My local dealer keeps nagging me to buy motorcycle specific oil, why?

[Floki]

I want to know if there actually is a reason behind this??? I just switch to Rotella T6 and needed a filter but they are the only motorcycle shop for like 30 miles. When I picked up the filter I think he was pressing me to buy motorcycle oil from them, or are some bikes finnicky when it comes to oil?

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by Floki

I want to know if there actually is a reason behind this??? I just switch to Rotella T6 and needed a filter but they are the only motorcycle shop for like 30 miles. When I picked up the filter I think he was pressing me to buy motorcycle oil from them, or are some bikes finnicky when it comes to oil?

Yes he specifically wants you to buy it from him I'd say.
I wouldn't put no plain Jane auto oil in it... Plenty of posts around on why not to do that. Plenty of posts and evidence that T6 works proper in our bikes cheaper than that other stuff

[Boom King]

It's his job to sell you stuff you don't really need and Christmas is around the corner. Everyone likes a fat bonus cheque.

[stubshaft]

It's his job to ask you to buy things that you don't really need.

[alex.s]

I have run every kind of oil, and running expensive stuff sure does make you feel faster. It's like stickers and paint. It's faster in your head.

[choneofakind]

It's faster through your wallet as well

[Insan3guy]

Of course he wants to sell you expensive oil... it's his job. T6 works fine

[rasta]

Awesome thread....didn't realize T6 was a cheap alternative (actually, I never gave it much thought TBH). I shall be switching to that as well

[SteveL]

As long as the oil is for 4 stroke motorcycles it's OK , oil for cars has additives that are not compatible with a wet clutch and may cause problems.

Steve

[DEFY]

What want to buy an oil filter and no oil? What you expect to run on hopes and dreams lol.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by SteveL

As long as the oil is for 4 stroke motorcycles it's OK , oil for cars has additives that are not compatible with a wet clutch and may cause problems.

Steve

Let's get specific here.

DO NOT use any oil that has "Energy Conserving" printed on the API label:




Stuff in the blue box above? No.


The reason is that the friction-reducing additives that make it energy conserving will cause your clutch to slip. Cars don't have wet clutches... bikes do (except Ducatis).

DO use oil that meets the required rating (I believe for the Ninjette it's SE or SF, or higher).

DO use oil of the correct viscosity for the temperatures you'll face (i.e. don't use 20W-50 in the dead of winter... it's too thick).

Aside from that, you'll be fine.

[Dredgshadow]

Not sure if you mean that he is trying to sell you his motorcycle oil or just saying that you need motorcycle specific oil.

If he is trying to sell you his oil, then yes, he is doing his job and chances are that it will be very close in price to anywhere else you would get motorcycle oil.

If he is saying that you need motorcycle specific oil and not any type of auto oil then he is absolutely correct. You have a wet clutch that a car doesn't have. I guess that auto oil would be better than nothing, but they do make motorcycle oil for a reason.

[Floki]

So which is better for the engine? Lots of people swear by the shell rotella t6 synthetic so I switched to it. Is that okay? That's turbo diesel oil

[csmith12]

Which is better? Well that is the great debate and always will be.

You will be fine, many of us have logged hundreds of thousands of miles on t6 synthetic with many of those being track/race miles. Don't loose any sleep over it.

[csmith12]

Pro Tip (frugal): Save a few empty quart bottles. When you change your oil, save a quart of the spent t6. Why? For lawn mowers, chain saw bar oil, ect... ect... I haven't bought oil for my Cub Cadet in years.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Floki

So which is better for the engine? Lots of people swear by the shell rotella t6 synthetic so I switched to it. Is that okay? That's turbo diesel oil

That's Harley oil.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by Floki

So which is better for the engine? Lots of people swear by the shell rotella t6 synthetic so I switched to it. Is that okay? That's turbo diesel oil

The oil that is better for your engine is the oil that is fresher.

IMHO, people go WAAAAY overboard with oil debates.

In a very high output, very close tolerance engine that is pushed to the brink of destruction (e.g. an F1 engine), then it probably makes a real difference. If you're banging off the rev limiter all day long under race conditions, then it MIGHT make a real difference.

In your bike, that you're probably going to get rid of before you've clocked all of 15,000 miles and which isn't exactly the most sophisticated machine on the planet... let's be honest. It really, REALLY does not matter.

Have you EVER heard of ANYONE having an engine issue related to the oil they've used? EVER?

Change your oil from time to time. Use the right weight and the right spec from a known and trusted company and use your energy worrying about something important instead.

T6 is fine. Cheap, too.

[Boom King]

Originally Posted by Floki

So which is better for the engine? Lots of people swear by the shell rotella t6 synthetic so I switched to it. Is that okay? That's turbo diesel oil

Don't sweat it. T6 is JASO MA compliant. Perhaps to your dealership, it's not motorcycle specific oil since it's not in a rebranded bottle with a 25% mark up because it has a picture of a motorcycle on the front label.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Boom King

Don't sweat it. T6 is JASO MA compliant. Perhaps to your dealership, it's not motorcycle specific oil since it's not in a rebranded bottle with a 25% mark up because it has a picture of a motorcycle on the front label.

certain non-motorcycle oils (the ones marketed towards 'high efficiency' crap and that promise better milage per gallon) have friction modifiers that **** with the clutch and make it slip too bad. so your implication that theres nothing different is crap. it just happens that some non-motorcycle specific oils don't have that **** in it and its fine.

[Boom King]

Originally Posted by alex.s

certain non-motorcycle oils (the ones marketed towards 'high efficiency' crap and that promise better milage per gallon) have friction modifiers that **** with the clutch and make it slip too bad. so your implication that theres nothing different is crap. it just happens that some non-motorcycle specific oils don't have that **** in it and its fine.

Relax. I'm not implying what you think I am. I haven't seen too many bottles of motorcycle oil that didn't meet at least one of the usual specs, have you? So yes, of course they're different. What I'm saying is T6 meets the spec even if the dealer doesn't think it's motorcycle specific just because it doesn't say "motorcycle oil" on the front label.

I'd bet that if Shell used the exact same T6 formula and jug but instead used different labeling that called it a motorcycle oil that the dealer wouldn't be telling the OP to use anything different.

[Insan3guy]

Before this turns into an oil argument thread... I think we can we all agree that dealer oils are overpriced and that t6 is fine for the /average/ motorcyclist.