Shell Rotella now JASO-MA Certified

The choice of what engine oil to use is one of those religious wars among motorcyclists. For the majority of bikes that never see more than 15k miles it probably doesn't matter. For those of us trying to get 100k or more out of our engines, it might matter a bit. To summarize, "JASO" is the Japanese Automotive Standards Organization, and "MA" is a motorcycle-specific rating. Motorcycle-specific oils are typically JASO-MA rated.

I've encountered basically two opposing viewpoints in motorcycle forums: 1.) motorcycle specific oils are formulated specifically for the high demand that performance engines place on components. To use anything else risks engine damage; 2.) oil rated for motorcycles is formulated the same as other engine oil but it costs more.

I haven't found a lot of evidence to support either claim. If you can find someone with that many miles on his or her motorbike, ask them about their oil and oil change habits. I'd be curious. I know only one person with more than 100k on an SV650. She uses Motul synthetic blend.

After a lot of googling and reading forums I visited Mark Lawrence's web site where he goes into some detail about oil refining and why he uses universal "C" rated oils in his bikes. So I decided to try C-rated oils. These are generally intended for diesel engines, although searching forums will reveal that some people are using C-rated oils in motorcycles. I run non-synthetic oil in the Bandit due to reports of Bandits having clutch slippage issues with synthetics. So I tried non-synthetic Shell Rotella 15w-40, then switched to Chevron Delo 400 15w-40. I noticed a slight performance improvement with the Chevron oil so that's what I've been using for the last 50k miles or so. So far none of the bikes in which I've used C-rated oils have blown up or had clutch problems, but it's always been a concern that big rigs and motorbikes don't share much in common. It's occurred to me that maybe diesel-rated oil might not be the best thing for motorbikes, and that trusting opinions on Internet forums might not be wise. But, since there is almost no long-term wear data on motorcycles I continued my experiment.

So the last time I was at Kragen they were having a sale on Shell Rotella. This was no longer my brand but I happened to pick up a gallon and noted that it is now JASO-MA rated.



While this doesn't definitively prove that C-rated oils are safe for motorcycle engines, it's some reassurance that using them in motorbikes might be OK. Who knows, maybe even better for engine life than regular oil, which is what some people claim. For the time being I've switched from Chevron back to Rotella--I feel that by going to the effort to have their oil certified for motorcycles Shell is paying attention to a small minority of their customer base. That's a good sign. I still wouldn't use their gas though.

Meanwhile the experiment continues, 60k miles and counting.

Further reading:
* Rotella forum: Rotella for motorcycles
* Shell Rotella home page
* Shell FAQ: Can diesel oil be used in motorcycles?
* Mark Lawrence's web site
* Bob is the Oil Guy Motorcycle Forum

Benicia Cat Clinic

Before returning to motorcycle-related topics I wanted to put in a good word for the Benicia Cat Clinic. Yesterday we got a sympathy card in the mail from Dr. Brisbin, who had presided over the sad departure of poor Smudge. Last week he came to our house on a weekend, at a moment's notice, for which he didn't charge. The card was the most thoughtful thing and we really appreciated it. Losing Smudge was hard. You don't find many people who make an effort to be thoughtful and caring these days.

Goodbye Smudge

A break from motorcycle-related posts to say goodbye to our beautiful and beloved cat Smudge, who had been Janna's constant and devoted companion for 17 years.



He was so much more to us than just a cat.



We will miss you.

Alaska: Day Nineteen

Springfield, OR to Vallejo, CA

06/30/2010, 500 or so miles



Had a convenience store lunch in a parking lot at a gas stop in Shasta, CA. We got panhandled by a homeless guy. Welcome back to California and life as usual. Extreme heat through Redding and Red Bluff on I-5. The hills were all brown and there were CHP everywhere. Bikes continued to run fine and without incident. We were waved through an inspection station.

We bumped into a guy at a gas stop in Corning, CA who was also returning from Alaska. He was a teacher from Vacaville and had ridden 7500 miles in 19 days on his Gold Wing. He said he took time off every summer for distance riding and was knowledgeable about many nice local rides. Said he'd had no mechanical trouble whatsoever with his 'Wing on the trip, and it had over 70k miles on it. I was impressed but he said that's not much for a 'Wing. Suggested we should stop in Dunnigan for gas, then take 505 to highway 80 avoiding Sacramento.

Final mileage: 59346, total trip mileage 6,123



The Mac laptop survived the entire trip with no breakdowns.

The Bandit's dashboard rattled loose a bit, and it appears the gas leak from the fuel valve seal is back. Other than that, some chain wear, dings, scratches, and baked-on calcium chloride he seems fine.

All 4 cats present and accounted for, house still standing.

Some things I'd wish we'd brought: nail clippers, extra ear plugs. I brought 4 pairs but they're useless if they get wet, and hard to find on the road up north.

I brought a lot of tools I didn't think I'd need, and used quite a bit more than I thought I would. Including threadlocker, 18" breaker bar, 32mm socket, dielectric grease, and a spare spark plug. Ran through 2 mini-cans of WD-40 and ended up buying a large aerosol can of it, and going through most of that. Also Tri-Flow for the locks which got lots of dirt in them. Contact cleaner might've been a good idea as well. Ran out of kerosene for chain cleaning, although the smell permeated all my clothes in the luggage. Spare brake pads were not necessary.

We learned a few lessons as well. Whatever deferred maintenance issues are present on a bike will literally shake out on the Alcan in a way that daily commuting won't reveal. Take care of all of it beforehand. There are vast areas with no reception and dealerships are few and far between. Two, old streetbikes were what we had, so that's what we took. That was perhaps not a good choice. Dual-sports next time. The gravel and mud really beat up the streetbikes. Three, Verizon has way more coverage in the areas we traveled than AT&T. We rented a satellite phone for emergencies, but for non-emergencies the Verizon phone was superior for traveling through BC and the Yukon--making reservations, calling ahead, etc. Finally, given weather, road conditions, and unforseen circumstances, 500 miles a day just wasn't possible for us in Canada and Alaska. 250 - 300 is more realistic, and at least one rest day per week should be considered. Riding through town after town without ever stopping to see the sights gets tiring.

Alaska: Day Eighteen

Abbotsford, BC to Springfield, OR

06/29/2010, 422 miles



Uneventful day of riding through scenic farmland in Abbotsford, border crossing near Blaine, WA, and unexpectedly light traffic in Seattle.



The bikes were much happier on the interstate and the ride was almost completely anxiety-free. There was a time-consuming detour in Portland when I got turned around at a gas stop. Dinner at the Hop Valley Brewing Co. once again. One weird thing about Oregon is they don't let you pump your own gas. By law all gas stations have attendants who are required to operate the pumps.

Alaska: Day Seventeen

100 Mile House, BC to Abbotsford, BC
Via Ashcroft, BC-97C S, Merritt, and BC-5 S

06/28/2010, 266 miles



In the morning we took the SV to South Cariboo Motorsports just down the road. Unlike the shops in Prince George they agreed to look at it even though they're a Yamaha dealer, even though it was Monday, and even though they were busy. The mechanic cleaned up the area and said he didn't see any new leaks. He said we'd probably be OK, but suggested we take a detour toward Kamloops where there's a Suzuki dealer just in case anything went wrong. We called the dealer in Kamloops and they were closed, but we assumed they'd be open Tuesday. The other option was to put the bikes on a U-Haul and drive home. We'd found a U-Haul place in 100 Mile House.

We decided to press on. At a gas stop in Cache Creek we met another Bandit rider on an immaculate '97 Bandit with only 32,000km (19,883 miles) on it. He was from 100 Mile House, just out for the day. He suggested it might be a more enjoyable route for us to go through Ashcroft to Merritt and then down BC-5 rather than take 97 to Kamloops (why is it almost every route through BC is called 97-something?) or contine down Fraser canyon. He said Merritt is a good size town with a dealership so we should be Ok. I was skeptical but decided to follow his advice. It turned out to be a very scenic twisty route through the middle of nowhere with no cell phone reception, but Merritt was indeed a good size town with a dealership. Fortunately neither bike seemed in need of a dealership so we continued on to Abbotsford. Even BC-5, a major highway, was really quite spectacular.

Alaska: Day Sixteen

Prince George, BC to 100 Mile House, BC

06/27/2010, 206 miles



We set out in light rain but it cleared up quickly. There was a gravel stretch after Williams Lake but nothing we couldn't handle at this point. Our plan was to ride to Yale, BC and camp in the same campground where we stayed on Day Two.

At the Chevron station in 100 Mile House we noticed a pool of oil under the SV650 which gave me a sinking feeling.



Looking under the bike I noticed the drain plug and filter were still in place and not oily, which gave me a worse sinking feeling. There was oil all over the back of the bike, including the rear shock, wheel rim, tire, swingarm, saddlebags, etc. and not much left at all in the engine where it was supposed to be. Quite a dangerous riding condition for any number of reasons.



We pushed it to a parking space and it was still dripping all over the place. Janna went into the station to ask for phone numbers and I bought a couple of litres of oil. After adding it and starting the engine it looked like the oil was leaking from behind the front sprocket. I wasn't too hopeful that this was going to be something fixable in the parking lot, and it was Sunday so none of the places we called were open anyway. I pulled the front sprocket cover and noticed the front sprocket nut was loose enough to turn with my fingers.

We got a room at the Imperial Hotel across the street which had Internet, and Janna posted on advrider for help. One of the suggestions was that the front sprocket on the SV650 holds an oil seal in place which may have walked out. I applied threadlocker to the front sprocket countershaft and tightened the front sprocket nut as much as I could, then cleaned off the underside of the bike and started the engine. There didn't appear to be any leaks so I went for a 20-mile test ride and again observed no oil on the ground. By this time is was almost 8pm. We went to the pub for a bite and didn't sleep much.

Alaska: Day Fifteen

Dawson Creek, BC to Prince George, BC

06/26/2010, 250 miles



Short ride to Prince George. Some construction, gravel, and slow going but nice weather. The ignition switch on the SV650 started locking up so we located a bicycle shop in Prince George that sold Tri-Flow. Dinner at the Twisted Cork. Two days ride from the US border we finally had things pretty much under control. We'd ridden though hundreds of miles of mud and gravel, camped in mosquito country, and resurrected a bike drowned by an entire day of heavy rain. It'd all be easy riding from here on out.

Alaska: Day Fourteen

Fort Nelson, BC to Dawson Creek, BC

06/25/2010, 282 miles



Mostly uneventful riding day with some intermittent rain and construction.

Another soggy gas stop...





And more spectacular scenery...





Checking into the Dawson Creek Super 8 we noticed a guy rolling a really bent rear wheel rim through the lobby. Turns out he was on his BMW when the rim somehow gave out and the tire deflated. He said he didn't remember hitting any bumps but it sure looked like he ran over something big. He had located a replacement in Edmonton, BC, and had 4 days to spend in Dawson Creek before it'd arrive. He was on a ride up to Prudhoe Bay with his brother from New York. There's not a lot to do in Dawson Creek, we felt really bad for him. I thought to myself, "at least we haven't had any catastrophic failures that left us stranded. That'd be pretty awful."

Alaska: Day Thirteen

Watson Lake, YT to Fort Nelson, BC

06/24/2010, 319 miles



It was cloudy but not raining when we left Watson Lake. It rained on us some but not nearly as much as the previous day.



We stopped for gas at Coal River where Janna talked with a woman who had ridden her GS1200 from LA to Alaska. She was headed for Newfoundland on a three-month trip.

We'd originally planned to camp at Liard Hot Springs on the way back. With the recent trouble we'd had with the SV still fresh in our minds we decided to just stop there for an hour and then continue on.

Liard Hot Springs





We'd brought cameras with the intention of taking some photos of the pools. But they were full of retired folks who were nice to us but not that photogenic.

Canada is full of lots of interesting road signs that I'd never seen before.



Sure enough, a few miles past the Hot Springs there were bison hanging out by the side of the road.



We stopped for more photos of Muncho Lake.







At the southern end of Muncho Lake is a little outpost where we stopped for gas and excellent sandwiches--they make the bread right there. Janna found a little guy who hopped right up on her tank bag!



Then he climbed in!







The owners said his name is Smudge and he loves motorcycles. I know Janna was wondering if he might like to ride home with us in her tank bag.

Heading toward Fort Nelson we saw huge grey clouds and lightning. As we got into town it started pouring rain. The previous day we'd called ahead at the Blue Bell Inn, which turned out to be a total dive. We were glad to have it just the same, as we saw other folks riding into town and having trouble finding rooms, just like at Watson Lake. The hotel was across the highway from Dan's Neighborhood Pub where Janna tried Poutine (Canadian cheesy fries).

Alaska: Day Twelve

Whitehorse, YT to Watson Lake, YT

06/23/2010, 272 miles



Same route as day seven. It was raining pretty hard when we woke up but we were hopeful. The rain only lasted a half day from Tok to Whitehorse so hopefully it'd clear up. I was a worried about the metal bridge just outside Teslin that would now be wet. Otherwise the terrain was easier than the road out of Tok so I figued we'd be OK.

The rain never let up. There was no wildlife out and there are no photos from today.

We stopped for gas and coffee at Teslin and the SV650 was having trouble idling. The parking lot was thick gooey mud and the bike died as Janna was pulling in. We filled up the bikes and the SV still wouldn't idle. At first we thought maybe the idle speed was turned way down. I turned it up and the bike idled fine for awhile, then cut to half speed, then died. Sounded like the front cylinder was cutting out.

We decided to press and see if the bike would make it to the next gas stop. The metal bridge was the least of our worries at this point and we crossed it in the rain without any trouble.

At the next stop, which I think was Rancheria, the SV sounded worse. The front cylinder wasn't firing at all and it'd barely start. I noticed there was an empty garage and asked if we could pull the SV in there so I could work on it out of the rain. Luckily they said sure.

As I was pushing the SV650 out of the rain a couple on Harleys rode up. I was a bit preoccupied but chatted with them briefly. They were from upstate New York, headed to Alaska, and were 9000 miles into their trip. On Harleys, riding in the rain. Go figure.

I pulled the radiator bolts and moved the radiator forward as best I could, cleaned off the forward cylinder, and with some effort pulled the plug out from behind the radiator. The plug was wet and muddy and the spark plug boot was all wet on the inside. So I dried out the boot and swapped the plug for a spare one, applying a generous quantity of dielectric grease to the plug body and the inside of the boot. Put everything back together and the bike started right up, firing on both cylinders. Quite a relief. It continued to rain on us all the way to Watson Lake but the SV didn't have any further trouble with the front cylinder. But we no longer fully trusted it and decided we should try to get home quickly without any further rest or sightseeing days.

We pulled into Watson Lake pretty late and once again missed eating at BJs cafe. We'd reserved the only room available at the Big Horn Lodge which turned out to be a smoking room. We could really tell.

Alaska: Day Eleven

Whitehorse, YT

06/22/2010

We decided to spend a rest day in Whitehorse.

My first order of business was to exchange more cash, but the bank was closed for another half hour. I decided to try an ATM. To my surprise when I withdrew $60 Canadian my receipt said I'd only withdrawn $58.50. Nothing like finding a free $1.50. When I got home I noticed I'd been charged a $5.00 out-of-network ATM fee and another 0.59 for something. Oh well.

Next to the Baked Cafe for coffee.



On the way to coffee we saw the same 3 BMW guys we met in Tok, who were setting out for Watson Lake. They'd stayed at the Robert Service Campground and said it was crowded. We had also noticed that everything in Whitehorse was booked solid for a week around Solstice. Anyway... they took off and unfortunately we didn't see them again for the rest of the trip.

Next rode around looking for the Mighty Wash to try to get some of the calcium chloride off of the bikes. There were lines so we had to rush. Finding the car wash and trying to clean the bikes burned a lot of time and the bikes didn't look much better for it.

Took the historic waterfront trolley which looked promising but became overcrowded with a busload of retired people and was ultimately disappointing.



Yukon River near train station



Noted that there were bicycles and bicycle racks all over Whitehorse.



Had lunch at the Klondike Rib & Salmon place, which was pretty good.

And so went the rest day. Had I not been insistent on trying to clean up the bikes we could've spent the day doing more touristy things, but I really wanted that calcium chloride stuff off.

Alaska: Day Ten

Tok, Ak to Whitehorse, YT

06/21/2010, 430 miles

We did the reverse route of Day Eight, the worst of the frost heaves and gravel on the Alcan, this time in heavy rain.

We packed up in the rain demoralized and anxious. The route had been pretty bad in good weather. We assured ourselves it'd be fine, the weather would probably break, we'd take it slow.

One of the guys on the GS1200s was awake and looking a bit anxious as well. He said they were heading for Whitehorse today also. We wished him well and headed into town to get breakfast. We stopped at the cafe next to the Chevron in Tok. The coffee was so bad Janna took it's picture.

Worst Coffee on the Alcan



We left the cafe and it was still coming down. A lone HD rider was setting out at the same time, so I said "Nice day for a ride eh?" Turned out he was heading for Whitehorse as well.

After a few hundred hard miles the weather turned around and we rode into the some of the most spectacular scenery we'd seen.







At various stops along the route we bumped into the 3 BMW guys and the lone HD rider, which was oddly comforting.

The bikes by this time were totally covered with mud and calcium chloride which was worrisome for me. We still had thousands of miles to go and I was nervous about the chains, brakes, and other moving parts. I'd been religiously applying WD-40 and wiping the chains every night and yet they were starting to rust and the sprockets were showing visible wear.





I'd been hoping for more of a sport touring ride than an adventure ride. No such luck. We'd never been subjected to these types of roads or extended bad weather and I was a mess of anxiety and nerves.

Eventually we made it without incident to Whitehorse. It had been the hardest riding day yet. We walked around the empty streets at midnight, taking random photos in the weird solstice light.