types of engine oil
mineral oil
Mineral oils are essentially a product or by-product of petroleum processing. Essentially the most basic type of engine oil, it is highly recommended for smaller capacity engines which do not impose a lot of mechanical pressure while running. Most manufacturers will recommend new bike owners to use mineral oils as they offer good engine protection for the first few kilometres of running the engine in
The upside of mineral oils is that they are very affordable and will not hurt your wallet for frequent oil changes. The downside of mineral oils is that they don’t last very long so you need to make sure to replace the oil at recommended intervals. Even with frequent oil changes, it is still considered as affordable to most people.
semi-synthetic oil
the semi-synthetic oil is a mixture between mineral oils and synthetic oils. Manufacturers have taken the best of both worlds; the high level of protection from mineral oils and high performance aspects from synthetic oils.
If you’re running a smaller capacity bikes upwards to 200cc which produces a healthy horsepower but still are not put under a lot of stress (like normal daily commutes to work), the semi-synthetic oil is the right choice for you. You will also hear recommendations to switch to semi-synthetic oil after the bike has been run-in using mineral oil.
Generally, all small capacity motorcycles can use this particular type but it will cost more than the normal mineral oil. If you’re using small mopeds below 150cc, mineral oil is more than enough for the engine to run efficiently.
fully synthetic oil
fully synthetic oils are considered to be the best of the best. Constructed out of pure polymers based of factory made oils, it is the exact opposite of mineral oil, you can say it is artificial and not made using any natural products. The best example of when to use this type of oil is for high performance motorcycles that are constantly put under a lot of stress. Superbikes and race machines are prime examples of machinery that require the help of fully synthetic oils.
The main benefit of fully synthetics oils is that they won’t degrade in terms of quality as they have constructed to have a very long life cycle. They won’t break down as fast as mineral oils or semi-synthetic oils. They also give the best lubricating performance which won’t break under pressure, providing that the right grade of oil is used. Some manufacturers would also state that they’re particular fully synthetic oil will increase performance but that is still a subjective topic
grades of oil for different bikes
.10w30
.20w40
.15w50
.5w40
.10w40
.20w50
.10w40 etc and so on
The alphabet “w” indicates winter and the number before w indicates the lowest operating temperature and the number after the letter indicates the highest temperature the oil viscosity holds. which oil is best according to your climatic conditions you can use for the needs.
