Do I have to use motorcycle specific oil? What do I use?

Edit: This has been resolved, thanks for your help.


2012 NC700X. What oil do I put in?

Manual says 10W-30 oil, not energy conserving. JASO T 903 standard: MA. API class SG or higher.

• I was in WalMart and all I could find were API class SN oils. Is that better or worse than class SG the manual says to put in?
• All the oils said "Resource conserving". Is that the same thing as "Energy conserving" which the manual says not to use?
• I went to an autoparts store and they actually had "motorcycle oil" but all they had was 10W-40. The manual says to use 10W-30. Does that make a big difference?
• Do I need motorcycle specific oil which costs like twice as much?
• The manual says absolutely nothing about filters, but I got a Fram PH6607 because that is what the Honda Civic uses and I guess they use the same filter?

Use only Oils that are designed for Motorcycles!!! All Motorcycle shops should stock it!!

I use nothing but the Honda Oil in my bikes!!

I suggest you search this topic, it has been discussed at length. This is true for any online forum about anything with an engine. Oil threads are everywhere, and there is never one oil that stands out as better than others.

As for what weight to run, just stay in the ballpark. Five or ten points off either way won't kill anything. Personally, I run Shell Rotella T6 in just about everything I own.

buckshot said:

I suggest you search this topic, it has been discussed at length. This is true for any online forum about anything with an engine. Oil threads are everywhere, and there is never one oil that stands out as better than others.

As for what weight to run, just stay in the ballpark. Five or ten points off either way won't kill anything. Personally, I run Shell Rotella T6 in just about everything I own.

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A honda engineer told me that the oil can not have high amounts of Molly in it. He stated that high amounts of Molly would do damage to the clutch plates. As to what is a high amount of Molly, I have not the slightest idea.!! So, I use the GN4 recommend by Honda.

Alfred_bham said:

Use only Oils that are designed for Motorcycles!!! All Motorcycle shops should stock it!!

I use nothing but the Honda Oil in my bikes!!

Click to expand...

Thanks, I did not know that. I just used normal vehicle oil in my old TW200 for years. The nearest bike shop to me is about 70 miles so I basically have Walmart and two auto parts stores as my options, and the people at Walmart and the first auto part store I went to don't know anything and didn't have motorcycle oil. After posting here I went to the other auto part store and found 1 type of motorcycle oil, so I bought that and I'll give it a shot.

buckshot said:

I suggest you search this topic, it has been discussed at length. This is true for any online forum about anything with an engine. Oil threads are everywhere, and there is never one oil that stands out as better than others.

As for what weight to run, just stay in the ballpark. Five or ten points off either way won't kill anything. Personally, I run Shell Rotella T6 in just about everything I own.

Click to expand...

I tried searching. Unfortunately you cannot search for "oil" on this forum because it's too short, so I tried all sorts of other things. All I could find was 10W-30 vs 10W-40 which was helpful. I didn't know there was a motorcycle specific type of oil though, I was leaving Walmart with just normal 10W-30 car oil which is what I put in my old bike for years, but then decided to try asking on here for clarification first.

Modern Motorcycle engines use the same oil to lubricate the piston(s) & Crankshaft as well as the Transmission!! There is a LOT more work done by oils in Motorcycles as opposed to Automobiles!! Motorcycles oils have additives that maintain the Viscosity even with the additional work!! An oil for an auto will of course work in a motorcycle but it will lose its ability to maintain the needed viscosity quicker!! I don't know if anyone has done a true comparison of the various Motorcycle oils but if they have been formulated for motorcycles they should be OK!!

My Preference (asi said before) is the Honda Oil!!

Alfred_bham said:

Use only Oils that are designed for Motorcycles!!! All Motorcycle shops should stock it!!

I use nothing but the Honda Oil in my bikes!!

Click to expand...

The way the Honda Engineer explained it to me, is that automobiles have dry clutches that are in side the bell housing. Motorcycles have wet clutches that are inside the engine cases. The Honda engineer told me that the extra molly in auto oils is great for the engines, and yes it makes the engines last longer. The Honda engineer told me the auto oils with lots of molly will make a motorcycle engine last longer also. However, the molly will glaze the clutch plates in the motorcycle, and with out warning one day a long way out the clutch plates just start slipping. I have actually seen this happen a few times when I was a Honda dealer. When the clutch basket is pulled the clutch plates are bright blue as the Honda engineer told me they would be. As I said previously, I have know idea as to what is too much molly. I only know from what I have seen is that in a few cases over a long time period too much molly does glaze the clutch plates.

Jasonrj said:

2012 NC700X. What oil do I put in?

Manual says 10W-30 oil, not energy conserving. JASO T 903 standard: MA. API class SG or higher.

Click to expand...

Shell Rotella 5W-40 Full Synthetic (Blue Bottle) will meet all of those specifications, which it is also rated for Diesel engines too. I have been using it in my ST1300 for 7 years now. It meets and exceeds all of the specifications called out by the manufacturer. Also it can be easily purchased at any Wal-Mart nationwide.

You may also want to take a look at this website too for more information regarding recommended oils to use for motorcycle applications. Recommended Oils To Use For Motorcycles...

Walmarts down here have MC specific oil but often on a different aisle adjacent to other MC and 4-Wheeler specific products. The Rotella T6 is a good option popular on many MC. Forums. The key is the JASO spec, just easier to remember seeing a MC on the label. The hard thing to find is the 10W-30, but 40 is OK per Honda. 30 will help fuel economy, but probably not enough for you to notice.

Oriely Auto parts has motorcycle oil too. They have a little section just for bike oil only. I'm sure all auto parts stores do.