K11 Owners Group

Ragman · Mad Brick Rider Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Posts: 97

I have a '95 K11LT with 20K miles and thinking of switching to this oil.

I was reading about oils at; http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Consumables.html#Oil

Have any of youse guys tried or are usuing it?

Opinions please !

Thankx,
Ragman

Jim · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:54 pm Post subject: oil

Not unless you have a diesel semi, or a Hardly Abelson!

bobistheoilguy.com/

20K isn't very many miles. I'd probably run it on dino for another 5 or 10K, then switch over to synthetic. Or stick with dino, either one.
_________________
Jim
1997 K1100LTSE 94,000 - still has gremlins!
1995 R100RT Classic 16,650 crashed - repaired!
1992 K75RTP 46,000

"We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed."

Ragman · Mad Brick Rider Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Posts: 97

Are you telling me that my bike isn't a diesel?

Actually, I meant to type 15w40 not 5w40. (it's an Orygun thing!)

The reason i asked this question is that many guys use this oil in their bikes, from Goldwings to Hadley Gigglesons to crotch rockets with stated success.

However I have not heard of any Beemer use. Can some enlighten me?

Thank you,
Ragman

Euripides · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:20 pm Post subject: Shell Rotell T is excellent oil

Friends: For what it is worth, about 3-1/2 years ago I purchased a used 1998 Saturn SL2 with the dual overhead cam engine. The car had 103,000 miles. I have run Shell Rotella T, SAE 30 and 40 oil since then with oil and filter changes every 4000 miles. The car now has 270,000 miles. It starts and runs great, no smoking or valve noise. The car's gas milage is excellent, 34.5 mpg highway.
My thoughts are that oil made for diesel truck usage is better than ordinary car oil because diesel engines operate under higher temperature and pressure and the oil has to be better to protect against the more extreme engine demands. I have not tried Shell Rotella T (non-synthetic) in a motorcycle but know of no reason it should not work. I would caution against using any synthetic oil in any motorcyle equipped with a wet clutch that is lubriated from the engine oil. I suspect the clutch would not work properly and would slip with the synthetic.
Also, I am of the opinion that SAE 30 and 40 oils are better than multigrade (10W-30 & 40) oil because a significant portion of the multigrade oil contains chemicals that have nothing to do with lubricating the engine; only modifying the viscosity, and those additives break down fast! - Euripides

Jim · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:08 pm Post subject: oil

Euripides - I totally agree with you about the multi-weight oils. Just got the owner's manual out to look at the recommendations. Of course, we can use 20W, 30W, or 40W in our bikes - depending on temperature. 40W is good for 20 degrees and up - I think that's what I'll use next oil change.
_________________
Jim
1997 K1100LTSE 94,000 - still has gremlins!
1995 R100RT Classic 16,650 crashed - repaired!
1992 K75RTP 46,000

"We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed."

BobZ(IL) · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:48 pm Post subject:

I use Rotella T in my R-bike during colder months. Switch to Castrol in the summer.

I read somewhere that Rotella T clings to cylinder walls and other parts better when a warmed up engine is shut off. It's supposed to protect better during cold starts.
_________________
'93 K1100LT
'78 R100S
'05 R1200GS
BMWMOA, CRBMWOA, ABC, K11OG #997

Live well, do good work, enjoy the ride.

hockeyshifter · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 3:05 am Post subject:

i work in the transportation field.. if you are looking for a year around oil to put in the k or r bikes this is the grade. it is an extended life oil use in heavy duty truck and machienery. it is for either compression for spark ingintion engines. rotella is shell and delvac is mobil , texaco has one also ; they are call the million mile oil; in the heavy fleet circles because of the extensive testing in tractor trailer / fleet operation. i have been using the delvac in all my cars and the k11rs.
the only penalty is a slight loss ( 1 to 3 ) in MPG. a small price to pay for the added protection that this oil delivers if you can not change your oil at an approprate time.
_________________
fix the problem not the blame ; fix what is messed up ; NO one is to blame.

Scott_Anderson · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:38 am Post subject:

One of the nice things I like about the K's is that you DON'T have to buy that "motorcycle" specific oil. You know the kind that doesn't have those "friction modifiers" that would cause a "wet" clutch to slip. DAMHIK
I just changed mine over to Mobil1 Synthetic this spring.
I havn't seen any straight weight synthetics on the market. Or am I just not looking very hard.

Ride Safe.

Scott