Let Scientific Test Be Your Guide When Choosing The Right Motorcycle Oil

Motorcycles are very popular these days and with annual sales in excess of 1 million units it doesn't appear to be slowing down

. Motorcycles are highly efficient and with the right care can last just as long as most automobiles.

The long debate over selecting the proper motorcycle oil is rife with controversy when it really doesn't have to be. Now everyone has their favorite brand, but beyond that these types of people can't really tell you why they chose a particular brand.

You could conduct your own comparison of several brands, but do you really know how to carry out such test? Probably not, but there are a few companies out there that publish test results so you can make an educated selection when choosing the right oil.

When comparing motorcycle oils through independent test make sure that the test are ASTM certified. The American Society of Testing and Materials is the number one source for independent test. When the ASTM tests batches of oil there are in most cases as many as five different labs used. Along with different labs the test are blind to eliminate any bias.

The first line of defense of any good oil is it's viscosity because the main function of oil is to reduce wear. The more viscous or thicker an oil is the more load it can carry. A lot of people are under the assumption that thicker is always better when selecting an oil. Nothing could be further from the truth, actually the thinner the oil the better the performance.

Don't search out the thickest oils because you think they will protect your motorcycle better, this can some times be counter productive. Typically when your compression ratios have been modified is when you need to start looking for heavier oils.

Other things to look for in scientific test results:

The oil's ability to control rust along with the oil's ability to minimize wear. Zinc content is also very important as this additive helps reduce wear. The oil's ability to maintain viscosity even after being exposed to high heat is critically important. These are just a few, but when you understand that your choice of motorcycle oil can make a difference in the performance you begin to understand the importance of independent test.

As simple as it sounds another way to test oils is to simply pull a fuel mileage comparison. If you see a jump in mileage then you know that the oil has less intra-fluid resistance and is probably a better choice.

Synthetics are predominately the oil of choice in high performance applications. For years the original synthetic oils on the market got a bad rap because they were expensive and no one really understood how they were made.

Now that synthetic oils are the norm it doesn't even make much sense to look at petroleum oils anymore. There are some good ones out there, but now that you know what to look for your choice should be a lot easier.

by: Steve Tarini

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