5W-40 Rotella T6 causing clutch slippage?

[metroplex]

Hmmm... You should be OK as long as your valves are not too snug. What does Ducati recommend for that thing?

Mobil 1 is pretty decent. 0W40 warranty REQUIRED for Benz, Porsche, et al. For track, 15W50 vs 4T Racing 10W40 is a trade off. The 4T produces less friction, so less heat anyway. Just sorry Mobil dropped the 4T 15W50. I'll put V-Twin in the Bonneville and stick with Red Line 15W50 in the 2V in this VA heat.

A 4V really shouldn't "need" xxW50 and it might even rob a little power, but Mobil 1 15W50 isn't likely to "hurt" anything. It won't be 50W anyway unless things get REALLY hot and you have water cooling for that.

3,000 mile drain intervals should be fine if you're missing shifts.   I'm leaving the Red Line in for 6,000 as the bike is stored in a dry garage and while I ride briskly, I'm not wearing the clutch much or leaving other debris in the oil. It's rated for 12,000 miles and won't break down. Red Line claims 25% more viscosity vs a petroleum 15W50. $12+/qt. of course.

Stay safe!

Like I said before, there tends to be some confusion around the Internet because owners of older Ducati's claim 15W-50 is too thick because they are going by their older owner manuals, but definitely read the owner's manual for your particular year/model.

2008-up: 15W-50 as per the Ducati owner's manual!! This includes air/water cooled 2V, 4V, Monster, Superbike, Streetfighter, Desmosedici RR, and even the new 1199 Panigale S

pre-2008: 10W-40 as per the Ducati owner's manual

The owner of the local dealership even said I could run synthetic 10W-60 in my 2009 Ducati 696 in the summer.

Just a digression, but Fords in Australia run xW-40/xW-50 synthetic, the same engine design as the ones used in US. The Shelby GT500/Ford GT supercharged 5.4L 4V V8 engines run synthetic 5W-50 here in the US. These are modern OHC water-cooled engines.

[Howie]

If you look at the owner's manuals for each generation of Monster you will see the oil weight/temperature chart has not changed even though the the blanket recommendation has.  The answer is simple.  If you live in Da Bronx and don't use your bike in the winter 10W-40, 15W-50, 20W-50 are all fine, if you want to ride below 32^oF 15&20W-50 is not fine.  If you live in Florida or ride in Arizona heat in the summer you should consider staying away from 10W anything, if you live in Alaska there is clearly no reason to run heavier than 10W-40.  5W anything does not exist on that chart.  If I needed oil and that was all I could get I would use it.  Otherwise, no

I run 10W-40 in the winter and 20W-50 in the summer.  Been doing this since '01, over 60K miles.

As far as weight and clutch slippage go it shouldn't matter, though it might affect an APC clutch, not sure.  Friction modifiers will though.  Weight will affect clutch drag though, particularly when cold. 

[metroplex]

The viscosity chart looks like the one that American car manufacturers included in the owner's manuals in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, Car OEMs give blanket oil weights for year-round use (5W-20, 5W-30, 5W-50, etc...)

My 2009 696 would slip pretty badly with the Rotella T6 at normal temperatures. To sum it up: I could hear the clutch screeching during WOT speed shifts, and the RPMs spiked up according to my data acquisition readings. With the Mobil 1 V-Twin, I didn't hear this doing the same type of shifting, and the RPMs didn't spike up. My owner's manual says 15W-50, not 10W-40. The owner of the Ducati dealer says he would run as high as 10W-60 in the summer for my motor.

The T6 and M1 V-Twin are JASO MA, so there shouldn't be any issues with the wet clutches, but my 696 doesn't like the T6. If I shifted really slowly, it seems the 696 could work with the T6. I'd rather go with the thicker oil. It seems Ducati also recommends 15W-50 for their latest motors: 4V water-cooled 1199 Panigale S or the Desmosedici RR, as well as the air-cooled 2V engines. Your 2001 would probably specify 10W-40 in the owner's manual, most pre-2008 Ducati models specified 10W-40. I looked at numerous Ducati owner manuals from 2000 to 2012, and like I said, 2008-up all seem to specify 15W-50.