OK,  I've got a cb500x honda motorbike that is about due for an oil change.   Back home we run rotella t6 Synthetic 15w40 diesel oil.  Works well in a wet clutch and is about $25 per gallon.

It appears that they do not offer t6 rotella in the s.e. asian theater.

 

Apparently,  the Shell Company offers Rimula Synthetic diesel oil here, and I am trying to find the closest match to the Rotella.

 

I am not going to cough up   690U for a liter of Motul 4t 7100 Synthetic..  Actually 3 liters.

 

What are you guys running?

 

 

Motorcycle forum

 

MOVED

Castrol Activ 20w-40.

I think you will find that Rimula is Rotella. Try finding Rimula in the US. T6 is probably the same as Rimula R6

 

New problem is finding Rimula R6. 

I was always told that in hot climates the oil needs to be thicker..... so say 5w40 is not the ideal and to go for a higher "W rate like say 10W40 or 15w40 ... but then I am no grease monkey so don't take it for granted !

I have done quite a bit research about this in the past, and i think i found the cheapest options here in Thailand.

At first you have to understand that there are four main classes of oils, each of them consisting of base oil and additives.

- Mineral

- Semi Synthetic

- Fully Synthetic

- 100% Synthetic

If you check your owners manual probably the last three options are considered ok.

Only 100% Synthetic is really synthetic. Fully synthetic means that the base oil might be mineral, but the additives are synthetic. Semi synthetic has a mineral base oil, and some of the additives are synthetic.

 

You probably want either fully or 100% synthetic oil.

Sometimes it's hotter than 40 degrees here in Thailand, so i would only use an oil which is good for up to 50 degrees.

According to my research these are the cheapest options which comply to standards like "JASO MA2" and "API SN" or "API SM".

Your owner's manual probably requires something like "API SH", so you can use every oil which has a "higher" letter than H, like SJ, SK, SL, SM, SN and so on.

 

Fully synthetic:

elf MOTO4 TECH 10W-50 Fully Synthetic

280 THB per litre / bottle

 

100% synthetic:

SHELL Advance Ultra 15W-50 100% Synthetic

360 THB per litre / bottle

 

This are the prices which i pay at a motorbike parts shop here in Chiang Mai.

Edited June 21, 20197 yr by jackdd

Thanks all,  and especially jackdd.   I do my own wrenching even though I could have a shop do it.   I am really particular about my bike.

9 hours ago, observer90210 said:

I was always told that in hot climates the oil needs to be thicker..... so say 5w40 is not the ideal and to go for a higher "W rate like say 10W40 or 15w40 ... but then I am no grease monkey so don't take it for granted !

 All those you listed have the same viscosity at high temperatures. The lower number is the viscosity of the oil a 0 degrees F. The higher number is the oil viscosity at 212 degrees F.  The "w" stands for winter. I remember in the sixty's before multi-grade oils became the norm, owners would use 30 oil in warm months and 20 or 10 in cold months. Now car manufacturers recommend 0w30 in some engines to improve fuel economy.  

I also use Elf ( Total ) Moto 4 Tech 10/50 Fully Synthetic , from the Honda shop , near the bus station in Chiang Mai. The first viscosity number ( 10 or 15 ) isnt really important here. Your engine oil will rarely be below 15 degrees Celsius. I believe Shell Rimula is a "EF" energy efficient / "EC" energy conservation oil. Rotella was not. So it could effect wet clutches. Rotella t6  is a 5/40.

can't really speak for motor cycle engines but as a long time engineer and self repair car guy, I am totally sold on 100 per cent synthetic oils in car engines.  I have never seen engine oil changes come out so clean and the cars seem to love it.  I use valvoline.  My friend swears on Mobil.  Yes it is more expensive than tradition dinosaur oil, but since I have kept each of my last two cars to over 250K miles, to me, the cost is worth it.  I have never needed any sort of engine job.  My current car is a 2008 Kia Sorrento SUV with 85k miles on it.  Runs great.  All my cars have been in the USA winters, deserts, humid Florida, places. 

on a non hi performance engine like the cb500x, the Motul 5100 semi is fine. In fact fully synthetic oils are not needed in road going vehicles at all. Unless you are running your vehicle at track days with your engine at sustained high RPM regularly, you are just throwing money away.

 

If you are anal about your engine other than what the manufacturer suggests, why not just just drop the oil change intervals and make sure you always change filters at oil change.

 

If you want to read more about modern oils, read up on "polymer shear" of engine oils. Sometimes Fully synthetic can be a worse way to go for road based vehicles.

 

 

 

I suppose I could roll my own semisynth out of 2 bottles of semi and one of 100% synth.   It'd be cheaper,  and nearly as good as full synth.

6 hours ago, Farangwithaplan said:

on a non hi performance engine like the cb500x, the Motul 5100 semi is fine.

Motul is just way over priced. They have to get the money back which they spend on all the advertising

 

7 hours ago, ktm jeff said:

The first viscosity number ( 10 or 15 ) isnt really important here. Your engine oil will rarely be below 15 degrees Celsius

You understood something wrong

So here in Thailand it's completely irrelevant if it's 10w-50, 15w-50 or 20w-50, because it won't be below -20 degrees celsius.

But as mentioned before, sometimes it's above 40 degrees celsius, so using an engine oil which is good up to 50 degrees makes sense

1 hour ago, jackdd said:

Motul is just way over priced. They have to get the money back which they spend on all the advertising

The OP referred to Motul 7100. That is why I suggested 5100. Of course and major semi synthetic will be suitable.  But I wasn't aware the Motul have a larger advertising budget than say, Shell, Mobil, Repsol, Fuchs or other international brand.

 

The point of my post was not about a specific brand, it was that full synthetic oils are simply not needed for the majority of users. There may be some exotic road going vehicles that has a manufacturer recommendation for fully synthetic, but they would be rare.

I looked at the manual for my bike,  and it calls for 10w30, but because I am such a badass and want to buck the system,  I got the 20w50 synth amsoil with the filter thrown in.

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/amsoil-20w50-4t-100-946-ml-3-free-oil-filter-oyabun-i345444304-s673978992.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.9.31806473Ie45Q3&search=1

 

Of course,  I'll need a list of your names and numbers,  so that when my bike bursts into flames and shards of molten engine parts rain down on a distant thai countryside,  I'll have somebody to call and a place to crash until I pick up the mess.

 

Amsoil is made in the USA, and I was too.

Edited June 23, 20197 yr by samuttodd

I use Mobile 20 W 50 for my 1100 cc Yamaha Virago and it's not as expensive as Motul. Considering that I'm changing my oil, including filter pretty often, Mobile seems to be good oil.

 

  But you could also use 15 W 40 if you can't get the other one.

 

   From 80 to 140 baht/liter. 

APXXMobil-Super-4T.pdf

On 6/23/2019 at 1:40 AM, jackdd said:

Motul is just way over priced. They have to get the money back which they spend on all the advertising

 

You understood something wrong

So here in Thailand it's completely irrelevant if it's 10w-50, 15w-50 or 20w-50, because it won't be below -20 degrees celsius.

But as mentioned before, sometimes it's above 40 degrees celsius, so using an engine oil which is good up to 50 degrees makes sense

What i meant was , as your chart shows , the blue numbers are 0 degree centigrade numbers. Not much use in Thailand. the important figures are the red ones. As it gets over 40 degrees , you want an oil to have a higher  VI grade than 40. A 15/50 will cover between  - 25 and + 50. I have yet to find a fully synthetic , or a 100% synthetic oil , of the grade 20/50. Motrex does a 10/60 - at a price.

https://www.lazada.co.th/-i345444304-s673978992.html?urlFlag=true&mp=1

 

Amsoil 20w50 100% SYNTHETIC and a filter to boot!bl

Edited June 24, 20197 yr by samuttodd

2 hours ago, samuttodd said:

https://www.lazada.co.th/-i345444304-s673978992.html?urlFlag=true&mp=1

 

Amsoil 20w50 100% SYNTHETIC and a filter to boot!bl

 

Thank you for the information. I will look into this oil.

Using  Motu  on the CBR300R.. No issues...

5 hours ago, ktm jeff said:

Thank you for the information. I will look into this oil.

It is the best.

Group 4 base stock; PAO, doesnt break down.

Nearly immortal.

Amsoil says can double the oil change interval

recommended by factory.

 

Can increase HP or economy 1.5 to 2% or more.

Edited June 24, 20197 yr by papa al

I decided to get myself a drainbolt with a magnet in it as well.    Keep the metal flakes from re-circulating around in the oil.    Set me back a whopping 72 baht.

Edited June 25, 20197 yr by samuttodd