Shell Rotella T6 Out of Stock! Any available? Any Alternatives?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Yes, but so do all motorcycles I have owned too, well apart from most of the BMW's I had that had dry clutches. Given the increased oil capacity of the dry sump-ed Spyder over the motorcycles I've had, I think oil breakdown due to shearing will be less of an issue on the Spyder. All of my motorcycles have survived relatively high mileage no matter what the manufacturer recommended in oil type, so I'm still going to sleep soundly. I see old Suzuki GSXR1100's with high mileage and those things were air / oil cooled and I'm sure they really beat the oil up.

I managed over 90,000 miles out of my old Laverda 1200 Mirage in the 80's, and that thing was air cooled with roller bearings and ran its whole life on 20w50 mineral oil. I had a Honda VF1000R and I put a fair few miles on it in the 90's and that ran on what was then Honda's semi-synthetic oil. It was a complex V-Four engine with gear driven cam-shafts which really sheared oil, let alone the transmission.

If synthetic oil was suddenly unavailable tomorrow, I would still happily run a quality mineral oil in my Spyder, but drop the change intervals and not worry about it. I don't think I've ever had an oil related engine failure or even excessive wear on a 4-cycle engine in recent memory to be honest.

Yes, a good synthetic is the way to go in a Spyder obviously, but I'm not sure there is one best manufacturer's solution. Any quality brand with the right specifications will work just fine in my book.:thumbup:

I apologize for not doing an internet search on what mtc's you've owned, or whether the ones you've owned did or didn't have Dry Sump systems. .... I just stated a Well known fact about Spyder engines ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[troop]

Triumph motorcycles actually use Castrol Actevo 10w40 synthetic blend in their bikes. Dealers always recommend 10w40 full synthetic after initial oil change. Of all my current/past 29 bikes, only my H-D was not a shared sump bike.

 

[bikerbillone]

So Troop, are you using the Blended Activo 10/40 Castrol in your F3?

 

[troop]

So Troop, are you using the Blended Activo 10/40 Castrol in your F3?

Nope.. M1 10w40 m/c oil.

 

[SteveandBelinda]

I have always use Rotella F6 5W-40 in my Spyders and recently went out to purchase a couple of gallons to do a needed oil change in my 21 RTL. I went to 4 Walmart's that were all out of stock. Then I went to every auto parts store in the Myrtle Beach SC area who either did not carry Rotella F6 or were out of stock. Well, there is always good ole Amazon.....Wrong! :banghead: They told me they were "temporarily" out of stock and gave me a February "tentative" ship date. Not sure what's going on at Shell. So, I have 2 questions..... 1. Is anyone else having this availability issue with Rotella and 2. Recommendations for an equal substitute? Thanks for your input guys.

Vavline Full Synthetic 10-40 Motorcycle Oil

 

[mecsw500]

For me, as long as it is a name brand, correct weight and specification and changed at about 5,000 mile intervals in this hostile climate I live in - I don’t much care beyond that. I don’t have much brand loyalty, the bike will outlive me I think. After all it is a dry sump motor with a large oil capacity and is probably less stressful on oil than many of the other bikes out there. I sometimes worry more about oil filter quality to be honest.

Consistently using the brand and type a person has good experience with is obviously worth a lot in terms of peace of mind. I’m just of the view that all the vehicle makes on the market seemingly recommend different brands, yet within engines of the same performance envelope, they all seem to out last the rest of the vehicle if maintained correctly these days.

I’m just amazed that modern engines, with all their levels of performance can go as far as they do between oil changes and yet still run for hundreds of thousands of miles. Materials science and oil performance has progressed so far in 30 years. It’s mind blowing if you think about it.

Your mileage may vary of course.

 

[rjinaz86323]

I just picked up a few gallons at O'Reilly Auto Parts. Not the cheapest price I have seen, but close to it, and it was in stock.

 

[Little Blue]

Rotella T6 Oil

...Some Walmarts have it in stock/on the shelf.
Saw it yesterday. ......:thumbup:

 

[chunkmonk]

Shop manual calls for what Can-Am sells, not necessarily what is the best viscosity for your Spyder. BRP used to make a myriad of lubricants. Each tailored to the vehicle. Several years ago they cut their offerings down to 2. Which have to cover everything from snowmobiles to off road and on road vehicles. Snowmobiles require a very thin start up oil (the lower number of the 2). You can't compromise on that at sub-zero temperature startups.

Spyders rarely see a sub-zero start-up temperature (the temperature of the oil). Simply put, a 5/40 oil will work OK. But it isn't the best viscosity for our Spyders. A Spyder just doesn't need that light weight oil.

When BRP sold a 10-40 weight oil, they recommended that for the Spyder.

The wider the spread between the 2 numbers, the less stable the lubricant is. This is why you can expect a 5/40 oil to break down sooner than a 10/40. This is a universal fact. When taken all together. A 10/40 oil is a better fit for the Spyder than what BRP recommends. The engineers don't have the last say, as many imagine.

Good luck with your search!

In the manual I have, XPS 4T 5W40 Synthetic blend oil, but I would tend to agree with Ron on the formulation. I've jumbled oils around in my old cars as well as my off-road Jeeps for a number of years, and have almost never taken the 'default' seriously. It's about what's best for the motor and the conditions in which you will subject the vehicle. I did a little looking and found this - Can-Am New OEM, XPS 1 US Gallon (3.785 L) 4T 10W-40 Synthetic Blend Oil, 779426 for $52 USD. So that would make the oil for an oil change at right about $60 to $65 USD. Still trying to figure out the part numbers/possible source for the O-Rings and seals, as well as the filter. Even with a K&N I can't imagine that the price of a filter and O-rings come up to the $140USD price of the "Can Am Oil Change Kit"...:shocked:

 

[Lew L]

15W-40 Rotells

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As we are going on a long trip this summer, I've acquired some Rotella 15W-40 and a Baja Ron filter kit. I feel better with the slightly heavier base portion of the oil additive package. The 15 wt oil makes up most of the package and doesn't shear down much between recommended oil changes. The 40 wt part is a viscosity improver ( a heavy, long chain molecule that is " coiled" when cold and much longer when hot) . The VI can make up as much as 15% of the oil The VI is what breaks down ( shears) as the oil racks up the miles. There are lots of other additives in motor oil and the total additive package can be in the vicinity of +20% of the oil. Rotella T6 has a good reputation in the transportation industry.

 

[pegasus1300]

In the manual I have, XPS 4T 5W40 Synthetic blend oil, but I would tend to agree with Ron on the formulation. I've jumbled oils around in my old cars as well as my off-road Jeeps for a number of years, and have almost never taken the 'default' seriously. It's about what's best for the motor and the conditions in which you will subject the vehicle. I did a little looking and found this - Can-Am New OEM, XPS 1 US Gallon (3.785 L) 4T 10W-40 Synthetic Blend Oil, 779426 for $52 USD. So that would make the oil for an oil change at right about $60 to $65 USD. Still trying to figure out the part numbers/possible source for the O-Rings and seals, as well as the filter. Even with a K&N I can't imagine that the price of a filter and O-rings come up to the $140USD price of the "Can Am Oil Change Kit"...:shocked:

The easy answer is to just order from BajaRon a sponsor here. If you go to the homepage you will see his ad there. He is very reputable and his parts are of the highest quality. For those looking for Rotella T6 that can't find it, Valvoline T4 is good and the same price is not too bad. The Castrol motorcycle oil is reasonable in price.There are other good oils out there that are around $10.00-$12.00. I don't think we are going to see the days of under $6.00/qt quality synthetic oil again. Hope I am wrong. Fortunately I have 4 gals of Shell and 5 gals of Valvoline on the shelf and 5 qts of Royal Purple Max Cycle. so I am probably good for the rest of my riding life.

 

[GeorgeXP700]

Picked up a 2.5g jug of Rotella T6 15W40 from Wally World… $56