The short answer is PROBABLY NOT!
I looked into this because a mate gave me some brand new 10W40 ‘motor oil’ which I hoped would work in my bike…it turns out it won’t.
The reason is quite straightforward, and it’s all about the clutch.
Car oil normally has more additives than motorcycle oil…many of which are designed to reduce friction and make the engine perform better, whilst lasting much longer than they once did. Cars have a dry clutch, usually within the bell-housing or between the engine and gearbox.
Motorcycle Oil will have additives, but WILL NOT have any extra friction reducing additives. The simple reason is that most motorcycles have a wet clutch, and these run in the engine oil, which also lubricates the gearbox. If you use car oil, chances are your clutch will slip…and once it does, the clutch plates will probably need replacing as cleaning rarely gets rid of all the friction reducer.
In conclusion, you will need a compatible grade of oil for your motorcycle/motorbike/bike (* delete as appropriate). Then you need to check it is at least to JASO-MA standard if you have a wet clutch; remember most of them do. In addition, it should be rated to API grade SG or better.
Putoline Super DX4 10W40
Car oil is usually JASO-MB which is for a dry clutch. Also avoid oils that mention ‘friction reducing’, ‘energy saving’ or ‘resource conserving’ additives…it’s bad ju-ju for your bike 🙁
You will hear others tell you they’ve used all sorts of oils in their bikes successfully, including car oil. Maybe they’ve been lucky…who knows.
Putoline and Morris Oils, among many others, offer a wide range of compatible motorcycle oils. I’ve been using Putoline DX4 10W40 in my bike.