Motorcycle Synthetic Motor Oil – Worth the cost?

Motorcycle Synthetic Motor Oil

Although this video applies to automotive synthetic oil, the principles and conclusion drawn are equally applicable to motorcycle engines. I think this one video answers the ongoing question  of if it’s worth the additional cost to put synthetic motor oil in your motorcycle.

The viscosity of an oil is its resistance to flow. A greater viscosity means more resistance to flow, or a thicker oil. A lower viscosity means a thinner oil.

Before understanding the benefits of synthetic motor oils, like this Pennzoil Platinum derived from natural gas, we first need to understand the rating system used for motor oils. You’ll often hear 5W-30, or 0W-20 as ratings used in cars today. These are multi-grade viscosity oils, meaning their viscosity grade changes with temperature. The first number, followed by a W, is the cold rating (W stands for Winter), and this means the oil behaves like an SAE 5 grade motor oil (using 5W-30 as the example) while cold, but at operating temperature, at about 100 degrees C, it operates like an SAE 30 grade motor oil. Read more