Rotella T5 10w30 + CB1100 = HAPPY!!!

[Yata-Garasu_imp]

I wasn't impressed with the Honda GN4 10w40 that the dealership installed when i bought the bike with 8900 miles on it. It came out looking like coffee after only 3k miles. So I started looking for alternatives.

I know a lot of folks here like the Rotella T6 5w40 but I saw some used oil analysis at BITOG that showed it sheared easily and might not be the best choice for an oil cooled bike that is hard on oil like the CB1100.

I had used T4 15w40 in my Shadow 750s and my old Nighthawk 750, and the dealership assured me 15w40 wouldn't hurt the CB1100, so I decided to try the T6 15w40 as that seems to resist shearing better and is also MA2 rated (rated, not certified...)

The T6 15w40 held up much better than the Honda GN4 10w40, but it was causing ticking from the top of the engine. 15w40 grade is too stout and simply isnt a good match with the CB1100.

A few people on BITOG recommended the T5 10w30, but I was hesitant since it's not MA or MA2 rated. Decided to give it a try since the oil analysis looked very much like a motorcycle oil, and there were several people there using in bikes similar to the CB1100 such as rhe ZRX1200.

I'm not knocking anyone's choice of oil here, I just want to report that my Eleven is doing great on the T5 10w30, very smooth and quiet, and no shifting issues at all.

According to reports on BITOG forum, the T5 10w30 resists shearing very well, and the ZRX rider reported the T5 was still in grade after 5000 miles. I fully expect it will perform similarly in the CB1100.

Rotella T5 10w30 is a better motorcycle oil than many other oils that are MA certified. You can use Rotella T5 in your CB1100 with confidence.

I've attached a Virgin Oil Analysis of the T5 that I found at BITOG.

Ps. My CB1100 takes between 3.8 and 3.9 quarts to fill including a filter change. There appears to be some confusion over this in some of the manuals and online. At least on my bike, the 2014 Standard, aka "The Black One", a full 4 quarts overfills it and completely blots out the sight glass.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Useful to know Yata-Garasu.

I will consider looking at that during the next opportunity.

 

[widude]

Thanks.

 

[Ollie]

Seems odd that full synthetic T6 15-40 would not be better on an air cooled, 4 cylinder engine? What do you mean by it being "too stout"? Mine shifts and sounds fine with M1 4T 10w-40.

 

[Yata-Garasu_imp]

After I made the leap to T6 15w40 from GN4 10W40, I found a post here on the forum (that I can't find at the moment) by someone who claimed to have insight into the Honda engineering process for the CB1100, and he claimed that he would never put an oil heavier than 10w30 into a CB1100 due to the tiny clearances in the oil cooler mechanism.

Also, there was a noticeable amount of "valve chatter" that I could hear with the T6 15w40. Not terrible, but noticeably louder than the GN4 10W40 that it replaced. It did get better with time, but it never went away.

Mine shifted fairly well with the T6 15w40, but occasionally it would miss second. I attributed this to user error at first but after switching to the T5 10w30 I haven't missed second gear a single time.

I also expected the 15w40 would be a good match for the CB1100, especially in Texas summer riding... But it wasnt the case.

In my experience, the T6 15w40 wasn't a good match for the CB1100

If I had stayed with a 10w40 I probably wouldn't have noticed the valve chatter, but the 10w30 is the quietest oil Ive had in her sonfar. No valve chatter or ticking.

The T5 10w30 has shown itself to stay in grade for 5k mile oil change intervals on a ZRX1200 in Phoenix, also an inline 4 aircooled engine.

I can't comment on the Mobil 1 4T 10w40, but I am glad I decided tontry the T5 10w30. Its working for me.

Since the manual for this bike is demonstrably wrong about the oil capacity, at least for the 2014 standard model, I had to figure it out on my own.

I am very happy with my new filter and 3.8 quarts of Rotella T5 10w30 10w30.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

... and for winter riding in the northern regions, Rotella T6 5W40 is smooth in the bowels of the CB1100. It is equivalently good in summer too. Explicitly meets MA and MA2.

I would consider T5 10W30, if I could get some.

 

[Tev62]

Great you could get the oil to suit you. I thought I would give the Honda Genuine GN4 a go at the recommended grade (not that I was having any issues with a Motul 10W-30 brand) and the official importer for Honda Motorcycles in Ireland said they don't stock it but could sell me an equivalent, I declined.

 

[the Ferret]

the official importer of Honda motorcycles doesn't carry Honda branded oil? That's about crazy imo

 

[peterbaron]

Great you could get the oil to suit you. I thought I would give the Honda Genuine GN4 a go at the recommended grade (not that I was having any issues with a Motul 10W-30 brand) and the official importer for Honda Motorcycles in Ireland said they don't stock it but could sell me an equivalent, I declined.

Time to move to Canada, Tev.
Here we have everything or almost everything

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Great you could get the oil to suit you. I thought I would give the Honda Genuine GN4 a go at the recommended grade (not that I was having any issues with a Motul 10W-30 brand) and the official importer for Honda Motorcycles in Ireland said they don't stock it but could sell me an equivalent, I declined.

Bah. Use some local-available diesel engine oil that meets JASO MA/MA2 requirements?

 

[Yata-Garasu_imp]

id run motul zero questions asked, great oil, especially the 300v

I have a couple questions. Is that available in a 10w30 weight? I can only find it in 10w40, and it's $62 a gallon. Is that guaranteed to be a better oil than the T5 10W30?

I don't mind paying for improved performance, but I don't want to pay more without anything tangible in return.

The T5 10w30 is $21 a gallon where I live. So far it's at least as good as the Honda GN4.

I'm not knocking anyone's choice in motor oil. Just want to let people know that Rotella T5 10w30 is a good option for the CB1100.

 

[Tev62]

Great you could get the oil to suit you. I thought I would give the Honda Genuine GN4 a go at the recommended grade (not that I was having any issues with a Motul 10W-30 brand) and the official importer for Honda Motorcycles in Ireland said they don't stock it but could sell me an equivalent, I declined.

Time to move to Canada, Tev.
Here we have everything or almost everything

I would love to move to Canada for the contryside & the people.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

But which part of Canada?

 

[Tev62]

Well, if it had been "Rush" you would of had me there Gold Oxide! (the Shania Twain reference was removed so this doesn't make too much sense).

 

[peterbaron]

So we wait.
My dealer has the Honda Genuine GN4 in stock at all times...and got an extra box for newcomers!

 

[Tev62]

So we wait.
My dealer has the Honda Genuine GN4 in stock at all times...and got an extra box for newcomers!

Put my name down for a bottle or two

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Well, if it had been "Rush" you would of had me there Gold Oxide! (the Shania Twain reference was removed so this doesn't make too much sense).

Yeah, that is weird. I wonder why the "Come On Over" shared link was removed?

Regarding "Rush": Well, that would imply Brampton/Bramalea area of Ontario province - which is an utter armpit. So almost anywhere else will do, I suppose.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

When drainin' the old blood, I did find on the CB1100 especially that the Motul offerings - as well as the Rotella T6 "looked healthier" compared to standard offerings like GN-4 (which was pretty dark 'n' thin). I cannot comment on the Castrol offering since I did not use it on the CB.

 

[peterbaron]

Agreed with the Motul I use for my both bikes.

 

[Yata-Garasu_imp]

ive run it with excellent results, oil changes in my ducatis were in the 100 each range using motul 300v, at 12000 miles when i did the belts and desmo adjustment there was zero wear or adjustments noted in the topend, and i did all the work myself.

i can't comment on rotella t5, it was designed for diesel motors, and does work fine by reports in other peoples bikes, so im sure its fine. Me? i run castrol synthetic motorcycle oil in the cb. anytime you do an oil change you will feel a slight performance increase right away. the reality is, ANY modern 4t motor oil is going to be good as long as it can be used on a wet clutch.

my take is i dont care about cost overall. the castrol stuff is about 8-10 bucks a quart and is fine.

the rotella is even cheaper and is fine. the 1 upside it has is zinc, which is good.

whats the point? it really doesnt matter in the cb from the choices mentioned in this thread, all will work just fine.

The point for me is that my dealer wanted $100 for a GN4 oil change, so I had to learn to do it myself.

In the process of learning to do it myself, I discovered that the quantity of oil listed in the manual, 4.2 gallons, is WRONG.

The correct amount, with filter change, is between 3.8 and 3.9 quarts.

It's not a rounding error or a "with or without filter" difference, the MOM (manufacturers owners manual) is simply incorrect. The first oil change I had done at the dealership, and they overfilled it too.

Also, I discovered that Bosch 3300 premium filters will not fit the CB1100 due to the shape of the filter screen where it contacts the engine block.

So the dealer wants a fortune for sub standard oil, the manual is wrong regarding oil quantity, and the shape of the engine block is unusual, meaning that not all filters that spec the same as the OEM Honda filter will actually fit.

The Castrol 4T synthetic might be great oil, but it's $12 a quart near me. That's more than twice the price of the Rotella.

The Rotella T5 10w30 is not only less expensive than Honda GN4 10w30, it's a better quality oil.

I'm also using the Fram PH6607 filter. Dealership wanted $20 for a made in China Honda OEM filter. The Bosch 3300 is $6 but didn't fit... The Fram PH6607 is $7, has a silicon drainback valve, and is made in USA. Fits fine.

Some folks are perfectly happy to pay extra money and not have to think about it. My experience is that even paying extra money, that's no guarantee. You are likely to have to think about it eventually.

On my journey to the Rotella T5, I had to think a little for myself but now I have a better quality oil at a much lower cost.

And the correct quantity in my sump too!