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Thumbs down for Rotella T6

36K views 71 replies 30 participants last post by  Wheelhorse 
#1 ·
I don't deny the good experiences that many of you have had with this oil in your bikes, but for my '01 Bonnie, Rotella T6 has not been a winner.

My shifting quality has become tougher and notchier with the Rotella over the Mobil synthetic that was in it before.

It's cheap and it works, but the fact is is that it doesn't work well for MY bike.

I will be switching back to Mobil 1 v-twin synthetic or trying Motul 5100 in 2000 miles. I might even try draining a quart or so of the Rotella and throwing in a quart of the Mobil or Motul to see if that helps.

YMMV :)
 
#41 ·
Why are we comparing apples to oranges. The only thing a Tiger and Bonneville have in common are they are both motorcycles made by Triumph which if memory serves me correctly share some transmission components and thats about it. They are purpose built vehichles with different purposes.

If Rotella meets your needs great. I have used the product and was disatsified with it. I didnt save money using, I had to dump it after a 1,000 miles because the bike didnt shift correctly and the clutch was "sticky". Replaced with Mobil 1 20w50 Vtwin and all my headaches disappeared. I also suspect it has more in common with 15w50 Triumph Mobil 1. Both were high zinc oils. The product is available everywhere and is reasonably priced.
 
#42 ·
I just picked up Mobil 1 at a local auto zone for $10 a quart. As far as I'm concerned, that's a pretty ****in cheap way to keep the bike running strong.

Oh, and Denbow... The title of the thread didn't tip you off to how this discussion was going to go!!?? ;):D
 
#43 ·
Yes indeed. We're all friends here anyway.
But I'd like to know whose wheels are the roundest.
Certainly has to be one of our twins because all the other bikes suck.
 
#45 · (Edited)
I didn't skim all the pages here, but I do want to point out, Rotella T6 is not the same as Rotella T.

I believe T6 is 5W-40, T is 15W-40, so maybe the lighter cold viscosity is what causes issues? I also think T6 has some FM added to it, which could cause slip. I use "regular" T myself, no issues in my engine, so I'm curious. I'd also recommend the 15W-40 over 5W-40 anyway.

Not sure we're all talking about the same type of oil, or only brand, but I've seen similar things happen elsewhere - some engines just don't like otherwise great oils.

And I don't hold stock in any of these companies, but i do want to point out, there's a difference between "cheap" oil and "not-marked up" oil. Rotella is an excellent oil that doesn't carry the official motorcycle label and thus doesn't have the usual motorcycle price markup. It works great for many motorcyclists which is why its so popular.
 
#46 ·
I think you are right rotella t not t6 is what works good in our bikes.You should never use car oil with fm added in these bikes.You shouldnt use moble 1 car oil with fm in it ether.but you can use other moble 1 designed for bikes with out fm added .
 
#49 · (Edited)
Fwiw, the Rotella oils have all passed JASO specs and some are actually certified. No reason to call them diesel oils - all oils are basically the same but for the additives put in them. There's nothing extra special about motorcycle additives to justify the price hikes for motorcycle-branded oil other than the fact that oil companies can get away with it.

One thing to remember in general, any multi-weight oil is basically a lighter weight oil "buffed" to make the heavier weight viscosity when hot. A 5w-40 may just be too thin a 40 weight while a 15W-40 is not. Either way, if I was going to put Rotella into a bike, I'd put the 15W-40 in.

One think I like about the "old" style oils though is that the formulations still focus on engine protection, and not a compromise between protection and mpg.
 
#51 ·
THAT IS TRUE.What will work in these bikes has more to do with whats not in the oil then whats in it.Car oil with friction aditives does not work good with our clutches (tends to make them slip.As far as the trans goes any oil would work ok there is nothing new to them dino oil would do a good job in the trans.The trans is not a high wear item on these bikes.I would say any shift troubles that happen with oil will be clutch related.The trans on these bikes works better after it is worn in good because they have ruff spots when new that have to wear in.
 
#54 ·
Not to start the whole thing over again, but I misspoke in my post way back on page one: I was using Rotella T 15w40 and the bike shifted poorly. Using Mobil 1/Castrol makes for a much happier Bonneville.

And for the record, no stock Tiger wants anything to do with Mikes Bonne. If you aint on a 1050 Sprint, just stay on the porch and watch the show.
 
#55 · (Edited)
I forgot what the question was. Why not just get some good old Castrol 20W50 regular oil & keep it changed? I got away from the synthetic 20,000 miles ago. I ride a real bike & it needs real oil. Didn't notice a thing except the extra money. Now I can go buy a holster for Oklahomas new open carry law. Also heard OKC was losing it's Triumph Dealer. I'll be riding an orphan.
 
#65 ·
Because I can't resist poking the bear.... :)

19,000 miles on the Scrambler (22,000 miles total; 3,000 from prior owner) and 5,000 miles on the Thruxton with nothing but a steady annual diet of Rotella T6 and Purolator PureOne oil filters. No issues shifting, no engine parts have blown up....just keep on runnin'.

Knock on wood...I've had no issues running T6 to this point, and the only difference between when it had the factory fill has been the few extra bucks in my pocket.

FWIW....YMMV.... :D

Jason
 
#67 ·
:poke

+200,000 (miles)

42k on my 2010 Bonneville, 57k on my previous '07 650 V-strom, and 100k+ on my Honda PC800, all on the synthetic Rotella T6 5w40. No oil or clutch issues on any of them. The PC800 did not leak or burn any oil, and was still running the original clutch when I sold it with 167K. BTW, Rotella T6 is certified JASO MA for wet motorcycle clutches. Says so right on the label. :rolleyes:
 
#71 ·
Used Shell Rotella Full Synthetic (blue bottle 5W-40) since 500 miles and my 2007 Bonnie now has close to 47,000 miles.

No problems, whatsoever...valves still in spec!!! Shifting is buttery smooth, no clutch slipping or drag. Bike has been ridden hard and has done almost everything except trackdays/racing...and I MAY have plans to actually race it with CVMA (Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association---yes, I have done some "light dual-sporting" on it on some relatively mannered fire roads/maintenance access roads)

I have used may types of oils in between because they were on sale or I was given them. I have used Shell Rotella 15W-40 conventional, Chevron Delo 400 15W-40, Mobil 10W-40 full synthetic race oil. Out of all oils that still feel good on the bike, the Chevron Delo 400 feels second best...but you need to change more frequent since its conventional. But at Costco you can get a three pack of them for cheap and with how many miles I put on my bike it lasts me a little over a year.

I also use Purolator PureONE oil filters.

I AM...however, trying out Torco T4SR Full Sythetic Race Oil. Too early to tell since I have only put 40 miles on it since it's latest oil change. I will report my findings.
 
#72 ·
I'll agree that the 5-40 T6 left my shifter feeling a bit more notchy than I care to feel. Motorcraft 15-40 always shifter smoother, for me, than T6, however, nothing has taken the extreme idle time and smooth shifts up to a little ovr 3K miles as the Maxima 4T the PO used before selling it to me.

I believe this is the equivalent of a seat thread, some love the stock plank, and some consider it to be some sort of S&M device.
 
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