Is motorcycle oil worth the extra cost

[Andrew Falanga]

Hi everybody,

 

The FAQ for oil said, "Editors needed." The question I have is simple, is motorcycle really worth the extra cost? I was doing some googling on this a little bit ago (since I was at work, it wasn't much admittedly). I saw one thread in a Kawasaki group where many were quite adamant that the extra cost does nothing but line the pockets of good marketers. Others disagreed. At the risk of opening pandora's box, I'm asking here. Is it really worth the extra cost?

 

I should add that even in that thread those who were saying that it's not worth it did admit that not all motor oil is created equal. The brand that was deemed "worth it" for being a regular motor oil was Castrol GTX.

 

Please note that this is not a question respecting natural over synthetic. I do believe the extra cost for synthetic is well worth it.

 

Thanks,

Andy

[Heyfrank]

No.

[der Wanderer]

it depends?

[pickersgill1]

I'm no expert

 

My feelings are that motorcycle oil is deigned more for high reving bikes with wet clutches. BMW 1150 engine should be okay with high quality Castrol type oil, saying that I always end up putting my hand in my pocket and buying the container with motorcycle oil on!

 

I may change if the experts on here give their opinion. :S

[BubbaLa]

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

read it and weep.

[Slainte]

Oil is oil. If M/C oil gives you peace of mind then it is worth it. However, I doubt it'll matter to the Boxer engine.

[T__]

Hi everybody,

 

The FAQ for oil said, "Editors needed." The question I have is simple, is motorcycle really worth the extra cost? I was doing some googling on this a little bit ago (since I was at work, it wasn't much admittedly). I saw one thread in a Kawasaki group where many were quite adamant that the extra cost does nothing but line the pockets of good marketers. Others disagreed. At the risk of opening pandora's box, I'm asking here. Is it really worth the extra cost?

 

I should add that even in that thread those who were saying that it's not worth it did admit that not all motor oil is created equal. The brand that was deemed "worth it" for being a regular motor oil was Castrol GTX.

 

Please note that this is not a question respecting natural over synthetic. I do believe the extra cost for synthetic is well worth it.

 

Thanks,

Andy

 

Andy, in a word NO.. Now that is not saying that any old consumer car oil (whatever that would be) is just as good.. A lot of the newer “energy” rated motor oils don’t offer as much engine protection as the MC oil’s or Commercial oils do..

 

Motorcycle oil as a rule has a very good additive package for engine protection under all riding & storage conditions..

If you do your home work you can match (or get real close anyhow) to that good additive package in a non motorcycle oil but it takes some research..

 

A lot of us use non MC oils in our motorcycles but we use an oil that comes close to the MC additive package in the ZDDP area..

 

Twisty

 

[smiller]

A lot of us use non MC oils in our motorcycles but we use an oil that comes close to the MC additive package in the ZDDP area..

Commonly-available examples of which include Mobil 1 'silver cap' 15W-50 and the heavy-duty diesel oils (Rotella, Delo/Delvac, etc.) These don't quite match the motorcycle oils in terms of ZDDP content but are still pretty good (>1200ppm), and usually don't contain friction modifiers (for those with wet clutches.) Rotella is said to even meet JASO MA.

 

When label shopping for an appropriate non-motorcycle oil you should (after picking the proper viscosity range) avoid any oils with an 'EC' rating or any that meet ILSAC standards. These are both detrimental qualities for motorcycle use.

[bmweerman]

For a boxer, which is really designed more like a car, ie separate engine, tranny, and clutch any good quality oil is fine. (For the engine)

 

Not that it matters in this case, but it IS important to put the right oil in engines with a wet clutch. I had a lot of FUN rebuilding a Suzuki SV650 clutch that had Mobil 1 in it.

[BalancePoint]

In my Boxer 1100, I ran automotive synthetic and never gave it a thought. It was better than good oil, and I was assured the engine was not particularly hard on oil.

 

Now I have a K1200R, with a 13 to 1 compression ratio, a wet clutch, and an 11,000 RPM red line. I am a little bit more concerned to put the best grade of oil superstition and voodoo can recommend. Add to that the utterly bewildering range of recommendations coming from BMW, and it's a bit daunting. I settled on Motorex 10w-50 synthetic, for no defensible reason other than it seemed to split the difference between the various recommendations, and is clearly an oil of acceptably high quality. I intend to change it at the specified intervals, no sooner, and I'll go ahead and sample it at that point. If the UOA comes back good regarding the oil, I'm done messing with it. If not...

[Selden]

Commonly-available examples of which include Mobil 1 'silver cap' 15W-50 and the heavy-duty diesel oils (Rotella, Delo/Delvac, etc.)

What's the difference in additive packages between silver and gold cap Mobil 1?

[upflying]

My take on oil?

Whatever is cheapest is what I buy. Extra points for coupons.

[smiller]

Commonly-available examples of which include Mobil 1 'silver cap' 15W-50 and the heavy-duty diesel oils (Rotella, Delo/Delvac, etc.)

What's the difference in additive packages between silver and gold cap Mobil 1?

The gold cap EP ('Extended Performance) formulation is intended for cars and meets the ILSAC GF-4 spec, not good because it is this spec that limits ZDDP to relatively low levels in modern oils. The silver cap 15W-50 is the 'oldie but goodie' original formation with higher levels of ZDDP. From the Mobil 1 website:

 

Mobil 1 15W-50 is also recommended for older valve train designs that may benefit from a higher level of anti-wear normally not required for newer generation vehicles. Mobil 1 15W-50 will also provide better anti-wear protection for higher valve spring tensions in certain racing engines.

[Andrew Falanga]

Thanks everyone for the info. This is exactly what I was looking for. I'm going on vacation Thursday and will have to read up on the links provided and so forth.

 

Thanks again.

 

Andy

[Rustydust]

For a boxer, which is really designed more like a car, ie separate engine, tranny, and clutch any good quality oil is fine. (For the engine)

 

Not that it matters in this case, but it IS important to put the right oil in engines with a wet clutch. I had a lot of FUN rebuilding a Suzuki SV650 clutch that had Mobil 1 in it.

 

This may just be a SV650 thing here. I have used Mobil 1 red cap in my PC800 Honda for 14 years and over 85,000 miles and never a clutch issue. Granted no wheelies and smoky burnouts (hey- it IS a PC after all) but no problems at all. Still using it today.

[Selden]

This may just be a SV650 thing here. I have used Mobil 1 red cap in my PC800 Honda for 14 years and over 85,000 miles and never a clutch issue. Granted no wheelies and smoky burnouts (hey- it IS a PC after all) but no problems at all. Still using it today.

This is a really interesting comment to me, since I put Mobil 1 in my PC800 at around 35,000 miles, and before the next oil change I was having problems with the clutch slipping. I replaced the clutch at 43,000 miles, switched to Mobil Delvac, and never again had a problem with clutch slippage. On the other hand, I had been using Mobil 1 in my Hawk GT for the thousands of miles with no problems; the Hawk is approaching 49,000 miles, and the clutch feels great.

[Andrew Falanga]

 

A lot of us use non MC oils in our motorcycles but we use an oil that comes close to the MC additive package in the ZDDP area..

 

Twisty

 

What is "ZDDP"?

[philbytx]

Here's the complete skinny for you....

 

Zinc dithiophosphates (often referred to as ZDDP) are a family of coordination compounds that feature zinc bound to the anion of dithiophosphoric acid. These uncharged compounds are not salts. They are soluble in nonpolar solvents, and the longer chain derivatives easily dissolve in mineral and synthetic oils used as lubricants. They come under CAS number [68649-42-3]. In aftermarket oil additives, the percentage of ZDDP ranges approximately between 2-15%.[1]

 

The alkyl groups can be branched and linear alkanes between 1-14 carbons length, 2-butyl, pentyl, hexyl, 1,3-dimethylbutyl, heptyl, octyl, isooctyl (2-ethylhexyl), 6-methylheptyl, 1-methylpropyl, dodecylphenyl, and others. A mix of zinc dialkyl(C3-C6)dithiophosphates come under CAS number [84605-29-8]. List of other examples with their CAS numbers is here.

 

Ok...simply put, it is an anti-wear additive .

 

 

[effexer1]

Now I understand...

Here's the complete skinny for you....

 

Zinc dithiophosphates (often referred to as ZDDP) are a family of coordination compounds that feature zinc bound to the anion of dithiophosphoric acid. These uncharged compounds are not salts. They are soluble in nonpolar solvents, and the longer chain derivatives easily dissolve in mineral and synthetic oils used as lubricants. They come under CAS number [68649-42-3]. In aftermarket oil additives, the percentage of ZDDP ranges approximately between 2-15%.[1]

 

The alkyl groups can be branched and linear alkanes between 1-14 carbons length, 2-butyl, pentyl, hexyl, 1,3-dimethylbutyl, heptyl, octyl, isooctyl (2-ethylhexyl), 6-methylheptyl, 1-methylpropyl, dodecylphenyl, and others. A mix of zinc dialkyl(C3-C6)dithiophosphates come under CAS number [84605-29-8]. List of other examples with their CAS numbers is here.

 

Ok...simply put, it is an anti-wear additive .

 

 

Now it all makes sense...so zddp is good, right?

[philbytx]

ZDDP is good ...but too much of it buggers up the effectiveness of catalytic converters .