Motorcycle oil vs Automobile oil, tests between them show virtually no difference. what do you think?

In a 6 month test the results showed that actually the viscosity in the motorcyle oil broke down before the automobile oil. you can google motorcyle oil vs automobile oil to get all the results.Motorcycle oil vs Automobile oil, tests between them show virtually no difference. what do you think?
i never buy motorcycle specific oil for mine


but if everyone knew then the manufacturers couldn,t sell it for a higher price it is just marketing


i just make sure it meets the same or better api specs


just don,t use the oil treatments in them like you do in a car due to the clutch running in itMotorcycle oil vs Automobile oil, tests between them show virtually no difference. what do you think?
Viscosity is not the only consideration when it comes to oils. There are also thermal qualities, the ability to absorb acidic byproducts, clutch operation, transmission lubrication (which car oils DO NOT do), and cooling.





Viscosity is nothing more than how thick the oil is, and when you have an engine that revs to 14,500RPM instead of 5,000RPM, a thinner oil works better anyway.
That's miss-stated, should be: oil in a motorcycle degrades much faster than oil in a car. Along the lines of your comment: when used in a motorcycle, oil marketed for motorcycles hasn't been shown to be any better/worse than oil marketed for cars at keeping their viscosity, though synthetic motor oils withstand the motorcycle better than non-synthetics. Yeah I did the google search a few months ago...





At 3K miles the normal motor oil (whether marketed for motorcycles or not) lost lots of viscosity already while synthetic didn't lose as much. Based on those results I don't think it's worth the extra few dollars to get oil marketed for motorcycles. The synthetic stuff might be worth the extra money, though I've been unsuccessful in finding a 10w40 without additional lubricants which gunk up the clutch friction plates.
Yes, I believe that. Oil breaks down by being heated and squeezed through the tiny spaces in the bearings etc.


Cars, don't rev as fast as bikes do, so the oil has more time to ';rest'; and cool down before it has to be heated and squeezed again.


I used Hondaline or Castrol motorcycle oil in my bikes and changed my oil and filter every 4,000 miles.


If you do use regular oil, change it every 2,000 miles and don''t even bother using it in high performance bikes.
mechbob is spot on.





here is my question though... what bikes was this tested on, or was it a bike vs car test? and were the same weight oils tested on both types, these all factor in, as well as the age and type of engine/transmission.





in smaller bikes (I cant vouch for the larger ones I don't know about those too well) the engine oil is the transmission oil. in a car, they are separate. the Kawasaki EX250 also has a ';wet clutch'; system which presses the oil into it. making it break down faster there, plus all the slipper plates, and gears, the oil flows between and inside much smaller recesses on a bike than they do on a car. also the oil is pumped through the oil pump faster on the high revving motorcycle engines to attempt to keep the parts cool and well lubed. water cooled bikes usually work well for this, because the oil has help to cool the engine, plus the air that goes around the engine. cars don't spin as fast, pump as much oil, and pump a lot more water. the two different types of applications will change a lot in motorcycles. on top of everything else. there are chemicals in motorcycle specific oils that treat and clean parts rather than just bypassing them like what happens in cars.





motorcycle oil will break down because of all of these factors.
I never saw any difference between the two when I had my bike. After using the motorcycle oil for awhile I switched to Royal Purple anyways. I'd suggest that oil.
You dont have to use a motorcycle specific oil in a motorcycle but you CANNOT use an oil that contains friction modifiers or the clutch will not grip and no matter how much you rev the engine the motorcycle will not go anywhere until you replace the oil with a non-friction modified oil and replace the clutch plates. Most car oils do contain friction modifiers because they dont have the clutch running in the oil. The oil in a car engine only has to lubricate the crankshaft, cylinders and cylinder head but in a motorcycle engine it also lubricates the gearbox and clutch as well.


The easiest way to be sure your oil is safe to use in a motorcycle is to use a motorcycle specific oil. If you dont and you have a problem with the clutch or any sort of lubrication problem you will have no warranty to claim on and the few dollars you saved on oil will be a mere pitance compared to the repair costs.


Oil in a motorcycle engine will degrade faster than oil in a car engine because the gears in the gearbox of the motorcycle engine shear the molecules of the oil and the engine produces much more horsepower for an equivalent amount of engine capacity therefor giving the oil a much harder job to do. Do yourself and your motorcycle a favour and always use the right oil for the job, a motorcycle specific oil.
the main difference now between oils for autos and motorcycle/aircraft engine oil is the mandated removal of zinc %26amp; other metals from auto oil,along with the ash content. this content has not been changed for aircraft oils because of the safety factor of engine failure in air craft. this factor is optional for motorcycle oil manufacturer's. auto oil should be fine in new motorcycles with seperate engine%26amp;transmission supplys however I would not use it in older harleys ;like ironheads%26amp; shovels, they require 50 %26amp; 60 wt. motorcycle oil or aircraft oil if you can afford it.
I just use Castrol 10w40 in my motorcycle. Doesn't bother me. Just change it every 3000 miles.