Motorcyclists are gearing up for another summer of rallies, road trips and dirt riding. Whether you’re into V-twins, race, street, adventure, dual-sport or dirt bikes, prepare your bike for a long summer riding season with fresh oil that is dialed-in to meet the specific needs of your motorcycle.
AMSOIL is the official motorcycle oil of Laconia Motorcycle Week, Daytona Bike Week and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
V-Twin Motorcycles
Powerful, hot-running V-twins generate intense heat, especially in slow-moving rally or parade traffic. Air-cooled bikes rely on a steady flow of air over the cooling fins to keep the engine cool. Stop-and-go riding and extended idling on hot summer days can quickly cause the engine temperature to skyrocket. If the motor oil cannot withstand the intense heat and powerful mechanical action inside a V-twin engine, the oil loses viscosity and its ability to provide adequate engine protection.
Bikes that use the same oil for both the engine and transmission are especially prone to viscosity loss. AMSOIL Synthetic V-Twin Motorcycle Oil is shear stable and does not thin from mechanical activity, so it’s excellent at protecting your V-twin engine against wear.
AMSOIL Synthetic V-Twin Motorcycle Oil delivers excellent performance in the engine, transmission and primary chaincase, offering the convenience of a single oil for all three parts of your bike. It is available in 20W-40, 20W-50, 15W-60 and SAE 60 as part of our complete V-twin product line, including complete oil change kits with filter. For bikers who prefer to use oils formulated specifically for the transmission or chaincase, AMSOIL Synthetic V-Twin Transmission Fluid and Synthetic V-Twin Primary Fluid are engineered to the same exacting standards.
Street & Adventure Motorcycles
The street motorcycle market includes standard (naked), cruiser, adventure (ADV), touring, dual-sport and sport bikes
High-performance sport bikes need wet-clutch-compatible lubricants that deliver efficient and consistent shift performance. The high speeds and rpm these bikes are capable of can also cause inferior oils to foam, which decreases the lubricant’s ability to protect the engine.
Like sport bikes, standard and cruiser motorcycles are also defined by engine power and responsiveness, so smooth shifting and reliability are important traits. Touring bikes aim to provide comfort, luxury and the adventure associated with long, cross-country trips, which also benefit from extended drain intervals.
Our advanced synthetic technology maximizes engine responsiveness and delivers excellent wet-clutch compatibility, enabling smooth shifts for a more comfortable ride. By controlling foam, AMSOIL Synthetic Motorcycle Oil helps you confidently push your bike to its redline, for maximum speed, acceleration and cornering ability. Its outstanding resistance to extreme heat provides peace of mind, knowing your bike will provide trouble-free operation mile after mile.
AMSOIL Synthetic Motorcycle Oil enhances performance and reliability and delivers superior protection against engine wear in high-performance engines. It is available in 10W-30, 10W-40 and 15W-50 as part of our complete motorcycle product line, including oil filters and AMSOIL Powersports Antifreeze & Coolant. It also extends drain intervals up to twice the bike manufacturer’s recommendations, allowing riders to confidently wander far from home.
Fun fact: the fastest growing segment in motorcycling is ADV and dual-sport.
Dirt Bikes
Unsurprisingly, dual-sport and dirt bike operating conditions are more like that of an ATV or UTV. True, you don’t plow snow with your motorcycle, but the bike undergoes ample low-speed stress punctuated with periods of high revving. When racing, there’s frequent repetition between wide-open throttle on the straights and rapid acceleration through the corners. Throttling through jumps causes the rear tire to spin freely in the air, then create a heavy load on the engine when it contacts the ground. And trail riding requires lots of clutch and throttle manipulation to maneuver over and around obstacles.
Dirt bike engines are typically lightweight designs meant for performance. Any time you remove mass and increase power, you increase engine stress. The combination of high rpm and lighter materials creates the perfect scenario for engine failure if the motor oil fails to do its job.
Additionally, dirt bike pistons tend to have shorter piston skirts to reduce friction, which doesn’t help engine longevity. A shorter piston wants to rock inside the cylinder, which concentrates tremendous force on the tiny area where the piston skirt and cylinder wall contact. Only a microscopic oil film provides protection in this area, superior oil film strength is needed to help the engine survive.
Making matters worse, dirt bikes barely hold any oil, often only about one quart. That single quart of oil must fight wear, resist heat and prevent deposits, which is why most dirt bike riders change motor oil frequently, and in heavy use, the top-end may need to be rebuilt as often as every 15 hours!
AMSOIL Synthetic Dirt Bike Oil enhances engine performance and reliability, delivers superior protection against engine wear, and is far less expensive and less hassle than rebuilding your top-end. DOMINATOR® Synthetic 2-Stroke Racing Oil will handle all of your two-stroke needs, and oil for four-stroke dirt bikes is available in 10W-40, 15W-50 and 10W-60 as part of our complete dirt bike product line, including oil filters and AMSOIL Synthetic Dirt Bike Transmission Fluid.
No matter what you ride, AMSOIL offers premium synthetic lubricants designed to address the specific and challenging demands of powerful, high-revving engines, making every ride confidence inspiring.
Video transcript: A Company of Enthusiasts: We’re Into Motorcycles
I’m Patricia Stoll, Tradeshow Manager at AMSOIL, and I love motorcycles. [ Music ] I started riding when I was very young. I was actually more of a rider as in passenger at that time. I had cousins and neighbors who would take me out.
My brothers would always take me out on their motorcycle, and we always kept a very active and very outdoors-oriented when we were kids. Eventually, I got my first Kawasaki* Vulcan 500 and graduated to a 750, and then I think it was an 800 and then finally 1100 Honda* Sabre and recently got a 2012 Harley* Deluxe, which I’m absolutely in love with. I think it’s a very versatile sport. I like it because, if I want to just go out and take a leisurely stroll, I can.
I can just run down for a couple of miles and enjoy it by myself, or I can go with my significant other. That to me is what’s so exciting about all of it is it’s such a versatile thing. It’s not just a team sport or it’s not just an individual thing. It is everything.
And that’s really why I like it so much. We’re at the 2016 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. I’m here as the Event Manager and Tradeshow Manager for AMSOIL. We are the official oil sponsor of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and we have been for several years.
It’s a lot of fun for me to be at motorcycle rallies because I get to talk to other enthusiasts who are riding, and it’s a lot of fun to build bonds with people with something that we all love doing. This year I got to do something that I’ve not been able to do before. I got invited to go on the Mayor’s Ride. So I was able to talk to the Mayor before we started.
We kind of kicked it off with a little high five, and the ride was absolutely phenomenal. We got to ride from Sturgis to Mount Rushmore and absolutely beautiful scenic roadways all the way there. And at Mount Rushmore we had a big group photo taken. There had to be close to 100 people, and it was kind of fun to be able to do that as not just a rider but also a representative of AMSOIL and to represent AMSOIL on the ride.
My job as a tradeshow manager is providing information to riders about our product, trying to engage with them about what our product can do for them and who AMSOIL is. And it’s not just me. There is a team of people who do this. We are a small team but we’re a very efficient and a very productive team.
So I feel like we’re doing a great job. And, of course, we’re doing a good job because we’ve got a lot of loyal AMSOIL users out there who come to us. It’s always fun when you get to talk to someone and find how AMSOIL has made their bike run so much better. There’s no better way to experience nature than on my bike and smelling it and seeing it and passing through it versus being in a car and just looking at it.
On the bike, I feel like you’re becoming part of it. That’s really exciting to me, and that’s one of the things I enjoy the most. I’m Patricia Stoll, Tradeshow Manager at AMSOIL, and I love motorcycles.
More from the Company of Enthusiasts
AMSOIL was founded by enthusiasts, and the Company of Enthusiasts series profiles the riders, racers and builders who run the products covered here.
This article is part of our Motorcycle Oil and Maintenance guide. See every article in the guide.
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David Hilgendorf is an AMSOIL Technical Writer who develops content for automotive, powersports and industrial audiences. His work includes technical data sheets, magazine articles, blog posts, white papers, product literature and application guidance. Hilgendorf works with engineers, laboratory personnel and technical specialists to communicate lubricant testing, product performance, maintenance practices, metalworking fluids, grease, motorcycles, marine equipment and industrial reliability.
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