no more Rotella oil available?

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nakedinterstate81
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no more Rotella oil available?

#1

Post by nakedinterstate81 »

For my 75, I did the Randakk recommended oil change with 50/50 Rotella straight 30 and ATF and ran it for 20 minutes.
Now I am looking for the Rotella 10-40 to refill, but it is not available anywhere.
I checked three Walmarts and auto parts stores and all they have is the Rotella straight 30 for $16.
Meanwhile, Amazon wants $50 for an oil change kit that includes the honda gn oil plus filter.

What are more economical options right now since Rotella has supply chain problems?

I picked up a gallon of chevron Delo 400 SDE for now to synchronize the carbs but haven't driven with it.
I may tomorrow, but would like to get some suggestions.

Thanks, Patrick
1975 Gl1000
1981 Gl1100, looking for a used good engine.
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gltriker
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#2

Post by gltriker »

Shell doesn't offer their Rotella oil in a 10w-40 formulation. 15w-40, they do.
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MikeNTexas
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#3

Post by MikeNTexas »

Is there a TSC (Tractor Supply) in your part of the world? That’s where I buy it.
Last edited by MikeNTexas on Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
1975 GL1000 Restored (sold)
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#4

Post by desertrefugee »

Delo is a good alternative.
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tlbranth
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#5

Post by tlbranth »

I use Delo in all four bikes. Have for years.
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#6

Post by Sidecar Bob »

I tried the Rotella 15W40 and my clutch didn't like it. These days I either use Castrol motorcycle oil or Canadian Tire's Motomaster brand, whichever is cheaper the week I buy it.

BTW: The main thing you need to make sure of when buying oil for your bike ( besides getting a suitable viscosity rating) is that it has the Japan Automotive Standards Organization Motorcycle type A (JASO-MA) rating, which means it has been tested and approved for use in motorcycles with wet clutches (the MB rating is for bikes with dry clutches).
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flyin900
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#7

Post by flyin900 »

Sidecar Bob wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 3:18 pm I tried the Rotella 15W40 and my clutch didn't like it. These days I either use Castrol motorcycle oil or Canadian Tire's Motomaster brand, whichever is cheaper the week I buy it.

BTW: The main thing you need to make sure of when buying oil for your bike ( besides getting a suitable viscosity rating) is that it has the Japan Automotive Standards Organization Motorcycle type A (JASO-MA) rating, which means it has been tested and approved for use in motorcycles with wet clutches (the MB rating is for bikes with dry clutches).
I found the same with my 1976 GL1000 that the Castrol was a better match. Yet with the GL1100 and GL1200 there is no problem with it. My go to has been the Castrol GTX 10-40W when on sale, or the Rotella T4 - 15-40W when it's on sale.

If your in Canada CTC has the Rotella T4 - 15-40W in the 18.9Litre pail on sale until Dec 2nd for $69.99. action1
Current Bikes:

1966 CL77 - Honda 305cc - Dual purpose - "Gentleman's Scrambler" was a period moniker.
1967 CL175K0 - Low production number with #802 engine serial- winter 2019/2020 full restoration.
1972 CB350F - Baby Four with low mileage - Cosmetic refresh to the next level 2021/2022.
1978 CB550K - Very original bike with only 7499 Km. from new - light cleanup and refresh done.
1983 CB1100F - Canadian model - DOHC Supersport in pristine low kilometre condition from new.
1984 GL1200 - Standard model in showroom condition - two owner bike from new.
1984 CX650E - Restored summer 2017 - a rare Eurosport model - excellent one owner bike.
nakedinterstate81
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#8

Post by nakedinterstate81 »

Rode 100 miles with the Delo oil and forgot to stop by the TSC story.
Smooth shifting and no clutch problems.
Thanks guys.
1975 Gl1000
1981 Gl1100, looking for a used good engine.
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#9

Post by Don R »

Advance auto here was out of rotella this week.
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pidjones
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#10

Post by pidjones »

A friend mentioned Tuesday that Walmart and other discount sources were out of T6 for his GL1800. I use it in the Spyder, but have quite a ways to go before the next change. Maybe ought to start watching now. Is Shell following suit with other businesses by creating a false shortage to excuse driving up prices?
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Shadowjack
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#11

Post by Shadowjack »

I looked in Walmart in October for Rotella oil and all they had was T5, which is not rated for motorcycles. Or maybe it was the wrong grade. Anyway, all kinds of stuff is hard to find right now.
redglbx
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#12

Post by redglbx »

It’s all games imho ! I’ve used Mobil 1 15w-50 in my wing most of its life along with Rotella t6, no complaints ! I’ve used both of these in all of my bikes as normal and the only difference I’ve noticed is that the Mobil 1 shifts slicker than the Rotella initially until it’s close to change time. The Rotella is the same start to finish, always a bit clunky shifting, but it works better in my CBX’s which is really hard on oil due to 300+ degree oil temps regularly. Good stuff !

Past the oil itself I think most of these shortages are just created to simply drive the prices up. As an example I reload my own ammo and small pistol primers are pure unobtainium for well over a year. I used to buy a box of 1k for about $26 now most are well over $100 & I’ve seen as high as $500/1000 , just criminal. And I believe the oil shortages are the same.
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flyin900
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#13

Post by flyin900 »

Yep, That's why I grabbed the Rotella on sale now, as in the spring it could be much more. What's criminal is the meat prices up here; yet at least we have a choice of availability at this point in time.
Current Bikes:

1966 CL77 - Honda 305cc - Dual purpose - "Gentleman's Scrambler" was a period moniker.
1967 CL175K0 - Low production number with #802 engine serial- winter 2019/2020 full restoration.
1972 CB350F - Baby Four with low mileage - Cosmetic refresh to the next level 2021/2022.
1978 CB550K - Very original bike with only 7499 Km. from new - light cleanup and refresh done.
1983 CB1100F - Canadian model - DOHC Supersport in pristine low kilometre condition from new.
1984 GL1200 - Standard model in showroom condition - two owner bike from new.
1984 CX650E - Restored summer 2017 - a rare Eurosport model - excellent one owner bike.
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taunusrainer
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#14

Post by taunusrainer »

I read somewhere that Rotella is now called Rimula
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Rednaxs60
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Re: no more Rotella oil available?

#15

Post by Rednaxs60 »

I use synthetic oil that has no energy conserving additives, meets the Honda requirement of the day for a good quality detergent oil with no additives. The JASO standard was not applied until 1999. long after our bikes were made. Look for an oil that has an API donut with the lower half blank:
API-CK-4-Donut-non-energy.jpg
API-CK-4-Donut-non-energy.jpg (22.36 KiB) Viewed 541 times
If the JASO standard is on the label, bonus.
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