Looking for a synthetic oil recommendation for an air cooled v-twin. Specifically of the Harley-Davidson variety. Been running the Harley branded stuff but I imagine there are better options out there. Amsoil? Royal Purple? Mobile 1?
Thanks.
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Looking for a synthetic oil recommendation for an air cooled v-twin. Specifically of the Harley-Davidson variety. Been running the Harley branded stuff but I imagine there are better options out there. Amsoil? Royal Purple? Mobile 1?
Thanks.
I've been using Mobil 1 for about 3yrs, and have been happy with the performance.
ETA: Especially at $3-$4 cheaper a qt than HD branded product. Plus, I bought 6 or 8 cases in Sturgis on a promo deal from Mobil, so it's actually cheaper than that, but I'll likely be out by the end of this season.
What weight do you need?
I run Rotella T6 in all my bikes, and it is awesome.
Have a buddy that swears by Ansoil, but I'm a cheap bastard.
Cant remember the weight off the top of my head. 20W-50 maybe?Quote:
Originally Posted by Grant H.
My bike isn't a diesel though so I'll probably pass on the Rotella.
[Coffee]
I use Rotella in my 450x too. It's good stuff.
Yep. 20-50. Here's what I'm running in all applications.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...5f45690c40.jpg
Here's the back, if you're interested.http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...4077066e10.jpg
Thanks for the photos. The Mobil 1 would be convenient because I can run it in everything on the bike. Might have to try to pick some up locally. Need to get both of the bikes serviced this weekend because I head for South Dakota the following weekend.
Where you staying? We're planning on rolling in Friday 7/31.
I like Red Line, but you probably wont find it anywhere locally. And its not exactly cheap.
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Originally Posted by ray1970
Quote:
Originally Posted by crays
You guys bringing your bikes to Trailer Week ?
Nope. Just the trailer.
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Originally Posted by Grant H.
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Originally Posted by ray1970
+1 on the Rotella for my V-twins. It's a great oil, and can hold up to the heat and pressures. When I ran vehicle oil in a motorcycle, the biggest thing I avoided was a little circle on the back, you wanted to make sure it didn't say something about energy. I will try and stop by autozone and show the 2 different circles.
When I ran Mobil 1 in the CBR, it was 20W50. I currently run rotella T6 synthetic
All of the oils you mentioned are good options. 20w50 full synthetic is preferred, we use the Drag Specialties or Twin Power brands here at the shop, but it's really hard to buy bad oil these days. As a rule, Harleys don't place much sheer stress on the oil, since they run at relatively low rpm and don't share engine oil with the transmission like most imports do, but being air cooled they do place a somewhat higher level of thermal stress on the oil.
Another vote for the synthetic t6 from rotella, I run in it the pissed off car and bike.
I'd run Royal Purpal in everything I own if I could afford it. I watched some show on how it was made. They take samples straight from the trailer and test it before they accept it. If it fails their standards, they tell the driver to take it elsewhere. Pretty neat show.
I also run the Rotella T6... it's ideal for bikes that share transmission and engine sump, and have wet clutches- as well as for your wallet.
The requirements for Diesels include excellent shear resistance because there are gears that drive the injection pump, camshaft, etc- and some Diesels use wet clutches for accessories (air compressor, for example), so they can't have additives that are incompatible with wet clutches.
I've got over 63,000 miles on my Honda Shadow 1100, all with Rotella.
Over at bobistheoilguy.com they call them HDEOs (Heavy Duty Engine Oils).
I'd agree that an air-cooled Harley may benefit from a 20W-50 synthetic more than a HDEO... They also use the oil for cooling the engine to some degree- and since they can get hotter than a water-cooled engine they could use the extra breakdown protection a synthetic provides... a true Group 4 or 5 will have better thermal breakdown protection than a group 3...
That's what I run in my Thrux. Hasn't blown up yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by crays
Hehehe.Quote:
Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo
I believe we're getting there on the next day, August 1st. Although I might be wrong. Could be the 31st.Quote:
Originally Posted by crays
Can't remember where we're staying. Some campground. My wife and brother in law kind of planned this whole thing. I'm just tagging along to pay for everything.
I'll shoot you a PM with my number if you wanted to get together for a beer while we're there.
Riding there and back. My wife is a bad ass. She's making the trip on a Sportster.Quote:
Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo
Oh, and I'm going with the Mobil 1 because I can buy it at Walmart, use it in the engine, transmission, and the primary, and it has to be better than the Harley stuff.