Don't run the Rotella. Diesel oil is kind to a wet clutch but is not designed for gasoline engines. Use a gasoline engine oil. I used the Rotella diesel for years before putting two and two together. When hot I began hearing a bearing knock on my '03 SV1000S at idle. Bike only had 15K miles. Bike is at 32K miles now and no problems after changing away from Rotella. Acquired a perfect '02 Ducati 900 Sport with 10K. Used Rotella and at 15K blowby was so bad the catch tank was overwhelmed with oil everywhere. Rings shot. Now use either Castrol turbo car oil 0W40 (Group IV oil and not energy conserving) or for bikes with weak clutch Castrol semisynthetic motorcycle oil. Have had no clutch issues with 0W40. I know the engine protection is superb and factor into my thinking that clutch plates are cheap but engines are not. If you want a long read that will add to your oil knowledge click the link. See what it says about Rotella and many dozens of other oils. It's a little out of date now but the research is compelling and concepts still useful.
Most any oil will work. You could probably use olive oil and be OK for awhile. Diesel oils offer good protection in low revving diesel engines along with low cost and long change intervals. They offer poor protection to a high revving gasoline engine because they were not designed for that application and will essentially double or quadruple your engine wear. I'm just trying to save people from wearing out their engines and that's why I gave two real world examples in my post. Read the diesel section and opinion in the oil blog and tell me whether your thinking has changed.
I would agree with you if Rotella were actually designed for gas engines. Unfortunately when you go to the Shell website you clearly see that Rotella is for diesel engines. Use almost any gas engine oil and you'll save wear on your engine compared to Rotella. Did you not read the most comprehensive oil wear research ever conducted that I offer as proof, especially the diesel section? My mother used Crisco oil but there are better choices. Nobody knew back then that hydrogenated molecules very similar to plastic were bad for you. Now any reader doing his due diligence knows there are better oil choices than diesel for a gas engine.
With is also why it has a JASO MA/MA2 rating.
I wouldn't use it because tests on diesel oil reveal that none of them offer the best protection for gasoline engines. Read the oil blog at the beginning of this thread. Rotella T6 is Shell's flagship product for diesel engines. The additive package is designed specifically to protect them. That's a different package than used for gasoline engines. I don't know what's hard to understand about this. Any oil will work in any engine provided the weight is somewhere in the ballpark. That doesn't mean you use diesel oil in a gas engine. MA and MA2 don't measure wear. The designation is whether the oil is kind to a wet clutch period. A marketing genius at Shell, who probably rides a motorcycle, said let's slap MA/MA2 on the oil to increase sales. It's like the marketing guy at the shampoo company who suggested: "Lather, rinse, repeat."
About 15 years ago I experienced poor handling from a brand new Shinko where I couldn't hit my line consistently. I've had similar problems with worn and cupped fronts of other brands. I'd have to experience the handling of a rear car tire. Maybe people are just living with the quirks and accept the tradeoff. It could be tempting if your were out west and ride around like a geezer / Harley rider. Now I'll duck for cover.
