Ninja 250 Rotella T6 oil analysis

[alex.s]

damn i always get viscosity numbers backwards! >_<

[flynjay]

Originally Posted by alex.s

damn i always get viscosity numbers backwards! >_<

Not necessarily backwards, but there are a lot of misconceptions about viscosltiy numbers.

Every time I hear somebody say a 5W-40 is "too thin" because the manufacturer spec'd out a 10W-40, I feel a couple brain cells die.

People don't understand that the oil will never be thinner than SAE 40 weight oil would be at 212F, it would not meet the specification to be called SAE 40. They don't get the fact that the 5W number is at a 100F and that a SAE 5 weight oil has a higher viscosity at 100F than a SAE 40 weight oil has at 212F.

You prove this to yourself everytime you change the oil. Drain it when it's cold v. when it's hot. It will always drain faster after warming it up.

I would run 0W-40 if it was reliably found and didn't cost $$.

[alex.s]

i know these things and still screw it up every time.

another funny is when people say things like "10weight-40" instead of 10winter-40

[DaBlue1]

For what it is worth I ran across another oil analysis submitted just days before Cuong.

Looks like 40w oil shears down to about a 30w under 3k miles. what amount of protection is being sacrifice when the oil shears down from the recommend weight.

I wonder if a 50w is shearing down to a 40w under similar conditions. I run a 20w-50 semi synthetic in my bike, changing it every 2-3k miles.

[cuong-nutz]

I still need to send in 2 more samples. They're just sitting here on the counter.

[flynjay]

Originally Posted by DaBlue1

For what it is worth I ran across another oil analysis submitted just days before Cuong.

Looks like 40w oil shears down to about a 30w under 3k miles. what amount of protection is being sacrifice when the oil shears down from the recommend weight.

I wonder if a 50w is shearing down to a 40w under similar conditions. I run a 20w-50 semi synthetic in my bike, changing it every 2-3k miles.

I am thinking that it is not at all that uncommon for the oil to shear down a level during use. That has me thinking that the manufacturer knows this and spec's out 10W-40 knowing that it is going to be more like 10w30 at the oil change interval. So SAE30 is really the minimum that the motor requires and if you were going to do really short intervals you could get away with SAE 30 oil without doing any damage.

If I was writing the specs that is what I would do.

[Boom King]

The owner of that '04 Honda CBR600F4i with over 244,000 miles and counting used Mobil 1 car oil from 5,000 miles. At 200,000 miles he switched over to Rotella T6. The bike is on the original engine and clutch. He says he changed the oil every 5000 miles on the dot. Same owner also has over 400,000 miles on his Honda car. Also used Mobil 1.

In the link, he has pictures of the internals of his car engine and it looks spotless. I'm not saying to follow his lead and use car oil but as long as you do regular oil changes, any type meeting the specs should do fine.

CBR600F4i 200,000 Miles

[Markermck]

I use Mobil 1 car oil in both my race Ninja and my street Ninja. Comparatively cheap and works very well.

I've used it in the race Ninja for the past 4 seasons with great results. On the last motor refresh (after 7,000 track-only miles), there was only minor wear showing on some of the bearings. I change the oil after every race event, and the filter after every other race event. The street Ninja gets her oil and filter changed every 3k miles.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by Markermck

I use Mobil 1 car oil in both my race Ninja and my street Ninja. Comparatively cheap and works very well.

I've used it in the race Ninja for the past 4 seasons with great results. On the last motor refresh (after 7,000 track-only miles), there was only minor wear showing on some of the bearings. I change the oil after every race event, and the filter after every other race event. The street Ninja gets her oil and filter changed every 3k miles.

This thread was recently linked in another oil discussion thread, and even though the last post was a year ago, I though it needed some additional info.

DO NOT run regular auto oil (Mobil 1, GTX, Pennzoil Platinum, whatever) in your Ninja engine!

Oils have changed over the years, as have auto engines. Current auto oils have unsafe levels of ZDDP (Zinc and Phosphorus). ZDDP's job is to protect the cams from galling on engines with solid lifter/rockers - like most cycle engines. Current auto engines use roller lifters/rockers that don't need high levels of ZDDP, and regulations forced reductions in ZDDP levels to extend the life of the emissions catalyst.

Diesel oils like Rotella, Delvac, etc have safe levels of ZDDP, and are a MUCH better choice for a low-cost oil for almost any cycle application.