Rotella T5 10w30 + CB1100 = HAPPY!!!

Thread starter
m in sc_imp said:
4.2 gallons? lol

i pay 16bucks for a honda filter w a crush washer and about 10 bucks a qt, for full synthetic. far as i know, no one has ever had an issue with a honda filter regardless of where it was made. but to each their own.
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Typo... Meant 4.2 quarts. But 4.2 is still wrong. And so is charging $20 for a Chinese filter! Lol

T5 10w30 is an excellent oil for the CB1100.
 
Thread starter
m in sc_imp said:
4.2q is fill from dead empty never run. just fyi.

they are made in multiple locations but run whatever you wish, they will all work well. in todays world, anything is better oil and filter wise than it was 20-30-50 years ago.
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Nope.

So per the manual, it's 4.1 US quarts when changing the oil filter.

That's incorrect. It's less than 3.9 quarts.

There's a video on Youtube where a guy dumps 4 quarts into his Cb1100 and it completely fills the sight-glass.

There's another one where the guy puts in 3.5 quarts and then tops it up until the sight-glass is accurate.

My experience is in line with the second guy. Put in 3.5 quarts, while on the center stand, and then gradually top it up until the sight glass is where you want it.

4 quarts is too much. 4.1 quarts is way too much... lol

I am talking about the 2014 Standard, aka the "black one". I can't speak to other model or year variations.

But the manual for the 2014 is incorrect. Even the Honda shops that follow the manual are overfilling these bikes.
Ps. Im using the Fram PH6017a. Another typo... No wonder I got D's in accounting! Good lord I hated that class...
 
I have more often than not found that the quantity of oil in owners manuals for motorcycles is excessive. Sometimes it probably makes no difference but on others this excess oil ends up in the airbox. This is the case for all brands and models I've owned from BMW, Kawasaki, HD, Honda, Yamaha, Guzzi, and on.

When changing oil on my 2014 CB1100 I warmed it up first then let the oil drain on its center stand while I removed the filter. After it completely stopped dripping around 10 minutes later I installed the new filter and put the plug back in finger tight, parked it on the side stand, removed the plug and over 1/2 a cup more came out. Plug back in, tip the bike to the right and hold it there for 10 seconds, back up on the center stand, removed the plug and almost another 1/2 cup drained out over night.

Next day I added 3.5 qts, started the bike letting it idle for a minute, then checked again a few minutes later and had to add some (but not all) of the remaining 1/2 qt to get it to just below the top of the sight glass. So I'm saying probably around 3.75 qts puts mine near max.
 
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GoldOxide_imp said:
On center stand, sight glass = truth.

My approach is consistent generally with what m in sc and Ollie said already.
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Agreed.

It's not necessary to disassemble an entire engine to discern the proper amount of oil needed to fill a CB1100... LOL

But it's important to know that the Owners Manual for the CB1100 is inaccurate.

If the correct fill quantity was known to be less than 4 quarts, why did people on this forum (and my Honda dealer) continue to preach (and install) 4+ quarts?

And until this thread, I haven't seen anyone else addressing the inaccurate manual or the correct fill amount.

If this was common knowledge before, then please pardon me for resharing common knowledge that my dealership and I initially missed.

Hopefully others will be able to avoid the same mistakes.

For the pro mechanics here who already know everything about the CB1100, thanks for your patience while us amateurs figure it out as we go.
 
It's a very strange thing, Yata-Garasu. I'm not saying your report is incorrect; but, to the best of my knowledge, you are the only person to have reported this phenomenon.

I have a 2011 model and I have always put 3.9 litres (or 3.88005 US quarts) of oil in the crankcase when I change the oil and filter. That does not overfill the bike. As previously noted, the workshop manual for the 2013-2016 says that the required amount of oil is:[ul] [li]3.8 litres or 4.0 US quarts or 3.3 Imperial quarts after draining;[/li] [li]3.9 litres or 4.1 US quarts or 3.4 imperial quarts after draining and replacing the oil filter;[/li] [li]4.9 litres or 5.2 US quarts or 4.3 Imp quarts after disassembly of the engine)
[/li][/ul] Something's going on. But what?
 
Thread starter
Cormanus_imp said:
It's a very strange thing, Yata-Garasu. I'm not saying your report is incorrect; but, to the best of my knowledge, you are the only person to have reported this phenomenon.

I have a 2011 model and I have always put 3.9 litres (or 3.88005 US quarts) of oil in the crankcase when I change the oil and filter. That does not overfill the bike. As previously noted, the workshop manual for the 2013-2016 says that the required amount of oil is:[ul] [li]3.8 litres or 4.0 US quarts or 3.3 Imperial quarts after draining;[/li] [li]3.9 litres or 4.1 US quarts or 3.4 imperial quarts after draining and replacing the oil filter;[/li] [li]4.9 litres or 5.2 US quarts or 4.3 Imp quarts after disassembly of the engine)
[/li][/ul] Something's going on. But what?
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The Honda dealership overfilled it too. And sold me a new fill cap and gasket when I noticed oil dripping from the fill cap... lol

The dripping stopped when the overfill condition was corrected.

I'm being transparent about my experiences so that others might avoid the same mistakes. .

I doubt I am the first person to overfill... Apparently I am the first one to admit it here.

And T5 10w30 is still an excellent oil in my CB1100, even though it doesn't say Honda or MA anywhere on the jug.
 
Others have overfilled. Me included. No-one has previously claimed the user and service manuals are wrong.
 
I reckon you're right to use the sight glass as it's got to be the most accurate way to make sure the engine has the right amount of oil. Seems to me, though, that accuracy may be affected by even the slightest slope.

Kudos to Lord Popgun for posting the amounts the first time around. I merely verified them in my 2010 user manual and in an online version of the 2013-16 workshop manual.
 
I always used the sight window when refilling, adding oil to the top marker and then idling the motor for about 5 minutes. Then added oil if needed to bring the level back to the top mark. This usually took most of a US gallon of T6 Rotella, $26 a gallon at Wal Mart back then. Used the OEM Honda filter as I did not see that great a difference in price with other high quality filters.
 
redbirds_imp said:
I always used the sight window when refilling, adding oil to the top marker and then idling the motor for about 5 minutes. Then added oil if needed to bring the level back to the top mark. This usually took most of a US gallon of T6 Rotella, $26 a gallon at Wal Mart back then. Used the OEM Honda filter as I did not see that great a difference in price with other high quality filters.
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^^+1^^
 
redbirds_imp said:
I always used the sight window when refilling, adding oil to the top marker and then idling the motor for about 5 minutes. Then added oil if needed to bring the level back to the top mark. This usually took most of a US gallon of T6 Rotella, $26 a gallon at Wal Mart back then. Used the OEM Honda filter as I did not see that great a difference in price with other high quality filters.
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I consider this the standard process.

Maybe busy service garages don't wish to spend the extra time getting the sight glass optimally levelled.

For bike owners, they likely have more time flexibility and ought to be this thorough. This would also apply to dipstick implementations.
 
Thread starter
The shop likely just put it on the stand and dumped in what it said in the manual. That works for my Shadow 750s or any other bike where the manual is accurate.

Another issue with the manual showing 4.1 quarts is that it requires buying more than 4 quarts to prepare for an oil change. It's not a big deal if you buy in quart bottles, but you still end up paying for more than you need. If you buy in the gallon jugs, you just spend a lot more than needed.

At 3.5 to 3.8 quarts to fill the Eleven, I can buy a gallon of T5 10w30 for $21, and have a tiny bit left over.

I use 15w40 in my Shadow 750s.
peterbaron_imp said:
^^+1^^, so do it yourself is the best option!
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Indeed!
 
Everyone can do what they want with regards to oil brand/weight/amount in their own bikes, but an even gallon of GN4 10W30 has worked just fine in my CB for 71,000 miles and 18 oil/filter changes so far.
 
Thread starter
DaSwami_imp said:
4.1 gallons on my 2013 has it level with the top of the sight glass....
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I suspect that the fill quantity is slightly different for different years, but they didn't bother changing the manual... At least not the English language manuals.

It would be cool if we could find a pdf of a Japanese language CB1100 manual.
 
Yata-Garasu_imp said:
DaSwami_imp said:
4.1 gallons on my 2013 has it level with the top of the sight glass....
Click to expand...
I suspect that the fill quantity is slightly different for different years, but they didn't bother changing the manual... At least not the English language manuals.

It would be cool if we could find a pdf of a Japanese language CB1100 manual.
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I would have not considered that for this CB1100 lump. Suppose it is possible.

The design mitigation is the use of the sight glass.
 
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