Synthetic oil for your motorcycle? Yes, it's a great idea.

Ask 10 savvy motorcyclists about synthetic engine oil and you’ll likely get 10 different opinions. Old timers will tell you that converting an old machine to synthetic will create problems, and to some extent, that may be true. There are certain instances where the use of synthetic oil may take some wise consideration.  However, today’s synthetic oils made for piston engines have more superior chemical and mechanical properties than traditional petroleum-based products.  Synthetics will give your engine added life and protection.

Years ago, my father worked at Dover Air Force Base for General Electric (G.E.) as an engineer on jet engines. The giant C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft was originally powered by four huge G.E. TF-39 engines.  They ran on synthetic oil.

Dad told me a story about a few of the guys in the jet engine shop who decided to use the synthetic oil from the TF-39 in their personal vehicles. Every single engine failed catastrophically because (as I recall) it was straight 5-weight oil that did not contain the necessary additive package to function in a reciprocating engine.

So if you ask one of those fellas about synthetic oil, you’ll likely get a negative response!

In years past, synthetic oil was an exotic product made for specialized purposes.  This has simply not been the case in recent decades, as more of our vehicles demand high performance.

For instance, some may still tell you that you can’t mix synthetic with petroleum-based oils. That was true 40 years ago, but not today. As an example, Honda currently sells a ‘petroleum blend,’ which is indeed synthetic and petroleum-based stocks mixed together.

When Chevrolet first introduced the Corvette ZR1, they had problems with camshaft failures early on. The fix???  Fill the engine with Mobil 1.   The following year they came factory filled with Mobil 1 and it voided the warranty if you used anything else.

Ask just about any race team what they run? They run synthetic because it provides superior protection under extreme racing conditions. In 1983, Honda Racing Corporation had numerous crankshaft failures on their VF750F Superbike engines. The only way they could get one to last the full race distance was to use synthetic oil.

You may remember the old Mobil 1 TV commercial from years ago. They put Mobil 1 and the leading petroleum-based oil in separate frying pans and turned up the heat. The petroleum oil turned into thick, black sludge while the Mobil 1 was unaffected. That was actually a very good demonstration of synthetic oil’s ability to withstand extreme temperatures.

Let’s say your engine loses all its coolant. You don’t notice until you stop and see the steam billowing out of the overflow tank. In this case, synthetic oil would not break down like petroleum oil, potentially saving you thousands of $$$$ in engine repairs.

Here are some wise things to consider before you convert.  As a general rule of thumb, if your engine consumes oil, (either by leaking externally or by leaking past the rings in to the combustion chamber), it will consume more oil once converted to synthetic. In other words, it’s not a good idea. 

The other caveat concerns clutch slippage. There have been instances where an older ‘oil bathed’ clutch begins to slip immediately after converting to synthetic oil. More than likely it was near the end of its service life anyhow…

When can you convert a new vehicle to synthetic? 

I have contacted all our OEM’s and they all state it is OK to convert at the first service!

I personally put synthetic oil in everything I own and suggest you do the same!

Mike Rush

Service Manager @ Diamond Motor Sports