Motorcycle Oil...is this stuff a sham?

Question

Looking at the Spec's of a quart of Yamaha 20W-40(which runs about 5 bucks a quart), I don't see anything special about this oil except it comes in a Yamaha container...

Four-Stroke Engine oil(which every gas powered car is sold in the West)

API SJ Service(which is American Petroleum Institute)

http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/nafl/auto/content/motoroils.shtm

Now get this...

Recommended Use

"All four-cycle gasoline engines in passenger cars, light trucks, power boats, motorcycles and other mobile and stationary equipment.
Excellent for high-revving engines in small cars and light trucks.
All grades are specially formulated for use in turbo-charged engines."

I think we have been taken for one very expensive SHAM by Motorcycle Shops...

Answer 1

There is a difference between motorcycle oils and automobile engine oils ...and gixx got it right!

Motorcycle oils do not contain "friction modifiers". This helps helps prevent clutch slippage and promotes smoother shifting.

Today's premium synthetic motorcycle oil (Yamalube being one of them) resist viscosity and thermal breakdown. This is especially important in today's high reving, hot-running sports bike.

Check out the AMSOIL link below for a good discription.

Answer 2

Oil is not oil. This debate will never end, but the most important factor regardless of what weight you use or which brand is this - change it often! That makes more of a difference than anything else.

I also stand by the others that have said to stay away from any oil that says "energy conserving" on the back, circular API ratings. Those oils will act differently and are not as good as a "motorcycle" blend of oil (I know from experience). I did some checking once on Pennzoil awhile back and there are differences between a 10w40 car oil and bike oil. Some of the stats are the same, but the bike blend has better viscosity and higher temp ratings than those of a car oil. Temperatures play a more important factor in weight selection. Being summer, though, almost any weight will work fine. My Suzuki Bandit bascially says you can run anything from 10w30 up to 20w50. They simply recommend different weights for different temps.

I agree about the Yamalube. It sucks paying $5 a quart. I'm going to try using a different weight (20w50) and see if it matters. Some fellow FZR riders have said that the other weights don't work as well, but it's worth a shot. If I have clutch problems I'll go back to the regular stuff. Yamaha seems to be the only ones still making a 20w40 oil.

As long as you're changing your oil often, staying away from the energy conserving lables, and using close to the correct recommended weight you should be fine.

Answer 3

There are no "rules" to being at home. Being at home is different for each person. I have always made sure the floors get swept, the bathrooms wiped down, the laundry started (if needed), the dishes put away from the night before, breakfast eaten and dishes done, and anything else that needs my attention, well before noon each day. That way I can justify a couple of hours for myself when children are napping. Once they are up, it is usually time to begin getting dinner, doing dishes, and perhaps mopping or dusting. Life at home is a busy time most always. I clean daily, look after the kids, keep the laundry done, make a healthy and nutritious meal each night, and keep the bills paid. In the afternoons when I have some free time, I read, get on here, call a friend, or do some baking. There is always something to do! In fact, I never have enough time to do all I would like to do! I live a busy and varied life. Wearing your pj's is up to you. I get dressed as soon as I come downstairs for the day (as soon as I make my bed), and I am ready to go within 20 minutes. I've never been one to laze around in my pj's. I like to be ready for the day and so I get dressed, put on my makeup, do my hair, and put in my shoes. I don't get undressed again until I take my shower, which is right before bed. I do take a day occasionally in the winter (deep winter when we've been snowed in for days) and I wll pop some popcorn and we will watch old movies all afternoon, but this happens maybe 2-3 times per year, not every day or even every week. I'd get burned out with doing this real quick! If you are not staying busy, then you aren't trying very hard!

Answer 4

Well, alot have been taken for a ride. Yamaha, Honda, Harley, none make their own oil. It's bottled for them, then you pay for the name. Yama-lube is no better, probably not as good as Castrol or Mobile-1, and about the same price.

Now, there is one thing that you have to watch out for if you have a wet sump clutch. Stay away from the oils that say 'FUEL CONSERVING' in the API code on the back of the bottle. They do have an additive (teflon) that will cause your clutch to slip

Answer 5

Some motorcycles do have car engines! For example a friend of mine bought an old BMW 900 cc four cylinder motorcycle "because it was a bargain" and it turns out to be based on a Peugeot 70 HP car engine!

Unless ones hobby is buying tires 70 HP is quite adequate,

Answer 6

all of the motor oil manufactures recommend that in flat tappet engines (most cars made before the early 90s& most ohc motorcycles made today) either synthetic, diesel rated, or 4 cycle motorcycle oil be used due to the mandated removal of trace metals from automobile oil such as ZDDP. these recommended oils are exempt from the new government standards for auto oil . most of the motorcycle & auto magazines have reported on the occurence of early engine failure due to the use of the new gov. mandated oil some in as little as 900 miles any engine will last much longer on the old type oil.

Answer 7

Here's the real scoop. I sometimes haul motor oil from the supplier to bulk plants in a 9000 gallon tanker. The very same loading nozzle I load Kendall motor oil out of also supplies my tanker with Valvoline and Mobil oils. What's that tell you? Now there may be some different additives added before it goes through that nozzle, however it still comes down to the oil being the same basic stuff. Go to a NAPA auto parts store and buy their oil. It's bottled by Valvoline. Same with Wal-Mart oil. Check the back of the jug to see where it was bottled at. But you can buy Wal-Mart brand oil cheaper than Valvoline. Right?

Answer 8

I researched this and because motorcycles use the same oil for their transmissions as the engine they say that additives in oil for cars may cause transmission slippage.
Now that Yamaha oil is made by someone else and marked up when it became Yamaha oil.

Answer 9

Oil is oil.
It's a scam, to make you pay for what you think is made by the bike companies.
Motorcycle manufacturers do not have oil refineries.
Someone else makes it and they put their name on the bottle.
http://www.xs11.com/stories/mcnoil94.htm
Motorcycle Consumer News is an independent testing company.
They're the motorcycle equivalent of Consumer Reports.

Answer 10

i highly doubt it makes a difference, as long as you have the correct weight ( ex. 5W-30) and/or 2 or 4 cycle... im sure there is a small diference but it probably isnt enough to change the performance of the motorcycle