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Running Rotella 10-40 Synthetic with a slipping clutch

4K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  naked? 
#1 ·
Title says it all. Bike is currently running Rotella 10-40 synthetic and my clutch has been slipping some. Not often but I've noticed it. I'll be at about 3.5k, try to accelerate and the bike just revs and will only accel slowly.

Was gonna swap back to mobil 1 synthetic. Will this fix my slipping clutch?
 
#3 ·
I guess I should add that I only bought the bike on Sunday of this week. The previous owner said he changed the oil the night before but used rotella because a friend of his had been pushing him to use it for awhile. I've been in touch with him and he said the clutch never slipped for him and blamed the oil as well.
 
#5 ·
Can either of you point me in the direction of a write up on how to adjust the clutch?

Or should I only trust a professional for that?

Another question relating to the clutch. When my clutch is fully engaged and my hand is off the clutch lever, I can push the lever out further than it will stop at. Maybe another inch and some change. I have never used a hydraulic clutch so I am not up to speed on their operation. Is this normal?
 
#7 ·
There is no adjustment on the SV1K clutch. Doesn't hurt to look at the manual, but you won't find anything in there about this.:) The clutch lever being able to be pushed forward is also normal because of the adjustment knob....it gives it room to be adjusted.

The slipping clutch IS likely because of the oil change...unless the PO isn't being totally truthful about it 'never slipping' previously. There are several flavors of Rotella 10W-40 synthetic and it might be one of the 'energy saving' ones....which shouldn't be used. Best to get it out and put in a known wet clutch compatible oil and see how it goes.
 
#8 ·
Something doesn't make sense here. Rotella T is JASO MA approved, is dino oil, and comes only in 15W-40. Rotella T6 is also JASO MA approved, is synthetic and comes only in 5W-40. The other available Rotella's are not JASO MA approved, and probably should not be used in motorcycles with wet clutches.


OTOH Rotella T5 is semi-synthetic, not JASO MA compliant to my knowledge, and is available in 10W-40 (& 10W-30), and may be labled "Energy Conserving" or "Resource Conserving". If that is what is in your bike, it may possibly be causing the problem, and should definitely be changed out, along with the filter.

Odds are you have either a poorly adjusted clutch, weak clutch springs or worn-out clutch plates, but if you are using an "Energy Conserving" or "Resource Conserving" oil, that coulod well be part or all of the problem.
 
#9 ·
OTOH Rotella T5 is semi-synthetic, not JASO MA compliant to my knowledge, and is available in 10W-40 (& 10W-30), and may be labled "Energy Conserving" or "Resource Conserving". If that is what is in your bike, it may possibly be causing the problem, and should definitely be changed out, along with the filter.
That was going to be my next question- confirm the oil in it and make sure it's NOT "Energy Conserving".
 
#10 ·
PO says he was careful not to use anything with molybdenum in it and doesn't think it was energy conserving.

On my ~45 min ride yesterday the clutch didn't slip once. Bike is due for inspection at the end of the month and needs a new rear tire. I'll get those and oil swapped at that point.
 
#11 ·
Just thought of another possibility...the BTL. It is supposed to add pressure to the plates when you apply torque, but mine would slip a little sometimes if I hit the throttle hard from coasting. Just a little bit, but still bothersome....especially on a brand new clutch.

If it IS oil related, your slippage should be there pretty consistently I'd think. If it comes and goes...it might be more mechanically related. That BTL is a weird piece of 'engineering'.:) With only 6700 miles your plates and all shouldn't be worn out...unless the PO really tried to.

Another thought...you might pull the front sprocket cover and check the pushrod under the clutch slave cylinder. It sits right in front of the gear and gets all kinds of crud on it from the chain. Once that crud builds up thick enough, the rod can start hanging up on the seal which can prevent the clutch from fully releasing. Just a thought......
 
#12 ·
if all that checks out and you still having some slipping then you need to drain the fluid and inspect the clutch basket primarily the basket spring bolts and make sure they are torqued down to spec. if they arent at spec they can allow teh basket hat to move more than it should allowing the plates to shift and move and even come off the plate spool. if a plate come off the spool it will block your basket hat from reengaging the transmission. probably unlikely to have happened but it happened on mine. so its not impossible
 
#15 ·
To rule out any errors go to a MC specific oil till you figure it out. I have been working on bikes for many years now and I can tell you that rotella and mobil 1 has caused many of these issues because people buy the wrong one(the ones with friction inhibitors) . I can usually tell when a bike is running these oils.. you can hear everything in the valvetrain( sound slike rocks in teh motor) and the shiffting always feels clunky.. IMO I also noticed more valve adjustments needed when running these oils..vs moto specific ones.. but for now to rule out anything try the moto specific one. if it gets better , then you know you have an oil issue. I have only changed one clutch in an sv, and that was total newb who never took his hand off the lever.. I have had them from day 1 to 120K miles later.. Good luck
 
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