Will Synthetic Shell Rotella 5W-40 be OK in my Suzuki Bandit 600s?

Question

The Oil cap on my bike calls for 10W-40.
Will Synthetic 5W-40 be OK in my bike year all year 'round?
By the way, I'm the most concerned about not harming my engine above anything else.
Thanks!

BTW I live in Florida

Answer 1

It'll be OK. Diesel specific oils don't use friction modifiers and that's the stuff that will cause problems with a wet type clutch. Basically any oil that isn't rated as an energy conservation oil will work. The problem with these oils as opposed to a motorcycle specific additive package oil is the length of service that they can tolerate doing something they were never designed to do. Lubricating and protecting a multitude of surfaces while also being subjected to the effects of meshing gears, wet clutches and extreme temperature swings. To be safe planning on changing your oil at half the recommended manufacturers mileage interval.

That little fact escaped the guys at M/C Consumer News because they didn't have any way of testing the long term effectiveness in a real world working scenario. Actually, many of the 'facts' found in that article have come under fire from many fronts and has lost most of it's credibility.

Answer 2

Won't do any harm, as long as it is JASO MA or API SG rated, meaning specifically intended for motorbike engines. Really though, the classic Bandit engine is an old design, not highly stressed, and will run quite happily on basic mineral oil. You don't say whether you have a 600 or 1200 - if it's a 1200 you should stick to mineral, as the clutch can slip with fully synthetic oils, and might just slip (especially if it's well-worn) with semi-synth. If you have one of the new 650 or 1250 Bandits with the new water-cooled engine, then semi-synth is fine.

Answer 3

use a bike oil ONLY!!!!!!! Bike oil is formulated with special ingredients for your wet clutch. It also has the ability to reduce foaming from the gears which if it happens can cause the oil pump not to pick it up and circulate the oil properly. The manufacturer spends plenty on research if they thought it would be fine to run a car oil they would save their money
I run a full synthetic in all my bikes and they all have a wet clutch. Every race team uses a synthetic for the Superior protection
I use castrol full syn. but all of the major brands are fine
Spectro
motul
redline
amsoil
maxxim
honda
suzuki
kawi
what ever brand you chose just stick to it

Answer 4

The best SAFE advice is to use an oil specifically designed for motorcycles and wet clutches. Something tells me that Rotella is not:

Shell ROTELLA T Multigrade SAE 15W-40 with Advanced Soot Control is Shell’s highest quality mixed-fleet heavy-duty engine oil. It meets the warranty and service requirements of virtually all diesel and gasoline engine manufacturers that recommend a multigrade oil. Recommended especially for all on-highway service applications, it may also be recommended for off-highway applications, especially where all-season use is desired. ROTELLA T Multigrade exceeds the requirements of both cleaner-burning new engines and earlier models. Shell’s unique chemistry helps ensure that the oil stays in grade in all seasons and under all types of loads.

Answer 5

I was under the impression that Rotella was a diesel rated oil (sorry if I'm wrong). Probably alot of people are going to write and tell you to use only motorcycle rated oil, believe me it won't make any difference. Regarding the clutch, synthetic probably will not make it slip. Motorcycle cycle consumer news investigated use of synthetic oils regarding clutch slippage and found that it was no problem

Answer 6

if it has a wet clutch i sure as hell wouldnt use synthetic ... use the recommended i would think would be best ..