Garage

Oil: The Cause and Cure of All Your Bike’s Problems

In this day and age of laboratory testing of microns and metallurgy, it is safe to say that any oil fine-tuned for a motorcycle is better than dumping some discount auto parts store oil in your bike that you have had under the seat of your pickup for emergency use. In automotive engine oil, there are friction modifiers that lessen the amount of friction on engine components and improve fuel economy. These modifiers that are added to automotive oils can cause damage when used in motorcycles, especially if used in the primary case where the friction modifiers clog the clutch plates. To make up for a lack of friction modifiers, motorcycle oils use higher levels of anti-wear additives. Air-cooled bikes can also run much hotter than cars and break down an oil’s viscosity very quickly, so dedicated motorcycle oil formulation also takes this into account. The oils we have here — Amsoil, Harley-Davidson, Bel-Ray, Lucas, LAT, Royal Purple, Maxima, and Spectro — all have special formulations made just for V-twin engines. Whether these oils are made from dead dinosaurs, a full-synthetic lab concoction, or a mixture of both, rest assured that using the right oil for the job will keep your bike puttin’ right along for years to come.