Engine oil for 4 stroke engines?

[bobsmith]

Hi all. I'm sure I've seen a thread about this before but when I put "oil" in the search it doesn't seem to like it and I couldn't find the thread... so here it goes:

Is the engine oil for 4-stroke engines on bikes the same as petrol cars? Can I use normal engine oil for cars on bikes or do I need special oil for bikes?

Thanks

[Big Chim]

Ive herad it ant the smae. i get my oil from the bike shop. Go down to your local dealer and they should be able to set ya right.

[ZeroIndex]

Hi all. I'm sure I've seen a thread about this before but when I put "oil" in the search it doesn't seem to like it and I couldn't find the thread... so here it goes:

Is the engine oil for 4-stroke engines on bikes the same as petrol cars? Can I use normal engine oil for cars on bikes or do I need special oil for bikes?

I posted something along those lines the other day, my bike manual says my bike requires 20W/40W oil, but you can't get that in this country, I've been recommended to use 10W/40W oil by a few people on KB.
PS. my bike is a single cylinder, 4-valve / 4-stroke 165cc

[Troll]

Ive herad it ant the smae. i get my oil from the bike shop. Go down to your local dealer and they should be able to set ya right.

not quite correct

any oil that is the right grade will be ok

bike specific oil might be marginally better but not enough to justify the price

have over 100,000 miles on my bike and use any known quality brand of oil that is the correct grade

have a oil pressure gauge on my bike and have used the "factory" OEM oil, it has better oil pressure for about the first 100 miles or so and then is the same as any other oil

more importantly than what oil you use is regular oil changes and to keep clean oil in your motor

[Zapf]

Bike oils usually have a friction modifier for the wet clutch. Which means that by using normal car oil your clutch could slip.

[Brian d marge]

Bike oils usually have a friction modifier for the wet clutch. Which means that by using normal car oil your clutch could slip.

Yup. Or if you were riding a 750 bonnie just out side paris and decided to top up the primary chain case, untill you thought it was touching the chain,,,,

Then spend the afternoon cleaning clutch plates !

Anyway I had this tucked away on the computer hope its some help

Stephen

[ZeroIndex]

wow, that is really useful information... will be doing a full oil change/filter very soon...

[Big Chim]

Bike oils usually have a friction modifier for the wet clutch. Which means that by using normal car oil your clutch could slip.

Yeah thats what i was told about the oil and clutch.

[Stevo]

In my race bike I was using Castrol R4 oil which I was getting 4 litres for 63 dollars from Ashvegas Trading Society (rural merchant). Hard to find this for less than 100 anywhere else!

Now I have switched to Mobil 1, Racing 4T, bike oil, which is even higher grade (SJ rated vs SH or SI for the Castrol one) and get it from the wholesaler, which is TNL in Blen for a little over $50. I hate to think what this stuff might cost at a Mobil garage!!! I run a lesser oil in my road and farm bikes, as I don't tend to give them the same kind of punishment.

What brand/s you use is normally a personal preference thing but just find the best deal for the oil you want and keep going back.

I always use bike oils in my motorcycle engines. One of my farm 4 wheelers has now clicked over 7500 hours, with the motor having never been touched.

[bobsmith]

So having read the bible, I conclude that I can buy any automotive oil (in my case 10W-40 for fxr150 with wet clutch) for the oil as long as I get one with JASO MA written on the bottle? Would everyone agree???

[XTC]

So having read the bible, I conclude that I can buy any automotive oil (in my case 10W-40 for fxr150 with wet clutch) for the oil as long as I get one with JASO MA written on the bottle? Would everyone agree???

Diesel oils like Delo400 etc work well. They are very close to motorcycle oils in formulation but much cheaper. No friction modifiers in diesel oils that will affect clutch operation. I have used the above oil in my XT and previously in my YZF250 motocrosser. Those who say you can only use bike oils in bikes can do so.... and pay the price.

[Motu]

The Warehouse has Castrol GTD and Delo 400 cheap at the moment.Delo 400 has the highest additive package of just about any oil you can get,a seriously good oil.There is a hell of a lot of misconception about oils,and bike riders are fixated on car oils making their clutch slip,it's a very rare event,and 90% of the time it just means the clutch is stuffed.Moly will make your clutch slip for sure - but bike and diesel oils are higher in moly than car oils,because of the higher loadings.It's a different form of moly than that black shit,that stuff really will make your clutch slip.

Full ester synthetics like Silkolene are the best you can get for your bike (Group IV),they can handle extreme heat,and the esters cling to metal giving good start up protection (Castrol Magnetec has just a small amount of esters).But esters are aggressive cleaners,they can cause seals and gaskets to leak,clean the crap off your clutch and cause it to slip,dislodge crap and block filters - nothing wrong with the oil,but a hell of a lot wrong with your engine....don't blame the oil!

[bobsmith]

So if the engine is in a fairly good condition (only done 12000km), I could get a fully synthetic oil for a car, use first two litres to flush the engine out completely, get a new filter and fill the bike up with the new oil and it should be fine?

[XTC]

So if the engine is in a fairly good condition (only done 12000km), I could get a fully synthetic oil for a car, use first two litres to flush the engine out completely, get a new filter and fill the bike up with the new oil and it should be fine?

I wouldn't worry about a fully synthetic oil... Just go get some Delo400 and put it in. No need to flush the engine just change your oil every 5000-6000 kms and filter every second change and she'll be sweet...

[Troll]

Diesel oils like Delo400 etc work well. They are very close to motorcycle oils in formulation but much cheaper. No friction modifiers in diesel oils that will affect clutch operation. I have used the above oil in my XT and previously in my YZF250 motocrosser. Those who say you can only use bike oils in bikes can do so.... and pay the price.

too bloody true

I went to an oil supplier and according to their charts the recommeneded oil for my bike was diesel oil

Like I say I use car oil and bike has over 100,000 miles on it

clutch on this particular bike runs separate oil to the engine anyway

but I ran a modified / stroked shovel head on car oil that had the engine oil going thru the standard clutch as per factory set up with no problems

in comparison other people i know altered the oil routing to keep the engine oil out of the clutch and had problems with teh clutch sliping.

at the end of the day if people want to pay a premium for bike specific oil good on them, I'm sure it will make their local bike shop very happy but its their choice and their wallet that is paying for this choice