It's very important to change your engine oil regularly.
It is a major factor in getting a longer lifespan and better performance out of the engine.
But, just to check...you didn't put cooking oil in your engine, right!?
I heard olive oil is more eco-friendly...just kidding, of course I didn't do that!
But seriously, how is it that there are so many kinds of engine oil that look the same at first glance?
Sounds like it's a good time to give you an easy explain on what makes different engine oils unique.
Read this and you'll never have to wonder about engine oil selection again!
Table of Contents
1.The Role of Engine Oil
First, do you know what engine oil does?
Heh, I actually do.
It has five functions:
lubricating, cooling, sealing, cleaning and rust prevention. Right?
Hey! You know your stuff.
Engine parts are made of metal, so oil is used to lubricate sliding parts so that parts do not wear each other out.
But, it also plays the role of cleaning because parts will inevitably wear a little, and it also has a cooling effect to dampen the heat from friction.
So, it's kind of like a magic potion that the engine can’t run without.
That's right!
I'm curious, where did you learn about those five roles?
I studied up on the Honda aftersales website! Here's the page:
Engine Oil | Maintenance | Motorcycle Aftersales | Honda Global
2.Differences in Viscosity
So, when I go to the store and I see all kinds of engine oil for sale, what's the difference between them?
They may look the same, but there are a lot of differences.
Let me focus on their viscosity for now.
Have you ever seen these numbers on oil product packaging?
I have seen a few things like this, now that you mention it.
You mean to say these codes represent viscosity?
Yes, it represents an oil's viscosity—kind of like its thickness.
The higher the viscosity of the engine oil, the easier it is to leave a film of oil and the less direct contact between the metals of the engine. But, that higher viscosity makes the oil acts as resistance, hampering engine start performance at low temperatures.
I've never heard of that before.
Does this mean that there are less thick engine oils as well?
That's right.
Low-viscosity oil improves starting performance at low temperatures, but makes it harder to maintain that oil film at higher temperatures, possibly leading to greater wear on sliding parts.
I'm really learning a lot...
I guess it's like how olive oil is easier to slide around on the frying pan once it's been heated up, and like how there are thicker oils like lard.
That's very much what I mean!
Those codes we were talking about are how you express viscosity.
This is the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standard for oil viscosity.
The number on the left means the viscosity at low temperatures.
The "W" stands for "winter" and represents good starting performance at low temperatures.
The numbers preceding "W" correspond to the approximate temperature in winter.
That means, if you live in an extremely cold area, 0W or 5W would be safer, while 10W would be fine if it doesn't get that cold.
Conversely, the number on the right shows the viscosity of the engine oil when the engine is hot (100°C).
For example, if there was an oil with low viscosity on the hot side, such as 10W-10, it would be too thin and fluid, making it unsuitable for ordinary engines.
So, this looks like a good way to sum it all up.
3.How to Choose Engine Oil
But I don't know what thickness of engine oil is most suitable for my bike!
If you don't know, check out the owner's manual!
The manual lists recommended engine oil. Use that information to pick oil of the right viscosity!
Here's where you can find the owner's manual:
Let’s make use of the owner’s manual! | Plus ONE | Motorcycle Aftersales | Honda Global
This will help me maintain my engine with peace of mind. Thanks for the help!
Honda also has a genuine oil brand called Pro Honda.
Pro Honda engine oil was developed by Honda to maximize the performance of its engines.
The product has been tested for major environments around the world to ensure that it is a safe and reliable engine oil.
So even though engine oil looks like any other oil, there's a lot to know about it.
Exactly! If you want a pleasant riding life on your motorcycle, you should pick the right engine oil.
Please see
Pro Honda | Motorcycle Aftersales | Honda Global
for more about Pro Honda.
I went to the store the other day to change my engine oil, but there were so many different kinds and I had no idea which oil was for what!
I don't even know if what I was looking at was cooking oil...