The man from Motul was very specific … “This is regenerated motorcycle oil. Regenerated, not recycled, there is a huge difference between the two.”
Motul’s NGEN5 and NGEN7 motorcycle oils are an ingenious development. They take a known and sustainable supply of used oil and strip it back to the base oil. Then, the oil is regenerated to meet the quality standards defined by API and JASO.
It sounded so simple, but as the man from Motul continued his presentation, I could see a few sceptical faces in the audience. They really should have stopped scrolling on their phones and listened… it is clever stuff.
Motorcycle Oil
There are a few baseline differences between the types of engine oil available. Car engine oil, for example, doesn’t work in a motorcycle with a wet clutch. Typically, motorcycle clutches are wet – they run in the engine oil. Cars, on the other hand, have dry clutches.
The oil we use in our motorcycles plays a large part in how our clutch bites and engages.
Then, there are the different viscosities (thicknesses) of oil. The numbers 10W-40, for example, define the oil’s viscosity in a cold climate (winter) and a hot climate.
Oil was originally listed by a single grade, SAE 30, for example, but this was only true at a specific temperature. The same grade of oil will flow faster in southern Spain in summer than it will in Iceland in winter.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) developed the definition of multi-grade oil. The grade 10W-40 means that the oil is 10 grade in Winter—hence the W—and 40 grade when in a hotter climate.
If you really want to get into it, the winter figure (10W) defines the cranking viscosity of the oil in the crankshaft bearings at low temperatures. In contrast, the hot figure (40) is a measure of kinematic viscosity under gravitational forces.
Or at least that is what I’m told by an engineer who knows what he is talking about—I didn’t have a clue and just made sure I bought oil with the right numbers on the bottle.
Having selected the right grade, there is a choice of fully or semi-synthetic oils. Although the name suggests that fully synthetic oil is made in a laboratory, that is only partially true.
Fully synthetic oil starts with a crude base oil, which is then refined, distilled and purified to a level that enables individual molecules within the motorcycle oil to be tuned to the exacting requirements of your motorcycle engine. It is stunningly clever, highly engineered stuff.
Semi-synthetic oil is a mixture of fully synthetic oil and mineral oil. It’s still enhanced with additive compounds but has more mineral oil at its heart. Consequently, it tends to be easier on your wallet.
Choose wisely, as the consequences of using the wrong oil can be expensive.
Motul NGEN Regenerated Motorcycle Oil
When it comes out of the ground, oil is black, sticky stuff full of dead dinosaurs, trees, and other things that have been living underground for millions of years.
Oil is useless as it comes out of the ground and needs refining. It goes into barrels as black goop and is full of impurities, but once refined, it looks more like baby oil than the amber/brown oil we put in our motorcycles.
The colour change from clear to amber is due to the additives mixed with the mineral oil to prevent sludging, foaming, knocking, and a hundred other things that ensure the oil withstands the high temperatures and pressures found in an engine.
This wonderful mixture doesn’t last forever, and depending on how you treat the engine, the oil and filter need to be changed after so many miles.
Motul’s frighteningly ingenious process takes used oil and removes the used-up additives, leaving behind a base oil. The quality and purity of this oil are equal to or better than that produced when crude oil is refined.
The oil has been regenerated so that fresh additives can be added to the base oil to create a motorcycle oil that matches … typically exceeds… the quality of Motul motorcycle oils produced by the original method.
Why Is NGEN Better?
The unexpected benefit came from the part of the regenerating process that removed the used-up additives. It only removed those that were no longer of any use and left any functional additives behind.
This resulted in a base oil that is better than the base oil produced by refining crude.
After going through Motul’s manufacturing process for motorcycle oils, testing showed that NGEN regenerated motorcycle oils performed slightly better than Motul’s 5100 and 7100 oils.
Standards
You will see all kinds of reference numbers on a bottle of motorcycle oil – they are shown in the highlighted boxes in the image below.
The API SN, SP, and SM standards guarantee certain performance benefits, including emissions system compatibility, stability and sludge control. Essentially, this is the quality and performance of the oil. API stands for the American Petroleum Institute.
JASO (Japanese Automobile Standards Organization) has its own standard for 4-stroke motorcycle engine oils- JASO T903: 2023 (recently updated from T903: 2016)
The JASO standard has three main parts: engine performance, clutch friction performance, and the wonderfully termed physicochemical limits, which relate to how well the chemicals in the oil withstand the physical abuse they receive inside the engine.
Oil classified as JASO MA2 provides the most efficient friction values, ensuring excellent clutch engagement. (Remember, friction-modified car motor oil doesn’t work in a motorcycle.)
Typically, JASO MA2 is the oil standard to look for after selecting the correct weight and whether you need semi- or fully synthetic oil for your motorcycle.
So … (deep breath) … First, the oil needs to meet the JASO T 903:2016 or 2023 standard, which requires that it meets one of several quality levels, including those from the American Petroleum Institute (API).
Depending on how the motorcycle oil has been developed, it can be further classified as JASO MA, MA1, MA2, or MB.
JASO MA: This is the standard specification for oil used where the engine, gearbox, and clutch use the same oil. These oils – typically – don’t contain friction modifiers, which could introduce problems with the operation of a wet clutch.
JASO MA1: A lower standard specification for motorcycles with separate engine, gearbox, and clutch oils.
JASO MA2: This is a higher-standard specification suitable for modern motorcycles, where the oil is shared across the clutch, gearbox, and engine, especially those with catalytic converters in the exhaust system.
JASO MB: A lower standard specification intended for grip-and-let-rip scooter engines.
Motul’s NGEN 5 and NGEN 7 regenerated motorcycle oils meet the API SM and SN quality levels, respectively, and the JASO MA2 standards.
Bottom Line
Motul has made regenerating motorcycle oils (not recycling) a proven technique. You may choose to use them because they are greener than standard engine oil, the manufacturing process uses less energy or the bottle they come in is made from 50% recycled plastic; the choice is yours.
What you are not doing is compromising on quality when you make your choice.
When I asked the man from Motul the vulgar question, “How much more does this cost?” he answered, “It is competitively priced.”
In non-marketing speak, this translates to 4 litres of Motul NGEN 7 10w40 being about £8 cheaper than Motul 7100 10w40 [Source Opie Oils]
Better performance. Save The Planet. Cheaper.
I love science.
