Using Automotive Oils in a Motorcycle?!

Would you believe it if I said you could use regular automotive oil in a motorcycle? That would change the ball game because you would no longer be at the mercy of ignorance and the marketing strategies of large, well-refined oil companies. Oil companies make it seem like our beloved motorcycles need some sort of special oil that was sprinkled with magical fairy dust and brought to us by a galactic unicorn. They have us believe that our motorcycle engines are in danger if we do not pay the premium cost of specific motorcycle oil, which is usually two to three times more expensive compared to its automotive counterpart. Lets debunk this myth.

Changing the oil on Yamaha R1

Why do we change oil? The oil content itself does not wear out or break down. It could theoretically last for hundreds of thousands of miles. However, there are additive packages like special buffers and detergents that aid the oil and extend the engine life. Over time, these additive packages break down, and the oil base becomes ineffective. The oil would then no longer be able to lubricate and cool the different components of an engine. For this reason, old oil can be recycled, re-refined, and made reusable.

This line of Valvoline oils use 50% recycled oil.

When choosing oil for our motorcycle, the number one attribute we want is viscosity retention. Viscosity is the measurement of the oil’s thickness at a certain temperature. This viscosity allows the oil to lubricate and lessen the wear of the engine components. The main claim that motorcycle-specific oil manufactures reiterate to their customers is the fact that motorcycle engines put more stress on their oil than its automotive sibling, and therefore, requires more stringent oil that will take the abuse of a motorcycle’s high-revving engine. As stress and temperature increases, the oil and its additives are broken down. The result is a decrease in viscosity.

Dr. John C. Woolum, a professor of physics at the California State University of Los Angeles, articulated a scientific experiment  to measure the different viscosity indexes from various oils – both motorcycle-specific and automotive.  Dr. Woolum concluded that the motorcycle-specific oil manufacture’s claim involving viscosity retention is invalid. Therefore, he advises that there is no reason to spend the extra money on oils specifically “designed” for motorcycles.

However, Dr. Woolum did find a distinct difference between the viscosity retention and protection of synthetic oils over petroleum oils. In his test, the synthetic oils were able to retain 83% of their viscosity after 1500 miles while the petroleum-based oils were only able to retain only 63% of their viscosity.

The average bottle of synthetic motorcycle oil cost about $10 a quart and the more premium brands will cost around $15 a quart. Most motorcycles take three to four quarts of oil that will cost a motorcycle owner upwards of $60 just in oil.

There is good news: there are “automotive” oils in the market that will perform just as well if not better than many high end motorcycle-specific oils. Shell Rotella T6 is an excellent alternative. It is a full synthetic oil that was originally designed for heavy-duty diesel trucks. Motorcycle  and automotive enthusiast have been using Shell Rotella T6 for years with great oil analysis results.

The only suggestion I will give when choose an “automotive” oil for your motorcycle is choose an oil that does not have the “energy conserving” or “resource conserving” label. Energy conserving and resource conserving oils contain friction modifiers that could possibly cause slippage to the clutch.

Don’t use “energy conserving” or “resource conserving” oils.

I have personally been using Shell Rotella T6 in both my motorcycle and car for about five years. The oil is exceptional and reasonably priced. At $20 a gallon, it keeps my bike and wallet happy.