than the other or is it a toss up?

What do you think a reasonable interval would be on a Honda 750 inline 4? Manual calls for 4K changes. I was thinking about 3K to be on the safe side with Shell Rotella? Note, this is the standard 15w40 in the white jug I am using right now. Thanks.

Is Delvac JASO rated?


First off, awesome moto! I would say it's a pretty tough decision between the two oils from a VOA standpoint. Comparing the two will show different formulations from the respective manufacturers:

Rotella/Delvac

TBN: 9.05/9.66
Calcium: 2321/1347
Magnesium: 9/911
Phosphorus: 965/877
Zinc: 1098/1012
Moly: 48
Boron: 37/65

http://www.pqiamerica.com/March2013PCMO/HDEO SUMMARYrev2.html

With Delvac you end up with higher TBN, a dose of molybdenum (possibly their more potent trinuclear moly), double the PPM of Boron, and a detergent blend of Calcium/Magnesium (which has been shown in some studies to be a more potent detergent combination than calcium or magnesium alone).

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/354/reserve-alkalinity-oil

With Rotella you end up with higher concentrations of Calcium, Phos, and Zinc and as stated earlier meets JASO MA/MA2 specifications while Delvac lacks the designation. I think both oils would great choices for 3K mile OCI's unless otherwise noted from a UOA.
 
i have tested SRT, delvac 1300, delo le, walmart supertech (ST) and motorcraft. all at the 15w40 weight.

ST was the best 75.0
SRT 2nd
delvac
delo
motocraft was not in grade 68.0

all gave very close wear numbers
all had great flash
the only way to tell them apart was susvis
which held up the best.

these were all the old version...the new version doesnt hold up as well in any of the brands.

all in all...buy whats on sale...or by which bottle you like best...or if there is a racer in a sport that you like that is sponsored by one of these brands.

or simply let the left foot choose!

steve
 
I'll see all those brands mentioned above and raise you Chevron Delo and Pennzoil Long Life. Both are likely Group II+ base oils and may have an advantage over the ones already mentioned.

But, for a motorcycle where the engine and tranny share an oil, the deciding factor for me would be shift-feel. And You'll only find that out by trying each in your specific application.

Happy testing!
grin.gif
 
Originally Posted By: sunruh
i have tested SRT, delvac 1300, delo le, walmart supertech (ST) and motorcraft. all at the 15w40 weight.

ST was the best 75.0
SRT 2nd
delvac
delo
motocraft was not in grade 68.0

all gave very close wear numbers
all had great flash
the only way to tell them apart was susvis
which held up the best.

these were all the old version...the new version doesnt hold up as well in any of the brands.

all in all...buy whats on sale...or by which bottle you like best...or if there is a racer in a sport that you like that is sponsored by one of these brands.

or simply let the left foot choose!

steve


I would listen to this advise.....
I use Delvac MX and am very happy with it's perfornance....but the main reason I chose this brand is availability and price here in NZ.
Cheers
 
One of the Goldwing riders I know is running 20,000 miles (his words) OCI, based on regular sampling intervals and the analysis reports.

I don't know what it costs to get a sample anaylized, but it would seem to me to be less expensive to just change the oil... of course, I probably throw away a lot of perfectly good oil.

I use "diesel" oil in all my motorcycles. I expect water cooled motorcycle service to be less harsh on the oil than in an air cooled application. I generally change oil at 3500 miles, give or take a few. I also change the filter. I just figured that is the right thing to do. Apparently, some change filter every other oil change... I buy oil filters by the case and much like the clean oil I probably throw out, I probably throw away plenty of "good" filters.

I figure a filter and oil change cost me about 20$... far cheaper than an engine overhaul.
 
What experience do you have with these oils in BMW R1200 series of motorcycles that do not share engine oil with either the transmission or clutch?
 
I would use whatever is on sale/best price. Given a 3k-3.5k OCI any and all of the listed oils should protect adequately. I personally use rotella in a Honda '03 VRF800 interceptor which has a 12,000 rpm redline and have never had a problem.
 
Originally Posted By: tpfeffer
What experience do you have with these oils in BMW R1200 series of motorcycles that do not share engine oil with either the transmission or clutch?


My Sister is running Mobil 1 HM 10w40, in her 2012 R1200RT. It meets the specs as stated in the owners manual, and the bike runs fine on it.
 
Originally Posted By: TomTownsend

I figure a filter and oil change cost me about 20$... far cheaper than an engine overhaul.


They charge $15.99 for the oil filter for my Can Am! HiFlo doesn't make one for it either; prob not big enuf market. BRP does say its good for 9300 miles so I can do two changes per.
 
I had the pleasure of touching and looking at all the options over the border yesterday. I came close to buying the delo because those blue bottles are mesmerizing!

But went with the Rotella because it was the only brand on the shelf that carried the JASO MA spec, and the most specs of all. The fact that I have a solid history with Rotella made it even easier.
 
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