Enter to win a free Kershaw pocket knife here: a.pgtb.me/W6wfPG - Need motorcycle-specific engine oil? Click here: rvz.la/3uvESW6

I use extra virgin olive oil for my Ducatis. These Italian bikes sure love the Mediterranean flavour that is close to its root

Oil debates are probably even more stressful conditions than inside a motorcycle engine

I use Rotella. Not only is it the greatest oil ever made it's great on a salad and it once saved my wife from drowning.

Rotella in everything, bike truck mower and even a little in the old lady if she starts knocking.

Ari is a brave man, trying to convince the Rotella-gang that they shouldn't use Diesel-engine oil for the bike.

I’ve been using Nutella for years now, or was that Rotella.

I'm 61 when I was riding in the 90s I don't even think there was such a thing as motorcycle oil I had an 80s Nighthawk 650 and I changed the oil quite often.

Been using Rotella T6 which is marketed as diesel truck oil for more than 100,000 miles over several bikes (s1000r, 1098s etc) It's JASO MA2 rated, and cost me $20 an oil change. I even send out my oil to the lab to get analyzed and always comes back clean results and recommendation to run on her than the 5000 miles that I do.

Oils do not get thicker when hot. The viscosity modifiers make oil behave like a thicker viscosity oil when hot. It still gets thinner though.

Experienced this before with my Bike. Changed the oil with car oil and after a few Kms, The clutch started slipping. Ended up replacing the clutch plates and clutch linings Because I thought they were worn out, when actually it was just the oil causing it to slip. Lesson learned, Thanks Ari!

Likely to be able to find Rotella at truck stops, and it meets JASO and JASO M2. It's what thousands of us use in our bikes every day.

I topped off my DR650 with one of those car "non-smoke" oil additives. Big mistake. Clutch glazed over and was slipping in little time. Drained the oil, but the damage was done.

Can't believe I get to put the first Rotella comment on this video. I'm so proud. Something something Rotella something something JASO something heavy duty diesel

You can't argue with a used oil analysis. The one I had done for DELO 400 after 10,000 km showed no wear metals and little degradation ,with a recommendation that a further 2000 km before changing would be no problem. And this on a bike with 20,000km on it ,where you would expect elevated wear metal as it is still breaking in. Diesel lubricants have robust VAIs because the valve train is often gear driven and the fuel injection pump is also hard on lubricants

Have done over 30 000km on my last Vstrom dl650 with simple Rotella T 15w40 diesel oil like many people ( it have JASO MA spec ), even at 5000km oil changes, the oil level was always perfect and no comsumption at all

I can't believe you got a sponsorship from Kershaw! I also can't believe we're still discussing car vrs. bike engine oil! :)

Probably would have been cool to include a little caveat about some of the oddballs like Guzzis, the BMW boxers, etc. Those longitudal motors with separate gearboxes/dry clutches.

Dude, thanks for clearing that up! I am running a 2001 Ducati ST4 that is designed with a dry clutch. I kept contemplating using a full synthetic oil for cars such as Mobil 1since I have the dry clutch, but now I see that there is much much more science behind the oil in protecting the engine components than just additives for the wet clutch bikes. Right on ! I'm sticking with Motul...

Good vlog. Both my road bikes run a dry clutch and seperate gear oil, and my go to engine oil is 20/50 diesel truck mineral oil designed for older, all iron, ohv motors, readily available everywhere, cheap, and change regularly. Bikes are an 89 Guzzi Cali lll, and a 79 Triumph Bonneville with an open belt drive primary. The trouble with the new m/c oil for the masses ie popular in most shops, but not specialist, is they are designed as you say for wet clutches and gearboxes, but also, high rpm and DOHC, not OHV and tappet loading on a cam lobe...

I have a Suzuki Bandit 1200 with little over 130,000 miles on it still runs good transmission shifts fine and original clutch still feels great always have used car oil so take it for what that's worth

I've used Pennzoil from Walmart without resource conserving additives in all my gsxrs and two stroke and 4 stroke dirt bike gear boxes for many years without problems

I've used car oil for years 😅 never have had a single problem with any of my motorcycles 🏍

I ran my 1979 Honda CB250N on Castrol GTX for years and it was fine, I also used to thrash the bike all the time!

I worked at a Valley Honda Motorcycle Shop in 1975 and they bought Castrol 20W50 by the barrel.When we put a new motorcycle together (out of the crate} we drained the oil and installed Castrol 20W50 in it's place.

The BMW R1200GS/A & 1150GS/A have independent engine from transmission & dry clutch compartments, that plus, being non high rev engines allow them to use engine oil without issues. not to say about wet clutches as this video perfectly explains

I actually called Amsoil a couple days ago for a Sportster primary/ transmission case oil. Turns out their 20W-50 is formulated for that too. I asked them about gear oil and they basically said the same thing you guys just explained and that they made their oil universal for Sportys so that’s pretty neat.

Great video and something I was wondering about. Thanks! Keep up the great work.

Bacon grease ! You gotta let it warm up a bit b4 revving to 14000 rpm but once under way it smells great getting down the road.

Had been using generic brand automotive oil for years on a wet clutch without any issue. Mostly 5w40 and above are safe to use on a shared sump. Cbr600rr with 240,000+ km on the clock with original engine and clutch. Oil is changed every 7000km and filter, every other oil change.Used daily for commuting to work.

Thank you so much :) had this discussion with some friends on a roadtrip, who were going truely mental when i topped my 10w40 off with 5w40 at a highway gasstation because thats all they had. Guys, its 36C outside and the high temp viscosity is the same, come on!!! I did a oil change as soon as i could tho, since i eveporated 1.5 liters of oil in a trafic jam (was a old air cooled bike, over 4 hours of traffic jam in hlt weather..)

I used 5W50 Mobil 1 on my 1999 GSX750 for 12 years and 70k miles. Bike ran like new when I sold it 6 months ago. It had 105k miles on the clock. Never even adjusted the valves or opened the clutch. Swapped oil at every 3k miles. Mobil car oil did awesome.

I have had no issues running regular car Castrol in my bikes but went to Castrol Actevo semi synthetic and noticed a huge difference in engine noise as well as better shifting.

I can confirm the clutch slippage issue. Went through two clutches on my race bike before I figured it out 🔥💵😢. Now I just stick with manufacturer oil and no problems.

Rotella T6 for diesels was used in my BMW K1200R Sport, R1100RS, K1200RS (flying brick). Also, in my Goldwing 1500, Harley Softail Heritage Springer with the Evo motor, Road King CVO 103 cu in, my ZX12R, CBR1000F, TL1000S, and my Royal Star Venture. Used it in my KZ1300A2, B2 models. My FXRP 1340 Evo, my EN500, S40 Boulevard, Rebel 250. How about my Valkyrie 1500, Vulcan 1500 Drifter, M109R, Victory Touring Cruiser, Vmax 1200, Cavalcade 1400 LXE, 1990 Sportster, 1997 Sportster, 2001 Sportster. The only bike I have not used Rotella T6 in was my 1973 Sportster that required 60W and dripped oil onto the chain from the crankcase!!! Harley said, "Check your oil ever 500 miles." No sheet Harley, you designed a motorcycle engine to leak its oil onto a chain from the crankcase making it a positive loss system!!! How many clutch, engine or transmission problems have I had? Zero and well over 1.5 million miles of riding since Feb 1974. Oh, I did not use Rotella in my 1968 Honda Super Hawk 305 since it was my first bike I owned, in 1974, and never changed the oil in 4,000 miles of riding that brakeless mutha....

Thanks, Ari. For dry clutch bike engines like many Ducatis, I run automotive synthetic, but shorten up the change intervals.

Thanks Ari! Really doing some good work out here

The short answer is: refer to your bike's manual. If it says to use SAE 10w40 SF or SG, that's all the advice you need. (You'll probably have to use SL though, but that happens either its car or motorcycle-specific oil.)

Brief and info-packed. Thanks for this, Ari & team!

Always wondered. Thanks for the info!

Suddenly I feel very warm and fuzzy about choosing an older motorcycle with a dry clutch in a transfer case between the completely sealed engine and the completely sealed transmission with which it shares zero oil...

Rotella T4 and T6 meet the performance requirements of JASO MA. Look for diesel oils, not car oils.

Mobil 1 makes a Full Synthetic 15W-50 motor oil with high Zinc levels formulated for older push rod automotive / truck engines. Most Harley engines use push rods, and Harley Davidson does separate the engine oil from the transmission and clutch in their big classic V-twin engine's, so while I agree with most of what your saying, I don't believe it applies to many Harley Davidson motorcycles. Full synthetic motor oil whether it's formulated for cars or motorcycles can handle the higher temperatures found in air cooled engines. I know a guy who put over 500,000 miles on his Harley Davidson Evolution powered Electra Glide using the same Mobil 1 motor oil. He also saved a lot of money not using oils specifically formatted for motorcycles. Mobil 1 15W-50 motor oil is available at most auto parts stores so it's easy find. If your worried about the viscosity not being 20W-50, don't, its the 50 weight that matters are operating temperatures.

Great presentation; brief, but clear and concise.

Great informative video! Thank you Revzilla and TSM for dealing the straight science and facts that help the public make informed decisions. For those who may not know, this is what s called a "reputable source". Well done.

I love watching these, even when I already know the answer. There is always some nugget I didn’t know.

I Use Liqui Moly 10W40 MoS² Anti-Friction (P# 2042),With a Fram PH6017A In my 99CBR600F4. I haven't Had any slippage on my clutch so far. I quite like the way this oil acts in my bike, my 08 CBR125R doesn't like it, but my 99CBR600F4 Loves it.

Very helpful. Very informative. Thanks again!

Is it not "shear" stability, as in shear stresses?

Just a small data point in a sea of info, but I used car oil as a poor college student (late '80s) in my fj600 and it eventually seized up the motor (camshaft bearings took a shit). Not a smart move.

Great video! Could you please do a video on how to rebuild the rear suspension?

The best oil to use is "clean and often" !

Car engine oils are made to certain specs. Coincidentally, motorcycle oils also are made to certain specs. Weirdly, both car and motorcycle manufacturer state which specs to use in which of their engines. It seems to make sense that if you're someone wanting to do your own maintenance, you'd use the spec the manufacturer recommends. I've got two bikes at home who can use car oil, because the specs recommended by the manufacturer can in fact be found in certain car oils. Asking questions like "can I use car oil in my moto" or stating replyies like "moto oils are more shear-stable than car oils" are far too broad, and should beg for clarification. I don't see why you think moto transmissions are any harder on oil than car transmissions. They are almost exactly the same, functionally - the only difference being the drive ratios. Your suggestion regarding clutch performance is spot on, and if the manufacturer suggests to use a certain spec oil, use it. Telling people at the end that car oil is not robust enough, that is just pure BS. Buy the oil to the correct spec. Oil robustness is not a thing. Please put in a little more effort to be a little more precise when trying to describe engineering topics, or don't bother. We don't need another Scotty Kilmer on KZfaq.

However, no oil above 10w30 weight typically has the energy conserving additives, as they're not used in cars. I know a lot of guys swear by Mobil 1 or Rotella T6 full synthetic truck oils. However, they may not have the full slate of EP additives that a good motorcycle oil will.

Great video. Thanks, man!

3:34 that's shear stability as in shear force, not sheer as in unmitigated. Good vid, useful info, thanks. I couldn't get JASO MA1 so I used MA2 and immediately noticed the harder clutch grab.

Can you do a similar episode but with heavy vehicle (diesel) engine oils please. I’m a truckie and the loads and heat experienced are probably more similar to a motorcycle minus the enormous revs and there are suitable Diesel engine oils which are safe to use with motorcycles as long as they don’t have certain friction modifiers. I wouldn’t race out and start servicing a super bike with truck oil but on a low revving thumper like my DR650 it’s a viable option especially when on overland adventures.

Excellent video and content.

Very informative as always!!

Thank You for the excellent info.

I thought I knew the answer already. Turns out I did (the clutch slip part that probably everyone has heard) but I also learnt some new stuff too 👍 great job.

I just spit on it when it needs extra lubrication... But on a more serious note, the use of correct oil and proper oil change interval are important to component longevity, especially with modern engine that have variable valve technology that heavily relies on oil flow and pressure. Additive package are added to base oil and it dramatically changes their characteristics, which makes modern oil specialized and great for a specific application. If you want to use automotive oil in motorcycle, *cough Rotella T6 *cough, just make sure to always change oil on time.

Well, I used 20W40 car oil in my 2002 FZ1 Fazer for over 8 years without any issue. Engine is still quiet and still runs great at high rpms. But I will admit I learnt something new from the video.

I ran my XS650 with diesel oil (Shell Rotella) for a while. Seemed to not suffer from clutch slip and performed fine.

Mate, enjoy all your videos, very informative, total respect. Just one thing, my bike BMW R9T (maybe all boxers), dry clutch (like a car) separate gearbox (like a car) could I use car oil ? Well maybe I could, but I don't, I use motorcycle oil. Why ? Well, it's motorcycle oil innit. If they made motorcycle specific beer I'd buy that too. Keep up the good work.

Been using Rotella T6 on my 2013 Tigerxc. I have not noticed any difference whatsoever in the performance or shifting and I beat the 💩 out of this bike. I also ride 30 miles daily on the highway to work. I figure if it’s good enough to lubricate Diesel engine turbos then it’s good enough for my Triumph.

Thanks mate, very informative video!

Im using shell rimula R4X on my 135cc yamaha soul GT (scooter matic). Almost a year and its fine and clean. Compared to my brother bike using dealer recommendation oil (yamalube super matic).

45 years of moto oil changes and my motto for the last 20 has been " JASO is a go , no JASO no go "

puuuuhhhhleeaaze.. Rotella T6 is the best out there. All these moto oils are way too expensive and they're most likely the same stuff. T6, have run it for YEARS in motorcycles and quads. NEVER had any oil related failures. Matter of fact, no wear at all.

I use rottela t4 15 40 in 3 quads and a grom with a 181 big bore. My 2000 Tacoma used to burn thru Half it’s oil in 3k miles I put t6 full synthetic in it 15-40 it has not burned any since

You made a very complicated thing simple thank you.

Great breakdown on why it matters, and more importantly that you’re still better off running a mix of junk than going short (because we’ve all done that, and I’ve always wondered how much it mattered). When I was young several mechanics told me to put diesel oil in, since motorcycle-specific oil was almost impossible to get. Based on your explanation that’s pretty good advice, but still not as good as motorcycle oil.

My V strom got the finest Rotella diesel oil, seemed to be the preferred drug of the Stromtroopers, made that clutch butter smooth

Lookin’ good Ari! This stuff is why no matter what I shop for, RevZilla is my first stop (well except for MX/Enduro stuff). Shopping for watermelons, RevZilla first, local Kroger next.

Very informative. Thank you.

For 4t scooters (dry clutch most of the times) a car oil is perfectly suitable.

Rotella T6/5 meets all JASO requirements for my bike. That’s what I use at 1/5th of the price.

I use rotella t6 on my cbr 600 and my wrx and also on my wifes mini cooper s. Have had no issues bike is at 40k 14 years of running rotella, Bike runs great clutch is fine wheelies every day.

My dirtbike (honda crf250x) has separate engine and transmission oil. I use honda oil and change it often. (every 100-200 miles) I also clean the air filter after every few rides. (Maybe after one ride if it is very dusty) This is key if you want longevity in a small dirtbike engine that holds less than a liter of oil.

Pretty general commentary. 2 out of my 3 bikes are pushrod engines with separate transmission and engine oil. I believe it may be more accurate to say that many auto oils will require more frequent changes. I run VR1. Change based on viscosity and dispersant test. Drop some oil on coffee filter change when ring forms. Oil is cheap engines are not.

I'll use what the owner manual calls for. I have yet to see one asking for "motorcycle" oil.

Very interesting, so could be a life-saver in a pinch but best not leave it in too long. Cheers

Like before watching the episode quality is always superb

Drivning a China 125 cc scooter when commuting to work, no clutch and no gearbox. Have no problem with putting car oil in it! I can do a oil change for 5$ in 10 minuters a couple of times per season (1 april - 1 nov). It has no "real" oil filter so have added a magnet by your suggestion!

Surprised he didn’t talk about the T6, has the jaso MA rating..

Yes you are correct. I have only used Automotive OIL in my motorcycle. Changing it every 5000 miles too. BMW K1200RS for now. And it works! 20W50 when the Sun is bright and warm. 15W40 When Winter is around the corner. No wet clutch and 6 speed tranny is separate. Driveshaft used to need 90 weight oil back when it was just Air Head BMWs. The K bike changed that. Lots of differences. Keep Riding!

This might be the best motorcycle oil video I have ever seen. I use Shell Rotella T6. JASO MA rated.

KLR owner will call for 15w40 all day....I have a DR and do the same. If I had an inline 4 or some sort of fancy European stuff - I would probably stick with motorcycle oil otherwise car oil is good for my thumpers.

Rotella user: is that a question?

fantastic Video, can we do a video on Oil Viscosity, what oil should you use in very hot weather and what in cold weather?

Been using car oils in my bikes since the 70s and not once have I had cause to regret it. Only time a clutch has slipped was on a 100K+miles engine. I've had no premature wear on engines or gearboxes that have done over 300K, either. However, there is merit in avoiding the friction modified oils that mention the 'resource or energy conserving' phrase in the circle. Generally, I've been using 20w50, 15w40, 10w40 and latterly 5w40 car oils, none of which pose any problems.

Clutch slippage has always been my go-to argument when advising new riders against automotive oil in their their bikes, but I learned a few new things after Ari's latest enjoyable and informative episode. Always spot-on!

Thank you for the detailed explanation. Still, no motorcycle of mine will ever be running "motorcycle specific" oil. My oil cooled Bandit 1200 ran 200,000Km on Mobil 1 15W50 and it's engine hasn't been opened past the valve check. I'm on my third maxi scooter (over 150,000Km in total) running on Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 with no issues whatsoever. Pardon the expression, but you can stick Yamalube where the sun doesn't shine.

Been running Mobil 1 in every bike I've owned since 1975 including the tranny and primary drive. Never had a problem.

100,000+ miles SV650..Walmart Quaker State regular oil. Nice if he mentioned the "doughnut label" on the back of any regular oil bottles- you want the ones that the lower half of the circle IS BLANK. If it says Energy or Resource Conserving- means it has the friction modifiers that will make your clutch slip. BLANK LABEL = GOOD TO GO.

Im using car engine oil on my bike for years now (not the "energy conserving" one) 😅 we got this community called "LDIC" or Long Drain Interval Community where we talk about how to use HDEO/PCMO oil for bikes. a lot of the members are also people from "oil factory" or people with degree in tribology and such. I dunno, my engine is clean and all, and never got any issues for years since I'm using "car" oil for my bike. people usuall called us "sesat" (indonesian language) which mean "astray" 🤣

I haven’t watched this video but I will tell you what I know about the difference between car and motorcycle oil. In the late 1980s, the government went to the oil manufacturers, and the car manufacturers to ask them how we could get more gas mileage with our cars. If every car would just get one mile more mileage per tank of gas, that would save millions of gallons of gasoline every day. so the oil companies in the car companies came up with a suggestion. make the oil thinner. Thick oil actually has more friction, more friction than thin Oil.. so in case you haven’t noticed, we now have 5W 20 and 0W 20 motor oil‘s. they reduced the amount of zinc and phosphorus from the additives added to car oil to thin the oil out to reduce friction to get more gas mileage. so what does that have to do with motorcycle oil? car oil is engineered to withstand high temperatures, sometimes in excess of 450°. Just picture a car on a freeway on a 95° day with the air conditioner on stuck in traffic on blacktop asphalt. car oils actually have less shearing than a motorcycle with the transmission being lubricated by the same oil. The most difficult area in most cars on oriole is, where the cam strikes the lifter.. every place else in a car engine pretty much floats on a hydrodynamic wedge of oil and has little metal to metal contact under load.. Motorcycle oil does not get nearly as hot as car oil routinely does. But motorcycle oil is subjected to shearing in a transmission when it is lubricated by the same oil as the engine, which is most 4 stroke Japanese motorcycles.. with some of the high powered sport bikes today, and since 1989 actually, the pressure exerted on the gears in the transmission is in excess of 100,000 pounds per square inch. The oil in that transmission is sheared. That means, the molecules in the oil are constantly being cut in half like spaghetti strands being cut in half over and over due to the process called shearing.. it doesn’t take long before that oil loses it film strength because it is sheared at the molecular level…zinc and phosphorus are what gives oil it’s film strength to resist shearing. Car oil’s do not have high quantities of anti-sheer additives. You can feel it in the shifting when the oil is worn out..You can tell. Whenever it becomes difficult to shift, or difficult to find a neutral, your oil is probably shot/Sheared.. motorcyclist magazine did an article on what was done to car oil’s and why you should never ever run them in your motorcycle engine if the engine runs the same oil into the transmission for lubrication… they explained this in detail in the early 1990s. They actually said that there were going to be catastrophic transmission failures in motorcycles that people use car oil in.. so, oil is not just oil.. always always use the weight oil specified in your owners manual. Never put additives in your oil never.It’s also a good idea to use OEM oil filters, especially if your motorcycle is still under warranty, because, when I was a motorcycle mechanic for a /Honda dealership… a customer had an engine failure on his still under warranty Goldwing. We were all suprized because Honda refused to warrantee the engine because, the owner did not have an OEM oil filter. That is clearly stated in the owners manual of every honda motorcycle… the customer had a chinese aftermarket filter that was chromed He liked the chrome filter better.. Honda did not cover it. The owner of the dealership did not leave that customer out to dry. He took the bike in on trade, and bought a replacement engine from a salvage yard… it’s also a good idea to change the oil in your brand new motorcycle the first day you take it home. If you don’t believe me, just do this one little thing. Get yourself a coffee filter, and put it into a funnel. Also put a magnet inside the coffee filter, and drain the oil out of your brand new motorcycle the day you take it home, making sure that that oil goes into the coffee filter with a magnet in it. Do it while the engine is as hot as you dare to touch the drain plug.. The oil will not want to go through the coffee filter as fast as it will pour out of the drain plug, so be ready for that. You won’t believe how much metal, Ferriss, and nonferrous will come out of that engine with aluminum, clutch fiber, magnetic black grit, shavings from manufacturing/ thread tapping, ect… if the drain plug does not have a magnet built into it, it is not a bad idea to get a small powerful magnet and attach it to your drain plug permanently on the outside of the drain plug of course, not in the engine.. One other little thing. fill your oil filter up with fresh oil before you install it. Of course, before you fill the oil filter, put a clean rag into the threads of the oil filter and clean that out. You’ll be surprised your pole shavings, and black cutting oil with grit in it out of the threads many times on the oil filters. if your oil filter is mounted horizontally, you can still saturate the paper in the filter by pouring some oil inside the filter so you don’t half five or 10 seconds on start up that your engine doesn’t have oil pressure until it fills the oil filter. The most damage your engine seize every day is on a cold start up. Especially if you have an engine that is water cooled.. inside the combustion chamber of a water cooled engine on cold start up, the incoming fuel condensers on the cold cylinder walls, just like humidity condenses on the outside of a cold glass of water in the summertime. water cooled cylinders stay cold longer than air cooled cylinders.. that environment is what is known as corrosive. That raw fuel condensed on the cold cylinder walls actually rinses any oil off of the cylinder walls. That raw gas does get into the crank case diluting the oil also. just open the oil fill cap on an engine sometime and smell it. A lot of times you will smell gas that is in the oil, which makes that oil contaminated, and should be changed immediately if you can smell gas in it. gasoline contaminated oil was very common back when motorcycles had carburetors and pet cocks on the fuel tank. Riders would leave their petcock on unless it was a vacuum petcock, and if the carburetors had a bad needle and seat, or if the motorcycle was just leaning enough to make the float drop a bit, That gas would flow through the carburetor and get into the cylinder and down into the crank case a lot of times.. I have had 108 motorcycles counting the ones I used to just buy to flip them. I always smelled the crank case oil before I would buy a motorcycle. If I smelled gas in there, I didn’t buy it.. if you have a two-stroke motor cycle , do you have to run four stroke motor cycle oil in the gearbox also, not car oil.. no 2 stroke Engine is going to put 100,000 pounds per square inch of sheer stress on its transmission gears white high horsepower four stroke machines do such as the Hayabusa, but a two cycle transmission has a slightly tougher duty cycle because, they don’t have oil filters, So you have to change the oil on 2 cycle gear boxes more often, and they can benefit from a magnet attached to the outside of the drain plug also

Used regular 10w40 motor oil for years, never had a clutch slip.

Yes some differences buuuut........ My bike is a low revving ~80hp boxer engine with a dry clutch & separate gearbox, while my car is a 1litre 125hp , turbo , triple. I do enjoy the channel and content, thanks guys.