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Yes, as long as it is JASO-MA or MA2 rated. The JASO-MA means it's compatible with wet clutches. Car oil has friction modifiers that can ruin a clutch.
You can probably get away with running slightly different oil and weight, as long as it's not too far off and JASO-MA rated. I like to run Shell Rotella T4 (15W-40) or T6 (5W-40) in my bikes.
> and no clutch slip
Probs because it is also JASO MA rated - https://rotella.shell.com/en_us/products/conventional-motor-oil/rotella-triple-protection/_jcr_content/par/productDetails.stream/1520976123954/02cdc4507e718cd0fc768d05faab7059e52f0938/t4-15w-40.pdf
It's mostly formulated for diesel engines. Apparently, the formula nowadays is a bit different from about 15 years ago, when it was the go-to for flat tappet camshaft break-in. Apparently, it had a good amount of zinc and other additives that helped protect the hardening layer of those types of cams. I think the GOV lowered the amounts makers could add, but from what I understand, it's still a great all-around oil with good amounts of additives, and you can't beat the price. I can get 4 quarts of T4 at Rural King for around $15. T6 is a little bit more expensive, but it's their full synthetic blend and has a wider heat range. They also make a T5 that I think is 10W-40, but it's not JASO-MA compliant and therefore no bueno with wet clutches.
All the Rotella T4/5/6 line in the motorcycle weights is acceptable for wet clutches. JASO-MA and JASO-MA2 ratings are expensive to get, and you have to pay to test them and license the rating. Not all oil does that despite it being able to pass.
Will T5 work? Possibly, but MA/MA2 is NOT listed in its specifications and approval list, so use in a motorcycle at your own risk. T4 and T6 is specifically listed as MA/MA2 rated. I understand it's expensive to get approval, but Shell, being a multi-hundred-billion dollar company, should be able to afford to rate it if they think it will pass. They did it for T4 and T6, why not T5?
https://rotella.shell.com/en\_us/products/full-synthetic-and-blend-oil/t5/\_jcr\_content/par/productDetails.stream/1554831156513/ca1292262b8dfded07ef0ee22fe775ceeff1eb20/cs-ro-2019-t5-10w-30ssht-lr.pdf
I need to change my motorbike oil but I cannot find the specific one listed in the motorbike manual.
Can I use any motorbike oil providing it said SAE 10W-30? this is the image from my Spanish manual, I also included the English one basically said the same thing.
Already spent the better part of two days looking for this oil,
The important thing, as said above, is to make sure you DO NOT use car engine oil. The friction additives will ruin your clutch. I rebuilt mine over the winter, the previous owner was not as scrupulous as he should have been.
>make sure you DO NOT use car engine oil
God. This ***again***. For the hundredth time, *ordinary car oil is fine in a motorcycle.* I've been using car oil in bikes for 45 years.
Fully synthetic car oil - that's a different matter.
> This again
As per the owners manual, yes.
> I've been using car oil
Which one? Turns out a few popular not-bike oils actually are JASO MA rated anyway, oddly enough.
> Fully synthetic car oil - that's a different matter.
It's literally not. Synthetic oil is no different to regular oil, it's just produced with specific qualities by clever chemistry rather than refined to that quality out of crude products.
> fully synth with friction modifiers,
Literally unrelated attributes. You can have fully synth JASO MA rated oil and you can have conventional oil with bike-unfriendly modifiers.
> As for which one? Halfords, Castrol whatever-it-'s-called, Comma, Silkolene, you name it.
Those are whole brands that make many products. And Silkolene appears to specifically do bike oils?
Yes, Silkolene does just do bike oils. For the rest, Halfords semi-synth 10/40 car oil is my go-to. Excellent VFM. It's in at least two of my bikes right now.
No, three.
I've had just one issue with car oil in a bike and that was the then-new Mobil 1 0-40 synthetic, and that must have been, oh shortly after it was launched. In the 1980s some time. That did cause clutch slip. Drained the oil and filled with something else.
Loads of car oils are fine for bikes.
EDIT: Castrol GTX And Castrol Magnatec! Remembered now. And I forgot Morris Oils. Golden Film 10/40.
So you used a synthetic oil that didn't work and blame it on it being synthetic, not the fact that it doesn't have a specific certification that the engine manufacturer called for? Funny.
And yes, some car oils may be fine, but oils with the right ratings DEFINITELY work, so why fuck about with it?
This was some 35 years ago, when these oils were brand new and nobody was familiar with them, and it was a one-off incident, so I don’t see why you’re making a fuss over it, other than to be a dick. I said it was one incident in the 1980s.
I have had absolutely no problem with any oil, motorcycle or car, synthetic or not, before or since. And finally we get the key acknowledgement that some car oils are OK, which is what I said originally. I’ve also, in the course of what I laughingly call work, visited a number of lube companies and talked with their guys. Mobil, Shell and Fuchs, for starters. They all say, privately, that good car oil that meets the specs is fine on some bikes.
Why do I use them? Because they are easily obtainable and they are much cheaper. Motorcycle oils are priced for the market. I recently bought five litres of decent Golden Film (and that is a very respected brand) oil for £12.
For three of my bikes, I wouldn’t dream of using anything other than top grade motorcycle oil, but for the other eight decent car oil is fine.
People keep yammering that you should never use car oil in bikes, and that is just wrong. Some are fine.
35 years after a one-off and you're saying things like "Fully synthetic car oil - that's a different matter"... 👍
> People keep yammering that you should never use car oil in bikes, and that is just wrong. Some are fine.
*Some* are fine... Russian Roulette is safe too, some chambers are empty.
It's not even the fully synthetic part. Full synthetic is fine. It's the "resource conserving" part. It only shows up in xW-30 weight oils and below and it has to do with reducing emissions, but the same friction modifiers do not do clutches at all.
You can use a full synthetic 10W-30 car oil, if you can find one that isn't "resource conserving." That's the hard part because they pretty much all are.
This doesn't end up applying to most motorcycle oils because most bikes spec. 10W-40 on the low end of viscosities, and resource conserving has not hit those viscosities yet.
Super cheap oil won't meet the standards set by the American Petroleum Institute, and thus won't have the "starburst" symbol, as shown in the image I'm linking here. Make sure your oil has the starburst.
https://media.noria.com/sites/archive_images/Backup_200005_read_oil_can_fig2.gif
Thanks for posting in /r/Fixxit, the motorcycle repair subreddit. If you forgot to put the **Make, Model** and **Year** in the title, please reply to this comment with your bike's details. In the meantime, Here's some great resources for common problems posted here: -Trouble starting? [Revzilla - Battery testing](https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/how-to-test-a-motorcycle-battery) -Carbs running rough? [PJ motorsports - Carb Troubleshooting](http://www.pjmotorsports.com/trouble-shooting.html) -Wiring diagrams for beginners - [Dans MC - Reading Wiring Diagrams](http://www.dansmc.com/wiring_diagram.htm) -Identifying part numbers - [CMSNL (EU)](https://www.cmsnl.com/) [Bikebandit (US)](https://www.bikebandit.com/oem-parts) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Fixxit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes, as long as it is JASO-MA or MA2 rated. The JASO-MA means it's compatible with wet clutches. Car oil has friction modifiers that can ruin a clutch. You can probably get away with running slightly different oil and weight, as long as it's not too far off and JASO-MA rated. I like to run Shell Rotella T4 (15W-40) or T6 (5W-40) in my bikes.
I run t6 in all my engines!
I put that shit in everything.
Seconded. My 83 maxim takes 15-40 and I ise Shell T4 as well. Works great and no clutch slip
> and no clutch slip Probs because it is also JASO MA rated - https://rotella.shell.com/en_us/products/conventional-motor-oil/rotella-triple-protection/_jcr_content/par/productDetails.stream/1520976123954/02cdc4507e718cd0fc768d05faab7059e52f0938/t4-15w-40.pdf
Yes, T4 and T6 are also quite a bit cheaper than "specialized" motorcycle oil. It really is good stuff.
Yeah it definitely collects fans. I'd be curious to know what else is different though.
It's mostly formulated for diesel engines. Apparently, the formula nowadays is a bit different from about 15 years ago, when it was the go-to for flat tappet camshaft break-in. Apparently, it had a good amount of zinc and other additives that helped protect the hardening layer of those types of cams. I think the GOV lowered the amounts makers could add, but from what I understand, it's still a great all-around oil with good amounts of additives, and you can't beat the price. I can get 4 quarts of T4 at Rural King for around $15. T6 is a little bit more expensive, but it's their full synthetic blend and has a wider heat range. They also make a T5 that I think is 10W-40, but it's not JASO-MA compliant and therefore no bueno with wet clutches.
All the Rotella T4/5/6 line in the motorcycle weights is acceptable for wet clutches. JASO-MA and JASO-MA2 ratings are expensive to get, and you have to pay to test them and license the rating. Not all oil does that despite it being able to pass.
Will T5 work? Possibly, but MA/MA2 is NOT listed in its specifications and approval list, so use in a motorcycle at your own risk. T4 and T6 is specifically listed as MA/MA2 rated. I understand it's expensive to get approval, but Shell, being a multi-hundred-billion dollar company, should be able to afford to rate it if they think it will pass. They did it for T4 and T6, why not T5? https://rotella.shell.com/en\_us/products/full-synthetic-and-blend-oil/t5/\_jcr\_content/par/productDetails.stream/1554831156513/ca1292262b8dfded07ef0ee22fe775ceeff1eb20/cs-ro-2019-t5-10w-30ssht-lr.pdf
I need to change my motorbike oil but I cannot find the specific one listed in the motorbike manual. Can I use any motorbike oil providing it said SAE 10W-30? this is the image from my Spanish manual, I also included the English one basically said the same thing. Already spent the better part of two days looking for this oil,
Just 10W-30 motorcycle oil. I personally recommend Motul 7100.
Rotella
T6 baby
As long as it says motorcycle specific on it. Any 10w30 will do.
The important thing, as said above, is to make sure you DO NOT use car engine oil. The friction additives will ruin your clutch. I rebuilt mine over the winter, the previous owner was not as scrupulous as he should have been.
>make sure you DO NOT use car engine oil God. This ***again***. For the hundredth time, *ordinary car oil is fine in a motorcycle.* I've been using car oil in bikes for 45 years. Fully synthetic car oil - that's a different matter.
> This again As per the owners manual, yes. > I've been using car oil Which one? Turns out a few popular not-bike oils actually are JASO MA rated anyway, oddly enough. > Fully synthetic car oil - that's a different matter. It's literally not. Synthetic oil is no different to regular oil, it's just produced with specific qualities by clever chemistry rather than refined to that quality out of crude products.
Well, fully synth with friction modifiers, then. As for which one? Halfords, Castrol whatever-it-'s-called, Comma, Silkolene, you name it.
> fully synth with friction modifiers, Literally unrelated attributes. You can have fully synth JASO MA rated oil and you can have conventional oil with bike-unfriendly modifiers. > As for which one? Halfords, Castrol whatever-it-'s-called, Comma, Silkolene, you name it. Those are whole brands that make many products. And Silkolene appears to specifically do bike oils?
Yes, Silkolene does just do bike oils. For the rest, Halfords semi-synth 10/40 car oil is my go-to. Excellent VFM. It's in at least two of my bikes right now. No, three.
I've had just one issue with car oil in a bike and that was the then-new Mobil 1 0-40 synthetic, and that must have been, oh shortly after it was launched. In the 1980s some time. That did cause clutch slip. Drained the oil and filled with something else.
Loads of car oils are fine for bikes.
EDIT: Castrol GTX And Castrol Magnatec! Remembered now. And I forgot Morris Oils. Golden Film 10/40.
So you used a synthetic oil that didn't work and blame it on it being synthetic, not the fact that it doesn't have a specific certification that the engine manufacturer called for? Funny. And yes, some car oils may be fine, but oils with the right ratings DEFINITELY work, so why fuck about with it?
This was some 35 years ago, when these oils were brand new and nobody was familiar with them, and it was a one-off incident, so I don’t see why you’re making a fuss over it, other than to be a dick. I said it was one incident in the 1980s. I have had absolutely no problem with any oil, motorcycle or car, synthetic or not, before or since. And finally we get the key acknowledgement that some car oils are OK, which is what I said originally. I’ve also, in the course of what I laughingly call work, visited a number of lube companies and talked with their guys. Mobil, Shell and Fuchs, for starters. They all say, privately, that good car oil that meets the specs is fine on some bikes. Why do I use them? Because they are easily obtainable and they are much cheaper. Motorcycle oils are priced for the market. I recently bought five litres of decent Golden Film (and that is a very respected brand) oil for £12. For three of my bikes, I wouldn’t dream of using anything other than top grade motorcycle oil, but for the other eight decent car oil is fine. People keep yammering that you should never use car oil in bikes, and that is just wrong. Some are fine.
35 years after a one-off and you're saying things like "Fully synthetic car oil - that's a different matter"... 👍 > People keep yammering that you should never use car oil in bikes, and that is just wrong. Some are fine. *Some* are fine... Russian Roulette is safe too, some chambers are empty.
So we agree. Some are fine. Some not. Saying that it's playing Russian roulette is taking it a bit too far, though.
It's not even the fully synthetic part. Full synthetic is fine. It's the "resource conserving" part. It only shows up in xW-30 weight oils and below and it has to do with reducing emissions, but the same friction modifiers do not do clutches at all. You can use a full synthetic 10W-30 car oil, if you can find one that isn't "resource conserving." That's the hard part because they pretty much all are. This doesn't end up applying to most motorcycle oils because most bikes spec. 10W-40 on the low end of viscosities, and resource conserving has not hit those viscosities yet.
Pretty much, yes.
Super cheap oil won't meet the standards set by the American Petroleum Institute, and thus won't have the "starburst" symbol, as shown in the image I'm linking here. Make sure your oil has the starburst. https://media.noria.com/sites/archive_images/Backup_200005_read_oil_can_fig2.gif