When it comes to scooters one of the most common beginner questions is “what is the best oil for my scooter? If you go out to a store you will be completely overwhelmed by things like: 20W50, 5W30, API, JASO, etc. And while at the start those things can be overwhelming, after reading this article you will understand what all of them mean, and how to choose the best oil for your scooter.
What Is the Best Oil Type for My 49cc/50cc Scooter? The best type of oil for a scooter is usually the one suggested by the manufacturer. But in general 10w30 oil is used and recommended for most scooters.
So that was the short answer, but in order to choose the best option for your scooter we should talk about a few more things.
Table of Contents
Explaining the Name, What 10w30 and 5w40 Mean
The first thing that you need to know is what the name means. Fortunately this is quite simple.
The “w” in motor oil stands for winter. The first number in the oil classification refers to a cold weather viscosity. The lower this number is, the less viscous your oil will be at low temperatures. For example, a 5W- motor oil will flow better at lower temperatures than a 15W- motor oil. The higher number, following the “w” refers to hot weather viscosity, or how fluid your oil is at hot temperatures. The higher the number, the thicker the oil at a specified temperature.
Now you will know what you are actually saying when you say you want a 10w30 oil. So let’s go over the next part.
Synthetic vs Semi-Synthetic vs Mineral Oil
Scooter oil comes in 3 varieties: synthetic, semi-synthetic and mineral.
Mineral oil is basically just refined crude oil and it’s usually the least expensive option.
Synthetic oil contains additives that make it more tolerant to extreme temperatures than regular oil, and it will also last longer than mineral oil. And it’s the most expensive option.
Semi-Synthetic oil is basically a combination of the two other oil types. It has the same properties as the synthetic oil but not to the same extent. And it’s usually priced between mineral and synthetic oil.
In general the price difference is not that big so you shouldn’t really make that the decisive factor when choosing the oil type.
Normally you can use whatever type of oil you feel makes your scooter run smoother. If you don’t like one type of oil you can change to another without any worry.
You can even combine different oil types with different thicknesses, as long as you don’t do it too often.
API and JASO
API stands for American Petroleum Institute, and JASO stands for Japanese Automotive Standards Organization.
First thing that you have to know is that those two are not region bound. So this doesn’t mean that if you live in America you have to ignore JASO.
JASO is an organization consisting of major vehicle manufacturers in Japan. It was created as the Japanese equivalent to the API specifications because those were not suitable for the unique specification needs of modern Japanese engines.
There are multiple types of JASO but let’s just focu on 2 types for now.
JASO MA: Oils for motorcycles with a wet clutch. These oils deliver the needed friction performance to prevent the clutch from slipping and are therefore non-friction modified.
JASO MB: Oils for motorcycles with an automatic transmission (scooters). These oils deliver the needed friction performance by added friction modifiers which provide fuel economy benefits.
In general most scooters use JASO MB, but using another one shouldn’t hurt. But as always follow what the manufacturer recommends.
AS for the API, each of the following will work just as fine: API SG, SH, SJ, SL, SM.
Car vs Motorcycle vs Scooter Oil
Now that we covered some of the technical parts of the oil you might ask yourself if there is any difference between car oil, motorcycle oil and scooter oil. And the answer is yes.
Each oil has different particularities and components, car oil, for example contains friction modifiers and it’s formulated with the aim of reducing friction between moving parts in order to provide good fuel economy and efficiency. It also contains detergent additives, whose ash content is relatively high, which can deteriorate other vehicles.
Motorcycles use the same oil for both the engine and the gearbox. So they are uniquely formulated to offer protection for engine components as well as the gears. Compared to car engines, a motorcycle engine oil requires balanced friction characteristics as it needs to lubricate the wet clutch, which in turn transfers engine power to the drivetrain.
Scooter oil and motorcycle oil are somewhat similar, but not exactly the same. Soccer oil is usually mixed with petrol. And scooter oil is made to work better with scooters since they are gearless while motorcycles aren’t.
Each oil is different, so you should stick to scooter oil.
How Often Should You Change the Oil?
Oil should be changed every 1500-2000 miles, or at least once a year if you don’t write it that much.
Another simple way of knowing when you should change the oil is to simply check. Here is a video that will show you how to do that on a 4 stroke model, as well as a 2 stroke model.
How to Change Engine and Transmission Oil on a Scooter
Changing the oil is not that hard, you basically have to find the drain plugs and the fill plugs. Theoretically you should be able to do it yourself without too much trouble, but if you are not very skilled you can always take it to a mechanic and he should be able to do it in less than half an hour. And it will cost you around $40.
But if you want to do it yourself here is a video that does quite a good job at explaining things:
Conclusion
So the best oil for any scooter is generally the one recommended by the manufacturer. But in case you are not able to find any suggestion from the manufacturer, you should now know how to choose your own oil.
If you have any questions about scooter oil, or about scooters in general you should leave it in the comment section and I will do my best to answer it as soon as possible.
I hope this article was useful to you!