Car Oil == Bike Oil?

Was reading a classic bike mag yesterday.

It had quite a poor article on oil in it.

However one startling fact in the article was that most bike oils are
merely re-branded car oils.

It seems an odd claim to make if it's not true so I'm assuming the
author has found this to be true.

Anyone offer a bike oil that they *know* to be a car oil or a bike oil
that they know is *not* a car oil?

 

(DannyBoy) wrote

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh

P.

 

Oh FFS, why did you have to set him off again?

 

Kalico emerged from their own little world to say

if you look at http://www.castrol.com/castrol/productdetailmin.do?categoryId=82915310&contentId=6008562
which gives the spec. of Castrol R4 synthetic for superbikes it *only*
has an API rating of SG. API are up to SL now.

API=American Petroleum Institute http://api-ec.api.org/newsplashpage/index.cfm
Whilst they no doubt know an awful lot about V8 car engines they know
didly shit about high revving bike engines.

The Castrol oil jas a JASO MA rating which is the one you need to look
for (as mentioned in the other oil thread).

JASO is the Japan Lubricating Oil Society who probably know more about
high revving engines than the merkins.
http://www.jalos.or.jp/onfile/jaso_e-2.htm

HTH

 

Recently rebuilt top end of my GS550 after the valves and seats were
re-cut by an engineering co. They said only use API SG or before because
the later stuff is too slippery. Changing to this has definitely fixed the
problem I was having with the clutch slipping... (There may be other
reasons besides having a wet clutch, too)

Just can't understand why SG oil is more expensive than SL, even though
it's "not as good" :-( (Halfords bike oil £17, car oil £12 ish)

 

Matthew Newton emerged from their own little world to say

Because they can.