Delo 400 15W-40 still okay for motorcycles?

[onefastSV]

I have 3 bikes and I have been looking for an oil that will work in all of them. The diesel oils seem like they will work great.

I have heard good things about Delo 400 because its easy to find and affordable. However I recently learned that Chevron has added Moly. I don't believe its as much as an energy conserving oil though.

Will the new formula still work in motorcycles with wet clutches? Anyone try it? I believe the people who like it are still using the old formula.

I also like the Delvac 1300 but its impossible to find. It also contains a trace amount of Moly but probably not enough to be a problem. Shell Rotella is the most popular but the nearest Walmart is 30 miles away. Last time I was up there they were sold out of Rotella.

The warehouse wholesaler down the street has Delo 400 for cheap. So I am curious about it.

 

[KW]

I have never used the Chevron oil but the Delvac 1300 and the Rotella both work well. I have used the Rotella 15W40 and 5W40 in my last bike and the oil worked very well. The heavy duty oils can be found at truck stops for a reasonable price if the discount stores are far away. Though 30 miles would make a nice bike ride to get some oil for the bikes.

 

[drive it forever]

You will only know if it will work in your motorcycles by trying out the oil yourself. Just because one person says it works fine in his bike doesent mean it will work fine in yours. As an example, I tried using red cap mobil1 15w50, which contains a small dose of moly, in my suzuki dr350se dual-sport bike with bad results. But some people can use the 15w50 mobil1 in their bikes with success. I personally get the best clutch feel and tranny shifting from using yamahas yamalube 20w40, yes 20w40 oil in my suzuki. Anyone who has used the yamalube will tell you how good your tranny shifts with it. I would go for a oil without moly. You could get into a scenario where the wrong oil could end your life. This is no joke. Say you are on the freeway and you need that last ounce of power to avoid the guy who is doing a lane change on top of you. Do you want to find out that your clutch is slipping then? I had a bike where the clutch slipped, but during teardown, the clutch was fine, but the springs were not at the minimum height. If a moly oil was in the bike, it may have slipped earlier, whereas if the clutch springs wernt bad, it may not have slipped at all with a moly oil. Moly gets a

from me for use in wet clutch bikes.

 

[onefastSV]

All pretty good points. I would not want the clutch to slip getting on the freeway.

I have been using fancy motorcycle oil at about $7 a quart

Except my KLR 650 still gets Kawachem 10W-40.

After a bit of research I might just go with Amsoil. Its not that expensive plus you get all the benefits of a synthetic. Everybody I know who uses Amsoil loves it. They always try to talk me into Amsoil but I am one of those people who has to be different.

 

[Mike_dup1]

fyi


I was just looking in the owners manual for my new 2005 Honda Rancher AT 4x4. They specifically state to not use oils that are API labeled as "Energy Conserving". They contain additives (Friction Modifiers) that will have a negative affect on the clutchs in the trans. So if the oil has a FM in any amount, avoid it. It may not be a good oil to use in a M/C.

Chances are that a car/truck oil is not the best oil for a MC or ATV.

[ April 04, 2005, 08:50 AM: Message edited by: Mike ]

 

[blair]

Mike, I've got the same Honda (2004), what do you think of it? Be careful changing the oil, I was having a hard time getting the filter back in, then I realized I had dropped a spring into the drain pan. Then all worked well. Wish they would just use a spin-on.

 

[msparks]

quote:

---

Originally posted by onefastSV:
I have 3 bikes and I have been looking for an oil that will work in all of them. The diesel oils seem like they will work great.

---

I put about 2000 on Delo in my 2002 Triumph as breakin oil. Shifting went to pot after about 1500 miles FWIW.

I also had it in the SV before I sold it, only had about 1000 on the oil. Shifting was okay but don't have anything to compare it with.

I don't think I would use delo in an serious motorcycle unless it was a last resort.

Just my opinion.

 

[oregon_rider]

Someone on dirtrider.net contacted chevron - they used to recommend delo-400 for wet clutch applications/gearboxes, etc. They now specifically say not to use it in motorcycle wet clutch apps.

The same person checked with shell and they did not add moly to shell rotella or shell rotella synthetic in order to achieve the new CI4+ rating. So use shell rotella instead...

- jeff

 

[daves66nova]

http://www.rotella.com/ubbthreads/s...er=1402&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

 

[dustyjoe1]

This is really not my area, but as I am also wanting to use delo 400 in my kawasaki, I'll put in my .02 in. Hopefully my info is not out of date, but as of 12/2004 delo 400 was still rated for cat to-2 specification. here is the link that tells what that is all about http://www.ultramar.ca/Lubricants/html_english/english_techdata/e_ultralubeto4e.pdf . Now regardless of the fact that the oil does have some moly in it, this leads me to believe that its still ok to use it in a wet clutch application. I am going to try it in my kawasakin in a few weeks so we'll see. worse comes to worse I'll have to change it out...only loss is 7 bucks and my time.