gearbox oil in 961

trident sam

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Does anyone see a problem with using a gear oil like Redline shockproof in the gear box, instead of the Norton recommended 10/40 gear oil ?
If so , why

sam
 
I think you just nailed it for me Tony.
I'm just not used to modern bikes, and was thinking the clutch was separate.
I'll stick to what Norton recommend.
thanks
sam
 
Sam, the gearbox oil is shared with the clutch and primary case. And the engine oil is separate. It’s a strange set up IMHO as it prevents choice of other gear oils.

Whatever you put in the gearbox has to be compatible with a wet clutch.
 
Yes, the lights went on with tony's reply and thanks for making it even more clear.
I should be a lot more savvy soon as I got all the manuals from Richard as well as the factory manual.
It's a lot of info !!!!
 
My XR1200 has a similar setup with shared primary and transmission oil as well as wet clutch. I've had no trouble with the HD Formula + in there.
 
For those who haven't seen them there have been several posts from owners experimenting with alternative transmission oils and quite a few resulting clutch issues. My choice is frequent trans oil changes with the recommended oil but fully synth in the engine.
 
Clive,
What oil do you use in the 961 motor, as the manual specifically warns against full Ester synthetic ?
sam
 
Clive,
What oil do you use in the 961 motor, as the manual specifically warns against full Ester synthetic ?
sam

That’s interesting Sam and one has to wonder why.

My guess is as per Comnoz’ findings in his oil testing, ie, most top end full Ester oils were surprisingly disappointing and Jim’s conclusion being that they are designed for water cooled motors and just can’t handle the heat and stresses in ‘old hat’ air cooled motors, in which, the oil breaks down surprisingly quickly.

But... I can’t imagine why any of his top scoring oils, like Bel Ray or Klotz wouldn’t work great in a 961.
 
That runs counter to all I have read. 4 ball wear test , volatility testing , and ability to stay in grade with heat and cold . I think most of you guys know what these tests are , its easy to imagine that data can be misinterpreted . I know it would confuse me . I have read good things about Amsoil BUT when the reality of multiple bikes oil changes and cost and availablity come to bear , I am using Shell Rotella T6 . There are large companies paying chemists and engineers to design this stuff. Independent labs are hired to be unbiased etc. Small lubricant companies have to compete with the oil giants somehow.
 
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Could the Semi Synthetic requirement be due to Rolling Element bearing engine ? Remember that Moly-fortified grease is never recommended for ball or roller bearings because of skidding ?
 
By the way Shell Rotella T6 is Group 3 full syn. 5w40. I've been running it for more than 10,000 miles .
 
Clive,
What oil do you use in the 961 motor, as the manual specifically warns against full Ester synthetic ?
sam

To cover myself I asked the factory about fully synth in the engine and they said it would be ok so my take on it is so long as you go for the top shelf and don't try to save money with a budget supermarket own brand you won't have any problems. Maybe you would see a difference between the top brands if you tried to run the oil for excessively high mileages but for normal or shortened oil change intervals there will be no difference whatsoever.

One of the top ester oils Redline, which has received mention in these forums, has a formulation for Harleys so I wonder what the issue with 961s is?

NB A note to Red Line brought the reply that they couldn't see anything different about this engine which would prohibit the use of ester based oils, once the rings have bedded in with a petroleum based oil.
 
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Top shelf all the way, Amsoil Metric 10-40, Liqui Moli 10-40. I tried 20-50 in gearbox-primary and found issues with the clutch grabbing, back to 10-40 and all is good.
 
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