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Agreed. Any oil used in the 900 by implication should also meet the specs. in the 900 owner's manual. As mentioned, that post was speaking generally of JASO oils for motorcycles and did not note the 900.
Best oil for Vulcan 900
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If one reads the Shell web site specs for diesel spec Rotella and gasoline spec Rotella one can understand why the API S designation was withdrawn from diesel oils while the JASO designations remain. With the introduction of Rotella for gasoline engines Shell is steering the primary users of Rotella in gasoline engines (truck owners) to the gasoline version. Motorcycle users of Rotella are a fringe market but the diesel version still carries the JASO ratings to let us fringe market users know that it is usable for motorcycles. It is illogical to assume that the diesel JASO oil no longer is usable for motorcycles even though the S rating has been transferred since there are virtually zero motorcycles with non-spark ignition engines. Gasoline Rotella oils are not JASO qualified.
Bottom line - each biker should use whichever qualified oil they wish including also Shell Rotella T6 Synthetic 5w-40, or whatever. Happy biking!
why do you need SM/SN printed on the Rotella T6 15w40 jug for?
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Bottom line is I love when posters post "Bottom Line".
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Why would you need a SM/SN printed on any oil for gasoline engine use?
OH...And... I would prefer a SH to SL on my motorcycle oils.
but you don't need SN, or SH or SL, actually you don't need API anything, all you need is JASO, you don't need JASO with SN,SM,SH whatever
let me explain
the API ratings are for oils that contain moly, or some portions of moly, they are in those API rated oil to conform to energy conserving of gas, so they put slippery moly in the API spec oils
but you don't want moly in your bike, no, because that is going to slip your clutch plates, what you want in your bike is no moly at all, you don't want to put API SN in your bike
what you want is friction in your oil, so that your clutch plates don't get slick and start slipping
the JASO specs is for those oils that contain friction, which is what you want in your bike
the new Rotella T6 15w40 is JASO rated which means it has friction in the oil, this kind of diesel oil is what you want, not SN oil, so forget about SN or SH or SL, those are for cars for energy conserving motors, which means slip slip your clutch plates if you use them
let me explain
the API ratings are for oils that contain moly, or some portions of moly, they are in those API rated oil to conform to energy conserving of gas, so they put slippery moly in the API spec oils
but you don't want moly in your bike, no, because that is going to slip your clutch plates, what you want in your bike is no moly at all, you don't want to put API SN in your bike
what you want is friction in your oil, so that your clutch plates don't get slick and start slipping
the JASO specs is for those oils that contain friction, which is what you want in your bike
the new Rotella T6 15w40 is JASO rated which means it has friction in the oil, this kind of diesel oil is what you want, not SN oil, so forget about SN or SH or SL, those are for cars for energy conserving motors, which means slip slip your clutch plates if you use them
by the way, the industry standards for cars is to use energy conserving oils that contain slippery moly, they add slippery moly into these oils and rate them API whatever, but not so for the diesel truck motors, they did not require diesel truck oils to contain moly, which is good for bikes, which means you want to put in a diesel oil in your bike, not a car oil
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In post number 37 I included the link to the monthly JASO list. Shell has not paid for nor has JASO tested any Shell oil. Here is the link again. Keep the list local on your computer. It changes monthly.
http://www.jalos.or.jp/onfile/pdf/4T_EV_LIST.pdf
I have used T6 before. My VN900 seemed to like it, but it has seemed to like any oil. Rotella T6 produced notchy shifting in my Yamaha Royal Star Venture which I did not discover until I tried other oils. Some bikes get notchy shifting on T6.
There is politics and chemistry to using a CK4/CJ4+/ACEA E9 unrated "S class" oil in a motorcycle that I do not have the will to explain and that you would not accept.
Rotella T6 aint what it used to be. It is too easy for me to switch oil since I am not loyal to any brand. So, I did, and I am lovin it.
Rotella T6 comes in viscosity 5w40 synthetic and 15w40 synthetic, but a real synthetic oil is a Group IV or Group V Base Oil, both Rotella T6 is neither, Rotella T6 5w40 and T6 15w40 are both Group III Crude Oil Base.
The word 'synthetic' on the T6 jug is for 'marketing' purposes only and is not a 'refinery process' word.
What you want in your bike is a Diesel oil with CK-4 like both Rotella T4 15w40 which is JASO or Rotella T6 15w40 CK-4 which is also JASO, you don't need the API SN in your bike, just the CK-4 Diesel because its high in Zinc and PH which is good for bikes. You don't need S class oils, and no this is not politics but rather it is chemistry because the chemicals that are in Diesel CK-4 oil are not added to SN type S class oils, so CK-4 Diesel is for Diesel truck motors and it's chemistry not politics because diesel motors need more PH and Zinc and Boron which car motor oil do not get. You want more PH and Zinc and Boron in your bike oil not less which means you DO want CK-4 diesel and not S rated oil so yes, put Rotella T4 diesel 15w40 in your bike. and if you use Rotella T6 5w40 that will shear down within 800 miles in the crankcase so change it out after 800 miles, but you're in TX so do not use 5w40 ever in TX, use the 15w40 instead
The word 'synthetic' on the T6 jug is for 'marketing' purposes only and is not a 'refinery process' word.
What you want in your bike is a Diesel oil with CK-4 like both Rotella T4 15w40 which is JASO or Rotella T6 15w40 CK-4 which is also JASO, you don't need the API SN in your bike, just the CK-4 Diesel because its high in Zinc and PH which is good for bikes. You don't need S class oils, and no this is not politics but rather it is chemistry because the chemicals that are in Diesel CK-4 oil are not added to SN type S class oils, so CK-4 Diesel is for Diesel truck motors and it's chemistry not politics because diesel motors need more PH and Zinc and Boron which car motor oil do not get. You want more PH and Zinc and Boron in your bike oil not less which means you DO want CK-4 diesel and not S rated oil so yes, put Rotella T4 diesel 15w40 in your bike. and if you use Rotella T6 5w40 that will shear down within 800 miles in the crankcase so change it out after 800 miles, but you're in TX so do not use 5w40 ever in TX, use the 15w40 instead
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Jaso + api sh, sj, sl
any oil that meets the standards as shown in the owner's manual is what i'd stick with. just because an oil may list the JASO MA, MA1 or MA2 doesn't make it recommended. it needs the API SH, SJ or SL in addition to the JASO. or just use the API SE, SF, or SG
SEE HERE
NOTE: the above link expires Sept. 11, 2019
any oil that meets the standards as shown in the owner's manual is what i'd stick with. just because an oil may list the JASO MA, MA1 or MA2 doesn't make it recommended. it needs the API SH, SJ or SL in addition to the JASO. or just use the API SE, SF, or SG
SEE HERE
NOTE: the above link expires Sept. 11, 2019
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Whichever other rating any motorcycle use oil has it also should have the JASO rating, which means that it has the metallic and other components needed to prevent clutch slippage with our oil-bathed motorcycle clutches. Having said that, I have used oils without that rating without having clutch slippage issues. However as others have noted oil which is intended for 2-stroke motorcycle use and has the JASO rating (not certain that any of these exist) likely is not generally acceptable for 4-stroke use.
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Agreed. My post was intended for VN900 4-stroke engine biker use but I failed to specify that.
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This will be the first oil change from break-in oil , 500 miles on B.F. N 2009.vn900c DFI motor, custom built , cradled in 99 vn800 classic chassis. I'm going to go with the super tech full synthetic 4stroke 10w-40 motorcycle oil from my local phoenix az walmart , as it exeeds specification of JASO , MA2 , API SL , and , ISO-L-EMA2 , @ only $4.94 /qt that's pretty much the quality packing bargain of the day!! I just can't remember if the filter number from frame is the ph6017A or the ph6018 . I know the thread hole is slightly different between the two. I'm thinking is the 6017A I remember the A , and I think it's the same on the 800cc if I'm not mistaken. . Rolling with it . Bbrraaaaaapp
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149 Posts
By God if we're gonna do a oil thread, by god lets do a damn oil thread! 😎 Read your owners manual...., depends where in this country you live, where and what season where it is, where you live. What kinda riding do you do?, agressive, street/strip, performance cruiser?, etc....
What perf. upgrades, if any, have been done to your bike.....
What perf. upgrades, if any, have been done to your bike.....
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149 Posts
Shell Rotella....15W40...., like btom, extra large oil filter + hayden oil cooler.... I let her warm up thoroughly.....
I have a Kawasaki, so I use Kawasaki oil 
10-40 Synthetic. (Actually Kawasaki doesn't produce oil, they purchase it from one of the major oil companies and put it in their own bottles).
My bike is still under warranty.. So I buy my oil from my dealership and keep the bills. Using their oil, there's no way they can blame me for using the 'wrong oil' should any problems crop up.
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10-40 Synthetic. (Actually Kawasaki doesn't produce oil, they purchase it from one of the major oil companies and put it in their own bottles). My bike is still under warranty.. So I buy my oil from my dealership and keep the bills. Using their oil, there's no way they can blame me for using the 'wrong oil' should any problems crop up.
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