Having worked for an oil company in Pontiac, Michigan for five years before I finished college and started in the plastics industry, I learned a bit about oil. On occasion I filled fifty five gallon drums with motor oil. Out of the same 500,000 gallon tank of 10 W 40 motor oil, I would fill hundreds of three different colored barrels, red, dark blue, and light blue. I also had three different stencils I would label the tops with. Shell, Sunoco, and the house brand, who's name I won't say. They varied in price, house brand being cheapest by far. But I assure you it was all the same oil. Then we would add some paraffin to the same oil, and label yellow, and green drums with Penzoil, and Quaker State. (I will never put either of those in a motorcycle or car or truck, as long as I live). Don't even get me started about hydraulic oil vs. brake fluid, and the differences in price because of what it was labeled, and not the quality, and add a pinch of dye to it, and charge even more, and call it transmission fluid.
So, the label isn't necessarily telling you anything. I researched my choice, and have run Rotella oil in my bikes since I've had bikes. Match the specs of the oil to what your bike manufacturer calls for. A friend of mine had two different oils analyzed. One from the shelf of a discount department store, and one from an area bike dealer. The ONLY difference was...the one from the bike dealer costs more than twice as much. But it did have a prettier label, and a famous company name on it. :headscratch:
If I can buy the same exact quality oil, coolant, or hydraulic fluid for half the price, I'm going to. Research it for yourself. I have owned quit a few motor vehicles in my life, and have never had an oil or coolant related problem. I change it often, more often than the manual says to, and continue to have great motor responses.
One word about synthetic motor oil. Does it reduce engine wear better that standard oil? The jury is still out, but I was at a demo for a company trying to sell our manufacturing company synthetics for our machines. We bought some for some particular applications, because the synthetic is slipperier, and makes the hydraulic motors work easier, causing less power to run them. We are still assessing if the cost is worth it. There is no proof that it reduces engine wear, even from the salesman. I run synthetic oil in my 88 F-150, and it gets better millage since I changed to it in 1990. Two to three miles per gallon better. Runs cooler too. When I asked the pro about if it would have this affect on my bike, he said there isn't enough travel in my engine parts for me to notice any difference in gas millage, and he couldn't tell me there was any better protection from engine wear.
Just sharing some of my knowledge and experience with you. Bottom line, research, change oil often, and follow the manufacturers specs for oil.
