ROTELLA OIL

[Interpol2471]

I am now running my IP2 on Silkolene Comp 2 oil and have 15-ish litres of Rotella X 30 sitting around and was wondering if it was ok to use in my tiger cub as a straight 30 weight oil or is it different to the normal Morris type stuff etc.Thanks

[andygbsmith]

Paul , as you know it is a low ash oil but more important it is a very poor quality oil be modern standards.Check out it's API spec and you will see what I mean. I'm sure someone would buy it Off you and.Andy

[kanonkopdrinker]

Andy, don't fall into the trap of confusing simple and basic with "poor quality"; I would contend that Rotella DD+40 is a very pure low-ash oil and ideally suited to rotary engines' total-loss lubrication systems. Importantly for such a consumeable item, it costs just £2.50 per litre from the ROC which is, I think' about 20% of the cost of Silkolene's Pro-Comp?David

[andygbsmith]

Poor use of words on by behalf, Rotella oil is more than good enough for our engines, it's just thay by choice there are much better oils out there for standard four stroke engines.Andy

[Dell Boy]

Run your Cub on the cheapest NON synthetic oil. I.E. mineral oil 20/50 But add WYNNS or S.T.P. oil additive at about £6.00 a bottle which is enough to do three oil changes on a Cub. Change oil every 2,000 miles & your Cub will run forever. Derek. P.S. There is more rubbish talked about oils than any other motoring subject with millions of different opinions about. I run my watercooleds on COMMA HD 30 & have for donkeys years with no ill effects & it is readily available at your local store. Derek.

[Dell Boy]

Further p.s. Rotella 30 is really too thin in my opinion & may leak out of every joint because the engine was designed to hold in thicker oils i.e. straight 40 or 50. Give it a try! Derek.

[rustynuts]

A question for all you riders of non reciprocating machinery - how many miles on average do you get to a tank of oil? I know it varies with eagerness of the right wrist. I have had my IP2 for just over a year and frequently top up a little at a time so have never measured my consumption. I am off to Brittany in July so I need to work out whether I need to carry extra lube.

[dave perry]

HI Gents, I seem to remember having seen a figure of 350 miles per litre, but I'm sure that the Commander does a bit less than this figure, and you also end up doing more miles that you thought - so take plenty !, cheers and have a good trip - dp

[kanonkopdrinker]

Don't know the figures but I managed Essex to Neckarsulm and return on a single tank of oil on the IP2 (being brim full on leaving); I guess much depends on how much you intend to ride once there? Take some spare just to be safe ...

[Richard Negus]

I've just done a calculation of my Commander's oil consumption, with better results than I anticipated.1142 miles done since original brim-full of Comp 2 ; 1.90 litres to refill = 601 miles/litre.Fuel consumption over the same period is approximately 10 miles/litre (45mpg) which typically gives me 160/170 miles brim to reserve.R.

[Dell Boy]

I get the same oil & petrol figures as Richard though I can do better on the petrol front with carefull driving on all my Commanders. Derek.

[Interpol2471]

Well I am now 100% running on Silkolene Comp 2 the same as Richard and already it smells so much nicer so who cares it's nearly 10 quid a litre I am hoping that running the IP2 on the new oil and a bit of Redex every now and then will really clean up her running and help with my fantastic ability to not idle

[johnbirchjar]

Hi, I know its a bit late with the info but my Classic has been run on 40 from new(speedo reading36165 today) and averages about 275 miles to the pint. regards J.B.

[rustynuts]

I'm just back from Brittany, only did about 1000 miles and didn't need to reach for those pint milk containers of spare oil I had stashed in those handy fairing pokets.The old interplod behaved impecably apart from its two known faults; the choke cable which won't stay out, remedied by a twig that lives in the switch gear mirror stem tapping when it is not being used. I'm quite attached to that little twig now, it has done a couple of thousand miles with me now and hasn't fallen off yet. The other fault is the gearbox; if I don't have time to select neutral before I come to a stop, it's virtually imposible to find it whilst stationary. Any suggestions? I've heard both new clutch rubbers and the hydraulic clutch conversion mentioned as ways to improve this.The main annoyance was that the soles of Mrs Rustynuts' nice new boots ended up melting over the silenecers, although they weren't actually touching. Has anyone else experienced this or have any cures e.g. additional shielding or wrapping fibreglass tape round the sileners by the pilloin rests?

[Richard Negus]

I'm The old interplod behaved impecably apart from its two known faults; the choke cable which won't stay out, remedied by a twig that lives in the switch gear mirror stem tapping when it is not being used. I'm quite attached to that little twig now,The most 'engineering' solution I've seen, apart from a new cable obviously, is a pice of rigid plastic tube, slotted to fit around the rod, and secured with a piece of cord when not being employed; experiment with the length to get the best result The other fault is the gearbox; if I don't have time to select neutral before I come to a stop, it's virtually imposible to find it whilst stationary. Any suggestions? I've heard both new clutch rubbers and the hydraulic clutch conversion mentioned as ways to improve this.I would suggest dismantling the primary drive to check the shock absorber and scrub the bronze plates with a brass brush; clean the sludge from the splines in the clutch drum; if the oil is black, it usually means the damper rubbers are disintegrating and need replacing. Also, check the two lift plates to see if the dimples are badly deformed by the balls; if so, replacement is the only cure.If all else fails, the hydraulic clutch conversion gives more lift of the pressure plate and does just what everyone says it does.The main annoyance was that the soles of Mrs Rustynuts' nice new boots ended up melting over the silenecers, although they weren't actually touching. Has anyone else experienced this or have any cures e.g. additional shielding or wrapping fibreglass tape round the sileners by the pilloin rests?Raise the pillion rests slightly ?

R.

[andy588tt]

Hi GuysWe ran IP2 and Commanders on Rotella RX40 from 1989 till late 2005 with our courier bikes with no problems connected to the oil.For private use I own a F1 nick named Lilly (As in fag ash Lil ) I have had for about thirteen years now. I used the last of the Rotella RX40 and now use Texaco URSATEX SAE40 with mixed riding, I get about 570miles to the liter and 38-42 MPG, keeping to UK speed limits. Ive got a six speed gearbox and this makes running a slightly higher engine speed as compared to the standard gearbox, I don't sit around on motorways when Im on my own its then the mpg falls down between 25-32mpg. When on family trips out the engine will happily cruse all day at 70mph when traveling behind the wife on her outfitt with kids. In traffic I turn the engine of at traffic lights with no smoke on start up only if the engine Idles for long periods does a large cloud follow me. Its all a matter of choice for me if its not broken why try and fix it.! Ride SafeAndy

[johnbirchjar]

Hi guys,Re; the choke cable that wo,nt stay out,I found that a common old clothes peg worked just fine on the Classic, and clipped handily to the the clutch cable when not in use. J.B.

[MrB]

I had a similar problem with my IP choke. I took off a clip at the choke knob end and found a plastic friction piece in contact with the shaft. I cleaned the aluminium shaft and plastic friction piece with carb cleaner and cleaned around the plastic pieces' housing. Put it all back together and it's worked fine for over five years. No need for pegs, fine technical solution that it is.Johnny.

[Pike]

The choke on my IP2 was incredibly stiff despite a new cable, rebuilt carbs etc, and required a clothes peg modification (Twig? Pa!). I was worried about it stripping the very fine thread which holds it to the clocks. So I removed the linkage which raises the tickover, so the choke cable now just operates...the choke. The cable operation is now lightness itself and there's no danger of pulling it out of the dash, or needing twigs, bits of plastic or clothes pegs. OK, I have to manage the revs myself for the first 30 secs but after that, its fine to leave.

[gripper]

Getting back to the question of running a tiger cub on Rotella, there is a thread on the American Norton Commando Forum about suitable oil. Several contributors, who seem to know what they are talking about, suggest that Rotella is certainly good enough if you want a monograde for a Commando. (My Commando certainly doesn't get any thing special) So it's probably quite suitable for a "Tizer Plug". If I'd read that thread six months ago I'd have used my Rotella in the Commando rather than selling it when I went down the silkolene route, (the burn rate is on a par with my IP2!!) The NOC website is full of stuff about oil and many people start threads without trawling through previous stuff. (The Technical Editor was not particularly complimentary about Activ8 when I asked for feedback, any thoughts?)Forum's gone quiet recently, is there anybody out there?

[gripper]

15 litres should last a tiger cub about 150 years!

[Dell Boy]

Rotella is suitable for any air cooled four stroke engines as is Comma HD 30.I swear by Wynns or STP in all my four strokes & have for over 30 years. About £6.00 a bottle & use any very cheap 20/50 multigrade.Most classic bikes dont really get used so condensation in storage is the biggest problem.Oil additives coat the internal wearing surfaces with a nice sticky coat of protective oil.Derek.

[Interpol2471]

I now use the Rotella for most odds and sods as its there and free I used activ8 in my IP2 and I have had good results, idle improved and it seems to be quite happy. I guess if you are happy that's all that counts.