What type and where do I get proper oil for RT when on the road?

[Robertsepolen]

Seems the type of oil is very specific in the owners manual. Every non- dealer shop I walk into seems to have the wrong type oil. What can I expect when on a long trip? I am thinking most about top- off that may be needed. 2012 rt-s with 3700iles so far.

 

[Recluze]

I have always carried a quart with me. I have never had to use it all. I bring a spare quart of whatever went into the engine last.

For really long trips I have had an oil change done along the way. Call ahead to a dealer and make an appointment to get in early and out early. You can buy the 'proper' oil there. Also most motorcycle shops/stores will carry it but you have to know what you are looking for. I made a mistake and bought and used the 'wrong' Mobil One. It did not make the clutch slip.

Once I even did the oil change myself. This was back when you could get the proper oil at Walmart. I don't think they carry it any more. I bought a piece of tupperware to drain it into and some paper funnels. I had planned to do this so I had all of the nesesssary tools with me.

Now the service interval is 5k Miles or so. It is less of an issue.

 

[ulflyer]

You can get Mob1 and Valvoline motorcycle 10-40 syn at most Advance, Auto Zone, Pep Boys, O'reilly auto stores if you can't find it at Walmart. Otherwise, ANY 10-40 motorcycle specific synthetic oil from any dealer will be fine.

As said above, its easy enuf to take a quart with you.

 

[Robertsepolen]

Yep planning to take a quart. But still new to this machine and we are pretty inexperienced. So far, wife and i are loving the rydes. Thanks in advance to all responses!

 

[gypsy_100]

Otherwise, ANY 10-40 motorcycle specific synthetic oil from any dealer will be fine.

Good advice. The best motorcycle oils will meet a Japanese spec called JASO MA which insures good wet clutch performance -- very important for your Spyder. Look for JASO MA on the back of the bottle. The best of the best will meet JASO MA2 which is a tougher version of MA and is even better for wet clutch performance. Amsoil, Royal Purple, and Castrol full synthetics all meet MA2. Mobil 1, Shell Rotella T6 meet MA. Check the bottles and be sure you're getting at least JASO MA. And of course, either 5W-40 or 10W-40. The bottles labeled "V-Twin" are usually 20W-50. That's for air-cooled V-Twins, like Harleys. You've got a water-cooled V-twin so stick with the 5W-40 or 10W-40.

 

[BajaRon]

This is one reason I like Amsoil. You can go a lot further on a high quality, true fully synthetic Ester based oil like Amsoil and you don't need to stop and get changes on the road like you will with lesser lubricants.

We just did about 6K round trip on our Spyders and I intened to get the oil tested. We did long hours from sea level to over 10k feet in temperatures over 110 degrees at 75~80 mph. It should be a good test of the oil.

I added about 2/3 quart during our trip and I think Lamont added about a quart over this distance. It will be interesting to see how the Amsoil tests out.

 

[spyder3]

This is one reason I like Amsoil. You can go a lot further on a high quality, true fully synthetic Ester based oil like Amsoil and you don't need to stop and get changes on the road like you will with lesser lubricants.

We just did about 6K round trip on our Spyders and I intened to get the oil tested. We did long hours from sea level to over 10k feet in temperatures over 110 degrees at 75~80 mph. It should be a good test of the oil.

I added about 2/3 quart during our trip and I think Lamont added about a quart over this distance. It will be interesting to see how the Amsoil tests out.

opcorn:opcorn:

 

[memphisdan]

This is one reason I like Amsoil. You can go a lot further on a high quality, true fully synthetic Ester based oil like Amsoil and you don't need to stop and get changes on the road like you will with lesser lubricants.

We just did about 6K round trip on our Spyders and I intened to get the oil tested. We did long hours from sea level to over 10k feet in temperatures over 110 degrees at 75~80 mph. It should be a good test of the oil.

I added about 2/3 quart during our trip and I think Lamont added about a quart over this distance. It will be interesting to see how the Amsoil tests out.

I will be interested to see the test results, I am going on what looks to be a 6,000 mile trip and am trying to decide if I will need to stop for an oil change. I am using Amsoil and one Ron's filters.

 

[Rando]

Which Amsoil? They have such a variety!

 

[gypsy_100]

Which Amsoil? They have such a variety!

Amsoil 10W/40 motorcycle oil. That's what the bottle says on the front and that's what you want. Look on the back for the JASO MA2 spec. You do not want Amsoil automotive oil. Strictly motorcycle oil. You'll know it when you see it.

 

[BajaRon]

Which Amsoil? They have such a variety!

This is the one you want. Amsoil is the real deal!

Amsoil 10w-40 Motorcycle Oil High Temperature Viscosity Index - Higher Values represent better film strength and better protection

Four-Ball Wear Test represents Metal to Metal wear protection. Though high temperature film strength is important there is more to engine metal to metal protection than film strength alone. As you can see, wear and high temperature film strength don't necessarily corrilate. Probably because the 4 ball test is not done at high temperatures and some oils recover their protection properties better than others at lower temperatures. What you want is an oil that protects your engine well at all temperatures.

Oil Stability is just that. How well does your oil maintain claimed viscosity over time (how fast does it break down under stress). Ideally an oil will give the same viscosity all the time. Some oils overcompensate with additives giving a thicker initial viscosity hoping to maintain their claimed viscosity longer. It isn't so much how well your oil protects you when it's fresh, but how well it protects you until you change it out. When an oil falls below the dashed orange line it is no longer within specification and your protection may be going away.

Shear Stability represents an oils ability to resist the crushing force of transmission gears. Something that automobile oil does not have to contend with. Don't let the different colored bars fool you. The difference between the better oils here is not as dramatic as it might appear. Still, some oils are definitely lacking.

This last chart is a bit hard to read but reflects the oils ability to protect internal parts from rust. This is usually not a problem in vehicles that are run regularly regardless of the oils ability to prevent rust. However, if you are storing the vehicle for a few months, this is a very important aspect. Simply putting new oil in before and after storage isn't going to solve the problem if that oil is not good at preventing rust buildup in the first place. This test is done with brand new, fresh oil.

 

[Some Guy]

Yeah...what he said! :roflblack:

I've been using Amsoil motorcycle oil since my 600 mile service 4 years ago.

It's great stuff! :thumbup:

Edit: I've also been using Bajaron's filters. Great guy, great product.

 

[flybuddy]

I use Valvoline synthetic which meets all specs and is an MA2 oil. I noticed in the graph that they used the non synthetic valvoline (4 stroke--the syn is 4T). Makes me think I'm looking at a democratic political ad when I see stuff like that. Apples to oranges.

 

[Grandpa Spyder]

I started using AmsOli 10/40 motorcycle oil at my 600 mile service. The only way to go.

 

[NancysToy]

.....I noticed in the graph that they used the non synthetic valvoline (4 stroke--the syn is 4T). Makes me think I'm looking at a :cus: political ad when I see stuff like that. Apples to oranges.

Amen, brother! Amsoil is great stuff...I use I myself sometimes, but their charts play fast and loose with the data. They leave out anything that beats their product, and list only those that fail to measure up. Those vary all over the place, depending on the test. Some compared products aren't even motorcycle oils. I would love to see an honest comparison of all the motorcycle oils in a straight-forward and unbiased report. I'm sure Amsoil would rank high, but I'm not sure it would top the list in all measures. Let the buyer beware!

 

[billybovine]

Clutch Slips

Good advice. The best motorcycle oils will meet a Japanese spec called JASO MA which insures good wet clutch performance -- very important for your Spyder. Look for JASO MA on the back of the bottle. The best of the best will meet JASO MA2 which is a tougher version of MA and is even better for wet clutch performance. Amsoil, Royal Purple, and Castrol full synthetics all meet MA2. Mobil 1, Shell Rotella T6 meet MA. Check the bottles and be sure you're getting at least JASO MA. And of course, either 5W-40 or 10W-40. The bottles labeled "V-Twin" are usually 20W-50. That's for air-cooled V-Twins, like Harleys. You've got a water-cooled V-twin so stick with the 5W-40 or 10W-40.

From personal experience. I tried Shell Rotella T6 and I first noticed the clutch slipping under hard acceleration at about 1000 kms after the oil change. Dumped the oil and replaced the filters. Filled with amsoil. It took about 400 kms before the clutch stop slipping. For other reasons I went back to BRP full synthetic on later oil changes and no slippage with it.

 

[boborgera]

I'll never understand how people can put a certain brand of oil in and claim it's the best stuff since they put shaving cream in a can.
In forty plus years playing around with bikes with out ever having an engine failure i just use the manufacturers recommended weight and api services numbers, The brand doesn't matter. Most people don't even know what brand of oil their using in their car's, All of a sudden they go out and buy a bike and they become an instant petroleum engineer.:dontknow:

 

[BajaRon]

Point taken. I'm not saying that Amsoil is the best oil out there. But I think I'm safe and accurate in saying it is a very good oil and superior to the recommended BRP products.

I realize that Amsoil may be engineering the published results (not the data but which results they show). I have seen Amsoil charts that have other oils doing better in one area or another so this is not always the case.

Some of this test data is a few years old and it may be that this or that oil was not available when the tests were done. Still, comparing a synthetic to a standard oil is, I agree, not a fair comparison.

The bottom line is that the oil you use does matter as it is proven a true Ester based synthetic oil will out perform a standard based oil even though they are allowed to put 'Full Synthetic' on the container.

If you can find an oil that is as good as or better than Amsoil then that's great. If you want to use the BRP products or similar oils in your Spyder that's fine with me as well. I just put the information out there so people have a little more basis with which to make their decision.

 

[bmwlarry]

I'll bite

How much do you spend for this oil and where do you find it?

 

[gypsy_100]

From personal experience. I tried Shell Rotella T6 and I first noticed the clutch slipping under hard acceleration at about 1000 kms after the oil change.

That's why I decided to stick with JASO MA2. Never had a slippage issue but why take the chance when the best is readily available.