Ester based motorcycle oil

[bioilcurious]

Hi everyone, I am in search of oil for my CBR600RR.

The oils I have tried were Honda HP4S, Honda HP4RU, and Lucas Oil Motorcycle Oil, none of which were ester-based that I know of. The only notable oil was the Lucas, as my clutch grabbed way better, and the shifts were notably smoother.

Let's take a look at some options:

• Motul 300V 10W40, ester-based, really a race oil. $23 a liter
• Redline 10W30, ester-based. $20 a quart
• Maxima Pro Plus 10W30, ester-based. $16 a liter
• Amsoil Metric Motorcycle Oil 10W30. $13 a quart
• Lucas Oil 10W30 Motorcycle Oil. $12 a quart
• Honda HP4S 10W30. $10 a quart

Most synthetics that don't claim ester are 5-10 bucks cheaper.
My owners manual wants a 10w30, JASO MA, and API SJ. This rules out the Motul 300v as it is not available in 10w30. And Amsoil gets ruled out because they say their oil is API sh.

My question is: How much better are ester-based oils (if at all) than synthetics for a high-revving motorcycle like mine?

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[JoelB]

In my opinion the interval is more important than the oil choice if the oil meets manufacturer specs. I tend to run a less "exotic" oil at a lower interval in something that revs high and will see heavy use.

 

[02SE]

I'm running Motul 300V 4T in all five of our Sportbikes. I've tried pretty much every oil I could find over the years, and the bikes just seem to run and shift their best on the Motul 300V 4T.

Every Owners Manual I have, has a chart with acceptable various viscosity oils covering a range of ambient temps.

 

[bioilcurious]

I'm running Motul 300V 4T in all five of our Sportbikes. I've tried pretty much every oil I could find over the years, and the bikes just seem to run and shift their best on the Motul 300V 4T.

Every Owners Manual I have, has a chart with acceptable various viscosity oils covering a range of ambient temps.

Your same sentiment is what I have found with lots of people, and I have seen some good UOA here with similar bikes on that oil. The 10W-30 really is Honda-specific, as it seems around 2006 they stopped with the temperature chart thing and only recommended 10W-30.

 

[kschachn]

Doesn't the additive formulation matter more than the base stock in this instance?

You have a lot of ruling out there that I'm not sure is relevant.

 

[bioilcurious]

Doesn't the additive formulation matter more than the base stock in this instance?

You have a lot of ruling out there that I'm not sure is relevant.

I was more so referencing the owners manual and what they would rule out, not what I am personally ruling out.

 

[Overfill]

My question is: How much better are ester-based oils (if at all) than synthetics for a high-revving motorcycle like mine?

"than"?
Your ester-based oils are those "synthetics"
"synthetic" or "full synthetic" on a bottle is meaningless--it isn't defined or regulated.

If I may, I'd like to refine your question to "Do oils with ester base stocks or other group V co-bases perform proportionally better than conventional oils?"
Yes, they often can be pushed longer than conventional products to outweigh their upfront cost. Often they can be pushed beyond the proportion, ending up the cheaper option.

 

[bioilcurious]

"than"?
Your ester-based oils are those "synthetics"
"synthetic" or "full synthetic" on a bottle is meaningless--it isn't defined or regulated.

If I may, I'd like to refine your question to "Do oils with ester base stocks or other group V co-bases perform proportionally better than conventional oils?"
Yes, they often can be pushed longer than conventional products to outweigh their upfront cost. Often they can be pushed beyond the proportion, ending up the cheaper option.

Thanks for the answer. Now if you were to look at that list of oils I provided, is there any that stand out to you?

 

[Overfill]

Thanks for the answer. Now if you were to look at that list of oils I provided, is there any that stand out to you?

• Motul 300V 10W40, ester-based, really a race oil. $23 a liter
• Redline 10W30, ester-based. $20 a quart
• Maxima Pro Plus 10W30, ester-based. $16 a liter
• Amsoil Metric Motorcycle Oil 10W30. $13 a quart

These are all winners in my book. I have never heard of people taking Maxima Pro Plus and Motul 300V into long drain intervals, being racing oils. I would buy the Amsoil or Redline, personally. @Pablo , the Metric Motorcycle Oil series has Group V co-bases, right?

 

[bioilcurious]

I have never heard of people taking Maxima Pro Plus and Motul 300V into long drain intervals, being racing oils.

Here is a 8500 mile change on 300v. 2014 cbr1000rr.
Guess it depends what a long drain interval is. The Honda manual states 8,000 mile changes. Obviously racing/track day use probably was not taken into account for that interval.

 

[Pablo]

• Motul 300V 10W40, ester-based, really a race oil. $23 a liter
• Redline 10W30, ester-based. $20 a quart
• Maxima Pro Plus 10W30, ester-based. $16 a liter
• Amsoil Metric Motorcycle Oil 10W30. $13 a quart

These are all winners in my book. I have never heard of people taking Maxima Pro Plus and Motul 300V into long drain intervals, being racing oils. I would buy the Amsoil or Redline, personally. @Pablo , the Metric Motorcycle Oil series has Group V co-bases, right?

Yes there are some esters

Does it matter? Not so much for the recommended OCI

 

[bioilcurious]

Yes there are some esters

Does it matter? Not so much for the recommended OCI

What makes a manufacturer advertise "ester", some even say "triple ester"?

 

[Pablo]

What makes a manufacturer advertise "ester", some even say "triple ester"?

Marketing!

 

[bioilcurious]

Okay, does the amount of ester used in an oil directly relate to price? Every oil I see that is expensive claims ester, every cheaper oil makes no mention of ester.

 

[Ronsant]

Klotz is an ester based oil. A local Ducati shop recommended it to me years ago. Most dealers can order it from parts unlimited, and Klotz also sells direct. Never had any issues with it other than it is expensive. Smells great too!

 

[Pablo]

Okay, does the amount of ester used in an oil directly relate to price? Every oil I see that is expensive claims ester, every cheaper oil makes no mention of ester.

Esters are expensive

A fully ester oil really doesn’t exist nor would you want it

This discussion can get in weeds quickly as formulating your oil is not doable nor even is it possible to predict performance based on a couple individual ingredients

 

[kschachn]

Esters are an enormous class of chemical compounds. But not all are equally effective in motor oils. Nor are they needed in every instance. Esters in oils are often a misunderstood buzzword as well, the marketing manta is “ester! ester! ester!” and this is typically done by individuals or Internet influencers that actually don’t really understand what they are talking about.

It’s not a wise choice for a sole metric in choosing an oil. Just like people who go gaga over other singular attributes like flash point, pour point, or other select base oil Groups (or worse the manufacturing methods for those Groups).

 

[kschachn]

A fully ester oil really doesn’t exist nor would you want it

True. Just as you don’t want turbine oil in an ICE. That’s been shown lots of times on here.

 

[bioilcurious]

@Pablo does the amsoil EAOM103-EA filter fit my 2024 cbr600rr?

 

[Jetronic]

I can add Ravenol Motobike Ester 10W-30 to that list. Running it in my car. Jaso MA and API SN.