20 Best Synthetic Oil For Motorcycles (2023 Updated)

Ran Amsoil in all 3 reservoirs on my Harley Ultra Limited for the first 20k miles. Noticed a immediate difference in shifting after switching to Royal Purple. So much smoother and easier to find neutral.

This is the second Harley I’ve had that I’ve felt the difference in. I will only be running Royal Purple from now on.

This is great oil. I know that can be somewhat subjective however I have had great results. I run a 120 cubic inch Merch Performance engine that has over 100k on it now and still running strong.

2010 softail, replaced the syn3 that they recommend in motor and primary (and i was using for the first 15k miles. ) not a HUGE difference, but noticeable. sounds smoother, smells different, clutch seems to engage better and doesn’t “lurch” on initial start-up.

expensive, but would buy again.

I have been running this in my Aprilia for years with no negative results. I recently purchased a 2022 KTM 300xcw and lo and behold it uses the same weight. I decided to use the Motul 7100 15w50 I had left over from my Ape in it.

What a difference! Finding neutral? No problem! After about 5 hours of run time I switched back to Motorex as recommended by KTM and it’s back to being hard to find neutral again. 10/10 would recommend the 7100 for everyone, and if you have a KTM I urge you to try it.

Best of all it is much more affordable than Motorex.

i use this oil for years Motul 7100 10W60 with no problems, but this time oil was contaminated and not usable. it had debris and geld off oil in new bottle. It plug up the funnel and defiantly would plug the suction screen on oil pumps.

If did not cough it in time would cost me the motor on ktm530exc. Switching to other oil now. Dirty oil. Not paying 20$ a liter to filter new oil.

I have always used Motul Ester based oils in my Harleys. This synthetic oil has superior lubrication and cooling qualities and will outlast conventional oils. I highly recommend it for any air cooled bikes.

I kept hearing about Red Line big twin motorcycle oil from other bikers and seeing it around the interweb. I service my own bikes so I decided to give it a try along with Red Line primary oil and transmission fluid.

In the past I only used OEM HD oil and manufacturer recommended products. Wow! This stuff works. After servicing my bikes there was a noticeable difference. Red Line products live up to their claims.

Most notable was and slight increase in my cylinder pressure and the overall smooth feel and operation of my engine and the engine definitely runs cooler. I highly recommend this product.

Ok so I have a 01 Harley ultra classic with the twin cam 88 I bought with 21000 miles on it last year 2019. last bike I had was a 91 soft tail with the evo engine so when I first heard this engine I new they were supposed to be loud but man, sounds like an industrial sewing machine with a pronounced louder tic.

Tried the syn 3 and nothing changed put in the rocker lockers with little change and then used this. the pronounced tap is gone but there still is the softer tics but all together the engine is quieter.

So time will tell.

I was using the manufacturers synthetic oil because that is what my maintenance program I bought would mostly cover after initial bike break in. I did some research with the various synthetic bike oils out there so I could make a change since I have been changing my own oil for a couple of years now.

I wanted something better basically. A friend and co-worker of mine said he used Red Line Oil in his bike and has driven from Texas to Montana and back without any issues. So I decided to try Red Line Oil and what a difference it makes!!! It goes into gear and into neutral better than ever.

Smooth shifting, a bit more pep and a bit better gas mileage since putting Red Line Oil in my bike. Best decision I have made in a long time. Thanks to Cycle Gear and a big Texas thanks to Red Line Oil.

PROS: Better Gas Mileage, Improved Hp, Smoother Gear Engagement CONS: None that I can think of.

Harley Owner. I have been running only Mobil1 V-twin for over 18 years. I am beyond pleased. I tried the amsoil but didn’t like the way it shifted and my trans plug was “hairy” at the next oil change indicating too much wear.

I switched to Mobil1 and everything is great. After using only Mobil1 in my 2008 Ultra classic, I wanted more power so I modified the heads and put on new cylinders. At 60,000 miles the internals looked brand new.

YOU COULD EVEN STILL SEE THE FACTORY CROSSHATCH ON THE CILYNDER WALLS where the piston went up and down. The engine was incredibly clean and free from any wear. It shocked me. I use it in all 3 holes and the engine runs cool and quiet, the tranny shifts perfectly, and the clutch works great.

I won’t use anything else. There are never any metal shavings on the magnetic drain plugs, as with other oils. I took that bike to 90,000 miles before I traded it.

Harley-Davidson recommends the engine oil be replaced every 5000 mile and its normal for it to burn 1 quart to 1 ½ per 5000 miles. With this oil change frequency, and the normal oil burning, it does not make scene to pay the extra for Harley-Davidsons synthetic oil.

Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 synthetic oil is priced, ($10) at the same price as the Harley-Davidson Non Synthetic Motorcycle Oil. The Genuine Harley-Davidson H-D 360 Motorcycle Oil (Non Synthetic) is $10 per quart.

The Harley-Davidson Screamin Eagle SYN3 Synthetic oil is $13 per quart. Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 is specifically recommended for lubrication of four-stroke motorcycle engines in high performance motorcycles, and meets or exceeds standard industry quality levels.

My auto mechanic suggested I use Mobile 1 synthetic oil, 20W-50, in my bike when I complained at how expensive Amsoil was. He told me Mobile 1 was at least as good if not better. I had trouble finding it which is why I ordered it on line.

That worked out great. Site was easy to use. Product was delivered to my door within 4 days and they notified me that it had been delivered!.

Ive used the Dino 20w50 for 8 years on the same bike, no problem. When I installed a new clutch pack, I started running the full synthetic 20w50 and began to have Top gear clutch slippage. I installed a heavier clutch spring which helped but slipping returned I then started looking at the clutch plate fibers, and the pads were Hard glazed, installed some new fibers (not glazed), worked for a few weeks and slipping returned, they glazed also.

Lightly scuffed them with a wire brush and went back to 20w50 Dino oil, been fine and normal ever since. I paid 40% more for an oil that created clutch issues. The valvoline Dino oil is fine, But beware of the full synthetic, it might be an MA2 oil, but doesnt matter if it hard glazes the fibers, cause clutch slip will eventually begin.

Yeah Im shocked , but stick to the Dino oil.

I was a Valvoline user for 50 years and used the quick oil change shops from day one until they at first would no longer let me look under my car as they had for decades to get a look at things like tie rod bushings and especially CV boots, then stopped even letting me out of my car at Valvoline quick oil change shops.

That is right, they don’t even allow you to get out of your car at quick oil change locations anymore. Nobody does anything to my car that I can’t see. As a former service manager in a transmission shop for years, I’ve seen what some shops will do.

when you aren’t looking. That is not an accusation, it merely means that if I can’t see, the door is open, and cars are an open target for scammers. What they didn’t know was that I already knew motor oil is motor oil and the only thing they had going for them was brand loyalty.

I was just using their shop out of convenience, not because it’s a great product. That fact is that motor oil is not a product, it’s a marketing device. All you need to know about any brand of oil is the federally mandated information right on the bottle.

API SG, JASO MA for instance totally describes Valvoline 4 stroke motorcycle wet clutch application oil. It is no better than any other oil that is certified in the same way. The brand on the label is irrelevant.

The ONLY difference between brands is the way they are marketed. Motor oil is not a product, it is a marketing device. (and synthetic motor oils are not synthetic in any way most people think of when they hear the word synthetic.

The base oil they use is out of the ground petroleum. So if you think you doing a good thing by not using petroleum, you are not. ) If you doubt anything I’ve said about oil here just do your homework and go to google and find unbiased facts.

Also, notice Walmart doesn’t put the mandated information in their product descriptions.

This is a very good oil. I run my bike hard as I consult in 2 different locales 119, and 98 miles away from home respectively. One is through the desert, and the other goes through LA. Very different rides, very different demands on the bike’s engine, especially on Holiday weekend Friday Afternoons – the freeway is just mobbed.

I change my oil every Summer whether it needs it or not, and it was very clean when it came out. I was a little embarrassed at how new it looked. My bike runs reasonably cool at 80 on the open freeway (15), and reasonably cool when splitting traffic lanes for 20 or 30 miles at a time through the trouble spot in LA.

(5). JZ recommends only 2 oils for his Vulcan 900, and this is one of the 2. – JZ – 2019.

Readily available, competitively priced, reputable company and performance you can trust, why use anything else? Yes, there are “other” sexier motor oils to use that uses manipulative marketing campaigns and questionable science.

However, ask yourself which brand of synthetic motor oil time and time again is always the “go to” product of major racing stables? When you take a walk around the paddock, which brand of synthetic motor oil do you see used more often by both amateur and professional racers? And finally, which brand of synthetic motor oil is readily available in store shelves? Hint, it’s not the one that wanna be youtubers, social influencers and posers always pushes you to buy! So, stop pretending using exotic synthetic motor oils are going to make your bike propel you to be a world class rider.

Instead, save your money, use Mobil 1 and sign up for “Track Days”.

Those of you that have a 400EX or XR400 know that the transmission has a notchy shifting behaviour that is clunky. I’ve tried many different oils, including Amsoil, Lucas and Rotella synthetic and so far, none have matched the performance I get from Mobil 1 4t 10W-40! The transmission shifts buttery smooth between gears, and is easy to get into reverse with minimal clunking.

It’s also been running about 6 degrees cooler as well which is a huge difference on a hot air cooled engine! My quad is a 2013 model and originally specced 10W-30 to keep the EPA happy but I’ve always run a 5W or 10W-40 in it because that and 20W-50 is what they were originally specced to run on for years.

Air cooled engines get HOT and therefore need that extra cushion of protection, 10W-30 probably works fine on a liquid cooled bike but not ideal for air cooled! This oil has also quieted the infamous Honda tick from the top end to a near standstill more than the other oils did.

It is kind of expensive, but you get what you pay for! From now on, I will use nothing else in my quad. Mobil 1 delivers, always! I use it in my truck as well, there’s a reason it’s the number one selling synthetic in the world, the 1 says it all!.

Awesome product. Mobile 1 synthetic for motorcycle is where it’s at. !!! I bought a Kawasaki Vulcan (Cruiser) from a friend of mine about 14 months ago. I have noticed a small ticking sound coming from the engine from day one (I thought it was normal).

I didn’t question it because I was confident that he took good care of this bike. Well, 14 months later, it was time for service and i decide to go with Mobil1 synthetic since the weather here in Fort Lauderdale somethings is brutally HOT.

I did the oil change service, then took it for a evening ride down the beach side. I have notice a drastic change in the way the throttle responded and that ticking noise is completely GONE. It was the first time I have ever experienced a HUGE difference in a single oil change.

Hopefully this is as good a quality blend as the one I’m replacing. You cant beat the price for an oil change on my ‘02 VTX 1800. The blend I just drained was Valvoline, same Visc rating but formulated for V-twin whereas this Castrol simply specifies Motorcycle Oil.

The one thing concerned me about the Castrol was its mention of a proprietary molecular level additive it contains which guarantees against metal parts dry up therefor eliminating wear at start up. So I called Castrol tech support USA told them of my concern that the additive may be a moly compound.

They checked their motorcycle manufactures data profiles and confirmwd that their additive meets and exceeds Honda’s requirements for the 1800 VTX. Thats good enough for me, now a few hundred miles should give me a good idea to compare its performance to the Val- blend which I was very pleased with.

Thank God Castro makes motorcycle oil , I use Casto oil in everything that uses oil , it is the best oil on the market hands down, I put it in my 84 Camaro 25 years ago , it was leaking oil out the rear main seal since I bought it ,one night coming back from a friends house during a thunderstorm with my 4 year old with me the rear main blew out lost all oil ,was broke and no where near a store anyway, so I drove it about 30 miles with no oil valves rattling most of the way but made it to my father in laws garbage, next day replaced oil pan gasket and front and rear seals , put in 5 quarts of Castro oil, engine cranked right up valves rattling for about 90 secs then the engine smoothed out and ran as if it had never ran out of oil , put another 100,000 miles on the car before I traded it off , guy drove it for about two years before he rebuilt the motor not because it quit running but because it was smoking and using oil.

he still drives the car today using only Castro oil. that’s why I sware by this oil , it got my son and I home safe. as God as my witness.

Frankly, I am not quite sure what to think of this product. I had been using another 4T engine oil for my bike and always felt the smooth gear shifting. However, not with the Castrol Actevo 4T 10W-40 Synthetic oil.

I will only determine its usefulness and quality in time.

Valvoline has kept this riders FZ1 purring and running high revs for many years now. I have run Valvoline for many oil change cycles and I have complete confidence in it’s performance. I ride daily to work and then do some weekend twistie roads to get the most of my engine and I never have a hiccup.

Over 40,000 miles and my engine is still tight pumping out the horses.

I don’t often run a 10w40 in my v twin but if I use any it’s this. The Valvoline syn 10w40 motorcycle oil is less expensive than Mobil 1’s 10w40 4T and the Valvoline has a slightly thicker hot temp viscosity than the M1.

Considering oil will shear in a shared sump motorcycle I’d rather start with the higher viscosity oil. Mobil 1’s 10w40 4T is just about a thick 30 grade oil really. It’s just a hair over the 40 mark.

I’ll run this oil either mixed with the Valvoline 20w50 syn or in the late fall early spring (cold weather riding).

I only put full synthetic in my motorcycle and this is a great option for a reasonable price. I’ve used Klutz and other brands and the difference was significant. The gears feel more smoothly when shifting and the engine sounds less stressed.

It also allows me 3000 mi between oil changes unless I really ride hard. Get the 6 pack. Each quart ends up costing around $7. Can’t beat that for full synthetic motorcycle oil.

Walmart had the best price on the premium motorcycle. Also very fast shipping. Would buy again. 5 Stars

Best oil – probably lasts lots of miles however shifting starts to degrade at 3k so just change it out like Dino oil. It’s getting prohibitively expensive.

A good, reliable and available synthetic 4T oil in the required 10W-50 grade range . Newer high performance bikes require oil specs that this product meets .

Would have preferred other motorcycle oil but they were out of everything. This was the last type left with enough for my bike. I prefer the Lucas.

I’ve been using Castrol fully synthetic M/C oil in a variety of high performance bikes for the last 20 years with zero engine issues, even on track and race bikes. It’s awesome that my local O’Reilly stocks this stuff, saving me trips to the dealer.

After seeing a post on a motorcycle forum that these were on sale I stopped by an Autozone to see if they had any. They were all out but the employee there called the nearest location and found they had 19 left.

I went and bought 11. 8 for the next two oil changes on my bike and 3 for the next change on my wife’s. At that price I should have bought them all. Maybe I’ll go back!.

I switched to AMS oil 20w50 in my 2015 Harley Davidson FLHR because both types of OEM Oils, synthetic and petroleum based, wouldn’t hold up. After 3000-4000km of hiway use I’d be down 1/2-3/4 of a litre.

Bike had 25000km on it at the time. Proper break in. Leak down test proved engine was fine ect. The OEM oil just evaporated. I’ve used AMS Oil products on/off since 1979 so I gave it a try in my HD with immediate satisfaction.

I change oil between 8000-10000km depending on my season or trips and add nothing between changes. Maybe down 1-2 cups of oil. It stands up. I have 140,000km on now(spring of 2022). I’ve have some friends experience the same with their Harleys.

AMS Oil 10w40 is going in my Suzuki VStrom prior to my 12000km round trip to northern Alaska and back. Good stuff.

After using other products recommended for my Harley Davidson for years, I began to wonder if I was taking the best care of my bike that I could. I started looking at all the lubricants available, and what people were using, and why.

First of all, I don’t like having to have a few ounces of one lubricant in the primary, a few more of something else in the transmission, and then something else for the engine oil. Next, I read as many technical reports as I could find comparing different products, and I watched a number of videos displaying the wear results of different products.

Then I compared the price for different products. I came to the conclusion that Amsoil would be the best choice, in every regard, for me to use in my bike going forward: 1- Same lubricant in all three holes.

2 – Best wear protection available. 3 – Priced competitively. Those facts are in addition to me being able to receive a substantial discount by paying a small subscription fee. And I can get online, place my order, and have it here in a few days.

All that to say, Amsoil. you’re probably stuck with me as a customer for life!.

This is all I’ve ever used in my Harley Sportster XL883. I have an original Harley-Davidson thermometer oil tank drain cap/dipstick which I’ve tested for accuracy by putting it into boiling water, so I know it is good.

All I have to do to check the engine oil temperature is slide back on my seat a few inches and look straight down. I always check the temperature right after getting off the interstate because this is my maximum temperature condition and it has never gone over 220 degrees F.

The rest of the time, the operating temperature at speeds less than 60 mph never exceeds 200 degrees F. These temperatures are lower than most of the Sportster riders on all of the Harley forums. The bike always starts with no problems in the winter when I ride in temperatures in the 50’s.

My bike has a carb and all I have to do is use the choke to start it and let it warm up until I see my dipstick reach 100 degrees F. Once underway, no problems. My XL883 has lower gears than the big twins and runs at higher rpm’s, and it has never used any oil in its 10K mile oil change intervals.

I also use this in my primary – again, different from the big twins – and the transmission never misses a gear when shifting (straight cut gears), nor does the clutch slip or “chirp” on take-off. Yes, the familiar “clunk” is there when putting it into first gear but that’s a Harley signature for some reason.

I’ve never tried another brand of V-twin oil because I haven’t needed to. I recommend this very highly.

Great deal when you can get this on sale. Switched to this from the Harley synthetic on a 750 v twin and transmission that share the same oil. Seems to run and shift smoother. Going to run this oil all the time moving forward.

I ride a 2013 FXDC and have always used Mobile 1 V Twin 20w-50. This oil is an excellent product but I have decided to try Mobile 1 Racing 0w-50 (not the 4T). The reason for this is all HD`s Twin Cam engines run independent from the clutch or transmission just like a automobile engine without the liquid cooling, so why not take advantage of the “friction modifiers” that are added to the Mobile 1 Racing oil but not present in the Mobile 1 V Twin oil.

The fact that you can run Mobile 1 V Twin 20w-50 in all three holes because you need some friction for the clutch to work properly has led me to try the Mobile1 Racing oil for my engine only. I still will be using the V Twin oil for the primary and transmission.

Air cooled Twin Cams run hot. These “friction modifiers” should help keep wear and tear down inside my engine better than oil without them. Please understand, I am not trying to start a debate here. All Mobile 1 products are of excellent quality and the only oil I will ever use.

This is just a personal choice that I have decided to make.

As I sought out the best oil for my V-Twin (from another manufacturer), I did the same for my sport bike. No, I did not conduct my own independent scientific research on the oil’s lubricating and wear protection properties.

Nevertheless, having read much commentary and many reviews from both racers and owners of higher RPM motorcycles, I decided to go with the Mobil 1 4T. I use the standard Mobil 1 in my lawn tractors, compressor, etc, with great success and have used the Mobil 1 V-Twin which was excellent (though I ultimately chose Red Line and also liked Amsoil) in Cruisers and Touring Bikes.

Yet, I have never seen such virtually unanimous praise of a product before learning about the Mobil 1 4T. This oil is apparently a top of the line product and is priced accordingly, although bargains can be found if one takes the time and effort to comparison shop.

Thus far, I absolutely love this oil and reordered more for my next oil change. I do believe that I will be staying withMobil 1 4T. Very highly recommended.

My first car was a Honda Civic and I always got Mobil 1 for oil. I sold the car with 164,000 miles on it and still saw it on the road years later. I still own my first sport bike, 2006CBR 600RR, and I only use Mobil 1 4T oil.

I want the best quality, performance and endurance for my vehicles. I drive hard and fast and at 55,000 miles, my engine still purs at high RPMs. I have not found a better price for this oil anywhere but on eBay and the shipping was covered too! Can’t go wrong with this oil and your engine will thank you! My CBR will go to 100k and beyond no problem and always turns over first try.

I use this product in a Kawasaki Concours C-14. This bike as a large 1,400 cc engine and can get hot. This oil makes it shift smoothly, but is pricey for how long it will stay in the engine. In my opinion, worth the cost.

I bought online with a 30 minute store pickup because it was instock – or so it said. Got there and they only had 1 of 4 quarts instock. Apparently it was inventory day and Mgr Neil was more concerned with his inventory than my needs.

I had to get the other 3 across town. He was rude to boot. Next time I’ll start across town or someplace else.

My Suzuki SFV650 used to do the weird thing where it doesn’t shift from neutral into first unless you roll it forward and stomp the shifter. Just put this oil in and it goes right into first every time.

Now I can let my clutch fingers rest at long red lights without worrying about holding up traffic trying to get in gear once the light changes. Highly recommended.

I walked in needing an oil filter and oil for my Harley. I didn’t even know how many quarts! A very nice woman, comfortable with herself, maybe the Manager, offers to help me. Let’s be clear. She hooked me up! Googled it, got it, and going home.

Oil filter. 3 qts. Oil made for my V -Twin. Thank you for taking good care of me.

I found that I don’t have to add oil between changes. Others including Harley Davidson do. In my opinion if you have to add much oil between changes in an engine that does not leak or smoke, it’s not very good! I also use castrol diesel in my truck and do not have to add between changes.

Others including Mobil and shell, I had to add and keep a close eye on the level which I hate.

My 2018 KTM 390 Duke likes this oil. Shifting is as good as the higher end full synthetic Motorex at far less cost. It’s JASO MA2 rated.

Impeccable

Nickel

I purchased a pre-owned Can-Am Spyder last year. After changing the spark plugs and cleaning one of the sensors I noticed that the oil had never been changed. I bought the bike with 13,000 miles on it.

I switched over to Amsoil 10w40 metric motorcycle oil and I can’t describe how much better the bike runs. It’s literally like it drove off the showroom. Throttle response is better, the motor runs cooler, the gears shift cleaner, even after one oil change the difference is phenomenal.

I’m going to change the oil again in the next month just to make sure that we got all the particles and everything out of the engine. This is a phenomenal product and it’s saved my bike. THANKS AMSOIL!.

Gave it four stars only because of its availability on the road. And would not know about engine wear with out tearing down the motor. haven’t had to do that on any of the motorcycles I have owned. I did have main bearing failure on a 4.

3 GMC Safari van that I owned from new at 98,700 mi. I did all the oil changes using NAPA WIX filters my self around the 5,000 mile mark using Amsoil. That is the only engine failure I have had in my life of 64 years of vehicle ownership.

Now I only use Amsoil in my chain saws and motorcycle. I consider them being more extreme use and worth the added cost.

Hello, I use amsoil in both my pickup and my motorcycle. This review is on the motorcycle oil. I find this to be a superior product. I feel the bike runs smoother and I am confident this product does not suffer the thermal breakdown that other oils are subject to due to the high RPMs and temperatures of motorcycles.

I feel the bike shifts better and has a smoother idle when I use this product. I could not be happier. I’ll continue to use amsoil products as long as they are available.

I had previously used a synthetic oil for my old Yamaha XS1100 which caused a brand new clutch to slip ! This is a mineral based oil which sorted that problem. Also be aware that Castrol Power 1 is also available in a fully synthetic type so make sure you get the one that is suited for your needs.

Very good price on Castrol Power1 4T 20W-50 4L. I have been using this oil on my classic Honda motorcycles for many years.

I bought 5w40 Castrol Power 1 Racing online. They delivered 10w40. I logged it the same day 29 Aug. I got a referance 263487. 1 week later still no replacement. So i called again. Today is 11 Sep, and still no call from Makro or a replacement Seriosly bad online Service.