Which engine oil to choose for your motorcycle?

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Motorcycle engine oil: mineral, synthetic or semi-synthetic?
Motorcycle Engine Oil Viscosity Indexes
Motorcycle engine oil: 2T or 4T?

Machine oil is an essential or even vital component for the proper functioning of your motorcycle. Its role is multifaceted.

Primarily lubricates all motorcycle parts. This creates a protective film that prevents friction between metal parts and allows them to wear out less quickly. At the same time, this ensures they are completely sealed and maintains the power of your machine.

The engine oil is then used to cool parts that heat up when burned due to friction. This characteristic, although smaller, is very important.

And finally, engine oil is a detergent component that protects all metal parts of the motorcycle from corrosion.

Therefore, it is important to use the correct engine oil as it guarantees not only the performance of your engine, but also its life. But how do you choose from the many varieties on the market? What are the tips? Natural or synthetic? ...

Follow our guide to choosing the right engine oil for your motorcycle!

Motorcycle engine oil: mineral, synthetic or semi-synthetic?

According to the composition of the main base oils, there are three types of engine oils.

Mineral engine oil conventional oil obtained by refining crude oil. As a result, it naturally contains some impurities that reduce its chemical additives. Since today's motorcycles require many more engines, it is more suitable for older versions and for break-in motorcycles.

Synthetic oil consists mainly of liquid hydrocarbons obtained by chemical means. It is known and appreciated for its fluidity, wider temperatures, greater stress resistance and less rapid degradation than other oils. This is the form most recommended for hypersport bikes.

Semi-synthetic engine oil, or technosynthesis, is a mixture of mineral oil and synthetic oil. In other words, the mineral base is chemically treated to produce a more stable oil. This results in a more versatile engine oil that is suitable for most motorcycles and uses.

Motorcycle Engine Oil Viscosity Indexes

You probably noticed this on oil cans, a designation consisting of numbers and letters, for example: 10w40, 5w40, 15w40 ...

These are indicators of viscosity. The first digits indicate the degree of fluidity of the cold oil, and the second - the characteristics of the lubricant at high temperature.

Engine oil 15w40

15w40 is 100% mineral oils... They are thicker than others, so the oil consumption is lower. Their use is especially recommended on older vehicles over 12 years old or with high mileage.

If you have an old gasoline or naturally aspirated diesel, 15w40 oil is for you. Attention, if it consumes less, it should be used frequently as it can quickly lose its lubricating properties. Therefore, remember to shorten the oil change intervals.

Engine oils 5w30 and 5w40

5w30 and 5w40 are 100% synthetic oils recommended for all modern cars, petrol or diesel, with the features of creating a strong and frequent load on the engine: frequent stops and restarts for use, in particular in the city, for sports driving ...

These oils have many benefits for their use: they facilitate cold start of the engine, they save fuel but allow extended drain intervals. In fact, they allow deviations from 20 to 30 km for the latest generation diesel engines (DCI, HDI, TDI, etc.) and from 000 to 10 km for gasoline.

Motorcycle engine oil 10w40

10w40 are semi-synthetic oils recommended for mixed trips, i.e. if you have to drive both in the city and on the road. If your driving style calls for an engine, this is the oil for you.

15w40 offers very good value for money : very good protection level and standard oil change interval of about 10 km. In addition, they also make cold starts easier.