Spyder Motor Oil Query - Soliciting Opinions (((Pics)))

[shakin_jake]

Just another oil thread? Read on-

Well, check out the pic 1st Herman!

I have 2900 miles on my 2021 Can Am Spyder RT Limited so its time to do the first oil change. After checking out what oil i have on hand i found an unopened gallon of Shell Rotella T6 in 5W40 weight. I/ve read more than one thread where others are using this oil with good results, but I need 5-6 quarts of oil and only have 4. The other day I stopped in my local Wal-Mart to buy another gallon of Rotella T6 but the shelves were bare. I recall perusing a thread here where another peep was short a quart or two of the primary oil he had on hand and used a few quarts of a similar oil to make up the short fall. IIRC the forum consensus was that was okay. So, in that vein, i call on the proletariat to weigh in on my choice of supplemental oil, that i purchased @ Wal-Mart since they were OOS on the Rotella T6 I wanted. I bought 2 quarts of Super Tech(WalMart house brand?!?) full synthetic SAE 10W40. My thinking, since they’re both full synthetics, they’re essentially their same base stock, therefore I’ll be good to go, so to speak. Whatcha think, use it or not?

That was yesterday?

I went back into my garage oil reserves looking for the oil I bought last summer to change out my Kubota ZD 331 mower, and came across the bottle of Shell Rotella T. I’m wondering if the Rotella T is the same as the Rotella T6, the difference being the Rotella T is an earlier version, before they started calling it T6? They’re both synthetic. Same weight too. Perhaps i could use this older version ofT6, if that’s what is

Anyways, your opinion matters. Fire away


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood

 

[BCNewell]

Look at the bar code on the back. Might find it’s the same number - just different packaging.

“I” would have no problem mixing any combo of these together. But that’s just me ...

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Jake, you post Great pics ..... do some close-up's of the back of those containers where they print the specifics of the Oil ..... Mike :thumbup: ......I use the Rotella T6 in 5w 40..... and I like it .... in Vermont 90's are unusual ....

 

[Mikey]

If they have the friction modifiers for the wet clutch, then :dontknow: you may be ok! Me, I would only mix my oils in the case of I am on a trip and I need a little to top off, I would make sure it was wet clutch compatible, and add enough to get me home, but that's just me!!

 

[shakin_jake]

Look at the bar code on the back. Might find it’s the same number - just different packaging.

“I” would have no problem mixing any combo of these together. But that’s just me ...

~~~bar code is different, & after looking at the back panel and photographing it (as requested by Mike- Blue Knight 911), I can’t find an MA2 rating


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood

 

[Tango]

Look for the word, "JASO MA" on the back. That makes it safe to use in motorcycles. FYI BRP branded oil is not JASO MA! Go figure. :lecturef_smilie: Tom :spyder:

 

[pegasus1300]

To go in the Spyder you need that JASO MA2 rating. I would be ok with the 1st two but don't know anything about the 2nd two

 

[JayBros]

As long as the oil meets the API service code(s) specified in your operators guide which, at least in the case of the 2014 RT says, ..."motorcycle oil meeting..." you will be fine. Remember too, opinions are like backsides, everyone has at least one.

 

[shakin_jake]

Jake, you post Great pics ..... do some close-up's of the back of those containers where they print the specifics of the Oil ..... Mike :thumbup: ......I use the Rotella T6 in 5w 40..... and I like it .... in Vermont 90's are unusual ....

~~~thanks for the attaboy Mike but the good picture taking credit solely goes to the camera I was using. On that note, its my opinion that the photo quality is always better in natural light whereas I shot all of these photos in my humble abode’s kitchen

Here’s the back label of the Rotella T bottle. As mentioned in my reply to BCNewell, there isn’t an MA2 rating so this bottle of Rotella T is not the same formula as the Rotella T6

This photo is of the back label on the Rotella T6

And, I took another pic of the Super Tech 10W40 bottle, just so that the MA2 rating is evident. It is hard to see with the first pic of this bottle I posted. BTW, the 3 photos I pasted on this reply were taken using my 4th generation iPad 12.9” tablet whereas the pics in the first post I posted the other day were taken using the camera in my iPhone 11. BTW2-I was perusing some features on my Flickr app on the iPad tablet, viewed on this tablet (I’m using now). All I can say is I’m flabbergasted what with all then features it has. I’ll state this right now, I’m not very techy<LOL>


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while

 

[shakin_jake]

If they have the friction modifiers for the wet clutch, then :dontknow: you may be ok! Me, I would only mix my oils in the case of I am on a trip and I need a little to top off, I would make sure it was wet clutch compatible, and add enough to get me home, but that's just me!!

~~~I’m right there with you Mikey, wanting to use oils (in my Spyder motor) that have the MA2 rating. That said, the opened gallon bottle of Rotella T doers not have the MA2 stipulation. Speaking of being on a trip and needing oil, I recall coming back from WeSToc in 2002 riding my 93’ Honda ST1100. After attending the rally in Oregon I slid down the coast & visited my Brother & his family in Manhattan Beach CA. It was on the burn back to Fla. I encountered heavy headwinds rolling thru TX. I stopped for fuel and checked the oil level. OMG, I was below the minimum mark on the dipstick and where I was fueling up, they didn’t have any synthetic oil so, I topped off using petroleum oil. When I got back to my homestead, it was time for an oil change anyways. I still thank God I was able to add petroleum oil to the sump with synthetic oil, certainly not the best scenario but it was better than running long & fast low on oil


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood

 

[RideOn]

Jake, if you can’t find Rotella T6 at Walmart, try the nearest truck stop. I was in Pilot a couple of days ago and they had it.

I’ve also seen it at Sam’s Club and auto parts places like Auto Zone.

When I owned my own truck, I used Rotella oils. I’ve also run it in Harleys with no problems; I think it beats the performance of their SYN3.

Good luck in any case!

Bob

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

~~~I’m right there with you Mikey, wanting to use oils (in my Spyder motor) that have the MA2 rating. That said, the opened gallon bottle of Rotella T doers not have the MA2 stipulation. Speaking of being on a trip and needing oil, I recall coming back from WeSToc in 2002 riding my 93’ Honda ST1100. After attending the rally in Oregon I slid down the coast & visited my Brother & his family in Manhattan Beach CA. It was on the burn back to Fla. I encountered heavy headwinds rolling thru TX. I stopped for fuel and checked the oil level. OMG, I was below the minimum mark on the dipstick and where I was fueling up, they didn’t have any synthetic oil so, I topped off using petroleum oil. When I got back to my homestead, it was time for an oil change anyways. I still thank God I was able to add petroleum oil to the sump with synthetic oil, certainly not the best scenario but it was better than running long & fast low on oil


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood

Well Jake ..... thanks for the New pics .... and I can See JASO 2 on the T-6 and the Super-Tech .... but it isn't on the " Rotella T " container. ..... I would ues either of the bottom two but not the "T " stuff .....good luck .... Mike :thumbup:

 

[EdMat]

The Shell Rotella lineup is pretty broad. Over the years you will find conventional, semi-synthetics and synthetics in the mix. I think the T6 is a good oil for our use, but use caution with the "T6 Multi Vehicle" version of the product as it does not carry the JASO MA / MA2 wording in the specifications. I wish they had changed the color of the jug or something between these two variants.

 

[BMac920]

If you check out these pages and consider them a little, you'll will have your answer I believe. FYI, the Moly levels are good for the wet clutch. I've long used T6 and believe it to be very good. In short, you're good to go.

http://www.pqiamerica.com/June 2014/shellrotellat6.htm
http://pqiadata.org/AmazonBasics_5W30.html
http://www.pqiamerica.com/March2013PCMO/supertech.htm

Neither the listed Amazon Basic or Supertech have 10W-40 or 5W-40 rating so I would not use them for the full fill unless I could get the 40 viscosity rating. But interestingly the "non-T6" oils look usable otherwise! Regards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKdhgKUZhPA

Addendum- The Shell Rotella 5W-40 is JASO MA and MA2 rated, the difference being the MA2 rating actually has a better (read higher) level of friction for wet clutches.

 

[pegasus1300]

The SuperTech Jake is looking at and has pictured is a 10w40 Jaso MA2. I have used that combination in my 2012 RTL for awhile now and it seems to be working just fine. No clutch slippage at 71,000 mi.

 

[shakin_jake]

Jake, if you can’t find Rotella T6 at Walmart, try the nearest truck stop. I was in Pilot a couple of days ago and they had it.

I’ve also seen it at Sam’s Club and auto parts places like Auto Zone.

When I owned my own truck, I used Rotella oils. I’ve also run it in Harleys with no problems; I think it beats the performance of their SYN3.

Good luck in any case!

Bob

~~~ we live near a Petro truck stop Bob, I’ll stop by there soon to see if they carry Rotella T6. Thanks for the tip!

The other day when I stopped at Wal-Mart to buy Rotella T6 for my Spyder, i also purposely stopped there to buy motor oil and an oil filter so i could change the oil in our 2010 F-250 diesel truck. If they had any in stock, admittedly I would have purchased Ford Motor Company branded (Motorcraft) oil for this truck yet Wal-Mart was OOS of the Motorcraft oil, so I purchased the Rotella T4 you see here. Interesting to note the container on the left is actually a cardboard box w/a 3 gallon plastic bag containing the Rotella T4 oil. The 6.4 diesel motor in my F-250 holds 15 quarts hence why I bought 16 quarts of oil. Not that anyone asked but, I stopped by my local Ford dealer to buy the requisite oil and filter to effect an oil change. I like to give this dealership my business when it comes to parts for my trucks (my other pick up truck is a 98’ F-150) yet when i stopped at the parts dept., George (the manager) told me he was OOS on both the oil and the filter I needed. Imagine that!, a car/truck dealership unable to sell you oil and a filter so you can change your oil. Thankfully, Wal-Mart was able to supply me with both oil & an oil filter for my F-250. Coincidently, the last 2 oil changes I did for the diesel motor has been using T4 Rotella

I change the oil in this truck using the severe duty schedule which is every 200 hours (or 5 K miles) vs. the normal schedule of every 400 engine hours (or 10 K miles). The reason i adhere to the severe duty service schedule, in regards to fluid and filter changes is because Ford recommends this schedule if you let the motor idle for 10 minutes or more, every hour the motor runs, and here in north central Fla., the way I operate this and my other truck, its usually hot enough (the ambient) that i need to let the truck run for close to 10 minutes before getting in the truck so as to let the air conditioner run to cool the cab down to a comfortable level. Seldom do I operate this truck on the interstates enough to qualify for the normal service schedule

All that said, and I want to bring this discussion back to our Spyders. I’ve noticed there are a fair amount of members here (while perusing oil threads) that change their Spyder’s motor oil every 5 K miles, instead of following the factory recommended 9300 mile oil change interval. Would some of those that change out their motor oil every 5 K miles, please explain to me why they are only using the oil for half the recommended life? Thanking those in advance


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
“Any man who thinks he can be happy & prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian” Henry Ford

 

[shakin_jake]

I want to give a shout out to the members that have emphasized using JASO MA, MA2 designated oil for the Spyder motor. I did a lot of research going through oil threads and consistently found these members stressing the importance of using oil that has the JASO, MA2 rating, members like Mike, Mikey, Tom, Paul, JayBros, Baja Ron, Ed, I might have missed some, not intentionally. When i was riding a 2020 Ryker Rally, that motor uses a belt & variable pulleys to transmit power to the rear wheel, no internal clutch inside the motor to be concerned with a need for a motor oil with the requisite friction modifiers so as to be kind to the wet clutch

I like to do all of the maint. on my own for all of my motorcycles and motor scooters, the good Lord willing so it helps when members here participate and offer sound advice. W/o that kind of support, this forum would be sorely lacking so i raise my glass and toast you all for making Spyderlovers the informative and welcoming place that it is. May you live as long as you want, and never want for as long as you live!


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
“Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody may be looking” HL Mencken

 

[Little Blue]

Why do people do this?

........ All that said, and I want to bring this discussion back to our Spyders. I’ve noticed there are a fair amount of members here (while perusing oil threads) that change their Spyder’s motor oil every 5 K miles, instead of following the factory recommended 9300 mile oil change interval. Would some of those that change out their motor oil every 5 K miles, please explain to me why they are only using the oil for half the recommended life? ......

That's a good question. I don't have a good answer for that question.
I have tried to understand the logic of changing the Spyder oil at its half-life. I have been doing 'Oil Samples' and the Lab has always said at 9000 miles, You could go to the Spyder Recommend Oil change interval of 9300 miles.
I use Moble 1 10W 40 Oil by the way. (Spyder Approved)

I am currently changing my oil 9200 to 9300 miles. I try for the 9300 miles, but sometimes a trip gets me. .....:spyder:

 

[troop]

Haven't quite made it to a 9300 mile season here in WI

 

[Tango]

I get an oil and filter change every year at the dealer. Don't ride enough to get to 9300 miles. My 2020 RTL has 5,000 miles on it. Two oil changes so far. Every Spring. :thumbup: Tom :spyder: