I overheard a buyer for a major electrical contractor hang up after telling a distributor "Name something you sell that I can't buy from someone else."
Why Is Motorcycle Oil So Expensive?
- Thread starter Hardwrkr13
- Start date
It's the law of the stock market. Publicly traded companies in particular need more profit every year. The need more, MORE, MORE.Its like every thing else, GREED. Simple GREED. The world has gone crazy, retailers / manufactures charge what they want, most everything has increased in cost 100%. did u get a 100% raise ? Did fuel costs increase 100% ? ETC....simple GREED. Rant over
If they don't get it their share values drop.
Watch Dragon's Den or Shark Tank. The panel consists of money makers not innovators. They don't create jobs they just move them around to make wealth. It's a parasitic relationship. If the parasite is too hungry it destroys the host. If it isn't hungry enough it never matures.
Big companies rule the world and we let them do it by purchasing their wares. It's not all bad in that things tend to work better and last longer than a half century ago. My TV dates back to 2009 and still works fine. I could get a bigger new one for fewer dollars than I paid in 2009.
Anyone remember watching an old CRT set in total darkness because the main tube was burning out and any light in the room overpowered the projected image.
I thought almost all modern car oils had friction modifiers ("energy conserving") so all of them will cause problems with slippage with a motorcycle's clutch? Which car oil do you use in your bike that doesn't?
I used to use Rotella T6 which is not marketed as a motorcycle oil, but it is certified as JASO/MA2.
Normally Mobil 1 and I've never had an issue with a wet clutch when using it but I have used others too. The only oil that was no Bueno was a semi-synthetic that caused the clutch to slip. A quick change to another oil and problem was fixed.
I'd still be wary. Even if you don't notice clutch slippage and shifts are smooth, extra wear could still be happening, eg to the clutch plate, or bearing/gear damage due to lower shear stability under high rpm. I don't think the risk is is worth it to save $35 a year.
Rotella is NOT JASO certified, Shell is simply asserting that it meets JASO-MA2 requirements. JASO-MA certification costs money and oils that are certified display it prominently on the bottle along with a certification #, similar to how Dexos certification works. In fact most of the motorcycle oils you can buy at Canadian Tire are not JASO certified.
I am NOT saying that is a big problem. I think JASO certification is fairly trivial to achieve, aside from the cost. I am just clearing that up now, before things get spicy
If your engine is worth ( for the sake of example) 3-5K to rebuild , and thats a simple motor, why would anybody put cheap oil in? or even waffle on good oil and regular changes?
why is bike oil more expensive ? for the bazzilion gallons of car / truck oil , they package a lot less motorcycle oil , its just production and packaging reality.
I have seen an oil related engine failure , they ran it out of oil. However as an indicator of engine quality , a kid came to a shop I worked in with a Honda 50cc mini bike that was squeaking while it ran, completely empty of oil, topped it up and I think it ran another deacade. 70's Honda was truley bulletproof
why is bike oil more expensive ? for the bazzilion gallons of car / truck oil , they package a lot less motorcycle oil , its just production and packaging reality.
I have seen an oil related engine failure , they ran it out of oil. However as an indicator of engine quality , a kid came to a shop I worked in with a Honda 50cc mini bike that was squeaking while it ran, completely empty of oil, topped it up and I think it ran another deacade. 70's Honda was truley bulletproof
Could it be that the oils are pretty much the same, and the extra money is all about marketing?
I don’t think you can beat a Honda when it comes to small engines. I wouldn’t even consider buying a utility generator or snowblower that wasn’t made by Honda. I’ve got a 15 year old eu2200i inverter generator that has run for days on end with the original spark plug up until last year. I have no idea how many hours are on it but I was bored last winter and decided to adjust the valves and replace the spark plug. Now it runs like new. Best $1400 I’ve ever spent. I always run my snowblower and generators on Mobil1 synthetic.
Tripletrouble
Well-known member
It must have something to do with volume. A few thousand bikes used for 6 months a year vs millions of cars running year round makes less economical to produce the lower volume motorcycle specific oils.
