POWERUP: SHELL ADVANCE ULTRA
First-ever fully synthetic 4-stroke motorcycle engine oil made from natural gas
We decided to review the Shell Advance Ultra 15W/50 & 10W/40 on our bikes. The Shell Advance 15W/50 went to lubricate an Yamaha MT-09 and the 10W/40 into a Kawasaki Z750.
On the MT-09, immediately after the engine oil change, we headed straight to Sepang International Circuit and immediately we can feel the engine stress lessen as the kilometer we travel and also the power was maintained through out the journey to SiC and back. It was during the MotoGP in October, and during the MotoGP that two weeks we had almost 10 trips to SiC, imagine the kilos travel from our office in Petaling Jaya to Sepang.
In that two weeks and almost 1,500km mileage, we never had any mis-gear nor felt the engine stress unlike the previous EO we use.
On a 3 cylinder MT-09 the engine stress level are pretty high if you don’t use the right blend of EO . We have tested many EO, and we can assure that the 15W/50 fully synthetic Shell Advance Ultra is highly recommended for MT-09 and bikes which rely on performance and minimum stress on the engine.
Power was maintained, even on 6th gear at speed of 180km/h, when twist the throttle easy reach 225km/h even when the MT-09 has already running for 45 minutes non stop.
The MT-09 uses 2.4 litres if there is no change in oil filter and if the oil filter is change additional 200-300ml plus minus is needed.
We change our EO every 5000km if synthetic EO is used and recommended for semi is 3000km.
Test run on EO 5000km
As for the other Engine Oil review is by Andrew Yeap, a season biker and owner of a Kawasaki Z750
PRODUCT REVIEW FOR SHELL ULTRA 10W40 MOTORCYCLE OIL
Was chit chatting with my friend Roger from i-Moto the other day, and came up with the interesting topic of motorcycle engine oil. He asked currently what brand, type of oil I’m using etc etc? So I told him I usually use 2 main brands (both semi-synthetic ester based oils).
He asked me whether interested to try out a new oil in the market, with a new processing technology. So I say why not; since my bike was due for an oil change anyway.
The oil mentioned is Shell Ultra motorcycle series with a viscosity of 10W40 (which incidentally was same grade recommended by Kawasaki for my Z750 ’09). This new oil is made with PurePlus technology. In simple layman’s lingo, instead of refining the base oil from crude, this oil was extracted from gas! For those who attended 101 science class in school days, Imagine water filtration vs. water distillation. No matter how much you filter dirty water; it won’t be as “pure” as distilled water. Base oil makes up anywhere from 75-90% of base oil. The other are additives added to improve the oil performance. Engine oil is critical to combat friction, wear & tear, cooling, cleansing and maintenance of compression.
Rule#1: NEVER EVER use car engine oils for motorcycles! They’re not the same although both a basically 4 stroke machinery.
That’s because bikes run way higher compression ratios, higher rev range, produces more bhp to c.c. and more importantly most bikes are using wet clutches not dry i.e. Beemer GS1200. Car oils have much added friction modifiers that will result in clutch-slip for bikes. So please stick to bike oils!
So I took 4 bottles from him, went to the bike shop and drained it completely before pouring in the new “juice”. My bike takes about 3.8L plus minus.
Out came the sludge old oil, all black and carbonised. Check the level in the glass view, start up and made sure oil level was sufficient. Initial feedback was SMOOTHNESS. Clutch “bite” was good. Normally when the quality of the oil is compromised, the clutch and gear shift will be felt. I normally upshift clutchless, and has no problem with the new oil. Downshift was also precise with the usual blipping the throttle. So happen was riding back at the peak of the evening jam on the LDP, with lots of shifting required and also slow-fast riding. The feedback was good from the new oil. Temperature was also OK with peak around 185 degrees F while slow riding and cooling to 155/160 degrees F while constant riding. Another good thing is; the incidence of false neutral wasn’t there. Easy to find N while coasting down or complete stop. This is a pet grouse of many riders.
Overall initial feedback was enhanced smoothness, good feel from the transmission, precise gear changes. However time will tell how good the oil is, after it starts to breakdown a bit, normally after the 1st 1,000kms and just before oil change at 5,000km for synthetics. I will keep you posted how’s the performance after 1 month’s usage. (approximately 1,000kms).
FINAL REVIEW FOR SHELL ULTRA FULLY SYNTHETHIC MOTORYCLE OIL (10W40)
So after a long overdue write-up for this test oil (after approximately 1,200 kms); please find my feedback as outlined below:
Consistency in feel, deterioration about 10-15%. This is actually considered good, because some oils will just feel “worn” after a couple of days riding.
Clutch feel still pretty decent, no false neutral or difficulty in engaging gears whether downshift or upshifts. The feel is still there and also running temperature was also pretty consistent. Most of my rides were near distance riding or peak hour traffic, with 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th kinda traffic.
Being a lighter viscosity oil of 10W40, I expected more “noise” coming from the engine, valves whatnot but as it is, not much difference from the previous 15/50 I was using. So those of you that fear using this viscosity grade will have a rougher feel, rest assured it’s OK actually.
Another benchmark was whether the engine still pulls cleanly at top gear without downshifting. Bike was still able to pull cleanly at 6,000rpm when the power band starts developing. “Pick-up” was not sloppy and consistent.
Being fully synthetic oil I expect the oil to stay at least 5-6,000 kms before the next change versus 4,000 kms for a semi-synth. For those bikers who wanna try a new oil technology (PurePlus technology), I recommend you filling up with Shell Ultra the next change. Normally bikers have an intimate feel with their machines, and are the best judge whether it works for them or not
To get even better results, it’s recommended to do an engine flush before the oil change. That way any remaining fluids and whatever deposits are properly flushed out. Also for Gawd’s sake, make sure you change the oil filter with every change. I know some fellas who change the filters every alternate change, but my personal opinion better to change it all one go. There’s only so much you can save!
All-in-all a pretty decent oil, which we bikers have the opportunity to try and also protect our metal stallions! Till the next time, always ride safe Bros
Designed to provide Shell’s ultimate performance for all 4-stroke modern motorcycles
Shell Advance Ultra provides Shell’s ultimate protection and performance for all modern motorbikes, whatever their engine size. It delivers excellent control with smooth gear changes, and a more enjoyable ride thanks to reduced noise and vibration. Its fully synthetic technology helps to prolong the life of your engine.
Key features of Shell Advance Ultra
• Premium grade fully synthetic oil
• Available in two viscosity grades – 10W-40 and 15W-50
• Features Shell’s proprietary PurePlus Technology – a revolutionary gas-to-liquid (GTL) process that converts natural gas into crystal-clear base oil with virtually none of the impurities found in crude oil
• Shell Advance Ultra is the first and only motorcycle engine oil in the world to have a base oil made from natural gas. Therefore it delivers higher levels of cleansing and superior wear and corrosion protection
• Durability – Lasts twice as long as a typical oil drain interval.
• Fuel economy- Ride longer with an average of 5 km more per litre of fuel.
• Power – Clean start and delivers more power every time with no power loss over time.
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