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Any Full Synthetic oils that DON'T have issues with clutch slipping? RS V-twin motor

A

aka1004

Active member
Apologies for yet another oil thread.

I’m on my 3rd RS, and on first two I had occasional clutch slipping with Mobil One Motorcycle Synthetic and Castrol Motorcycle Full Synthetic oils.

The 3rd and current RS I bought with 10k miles on it. I have not had any slippage yet and it’s due for oil change. The dealer who serviced my RS told me they’ve been using BRP Semi-synthetic, but I like the idea of extending the interval of oil change with a full synthetic oil.

Are there any full synthetic oils that don't have an issue with clutch slipping?

Thank you in advance.
 
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aka1004 said:
Apologies for yet another oil thread.

I’m on my 3rd RS, and on first two I had occasional clutch slipping with Mobil One Motorcycle Synthetic and Castrol Motorcycle Full Synthetic oils.

The 3rd and current RS I bought with 10k miles on it. I have not had any slippage yet and it’s due for oil change. The dealer who serviced my RS told me they’ve been using BRP Semi-synthetic, but I like the idea of extending the interval of oil change with a full synthetic oil.

Are there any full synthetic oils that don't have an issue with clutch slipping?

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...

XPS (BRP) comes in Full Synthetic now, if you’d prefer that. Your dealer should either already have this or can get it quickly. Complete kit;

https://xpslubricants.com/us/en/977...-oil-change-kit-for-rotax-991-se5-engine.html
 
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aka1004 said:
Apologies for yet another oil thread.

I’m on my 3rd RS, and on first two I had occasional clutch slipping with Mobil One Motorcycle Synthetic and Castrol Motorcycle Full Synthetic oils.

The 3rd and current RS I bought with 10k miles on it. I have not had any slippage yet and it’s due for oil change. The dealer who serviced my RS told me they’ve been using BRP Semi-synthetic, but I like the idea of extending the interval of oil change with a full synthetic oil.

Are there any full synthetic oils that don't have an issue with clutch slipping?

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...

Taking oil out of the equation, do you use the higher shift point rpms that is suggested on this site? That will put less stress on your clutch.
 
The clutch system used in the 998 V-Twin Spyder is much more susceptible to clutch slippage than the system used in the 1330. I don't know if it's a lack of plate pressure, friction material, something else or a combination of things. But anything less than a MA2 rated oil can certainly give you slippage. Once slippage begins, it can get worse in a hurry.

The 1330 clutch system is much more forgiving and will tolerate lubricants that the 998 will not.
 
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Snowbelt Spyder said:
The XPS Full Synthetic is relatively new, Ron. When did you test that?
Click to expand...

The XPS full synthetic has been around since before the Spyder was released in 2008. My owners manual states that I should use their full synthetic if I can't get the blended. However, the full synthetic offered in my manual is a 0w-40, primarily designed for snowmobiles. Current XPS full synthetic also comes in a 5w-40 and 10w-50. Which would be better suited to the Spyder.

I was talking about the recommended 5w-40 blended oil because that's what most people use if they go with XPS. I don't know that we've seen an oil analysis of any of the XPS full synthetic offerings. I would love for someone to do that.
 
BajaRon said:
I was talking about the recommended 5w-40 blended oil because that's what most people use if they go with XPS. I don't know that we've seen an oil analysis of any of the XPS full synthetic offerings. I would love for someone to do that.
Click to expand...

And that’s why I asked, because that’s what I expected. The OP asked about, and started a thread about full synthetic oils. Negatively comparing the XPS Blend against a full synthetic, in the way you did without disclosing that, is misleading in the context of the thread. I’ll assume it was unintentional. Now that it’s available, I would expect people who want the convenience of the oil change kit, to switch to the XPS 5w-40 Full Synthetic. It’s getting hard to find, already. Must be a reason.

Word on the street from folks that have seen the fine print, indicate that XPS is just the private label that BRP has put on Castrol oil. Nobody should be concerned as long as they compare apples to apples. XPS is doing the same thing now with Kenda tires, also.
 
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Are these the oils you're talking about?
 

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aka1004 said:
Mobil One Motorcycle Synthetic and Castrol Motorcycle Full Synthetic oils.

Are there any full synthetic oils that don't have an issue with clutch slipping?
Click to expand...

Both those oils are JASO MA and/or MA2 approved, so neither should have contributed to oil-caused clutch slippage.
 
Many of the full synthetic oils for motorcycles will have a line of text right on the oil bottles or on the box if you buy them by the case. It will clearly state on the container, "Approved For Wet Clutch Applications". I have never had any problems with any of the oils that have that message on the container.

The oil is not what causes the problem. The clutch slippage problems are caused by certain additives to the oils that work to reduce the friction of the moving parts, which is a good thing for reducing engine wear kbut not so good for a wet clutch, which depends on friction to transmit power to the drive train.

You can talk about additives and oil manufacturing processes all day long. Some oils that do not have the text that they are recommended for wet clutch applications might do OK with a wet clutch. They may not have the text, but they also may not have the slippery additives. Unless it says on the container that they are approved for wet clutches, you will not know for sure that has been considered.

I am not naming any brand names, but I do use a full synthetic which is advertised as being for 4 cycle motorcycle application and approved for wet clutch. In addition to wet clutch compatibility, you should also take into consideration whether the engine is air-cooled or water-cooled. The air-cooled engines have a much larger temperature operating range and need oil that will function at higher temperatures. Most water-cooled engines, including the Spyder engines, run at a fairly consistent temperature once they get warmed up to operating temperature. The high heat oils are not really much of a consideration for water cooled engines. It is important for the air-cooled engines, and particularly for those used in stop and go traffic in warmer regions.
 
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AKA, did you get the answer you were looking for? If not, you can always do a search at the top of the page and let your eye's bleed!!!
 
Both Mobil One and Castrol met the requirements and state that they're suitable for wet clutch applications, but I was still getting occasional slippage on both RS's.
''
I think I'll try Amsoil. I know many swear by it, but I didn’t want to use it because of how it’s marketed...

Is a synthetic blend still the recommended oil by BRP for RS's or is it now either/or?
 
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Not a Spyder, but I road raced a Legends car for 10 years.

They ran Yamaha XJ-1200 engines, which were air/oil cooled, and the car weight w/ driver was about 1,300 lbs. Mine made about 120hp on a chassis dyno. The only clutch mods were adding a full plate in place of the thin one; and replacing the spacer with a second diaphragm spring to increase pressure.

I ran standard Mobil-1 15w50 for most of that time. I never had a clutch slippage issue, and I saw oil temps exceeding 340 degrees at times. I did catch a deal on some VP Racing synthetic oil that I ran for a while, and I had no problems with that oil either.

That's probably the most extreme use you'll find on a motorcycle wet clutch. Neither of those oils were motorcycle specific.

That said, I'm running this in my Spyder:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09C153FLW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

I'm seeing much better oil pressure with the higher viscosity, but I'll probably go to 10w40 at the next oil change.
 
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Snowbelt Spyder said:
....
And that’s why I asked, because that’s what I expected. The OP asked about, and started a thread about full synthetic oils. Negatively comparing the XPS Blend against a full synthetic, in the way you did without disclosing that, is misleading in the context of the thread. I’ll assume it was unintentional. Now that it’s available, I would expect people who want the convenience of the oil change kit, to switch to the XPS 5w-40 Full Synthetic. It’s getting hard to find, already. Must be a reason.

Word on the street from folks that have seen the fine print, indicate that XPS is just the private label that BRP has put on Castrol oil. Nobody should be concerned as long as they compare apples to apples. XPS is doing the same thing now with Kenda tires, also.
Click to expand...

My post was not to the OP. But you're right that it did not address the OP's question. It is important to note that the XPS full synthetic lubricants have been around for at least 16 years. I would say the fact that we are not aware of an oil analysis on that lubricant indicates that it is not widely used by Spyder riders.

It is strange that the response you reference dealt with subject matter that I can't find in this thread. It must have come from somewhere because I remember the reference to extended service intervals increasing the possibility of contaminants building up. But since I cannot find anything to link my post to, I altered it to stay within the current subject matter.

Now we just need someone to run the XPS full synthetic, get it analyzed, and publish the results.
 
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The only 5w40 MA/MA2 oil I would consider using would be the latest Amsoil iteration. I'll stick with 10w40 for the little extra shearing stability....
 
I went with Mobil one mostly for convenience of picking them up from Walmart and it is shifting and running beautifully and smoothly without clutch slipping.
I guess it was just my luck that both previous RS’s had slippage issues, but not oil related.
 
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