5w40 Rotella Syn or 10w40 M1 for Yamaha FZ6

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jul 10, 2004
Messages
9
Location
Louisiana
I have an '06 Yamaha FZ6 with the R6 derived engine. It redlines at 14K so I want to make sure I have a good oil in it.

The Manual recomends 10w30 for temps below 60 F(IIRC) and 20w40 (Yes, that's correct) for hotter climates.

BTW I live in Louisiana so we see 70+ F even in the middle of "winter".

Well, 20w40 is apparently very uncommon but conviniently for the dealers Yamaha Yamalube is one of the only oils available in that weight.

Anyway, on my first OC @780 miles I used Rotella 5w40 Synthetic based on numerous other general reccomendations for bike lubes. Should I stick with this or go with 10w40 M1 or something else.
 
Yamalube 20W-40 is a quality MC-specific oil: not that terribly expensive around here, might just be a good choice for the bike if it is still under warranty.

I don't see how using Rotella-T 5W-40 could possibly HURT your bike, but a dino 15W-40 kinda' fits in perfectly between the two weights suggested in the Manual.

After warranty is done, something like Amsoil's AME 15W-40 might eventually allow you much longer OCI's: what is the recommended filter change interval on your bike?

Cheers!
 
4,000 mile OCI.

Yamalube is a dino oil though, right?

I really would like to use a synthetic being that it does 14k RPMs and it is a wet clutch with a shared sump. Seems like it could really shear even the best oil.

I think the Yamalube is somewhere around $4 per quart which isn't horrible but I can get the gallon jug of Rotella Synthetic from Wal-Mart which works out to a little under $4 per quart.
 
The 5-40 is the oil of choice here in the Black Hills but weather temps are a factor. Have used Rotella 15-40 for summer in the bikes, works well. Seems like the 15-40 would be a good financial choice for you. We run the syn Rotella 5-40 all year around now in 15 cycle engines (including 3 ZX-10Rs).Smallest engine is Kaw 650R and a 636, largest is a V-twin VN2000. All start well in the cold with 5-40 syn. Rotella. Hottest temp was 106F during the short summer. If hard working diesel engines use the 5-40 so can my bikes and yours.
 
Use the RTS without worries. Very robust oil at an apprpriate price. Nothing wrong with standard HDEO's mind you, but for the cost of RTS, I use it. D1 is good too but much more expensive usually. Keep an eye out around Diesel service centres for HDEO's. You can usually buy it at bulk prices. That's what I do. The M1 bike oil is an excellent product at a terrible price. Stick with the RTS. Oh yeah, don't worry about the 1st number on the multigrade rating for the oil - that's just start-up relative viscosity. A 15w-40 oil does not split the difference between a 5w-40 and a 20w-40 as some mistakenly advise. Perhaps that might possibly be said for the start-up pumpability of the oil but it does not apply whe the oils are all at operating temperature - then they are ALL forty weights!

John.
 
Well, not sure what to do now.

Every UOA I can find for a "hooligan bike" shows pretty rapid shearing even with a "good" synthetic (M1, RP, etc.) after short intervals (1,200-1,500 mi.).

The only oil I saw that had decent shear resistance in this type of application was Redline. But at $8 a quart I could change the oil with Rotella 15w40 every 1000 miles (4k filter change) and spend about the same amount of money. With daily commuting I'd be changing oil every month though.

After reading up on the other UOAs on here I'm doubting whether the manufacturer's 4,000 mile OCI is a good idea.
 
Yep, I was in the same position--changing with cheap oil every two months (or less), or changing only 2-3 times per year with Red Line--because of the number of miles I average per year on my bike. I had some concerns about protection while my engine is still cold (I usually hit the highway after about a mile of travel on surface streets, and my bike runs at 5,000+ RPM to manage highway speeds), so Terry thought that Red Line would protect best in that scenario.

Unfortunately, the USPS lost my first Red Line sample, and I haven't had a chance to mail my second sample, but I believe that Red Line should be holding its viscosity well over a 3,000 mile OCI based on UOAs in other motorcycles. I can't wait for my latest results, though, to verify!
 
Well my shift quality really started to deteriorate with the Rotella so after 1500 miles I tried M1 5w40 Truck & SUV. Shifting is way better than it was even when I first put in the Rotella. Before it was Ka-Klank, Ka-Klank, requireing more effort that what I thought felt right. Now, with the M1 it's like Snick, Snick with very little effort.

This could be due to it being earlier in the brake in process though. I'll run the M1 for a while and see how it feels after 1500 miles or so.
 
Also, in the 5 quart jug from Wal-Mart the M1 (~$22+ Tax) works out out to like $4.40 per quart. The Rotella Synthetic (~$16+ Tax) in the 4 quart jug works out to $4 even. So, there isn't much of a price difference there.

If the M1 continues to perform well then I'll have it analyzed and if everything looks good I won't have a problem spending the extra $1.20 per oil change (3 quarts) for the M1 over the Rotella.
 
I recently switched from M1 MX4T to Rotella Synth on my GSXR 600 and have not noticed any difference other than the $$$. I do lots of track days and rev the snot out of it.
 
. . . about oil. Don't pay any attention to the lower number. Actually lower is better because a smaller lower number usually means they start with a better base stock. I run Mobil 1 MX4T in my ZX-10R but have run Mobil 1 15w50 and Shell Rotella T 15w40. If cost is a factor for you, you really can't get much better than the Rotella 5w40 for the price. Unless you just like changin' oil, every 3,000 miles or so is adequate.
 
Not sure I completely agree about the "don't pay attention to the lower number". In most cases a lower number is indictive of the oil containing more VI improving polymers, something that can lead to early shear in shared transmission bike oils. Look at that SAE paper FWIW, note the difference in 5w30 and 10w30 in the gear test? This is also why yamalube is a 20w40, NOT an 10w40. Makes for a more shear stable dino oil. Quicksilver has gone to a 25w40 probably for the same reason. The diesel industry has stayed 15w40 with a 5w40 product for COLD temps. Synthetic basestocks may allow some expansion in the range, but shell rotella isn't one of them. It's about as synthetic as the yamalube is, grp 3, and it's 5w40 probably has more polymer than its 15w40? This is why mx4t probably cost so darn much, they use an expensive basestock that attains 10w40 spread without VI improvers, a step up in cost to produce than the reg M1 auto oil.
 
Unless I am misunderstanding, you are indicating that standard 20w-40 Yamalube is a Group lll synthetic? I thought otherwise.

John.
 
The Mobil 1 15w50 (car stuf) and 10w40 and 20w50 (motorcycle stuff) are very similar in VOA. The reason for the difference in price is the word "motorcycle" on the label.
 
The VOA's are only showing you SOME of the additives, tell nothing about the basestocks or esters that are being used. "Motorcycle" does add to the price I'm sure, but the oil probably did cost more to produce. IMO, it's not the same.
 
I believe that the M1 15W50 and the M1 motorcycle-specific oils (10W40 and 20W50) are from totally different basestocks. The pour points are significantly different, so are the flash points and from my UOA's the viscosity retention characteristics.

Also, there's the story floating around that the Mobil engineer was allowed to design whatever oil he wanted for a motorcycle specific application...
ooo.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top