I don't know how Blackstone can say this oil sample looks good? The Iron level is not good. 17ppm in a 500 mile oil sample is terrible. The aluminum numbers are equally bad. I don't know how much everyone has been paying attention, but KTM, BMW, Porsche & others are having serious oil related engine failures due to high camshaft & timing chain wear. Your iron number is coming from the camshafts & timing chain. I have a problem with all of these YouTubers beating up on manufactures because of their engine failures. I know the manufacture tells them to use their special approved oil & that they can go 6 or 7 thousand miles between oil changes. People who own highly stressed exotic engines need to get this through the heads. The manufactures hands are tied by the EPA. In order to achieve the test results for the emissions systems, they have to tell owners what you see in the Owner's Manual. They can't even give owners the "wink wink" & hint they should use different oil & different service intervals. Those days are gone. If you want to drive these types of high performance engines, you need to understand oil, or get used to arguing with Dealers and their Lawyers. You can't even trust the oil analyst. I’m impressed that a few of you guys are trying to legitimately figure this out. I’ve tried to help diesel owners, and they just keep saying the manufacture knows what’s best. Diesel’s have way more complicated emissions systems and the EPA diesel oils really screw them up.
As you dig into the technical details you'll notice that it seems like everyone is working against the consumer’s best interest. If you’ve ever tried to read Petroleum & Chemical Engineering reports, you would notice they rarely say anything in plain English. One example I read was 186 page report about soot in diesel oil. Talk about mind numbing. Soot in diesel oil is a critical element that the EPA diesel oil approvals fail to address, because they’re trying to cover up another problem. In other words, the older pre-EPA diesel oils are far superior. If you understand this, there’s a way to spot the better diesel oil in the Technical Data Sheet. However, none of the authors of these technical reports want to jeopardize their carriers by pointing out things that are country to the EPA mandates. Even if you could talk to an experienced Ducati or Porsche dealer mechanic, they don't really know very much about oil. They're to busy trying to beat the Flat Rate on warranty repairs. They don't have time to study oil technical data sheets. The manufacture recommends one oil, & they don't get paid to argue about it.
There are basic things that should be included in every oil's Technical Data Sheet / Material Data Sheet, but they're omitted by most oil companies. If oil companies actually reported this test data, consumers could figure out which oil is the best.
It was a major effort for you to figure out that 300V sheered down. Very few owners would do that. You should’ve been able to see that in 300V's technical data. But oil companies hide it. Here's what's the most important & what you should see in the technical data sheet.
NOACK Volatility: Oil is like water. If you get oil hot enough, it turns into steam. The test heats the oil to 450F & measures the volume of steam. The maximum the EPA allows is 13.5% in one hour. This oily steam is then sucked into the crankcase ventilation system. This is the It sludge you’ll see building up inside the engine over time. The very best oil's have a NOACK value of 3.7%. 5% or 6% is considered pretty good. As the oil vapor boils off the oil, the oil in your crankcase gets thicker. The oil vapor is actually made up of the lighter chemical additives the oil needs. The best oils use the most expensive additives which resist boiling away. That’s the lower NOACK value. Engines with high fuel dilution don't notice the oil becoming sludge, because fuel dilutes the oil. This makes the mess in your crankcase even worse. The result is the iron you see in the oil test. To be clear, this is what flattens the camshafts and stretches the timing chain. You can change the oil frequently, or make a YouTube video complaining about the manufacturer. In order to make an oil with low NOACK, it takes real quality. A low NOACK value is a major indicator of a good oil.
Viscosity Index (IV): This number tells you how well the oil maintains & stays within its stated viscosity. The higher the number the better the oil. Real good oil’s have a VI of 170 to 180. The best I've seen is 245, & that's the special 300V for the Honda Moto GP replica. This oil is $60 per quart. Assuming motorcycles are ridden in warm weather, you want oil with a higher viscosity to protect the engine. Most high performance motorcycles need 10W/60, or 15W/50. If you ride in hot weather over 90F, 20W/60 is a good choice. Motorcycles are compact with small radiators & oil coolers. The engines don't hold much oil, & they're often surrounded by a fairing that traps the heat. 0w/30 oils are for maximum horse power when racing. They are not meant for long engine life.
High Temperature High Sheer (HTHS): This is the film strength oil the oil. The EPA mandated fuel efficient oils have a HTHS of 2.8. The higher the HTHS, the better the oil. Good oils have a HTHS above 5. The best I've seen is Red Line 20W/60 Power Sports, 6.8. Viscosity plays a major roll in increasing the HTHS.
Zinc (ZDDP): Zinc slowly builds up the metal surfaces in your engine. Zinc is the last line of defense when things get really hot & the rest of the lubrication has been lost. Zinc prevents micro welding of the metal surfaces. Obviously you can get an engine so hot the metal galls itself together & the engine locks up. The thicker the zinc barrier, the more stress the engine can withstand. This is why it's important to lay down a good layer of zinc in a new engine as quickly as you can. Break-in oils have very high levels of zinc to do just that. Practically no new engines come with high zinc Break-in oil from the factory. The EPA says zinc in the oil contaminates the catalytic converter & reduces its ability to reduce emissions. I understand the principal, but I've never seen high zinc oils contaminate the catalyst. Even if it did, I would much rather deal with a bad catalytic converter than a bad crankshaft. The EPA oils have about 800ppm of zinc. The best high performance oils have over twice as much zinc. If you can find the oil's zinc content, it will tell you if you have an oil that protects the engine or the emissions system. Never add zinc to your oil. It upsets the chemical balance. Buy oil already made with high zinc.
Ester: Ester is a man made chemical type of oil. Ester synthetic oils are not based off of conventional petroleum oil that's pumped out of the ground. Man made ester chemicals can withstand much higher temperatures before the molecules brake apart. Ester also flows at extremely cold temperatures. Ester does one other really cool thing. Ester chemicals are attracted to metal. They don't completely drain off the metal surfaces when you shut the engine off. The next time you start the engine, there's a thin coating of oil on all the internal parts. This means less wear over the life of the engine.
Flash point: This is the temperature the oil vaporizes. If the engine has a turbocharger, they get very hot when you shut the engine off. The turbo's can get red hot when climbing a mountain in hot weather. If you shut the engine off at the end of your record breaking run up Pike's Peak, the oil in the turbo can vaporize. Obviously the higher the Flash Point, the better the oil. The highest I've seen is 245C.
You're never going to find the highest values in one oil. It's always a compromise.
One last thing I haven't talked about. Traditional Marvel Mystery oil (MMO) in your fuel. Most people use pump gas. It has 10% ethanol. Ethanol attracts moisture from the ambient air. When you let your bike set with fuel in the tank, moisture will eventually damage your fuel pump & the other metal parts in the fuel system. MMO in the fuel also lubricates & protects the injectors. MMO is high detergent & helps keep the varnish cleaned off the fuel system.
Super Magnets on a metal oil filter, or epoxied on the cover of a cartridge oil filter. Super magnets are an easy way to remove the iron powder that's smaller than the oil filter can trap. If you stuck a super magnet somewhere on the oil filter, the 17ppm iron in the 300V test would go to zero.
Another thing I should mention. There are a number of excellent ester motorcycle oils. If you live in Europe, I would definitely consider them. Putoline has a wide range of motorcycle oils. Their 10w/60 “Off Road Ester Tech 4+” is equal to Red Line or Maxima. Their 5W/50 “SPR+” is version of the Ducati special race oil. Another oil is Mannol “4-Takt Powerbike” 15w/50. Another is Millers “CFS 10w/60 NT+”. Another oil is Wolf “Moto 4T 20w/50 Racing Ester”. These oils are to expensive to ship to America. But for you guys in Europe, these are excellent choices.
