When the motorcycle season is about to begin, the owners of motorcycles are already returning to their iron horses, sorting them out, and again thinking what oil to pour into the motorcycle, how to do it right and is the car suitable?
Oil for car and motorcycle
Moving from a motorcycle to a car and vice versa, many believe that oil should be used differently in one and the other technique, since it works in it differently.
The car uses three oils:
- for engine;
- for gearbox;
- for the rear axle.
In modern motorcycles, on almost all models, all functions are based on a single oil, as the engine, gearbox, and clutch are located in one block.
It is said that in automobiles oil serves only as a protective barrier, preventing various mechanical influences. And in motorcycles, in addition, it should cool the motor and prevent thermal failure, since due to the enormous speed of rotation, a large amount of energy is produced, causing severe heating.
Motorcycle oil
To cope with this, the oil must be adapted to work in extreme conditions. The viscosity here must be maintained, even if the temperature changes dramatically and strongly. Oil should be light on one side to flow through narrow holes, and viscous on the other to cover fast-moving parts.
Viscosity means the ability to resist dissection and flow. The liquid will be less fluid and more resistant to dissection when the viscosity is large. And vice versa. At lower viscosity, the liquid becomes more fluid and less resistant to dissection.
When the engine is running, its oily parts are trying to displace the oil due to friction against each other. But if the viscosity of the oil is good enough, then the liquid passes through the holes slowly, and the contacting elements are able to recover.
The instructions for the motorcycle indicate the types of oils that are recommended for the engine.
All-weather
One of the most popular among them is SAE 10w40. Oil belongs to all-weather.
10w means viscosity index at -40 degrees Celsius.
40 also indicates viscosity, but already at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius.
This motorcycle oil at low temperatures manifests itself as light flowing, and at high it has its own standard look. Its idea is that during cold start it has a low density, and after heating it retains its viscous properties. Before the appearance of this type, the engine was always in a state of increased wear for some time, so usually one oil was poured for the winter, and the other for the summer.
During operation, you need to remember that the oil for a motorcycle manifests itself non-linearly as it warms up. Usually manufacturers are silent about this. Meanwhile, this is the second most important parameter to which you need to pay attention after viscosity.
General Oil Tips
Considering the vehicle manual, motorbike engine oil should be chosen first with common sense. For example, if a normal ride is carried out at a temperature of +35 degrees Celsius, then a denser oil 15w15 is suitable. So the engine will be better protected. But in the spring, 10w40 (as less dense) will become a good option.
If the viscosity level is small, and the motor heats up at high temperature, oil is dissected by the engine elements especially easily, and therefore it is subject to rapid wear. In this case, it is necessary to fill the oil with a level higher than recommended.
Since when warming up the engine power is not much different, many riders fill the motorcycle oil with an even higher viscosity when operating at high temperatures to preserve the unit and gearbox.
And maybe, after all, automobile?
The first thing that catches your eye when comparing car oil and motorcycle oil is the price. Motor oil is much more expensive than automobile.
According to the assurance of manufacturers and many owners of vehicles, motor oil spoils motorcycle components, and its clutch disappears.
But there is another opinion, according to which some conditionally negative impact really happens. But this only applies to the clutch. And all the negativity comes down to the fact that modern oils have very strong cleansing properties, which simply lead to clutch slippage. But you can use less modern oil!
Classification
Oils have a specification. For example, according to the American classification of the API, as new products appeared, their indices changed: SA, SB, SC, SD, and so on in their letters for each generation. Modern automobile oils have already reached the SN indices, but motor oils have stopped at SH.
If you look at other classifications, you will find an amazing thing: oil for motorcycles simply does not differ from automobile!
But why then have to overpay? Maybe it’s all about the psychology of customers and the high costs of manufacturers for smaller packaging? It is worth thinking about it.