Oil debate

[a340driver]

So here's my 2 cents worth. After reading many,many threads on this and several different forums, I decided to try Rotella T6 oil. At first, I did notice a quieter engine, and smooth shifting. Roll ahead about 500kms, to this weekends advanced motorcycle riding course. Day one went fine, day two was hard on the clutches and brake's for everyone. Lots of slow speed training and obstacle course riding. All the bikes got hot. The Triumph quit altogether, there was that odor of smoking brake shoe's in the air.
On my ride home, I experienced significant clutch slippage, mostly at the higher speeds, but with increasing occurance at lower speeds as I neared my home. Tomorrow, I'm going to change the oil back to motorcycle$$ oil, and hopefully I haven't done any damage, as I have a long trip coming up in a few days ... just thought someone might want to know >>> My bike only has 11000 kms on it, so I wouldn't think I actually burned out, or wore out the clutch or springs .. but you never know ...

[MAS Tequila]

I've seen several Nomad clutches fry from the advanced MSF and Ride like a pro.

One was only 1500 miles old and it was completely shot.

Those courses are the main reason discs and steels get burnt.

MT

[cactusjack]

I seriously doubt your problem is the oil. You probably smoked the clutch from your riding activities. Ride it tomorrow after it's had some time to cool. T6 meets the motorcycle oil specification. I think you would have this result regardless of the oil used.

[dshelly]

I tried the T6 too when I first got my bike and like a340driver said at first it seemed fine. Then after riding a couple long rides two up, my clutch started to slip in high gear when accelerating and under load. So I changed the oil to Mobil 1 4T and the slipping decreased dramatically. I know lots of guys on here use the Rotella and don't have any problems. But after my experience with I won't ever use it again.

Last winter I changed to spring and the friction discs plus added the judges washers . Still running Mobil 1 4T and the clutch has never been better.

[Sin City Stan]

Originally Posted by dshelly

I tried the T6 too when I first got my bike and like a340driver said at first it seemed fine. Then after riding a couple long rides two up, my clutch started to slip in high gear when accelerating and under load.

I believe the problem is the clutch not the oil. I use T6 and just completed a round trip to the National Rally (1800 miles) two-up with an additional 70 pounds of cargo. We traversed four 10'000 foot, two 11'000 foot and four 12'000 foot summits. No slip whatsoever. Nonetheless I know in the next 10'000 miles or so It will need a new clutch no matter what oil I use.

T6 is a synthetic. A motorcycle would be hard pressed to create enough heat to break it down.

[a340driver]

Thanks for your input guys .. I'll ride tomorrow after an oil change and let you know

[billmac]

I doubt the T-6 oil is the problem. IMO, Kawasaki clutches ain't that tuff. I smoked a new KZ1000 clutch in one day doing similar maneuvers. Both of my Nomads had to have new springs in less than 15k. I am not gentle on clutches, but I don't think much of their clutches either. I put Barnett springs on both Nomads. It helps me to not slip the clutches so much. :) I am curious to see what you find out. I hope it works out for you.

[rickyboy]

Al,..having done the same course I know exactly what maneuvers you were doing on the 2nd day. Because you were probably on the rear brake a lot and "in the zone" on the clutch I think you probably got the clutch pretty warm. I had already changed the stock Kawasaki clutch out for the Barnett MT-25 so all I had hot were the rear brakes. You might have burnt the oil a little. Have a sniff and see if smells burnt. You might want to do a change. I doubt any oil would have done any different. Like Scott said the Rotella is made for motorcycles.
Did you get the new tires put on yet??
Give me a call if I can help you.

[a340driver]

Well, ya, test rode failed. Changed the oil, put new tires on shined her up, but she barely made it up the hill down the street. Clutch slipped in all gears at all speeds. $%*@ !!!
So no trip for AL. That skill improvement course is now coming in a lot more expensive than I planned.
Well, I'll order the Plates, washers, and springs. Anyone here tell of a heavier clutch plate for the Nomad ..??

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by a340driver

Well, ya, test rode failed. Changed the oil, put new tires on shined her up, but she barely made it up the hill down the street. Clutch slipped in all gears at all speeds. $%*@ !!!
So no trip for AL. That skill improvement course is now coming in a lot more expensive than I planned.
Well, I'll order the Plates, washers, and springs. Anyone here tell of a heavier clutch plate for the Nomad ..??

I'd buy a Barnett MT25 spring and install it. You don't even need to drain the oil to service the clutch. I'd bet your disks are fine. The service manual has specs for measuring them. When I replaced my clutch spring, I used a micrometer to measure the thickness of the disks. They were all well within spec.

[Duffer]

To me, it sounds like you "burned" your oil. Oils have a volitility rating and those with a high rating will break down faster than those with a low volitility. Not all oils are the same. Their ability to remain effective in "hot" applications is measured by the NOAK test.

Volatization is a term used to describe what happens to a fluid as it is heated to the point it begins to "boil off." Upon reaching a certain temperature, oil will begin to lose some of its lighter weight molecules as they "boil off" and leave heavier weight molecules behind. Not only does this cause higher oil consumption, this process can also cause increased viscosity making the oil more difficult to circulate through the lubrication system. The ASTM D-5800 (Noack) is a widely accepted method of measuring volatility. Originally developed and used in Europe, the Noack test determines how much weight loss an oil experiences through volatization.
In the Noack test the oil is heated to 150° C for a specified period. The lighter oil fractions will "boil-off," leading eventually to oil consumption, oil thickening and a loss of performance. The test reports results in the percentage, by weight, lost due to "boil-off."

It is quite probable that, due to the increased engine temperature, your oil simply failed. Just because an oil has a JASCO rating, it doesn't mean that it is superior. Check the volitility rating (NOAK) for the Rotella, it's 10.5 whereas AMSOIL is only 7.1

[billmac]

I have been down this road twice. I think the heat ruins the spring and not necessarily the clutch itself.

On my first Nomad I ordered all the parts. My mechanic said let me check it out first. But, I did not want the down time waiting on parts, so I got it all and he installed them. Sure enough, he said I only needed the new Barnett spring.

So on my second Nomad, I decided to take a chance and only bought the spring. It is more difficult to pull in the lever, but my clutch does not slip. It has been two years now.

[a340driver]

Thanks ... Rick suggested the Barnett Spring too, so I think I'll go with that first. Thanks for your help ..

[a340driver]

So, ya, she's as fried as road kill on a Arizona highway ... the plates have the same coating and smell. Like PAM on an old fry pan. That can't be normal. The bike only has 12,000 kms. But this is after an advanced driving course. I have the Judge washers, Barnett clutch spring and new plates to put on. For the rest of the installation, I'd like to clean off this film. Anyone come across a cleaner for this ? Brake disc cleaner maybe? ....

[a340driver]

http://s215.photobucket.com/user/a34...tml?sort=3&o=2