Does anyone use Rotella oil for their Drifter? or has anyone used Harley Oil in their drifter?
You can use any oil as long as there are no friction inhibitors and it meets the SAE specs indicated in the manual.
I've heard of people using Rotella.
I plan on using Rotella in my Drifter 800. I have used it with good success in my ZRX1100, Klr650 and EX500.
From Wikopedia:
"Though marketed as an engine oil for diesel trucks, Rotella oil has found popularity with motorcyclists as well. The lack of "friction modifiers" in Rotella means they do not interfere with wet clutch operations. (This is called a "shared sump" design, which is unlike automobiles which maintain separate oil reservoirs - one for the engine and one for the transmission). Used oil analysis (UOA) reports on BobIsTheOilGuy.com have shown wear metals levels comparable to oils marketed as motorcycle-specific.
JASO-MA
Both Rotella T 15W-40 conventional and, Rotella T 5W-40 Synthetic both list the JASO MA standard; this information can be found on the bottle adjacent to the SAE/API rating stamp. JASO is an acronym that stands for "The Japanese Automotive Standards Organization." Note that the 10W-30 conventional oil does not list JASO-MA.
I use Rotella synthetic in my 1500. I used to use nothing but Amsoil in my bikes but find I like Rotella better. For some reason the tranny use to hang up between gears. No problem since I switched to Rotella. Plus for twenty some bucks a gallon I can change oil sooner. For some reason when you've got sixty bucks tied up in a oil change, you want make it last as long as you can.
I tried Amsoil in my 99- 800 and was not happy with all the noise, seemed to have a lot of noise in the engine and tranny. I switched to Kawasaki synthetic oil and it made a huge difference in the noise levels.
So not being a mechanic I have stuck with it, and up here right mow with this summer I have not even come close to having to do an oil change. I'll have to see if Canadian Tire carries this Rotella.
Quote from: CDNRatMan on August 17, 2014, 10:39:11 AM.......and up here right mow with this summer I have not even come close to having to do an oil change.
Just out of curiosity have you ever had to change your oil due to mileage, or is it just a seasonal thing? I mean, I know that riding season up there in the great white north is only 10 minutes a year and all........ :P
No I just change it in the fall prior to parking it, and then I use whale oil to store it, in the spring I drain it and use Kawasaki synthetic oil, but now I am going to try that Rotella stuff and perhaps at the cheap cost use it to store the bike rather then whale oil, because then I can use that to light the lamps on those long winter nights.
I use Kawasaki synthetic; I always change the oil immediately after the last ride of the season, nice and hot, crud in suspension, drains good. Put in the new oil and filter, fire it up, run it for a few minutes, done until spring. Oh, I also put a fuel conditioner such as Stabil in prior to the last run, so it is throughout the fuel system.
I change every 3000 miles, and the final drive oil every second oil change....Sooooo, what that actually means is I change the engine oil and filter (EVERY TIME!!!!!!) 4 times a season, and the final drive twice....I played around with various oils, and have returned to my old stand by, 20-50 Valvoline motorcycle (NOT V-Twin) oil. By the time I get home from Drift-In tomorrow, I will have something over 90,000 miles on it.