When you really love your bike, picking the best oil for your motorcycle oil change can be a difficult task. We all want the best for our bikes. But how do you know what the best is? Does a great marketing campaign mean your oil is any good? If your favorite motoGP rider uses a certain oil does it mean you should too?
Oil changes in your car are very important. Motorcycle oil changes are even more important for a few reasons. First, motorcycle engines are high-performance engines. Even if you don’t ride your bike like you stole it, motorcycle engines have high redlines, high compression, and often extreme cams compared to cars and trucks. Second, almost all motorcycles utilize a wet clutch system where the engine and transmission share oil which also bathes the clutch plates. Picking the right oil for your bike will ensure a long life for your piston rings, camshaft, and clutch.
So how do you pick the right oil? Will any 10w-40 or 15w-50 oil work? In the short term, yes they’ll keep you going for now. In the long term, the wrong oil can quickly damage your clutch and the wear components in your engine.
What to look for when picking oil for your Motorcycle Oil Change
- The right weight
- The right additives
- Designed for Transmission lubrication
- Meets the right specifications
Weight
The oil weight specifies its viscosity at different temperatures. Thinner oil will be easier for your engine to pump and increase HP to the wheel but it may also not lubricate as well especially when it’s hot. Higher viscosity oil may not lubricate well at lower temperatures so always use the recommended weight for the temperature you expect to ride in.
Additives
Additives are a game-changer. They do things like trap contaminants, stop foaming, and keep the oil from breaking down over extreme temperature and over time. A great additives package can also help reduce cam and cylinder wall wear so make sure you know what’s added to your oil.
Transmission
Most manual transmissions in cars take extremely heavy gear oil like a 75w90 or 75w140. Motorcycle transmission can live with a lighter weight oil like 10w-40 but using the right weight oil will also save your transmission from premature wear.
Specifications
Specifications like API SE and JASO SA are specifications that determine the minimum criteria for oil. If your bike manufacturer recommends the oil you use meeting these specifications it’s because they’ve designed the motor or transmission to operate in a specific environment. Using oil that doesn’t meet these specifications means your bike is operating in a way it was never designed to which can quickly cause damage.
If you’re looking for the right oil for your bike, you’re looking for PJ1 Silverfire 4T Motorcycle oil. Available in 10w-40 and 20w-50 it’s got the right additives, is designed for use in your motor and transmission and JASO MA, JASO T 903, and API SG specifications so it’s ready to protect your bike no matter how you ride.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio