15W-40 oils

[kelly5150]

Just a tid-bit of oil info for you all.
15W-40 is moslty used for Diesel motor vehicles, be it tractors, big rigs, boats , generators, etc, etc, etc.
It is a good oil for sure and is made for heavy duty operation , so I think it seams pretty smart to be used in these chinese bikes , especially since the machining is rougher than the Japenese machines . I would also gather that for the gears in the gear-box on these bikes which uses the same oil it would make a great oil , better than 10W anything .
Of course this is just my opinion on the matter .
I will be going with Shell oil and wil let you all know if it is good or not based on real world riding .

When you think about it, would you run diesel fuel in your unleaded car just becasue you thought it was what you think it should be run in it ?
15W-40 is what they recomend, so 15W-40 is what its going to be eating !
And it makes sence in a machine tha tis not smooth as silk like a Japenese bikes motor my friends .

Cheerios, and Fruit-Loops too ! Kelly out :wink:

[HardlyDangerous]

Keep in mind a 10w-40 and 15w-40 are the same oil at normal opreating temps. Because these are a fair weather machine and usually not run in the winter a 15w-40 is fine. but if you plan on running it in colder temps a 15w oil has a pretty high pour point. the *w just stands for how well the oil will pour when cold and has nothing to do with how well it will protect the engine.


Syntheics on the other hand have much better flow properties regardless of the winter weight and a much heavier *W oil can be used then if using a conventional oil containing mineral oils

I run synthetic lubricants only. (Amsoil and Redline) These are not really oils they just call them oils so to not confuse the mass public. These lubricants contain NO mineral oil or byproducts found in conventional.

Amsoil 10w-40 in the bikes and ATV's or lighter duty machines all year long.
Amsoil 2000 20w-50 in the larger or race bikes all year long
Amsoil 0w-40 in the ATV's all year long
Amsoil dominator in the 2 strokes at 50:1

[Skip_200gy]

I'm curious to know whether the 15w-40 oil was fine. I'm running my bike in, but don't trust the oil that is in it. I bough a can of shell 15w-40, but the can says it is for Diesel vehicles. I've looked around a bit and all the 15w-40 oils seems to be marked as "Diesel". (castrol as well)

[kelly5150]

Well, it seamed to work for break-in just fine for me , but I always switch over to Motorcyle oils eventually , Bardhal to be exact, but did not have a lick of problem with the Shell . I do believe Motorcycle oil has more lube for clutches and gears than regular oils .

Cheers, Kelly

PS, if you have any hesitation, use Motorcycle oil, problem solved .

[kelly5150]

Diesel oil in 15w 40 is tough stuff, they use it for generators, Trucks, and any machine that takes serious abuse from long run times. Its good oil , nothing wrong with it whatsoever. The only controversy is to wheather or not its as good as Motorcycle oil ? I doubt it is . It may be tougher oil, but it doesn;t ahve the lube properties that Motorcycle oil has , especially the Synthetics , which I don't use personally.

Cheers, Kelly

PS, I just can't see spending $7.00 plus a quart to just throw away in 10 hours ? Plus if I am going to be eating metal particulates for the first ten hours or so, I want a heavy duty oil to catch them , not a super lubed oil that won't catch them . JMHO , and thats how I have done it forever . My Motors last a LONG time , but I break them in nice . I don't buy that article from whomever it was, I think Bruce that goes into why the old way is so bad and the heavy hard break-in is better. Not buying that stuff, now way is that even possible in my mind, but then again, that is just MY opinion and it don't mean sqwatt .

Cheers, Kelly

[katoranger]

I have run the shell rotella T 15w40 oil for a long. Don't worry about the diesel designation. It will work in a gas engine too.

Allen

[Cal25]

Carefull about rotella oil. It is very good stuff but there is an ingedient in it that will contaminate an oxygen sensor in engines that have them. Suposed to be really good on engine bearings.

[katoranger]

No O2 sensor to worry about on the china bikes.

My diesels don't have them either.

Allen

[warrior91]

I have used Shell rottella T for years in my Yamaha. All other oil I used has been HD diesel oil (15/40) as it lacks the friction modifiers that screw up wet clutch / sump cases. as long as the bottom half of the rating circle is bblank , it is safe for wet sump/clutch bikes...AFAIK and run the same clutch for the last 7 years.

[doxaimpex]

Originally Posted by kelly5150

Just a tid-bit of oil info for you all.
15W-40 is moslty used for Diesel motor vehicles, be it tractors, big rigs, boats , generators, etc, etc, etc.
It is a good oil for sure and is made for heavy duty operation , so I think it seams pretty smart to be used in these chinese bikes , especially since the machining is rougher than the Japenese machines . I would also gather that for the gears in the gear-box on these bikes which uses the same oil it would make a great oil , better than 10W anything .
Of course this is just my opinion on the matter .
I will be going with Shell oil and wil let you all know if it is good or not based on real world riding .

When you think about it, would you run diesel fuel in your unleaded car just becasue you thought it was what you think it should be run in it ?
15W-40 is what they recomend, so 15W-40 is what its going to be eating !
And it makes sence in a machine tha tis not smooth as silk like a Japenese bikes motor my friends .

Cheerios, and Fruit-Loops too ! Kelly out :wink:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on 15W-40 oil. I agree that it's a versatile and robust oil, especially for heavy-duty diesel vehicles like tractors, big rigs, boats, and generators. Your point about using it in Chinese bikes is interesting, considering the rougher machining compared to Japanese bikes.

While 15W-40 is indeed suitable for these applications, have you considered using a fully synthetic 15W-40 diesel oil? Fully synthetic oils offer better performance, especially in extreme temperatures, and provide superior protection against wear and tear. They also tend to have better cleaning properties, keeping your engine cleaner for longer periods.

Your analogy about using the right fuel is spot on. Just as you wouldn't use diesel fuel in an unleaded car, using the right oil is crucial for optimal performance. Since 15W-40 is recommended for these bikes, a fully synthetic 15W-40 diesel oil could enhance performance even further, especially for those gears in the gearbox.

I’m curious to hear about your experience with Shell oil. Please keep us updated on how it performs in real-world riding conditions.

Cheers to smooth and efficient rides!

[doxaimpex]

Originally Posted by kelly5150

Just a tid-bit of oil info for you all.
15W-40 is moslty used for Diesel motor vehicles, be it tractors, big rigs, boats , generators, etc, etc, etc.
It is a good oil for sure and is made for heavy duty operation , so I think it seams pretty smart to be used in these chinese bikes , especially since the machining is rougher than the Japenese machines . I would also gather that for the gears in the gear-box on these bikes which uses the same oil it would make a great oil , better than 10W anything .
Of course this is just my opinion on the matter .
I will be going with Shell oil and wil let you all know if it is good or not based on real world riding .

When you think about it, would you run diesel fuel in your unleaded car just becasue you thought it was what you think it should be run in it ?
15W-40 is what they recomend, so 15W-40 is what its going to be eating !
And it makes sence in a machine tha tis not smooth as silk like a Japenese bikes motor my friends .

Cheerios, and Fruit-Loops too ! Kelly out :wink:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on 15W-40 oil. I agree that it's a versatile and robust oil, especially for heavy-duty diesel vehicles like tractors, big rigs, boats, and generators. Your point about using it in Chinese bikes is interesting, considering the rougher machining compared to Japanese bikes.

While 15W-40 is indeed suitable for these applications, have you considered using a fully synthetic 15W-40 diesel oil? Fully synthetic oils offer better performance, especially in extreme temperatures, and provide superior protection against wear and tear. They also tend to have better cleaning properties, keeping your engine cleaner for longer periods.

Your analogy about using the right fuel is spot on. Just as you wouldn't use diesel fuel in an unleaded car, using the right oil is crucial for optimal performance. Since 15W-40 is recommended for these bikes, a fully synthetic 15W-40 diesel oil could enhance performance even further, especially for those gears in the gearbox.

I’m curious to hear about your experience with Shell oil. Please keep us updated on how it performs in real-world riding conditions.

Cheers to smooth and efficient rides!

[Crossbar]

bumping this thread just to see if Kelly responds after 17yrs...

[Thumper]

You DO have a sense of humor!

[GypsyR]

I didn't realize until just now how long this forum has been around! How do you even dredge up a thread this old?

On topic, people have been using Rotella "diesel" oil successfully in Japanese bikes for decades. Mostly because it happens to have the frictions modifiers in it for wet clutches that "car" oils do not. Me, I've always paid that little bit more for "motorcycle" oil. It's not like any bike I own holds more than two quarts.