1963 Superhawk Oil Weight

[rustywrench]

I wrote this a couple years ago and will gladly share it again:
The last time some one asked this it ended up in a 50 some page train wreck of a thread.
Look at the casing near the engine number and you will see that the manufacture calls for 30W non detergent oil.
You can also use a blended more modern oil formulated for the wet clutch with good success.
Some here would argue that the detergents of modern oils "MAY" suspend the particles not allowing the oil spinner to work properly. To offset that concern; why not change oil more frequently?
IMHO, either oil will work well as they are designed to do. The bottom line is that you get to decide for yourself which is best for you. Rusty

REMEMBER that stamp on the case was from year 1958.. or earlier.. back from the Benly days. Owner manuals say different.

If it's a debate you want after three months, forget it. Been there done that. Like I wrote,It's anyones' choice since one will work just as well as the other. Rusty

[leonvjames]

Has anyone really experienced "clutch slip" in the real world of new oils?
Is it an urban myth?
Do these motors really put out enough "power" to cause clutch slip?

really wondering.
Leon.

[conbs]

The clutch had been slipping in my sons CA78. I had changed it right after he got it and since using a multi-vis oil that was labeled as non "energy conserving". Last week we changed it and used Shell Rotella T 10-40. The clutch stopped slipping after just a few miles.

Last year I had gotten a Rebel 250 and changed the oil using the same non-energy-conserving oil. The clutch had started slipping within a few miles. The bike only had about 5,000 miles on it and when I took the clutch apart all of the plates looked new and mic'ed at the top end of specs. I had searched the internet and found several references to Rotella T as the cure for wet clutches slipping. Apparently it doesn't have any friction modifiers in it or at least not any that screw up a wet clutch. I changed the oil again using Rotella T. No more clutch slip.

Someone may disagree with me about whether the non-energy-conserving oils will cause wet clutch slip or not. No fight here. The question was asked and I have related my experiences.

A couple more things: Rotella T 10-40 is $12.77 a gallon at Walmart and it is rated for diesel motors.

[G-Man]

Conbs

Good stuff - thanks for sharing.

A sensible person learns from his mistakes.....

A wise person learns from everyone else's.......

G

[leonvjames]

Great, thanks for the reply. It really does happen then.
thanks, leon.

[sotxbill]

I wrote this a couple years ago and will gladly share it again:
The last time some one asked this it ended up in a 50 some page train wreck of a thread.
Look at the casing near the engine number and you will see that the manufacture calls for 30W non detergent oil.
You can also use a blended more modern oil formulated for the wet clutch with good success.
Some here would argue that the detergents of modern oils "MAY" suspend the particles not allowing the oil spinner to work properly. To offset that concern; why not change oil more frequently?
IMHO, either oil will work well as they are designed to do. The bottom line is that you get to decide for yourself which is best for you. Rusty

REMEMBER that stamp on the case was from year 1958.. or earlier.. back from the Benly days. Owner manuals say different.

If it's a debate you want after three months, forget it. Been there done that. Like I wrote,It's anyones' choice since one will work just as well as the other. Rusty

No debate, just a more info.. I want everyone to know the stamp on the crankcase was put there back in the benly days... just facts.. When that stamp was put there and that casting was design, you could buy only 30 wt or 20 wt oils.. newer oils did not exist in 1958. And the later owner manuals said something different... again just more info for the original poster to consider. Lots of facts, lots of confusion, lots of info to process. Hopefully readers will get lots of info before making a decision.

[G-Man]

Good point. I have worked as a professional Engineer for 35 years and very few things have stayed unimproved in that time....

G