Which motor oil do you suggest?

[MZ5]

The grade; Honda recommends 10W30 or 10W40, but not a 5W40.

IME, the Rotella T 5W40 will shear to a 30-grade in a shared-sump motorcycle. OTOH, so will Honda's 10W40. I intended to pull a UOA of the factory-fill in this Honda, but missed it. Then I intended to pull a UOA of the first-replacement Honda GN4 10W30, but my helpers distracted me so I didn't catch one from that, either. In the past, Honda-branded motorcycle oils have not been very good fluids, as per UOAs. Couldn't say for certain whether things remain the same now as they were a couple years ago, I guess.

 

[yticolev]

The weight recommendation. It is 5W-40, not 10W-30/40. Big deal.

 

[StratTuner]

The grade; Honda recommends 10W30 or 10W40, but not a 5W40.

IME, the Rotella T 5W40 will shear to a 30-grade in a shared-sump motorcycle. OTOH, so will Honda's 10W40. I intended to pull a UOA of the factory-fill in this Honda, but missed it. Then I intended to pull a UOA of the first-replacement Honda GN4 10W30, but my helpers distracted me so I didn't catch one from that, either. In the past, Honda-branded motorcycle oils have not been very good fluids, as per UOAs. Couldn't say for certain whether things remain the same now as they were a couple years ago, I guess.

The heavy use of acronyms makes this really hard to read... lets decode those first...
IME = ???
OTOH = "on the other hand"
UOA = ???

Soo.. to speak to the question...lets review page 58 of the owner's manual...it reads...

and that's the problem... I have yet to see a can that has all three standards clearly marked!

Even the ones that say JASO MA don't say "JASO T 903"... so what does that mean? Are JASO and JASO T 903 the same?

API classification SG or higher? Hmmm... I'll have to review the Rotella and Mobil cans to look for that.

It seems like it would be difficult to find an oil container that matched all three specs exactly...
so is... JASO MA enough?

I don't know... I'm new to this..... that's why I asked.

 

[StratTuner]

The back of the Mobil 1 Racing 4T bottle reads:

Meets or exceeds the requirements of:
JASO MA
API SJ,SH,SLSM,SN
SAE 10W-30

Well... we got closer that time to the hat trick of hitting all three.
JASO MA was there (but still not "JASO T 903")
SG got in with "API classification*3: SG or higher"
and SAE was also there, so Mobil seems to have it two of the three.

I might switch to Rotella next time since I know to look for "JASO MA" and SAE 10w-30. (two of the three)
This probably falls under the heading of "close enough".... but I realize that determination rankles some folks.

It would be better if Honda marketed "NC700X Motorcycle OIL" (fully compliant with ALL Honda specs),
but I don't think I'll be seeing that soon.

 

[searsboy]

No please don't search. I'm gonna go grab some popcorn. I love me a good oil thread

There are no good oil threads!

 

[dduelin]

5w-40 is not 10w-30 nor is it 10w-40. That's all I meant. Read your owners manual for suggested oil viscosity.

Still, lots of people like and use synthetic 5W-40 oil in Honda motorcycles.

 

[670cc]

"JASO MA" is not enough?

What spec does it not meet?

Hint:
dduelin wrote, "It still doesn't meet Honda's 10w-30 or 10w-40 recommendation however lots of people like and use Rotella 5w-40 in Honda motorcycles."

 

[yticolev]

Honda oil is "good enough". Rotella T6 is better and less expensive. What more do you really need to know?

But if you must know more, here is a link to the JASO T 903 implementation manual from 2011. In it you will find that JASO MA is a subset of JASO T 903. Specifying JASO MA means it conforms to the broader spec of JASO T 903. Kind of like saying a Mustang is a Ford. Both true.

 

[StratTuner]

There are no good oil threads!

This one's good enough for me.

 

[MZ5]

The heavy use of acronyms makes this really hard to read... lets decode those first...
IME = ???
OTOH = "on the other hand"
UOA = ???

Sorry.
IME = In My Experience
UOA = Used Oil Analysis

I pull UOA samples regularly. Have since I farmed, and when I changed to something else, I still had my shop guys pull UOA samples from the whole fleet on a regular basis. I like to keep track of things, if/when I can. I find it preferable to relying solely upon conjecture. At this point, it's as much a hobby as anything, since I no longer have a fleet, per se, at work. We use lots of specializedmachinery now, but it's of a different sort, and the consultant I use is cutting back and only does consumer-type work now.

 

[StratTuner]

Honda oil is "good enough". Rotella T6 is better and less expensive. What more do you really need to know?

But if you must know more, here is a link to the JASO T 903 implementation manual from 2011. In it you will find that JASO MA is a subset of JASO T 903. Specifying JASO MA means it conforms to the broader spec of JASO T 903. Kind of like saying a Mustang is a Ford. Both true.

Thanks for clearing that up! I had hoped that "JASO T 903" and "JASO MA" were te same.
Evidence now shifts toward Rotella because it has two of the three requirements:
1.JASO MA, and 2.API SG or better. The 5w-40 viscosity rating isn't spec, but the range it covers includes 10w-30 (which is spec).

On Amazon.com, 4qts of Honda GN4 10w-30 (100% spec) ships for $35 TOTAL (tax, shipping included). $7 of $35 gets it sent to my door.

I don't know which I will choose after the next 8,000 miles!, but I'm pretty confident (thanks to all the people who replied) that Rotella would have been just fine.

Thank you, all.

 

[dduelin]

Does Rotella T6 have enough ZDDP for your comfort level in the API SN formulation? The level dropped from the previous SL rating.

 

[showkey]

ZDDP levels were lowered in most oil to limit the CAT converter damage or degrading over time.

 

[dduelin]

ZDDP levels were lowered in most oil to limit the CAT converter damage or degrading over time.

Yes, but some oils still have combined levels over 1600 or even 1800 PPM. MC oils have an exemption to the overall SN allowed level. Last month's BMWON had an article with a number of oils in analysis that included this. Dino Rotella 15w-40 scored very high on this as well as TBN level. Too bad it doesn't shift that well after 1500-2500 miles in the ST1300. They did not include T6 5w-40 in the sample.

 

[StratTuner]

related but small point....

under "changing the oil" diretions, the owner's manual (pg 79) says I should

install a new sealing washer on to the drain bolt.

Mine did not have a sealing ring when I took it out. Does yours?

 

[670cc]

related but small point....

under "changing the oil" diretions, the owner's manual (pg 79) says I should





Mine did not have a sealing ring when I took it out. Does yours?

Are you sure?

They all should have a replaceable soft metal sealing washer. I highly doubt that Honda forgot to install one on your bike or it would leak, but I suppose it's very remotely possible. If you go look at the plug right now you should be able to see the washer. If yours stayed stuck to the drain plug you may not have noticed it. Or, if fell into the oil drain pan. You can get away with reusing them a few times but the proper procedure is to replace the washer every time the plug is reinstalled. Consult the Honda parts fiche (at online parts sellers) for the washer part number.

Greg

 

[dduelin]

The drain bolt has a flat aluminum washer on it. A "crush washer". It had the washer or would have been leaking.

I take the old one off and flip it over and reuse it. My 2 cents.

 

[670cc]

Does Rotella T6 have enough ZDDP for your comfort level in the API SN formulation? The level dropped from the previous SL rating.

Should we be as worried about lower ZDDP level nowadays since the NC engine uses roller rockers?

Greg

 

[StratTuner]

I never saw one when I took the drain bolt out.
I drained into an oil pan and then poured that into a gallon plastic jug.
Didn't see one then.
I sincerely hope it's stuck to the engine!
the cost of finding that out will be another oil change.
I'll inspect and see if I can see it under the drain bolt.

I'll go lift up the gallon jug... see if it sank to the bottom!

 

[670cc]

I never saw one when I took the drain bolt out.
I drained into an oil pan and then poured that into a gallon plastic jug.
Didn't see one then.
I sincerely hope it's stuck to the engine!
the cost of finding that out will be another oil change.
I'll inspect and see if I can see it under the drain bolt.

I'll go lift up the gallon jug... see if it sank to the bottom!

Go look at the plug now. You wouldn't need another oil change. Worst case you could install a washer without loosing more than a couple ounces of oil by putting your thumb on the hole while you add the washer to the bolt. I suspect you may have too much oil in the engine anyway since you put all four quarts in.

Greg