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Royal Purple Synthetic 10w40 - Very clunky shift to 1st

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Old 09-22-2009, 05:08 PM
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Royal Purple Synthetic 10w40 - Very clunky shift to 1st

ok...

i don't wanna start another oil debate... Just giving some feedback, and wondering if anyone else has had the same results...

I've always bought motorcycle oils from dealers... Always been raped on prices also

Wanted to run a synthetic from here on out.. (3rd oil change since new) Did a TON of online searching, and everything suggest its safe to run the non energy conserving oils in our bikes...

So I wasn't looking for Royal Purple, but came across it at $7 a quart locally in a synthetic 10w40... So figured since I was gonna spend $6+ on anything I got... Might as well give this stuff a shot...

So anyway..... did the change today, and it felt kinda clunky going from N to 1st... Figured give it a few, so rode around.. and seemed like the warmer the bike got, the worse it got. Now downshifting seems smooth as ever.

so anybody else have these results?

i think i'm going to swing by Honda and buy some motorcycle specific oil and swap back... But hate to have wasted $30 on oil to just drain it back out...
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Old 09-22-2009, 06:00 PM
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I'm do not pretend to be an expert on oils but find it hard to believe that the clunking sound you are experiencing has anything to do with your oil choice. The Firestorm doesn't exactly have the quietest gear box to start with. Put it down to one of the bike's charms. Once in gear and rolling, the other great music takes over.
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Old 09-22-2009, 06:39 PM
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Some bikes will clunk into gear when the oil gets dirty. It causes the clutch plates to stick together slightly. What you are describing could be a similar scenario. I don't know anything about Royal Purple but maybe it's got some additives that could cause that.
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Old 09-22-2009, 06:59 PM
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Does it say energy saving on the bottle?
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Old 09-22-2009, 07:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Ohio Hawk
Does it say energy saving on the bottle?
Nope... I eliminated those from my oil search right away.... and even double checked the bottle real quick before responding just to double check... but no, it does not...
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Old 09-22-2009, 07:31 PM
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RE; 1st to 2nd gear clunk.

1) if it's been more than a year, change your clutch fluid. Made a difference for me.

2) Only oil with "30" or less as the second number (xxw30) is energy conserving.

3) Choice of oil has a great deal to do with whether or not you "clunk" between 1st and 2nd.

Individual brands seem to matter but as a rule, 10w40 is "clunkier' than 15w40, 15w50 or 20w50.

I'm a 15w40 "universal" (aka 'diesel")fan. It's cheap, it doesn't clunk and I believe protects as well as anything you can buy.
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Old 09-22-2009, 08:08 PM
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My 75 Honda did the same thing as my 2000 SH when going from N to 1st. I have always been told that is called the "Honda Clunk" and is pretty common.
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Old 09-22-2009, 08:27 PM
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Royal Purple sucks. Switch to Rotella Synthetic. Way better, and only 23 bucks a gallon.
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Old 09-22-2009, 08:34 PM
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I've put about 6000 miles on the bike... So I've gotten used to its "clunks" This is a stronger clunk than prior...

I don't know what i'm gonna run, but I think i'll be draining this out and refilling with something else this week... The clunk is normal, but when the clunk is this bad, then something is not lubricated right...
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Old 09-22-2009, 08:37 PM
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I change my clutch fluid once a year, change my oil every 1500-2000 miles with Super Tech 15w40 I stocked up on at $1.48/qt. Haven't had a shifting clunk in years.
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Old 09-22-2009, 10:42 PM
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you're probably not using Royal Purple's motorcycle specific oil, 'cause it runs $12-15/qt depending on where you get it...
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Old 09-23-2009, 12:59 AM
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change clutch springs
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Old 09-23-2009, 01:19 AM
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I've tried a few oil changes with a few different oils, and I can say SHIFTING IS DEFINITELY AFFECTED by different brands/grades/makes of oil...

+1 for Rotella T synthetic...
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Old 09-23-2009, 06:02 AM
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1st off... No, this RP is not motorcycle specific...

2nd...

The rotella T and Super Tech 15w40 you guys are using... Are those motorcycle specific oils?
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Old 09-23-2009, 06:44 AM
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I've noticed something obivious in the comments. The guys running a 10-xx notice a louder clunk than those running a 15-xx. So now the obvious, a thicker oil produces a quieter clunk.

The Rotella is not motorcycle specific. However, it is SH rated, which means it is prior to additives. There is another oil thread, imagine that on this board, where it is talked about the SJ rated oils are the ones with additives. The Honda oil you'll get at the shop is only SH rated, for just that reason.
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Old 10-03-2009, 05:29 PM
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I was having a hard time believing that synthetic at 3000 miles was going to cause noticeably clunkier shifts that fresh oil.
However, I just changed my oil this afternoon (~3k on Rotella synthetic) and put in the standard Rotella 15-40. And there was a difference - much smoother shifting. I don't know if this is because 15-40 verses the 5-40 of the synthetic, or if this is because of fresh clean oil.
But I am now thinking that I should use the standard 15-40 and just change it every 1.5 - 2k
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Old 10-03-2009, 07:03 PM
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Steve,

The Rotella should last you the full 3k miles. No need to change it early.
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Old 10-04-2009, 10:28 AM
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Originally Posted by joshuatest
1st off... No, this RP is not motorcycle specific...

2nd...

The rotella T and Super Tech 15w40 you guys are using... Are those motorcycle specific oils?
Rotella is diesel oil, there is no motorcycle-specific stuff. Still works fine though.
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