Many of us want to baby our machines and provide it the best fluids possible, within a reasonable price.
For many years I was a firm believer in Rotella 5w40 full synthetic (now called T6) for just about everything with an engine. I ran it in my lawnmower, snowblower, motorcycles and high output turbocharged SAABs. They all loved it, and the best part was that the price per gallon at Walmart was so good.
Then other people started jumping on the bandwagon and Walmart figured out that they could raise the price on it and still make money. Especially with it sitting on the shelf next to the 5 quart jugs of mobile 1. But when I did the math I realized the Mobil 1 was actually cheaper, so now the bikes get the 15w50 Mobile 1.
But, Mobil 1s popularity may be a problem now too. For years their 0w40 European formula was always rated BMW LL-01, which means that BMW would allow you to go 15000 miles between changes on their cars (not that I would). However, recently that same oil has been reformulated and now the LL-01 rating is conspicuously absent. Time to move over to Castrol or Valvoline I guess, until they become too popular and either raise their prices too much or reformulate to a lower standard.
Its like oil brand whack-a-mole I tell ya!
