I appear to be using very slightly more oil with the 5W50 Rotella synthetic.  Is this normal perhaps?  Looks like I'll drop 1/8" in the window over 500 miles.  Which seems acceptable to me, but is roughly double the drop with the 15W-40 regular Rotella.  Only limited testing, so I could be wrong.

I'm not worried, just curious.

Oh yes, on the shifting, much much better.  No comparison.  Engine runs freer, gets noticeably better mileage.  Previously 45 to 52 mpg, now 48 with 2 on board running hard, 55 normally.  Impressive.

A thinner oil may be allowing some leakage in places that didnt seep any out before. Thats one of the reasons I went to 15/40. I think it slowed it some at the o-ring  where the clutch arm goes thru the side. Keeping it topped off with the 15/40 Rotella-T is plenty cheap.
1/8th" in 500 miles? Id say youre doing pretty danged Good.

PTRider wrote on 10/10/09 at 16:46:15:




Good point. Given what Ive read, I think Ill just swap over to the synthetic & see how it goes. I guess Ill have to fix that leaky O-Ring issue,, dang ITTT,,, Owell, I have an oil change coming up, that would be when to do it all & just be DONE wiff the dang thang,,

We also have enough people saying they get better gas mileage for me to start trying to collect my own information to see what is what on that topic.  

I generally get 47-48 mpg around town historically due to my bad habits with the right wrist, so we will see if Rsyn makes any difference mileage wise.

I know I am one of the ones who is a "freer wicker" and an "easier shifting" anyway.  Mpg, I dunno yet.

I already ran stupid before, so if I am more efficiently doing stupid it might actually show in the mpg numbers -- plus, I'm curious anyway.

I also noticed more oil consumption with Mobil 1 v twin synthetic.
I topped it off with rotella between oil changes.

I was riding today in the rain and I was able to break free the rear tire accelerating from the stop lights -- I didn't have that issue in the past, but cannot say what the real root cause was either.  

Could have been residue of oil on the street, could have been extra power available, could have been "more wick" coming up quicker on the acceleration - who knows?  Really no way to discern what caused it, not completely.

I just know I liked it.

The converse to this being I've got to start being more careful accelerating around the curves now because that "digging in" sensation when whapping it on the second half of the turn might turn into a butt end power slide --- and that could be right scary.

(I don't do that in the rain -- too wet and slick already !!)

I think "more wick" = more oil consumption blowing it out the bypass tube in the head down to the air box.  

Plus if you make a habit out of wicking it hard you are going to loosen up your engine over a period of time.  I think they call it "intentional abuse" ....