If you use Google, you'll find quite a bit of discussion on oil, mineral and otherwise in bikes, so much so that it might almost be interpreted as a religious debate... Just about ANY (detergent) oil will be more than adequate in keeping your engine free of sludge provided it is CHANGED regularly and in a timely fashion. Not kidding, even the $2.50 a quart Wal-Mart brand will provide you decent protection should it be changed frequently.
I use Rotella T 15-40 in my Ducati and change it every 1500 miles along with the filter, which is, heaven forbid, a Fram (XG3614, I installed an adapter on the spigot). I could probably get away with changing it less frequently; say every 3,000 to 4,000 miles.
You COULD run the MOST EXPENSIVE mineral or synthetic oil and change it every 3,000 to 6,000 miles but ultimately a UAO is going to tell you how much viscosity breakdown has occurred or give indicators of other problems. There are quite a few UAO's right here which might give you some idea on how it (the VR1) performs in a motorcycle.
From my reading, the greatest issues faced with motor oil in a motorcycle are viscosity breakdown (due to the shared sump with the transmission) and potential thermal breakdown (for air cooled engines).
This statement best illustrates the problem:
"I read on a bike forum that an engine, which had been run on VR1, needed to be opened for non-oil related reasons and the engine insides had been very, very dirty."
There are quite a few information sources on the web, as a matter of fact; the amount of it is absolutely overwhelming. Furthermore, sifting the "wheat from the chaff" can be an insurmountable task. Did the owner of that bike frequently change the oil? Was he/she the first owner of the bike? How had the bike been run? It is questions like this that will yield the likely culprit with regards to the sludge buildup/deposits in the engine. I highly doubt that the VR1 was the problem.
For you particular application, I would consider the following:
- Is your bike air cooled or water cooled?
- What environment do you ride in (average temperature)?
- Is your bike modified?
- What does the manufacturer recommend, particularly with regards to viscosity?
- Do you race your bike?
- Do you commute daily on your motorcycle and how far/long do you ride?
- Where do you live (will play an important factor in brand availability)?
I am personally a fan of the HDEO’s (Rotella/Delvac/etc.) but just about any of the name brands are decent oils…
I hope this helps, we have VR1 here locally as well (Fort Worth, TX) and I had considered running it as well, seems like a decent choice from a reputable manufacturer. So in answer to your query, I would not hesitate to try it, just remember change interval. Bikes tend to break down oils faster than automobiles, even the motorcycle specific oils. By the way, I make no claim to being an expert on this subject and my views are solely my own, your mileage will vary…
