Hi. Oil is oil and it doesn't matter who makes it. A 10W/40 is the same whoever makes it. The only difference is that different oil companies add their own additives, the base oil being the same for all brands. Don't waste money on unnecessary expensive 'special motorcycle oil' use what it says in your handbook! I worked for 28 years in the oil industry so take my word for it.

 

I think everyone is under the impression that the oil in our bikes is more important than the gas so it should be taken care of immediately

Since we've eliminated needing to go to a bike shop (Rotella T6 will work fine and Mobil 1 4t Racing is sold in auto stores too), is there another reason we're missing? Filter can also be bought in auto stores (Purolator Pure One in my bike). And it takes about 30 minutes to change the oil

 

Thanks!
Saw you're in Philly...I used to live in Philly...lived with my gf on 38th and Spruce, and then I also lived in KoP

 

Your information, unfortunately, is incorrect in just about every possible way, regardless what your profession was. Base oil blends are NOT the same from brand to brand, even in the same grade range, and the m/c-specific oils are made of different blends than the automotive oils. Base oil blends actually vary rather widely among same-grade oils. I do agree that additive systems vary rather widely as well (just like the base oil blends). Engineoil411 analyses will show you these things extremely clearly, if you need a quick, convenient, relatively inexpensive reference to which you can refer to verify this information.

 

I stand by my statement that the base oils that form the basis of engine oil is the same. When we took a delivery of oil from an oil tanker at our depot in Manchester the base oil for the mulitgrade oils were only different in viscosity. The additives used to give the different protections and to the engine and to the oil itself were what made a particular grade different for different applications. Bread is made with basic ingredients and is only made different by adding raisins, nuts, seeds etc. Love a debate! The reason car engine oils are no good for modern motorcycles is because they contain anti-friction additives amongst other things and would cause clutch slip. Take the additives out and you have a base oil which could be a straight 30 40 or 50 grade. The addition of polymers change the characteristics and create a multigrade. A 10W/40 is basically a 10W oil that acts like a 50W when it is hot, but it is only the additives it contains that allows the change.

 

I think I see now where the information gap is. While the final/end viscosity of the base oil blend may well be the same for various 30-grades, the base oil blends aren't all the same. You see, a 30-grade engine oil (just talking about the base oil, not the finished lube, so maybe we'll say a 10W) isn't just one fluid, it's a blend of a number of different viscosities that mix together to achieve a 10W grade. Different companies use different components in different ratios to achieve that end. Part of what determines what they choose to mix together to make that base blend is what additives they're going to use. A major (the primary, I'd say) thing that determines both base blend and additives is the price point they want to hit on the sales side. Nevertheless, there are different philosophies and ways of getting where they want to be, even at the same price point.

The thing is, different base blends (again, just the stuff that makes up the 10W, in our example above) yield different results in use. This means that there is a very real performance difference between oils in use. While the automotive oils that sell for $2/quart at WallyWorld will all be fairly similar, they're not the same, and they definitely won't be the same in terms of performance as the $8 - 12/qt. motorcycle-specific oils. Both the base blend and the additives (it's the whole package that's important) impact performance.

 

I take your point and thanks for taking the blinkers off my eyes! LOL! Sometimes old age makes the brain dull and we can't see the other side of the coin! Your explanation cleared everything up - for me at least!

 

Cheers, friend!