Things you probably already know about "Rotella T"

[alanmcorcoran]

I put a quart and half of Shell Rotella T into Suzi's innards this afternoon.

Although this was my first motorcycle oil change, it's a fairly simple process mechanically. My only advice to my fellow newbs is to do a little reconnaissance on the drain plug before you plunge in. It is not located for convenient access. You can sort of get a grip on it with the short 17mm crescent in the official tool kit (longer ones probably will be thwarted by the undercarriage.) If you have a jack stand of some sort it may make things easier - I did mine solely with the side stand. I found a 17mm socket would just barely clear the exhaust and frame. I had my wife hold the bike tilted back on the side stand and the rear tire to get my face under there (I have really bad eyesight.)

No, changing the oil (and filter) is pretty straight forward. The real problem I had was my relative ignorance about the OIL ITSELF! I know a 10w-40 from a 30w, but I was not familiar with Rotella except for the mention on here by primal. As it turns out, I'm pretty sure I did not use the same oil as primal. If you are interested in this oil, here are some good things to know before you go shopping:

Rotella T is NOT the name brand of Shell's synthetic.
Rotella T is the brand for Shell's heavy duty (diesel engine and the like) oils.
Rotella T comes in conventional AND synthetic.
The 15w-40 (recommended weight for MC) is NOT synthetic.
The multigrade 5w-40 (probably what primal used) IS synthetic.
The 15w-40, according to several sources on the Internet has been tested and exceeds the JASO-MA friction test.
The 15w-40 does NOT have "excessive friction modifiers" according to the esteemed source of info known as Wikipedia.

I used the non-synthetic 15w-40. Primarily, because I had already made three different trips to oil stores and, did not really fully understand all of the above until after I'd returned from store #3 with the 15w-40. The synthetic stuff was at Pep Boys in the gallon jugs, so I can try that next time, assuming no one here tells me not to. At the time I spotted it, I was still operating under the impression that the synthetic stuff came in a 10w40 weight.

Haven't ridden the bike yet, but I will let you know if I can leap tall buildings in a single bound, or if it shifts funny or anything.

[patrick_777]

As said before, I use Rotella T 5w40 full synthetic.

[alanmcorcoran]

Pat,

I searched the posts before going back to the Shell station. I found lots of references to Rotella, but I must have missed yours when you specified the weight. I'll give the other stuff a try in four or five months.

(How often do you change yours?)

[music man]

I also use the Rotella T 5w40 full synthetic. I have been changing mine every 1,500 hundred miles, excessive I know, but it is so cheap to change the oil on the GZ, I figure why not. I only change the Oil filter every other change (so every 3,000 miles).


By the way Alan, do you have a Wal-mart in California, because that is where I get My Oil.

[alanmcorcoran]

Yes, Wal Mart is here, and there is one a short ride away. I'm pretty sure they had the synthetic at Pep Boys which is even closer. I'm guessing Wal Mart is cheaper though. Do you notice anything different after an oil change?

[music man]

Yes, My bike runs Quieter, shifts smoother, and seems to have more power (not because of the brand, Just because of the fresh oil). And when I switched to the Rotella, I noticed quite a bit of difference in the shifting department.

[Water Warrior 2]

Alan, your bike will love you even more now. Too bad the GZ does not have a center stand. Life would be so much easier when tinkering. Here is what I have done for better access underneath the beast. You will need a strip of velcro, a 9.5 inch piece of 2x2 and your wife. Sounds sort of kinky. Velcro to hold the front brake on so the wheel will not turn. Bars full left lock. From the right hand side just push the bike over to the left so more weight goes on the side stand. The rear wheel will lift. Here is where the wife comes into play. Have her place the 2x2 vertically under the right side of the swing arm just ahead of the axle. You now have a fairly sturdy tripod. You can also do it alone with a little planning. You can also put a board or hockey puck under the side stand to increase overall height. Use a short extension with your socket and ratchet too. The velcro lives permanently on a mirror stalk on each bike just for safe parking on slopes to match the rear wheel with tranny in gear.
Also, a darn easy way to lube a chain without chasing the bike across the yard. Hope this helps for next time.

[alanmcorcoran]

Took a short ride to the theater tonight. Nothing too significant to report. On the way back it seemed to take longer to warm up, but, it was a little cooler this evening and the bike had been sitting outside, so that might just be the realities of the temperature.

I took the freeway in but the traffic in lane one was too slow to open it all the way up. Didn't feel much different than yesterday. To be fair, I wasn't having any issues with power or shifting before, so it's not like it should be acting any differently. Plus, I didn't use the magic synthetic blend.

Also, I might have overfilled it. It looked perfect after I had done the change and let it run a bit, but it felt a little wierd climbing the hill on the way home, and just to make sure that I hadn't forgot to tighten the filter cover or the drain plug, I checked the level. At first, I thought it had gone below "L" and I put some more in. On closer inspection (did I mention my eyesight is bad?), I realized, somehow the level had risen and was now filling the glass. It only looked empty because it was all the same color. Maybe I will leave future oil changes to the pros after all.

[patrick_777]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Pat,

I searched the posts before going back to the Shell station. I found lots of references to Rotella, but I must have missed yours when you specified the weight. I'll give the other stuff a try in four or five months.

(How often do you change yours?)

I don't think I ref'd the particular weight, but I referred to primal's mention of Rotella. I thought I had posted a picture on the board of the bottle I use, but I'm a little forgetful lately.

I like to change my oils every other month, depending on the riding I've been doing. If I'm really aggressive on the Ninja for a few weeks, I'll change it sooner rather than later. The GZ gets an oil change with every major weather shift, or when I feel like the power's falling off in the upper band, then I'll change the oil and filter.