The Best Motorcycle Oil to Keep Your Bike Running Smoothly

Evans: Writing about oil is like discussing politics, guns, abortion, and religion all rolled into one. You’re sure to offend a few people, from the “any oil is fine as long as it’s changed regularly” set to the “I only use the most expensive stuff on the planet” types. Then the interval will raise hackles, too. I wish you luck, Ryan.

Great, I thought to myself after being sent the assignment. There are a few ways to approach this topic. I could try and defend marketing claims from major corporations about how great their oil is or, I could give some basic information about what makes motorcycle oil different and what certifications to look for – which you’ll find after the product recommendations – and also a few options our staff has used or knows to be of good quality. But first an explanation…

Oh boy. Without a comprehensive and scientific evaluation of all of the motorcycle-specific oils on the market including a detailed description of what “the best” means to ensure we’re talking objectively, I can’t really say. That’s not what we’re trying to do with this article. Like motorcycles these days, there are so many good oils on the market, you’d be hard-pressed to go wrong with any of them. Routine maintenance, following your manufacturer’s recommendations, and a little bit of scrutiny to make it past the marketing hype will go a long way toward ensuring that your motorcycle’s engine remains healthy and happy.

That being said, there are other variables to consider. The weather where you ride, the type of motorcycle you’re riding, whether you’re riding a competition-only off-highway (street or dirt), among others. For my personal motorcycles, I use the manufacturers’ recommendations all the way down to the brand in my road bikes (even though I know it isn’t necessary). My dirtbikes get their oil changed much more often and I use Shell Rotella because it’s cheap and meets JASO MA2 specs. Things like price, availability, and personal preference have a lot to do with purchasing decisions, too. Oil grades (weights), as well as PAOs, Ester-based, and petroleum-based oils, are other variables and a conversation for another time. The information below should be enough to ensure you pick the right kind of oil to keep your motorcycle performing as it should.

Included here are known brands that our staff has used, currently uses, or believes to make great products. We may be missing some, but this is a sampling to get you started.

While any oil is better than no oil, there are properties that make certain oils better for motorcycles. The American Petroleum Institute (API) impacts the consumer market through the development and licensing of engine oil industry standards. The API, among other duties, works with automotive manufacturers to ensure oils perform at optimal levels for the requirements needed for vehicles to run as efficiently as possible. You may have seen the API logo on the back of certain oils, while some simply state that they meet API standards. Without the logo, the oil manufacturer is claiming they meet the standards, but have not paid licensing fees to the API.

Motorcycles differ from automobiles in many obvious ways. One of those is how their engines use oil. A four-stroke motorcycle engine uses a combined oil system throughout the motor, gearbox, and clutch whereas in an automobile, (or two-stroke motorcycle) the engine oil is separate from the transmission oil. Friction modifiers and additives that may allow oil to perform better in automotive applications would actually be at the detriment of motorcycle engine wear and clutch performance. This led to the creation of motorcycle-specific JASO certifications.