I thought the same but wanted to bounce it off a few riders.... Thanks for the replies, Jim

 

The CVO bikes come with Syn3 from the factory. Syn3 as stated is now a full synthetic.
I will never understand the issue that people on this forum have with Harley oil, I've been running Syn3 in my '05 Road Glide for 130,000 miles, the bike has no issues and uses no oil between the recommended 5000 mile oil changes.

 

Careful now, talk like that could break the internet!

 

What's said and what's reality can differ. When GM came out with the 4.2 motor we were getting variable cam DTC's. Subsequently a bulletin informed us to change oil (this was happening below 1K) that cleared everything up.

The cause was break in material suspended in oil jacking with the sensor. I've always dumped oil initially at 100 mi. & this is why. Don't tell me there's no harm in waiting.

As for synth, I'll use it only because of the oil cooled exhaust valves on this new one. I'm concerned the conventional stuff will begin coking up in those head ports, and don't want to risk it. Any lube experts care to comment on that?

 

I went Mobil 1 in all 3 holes at 1K miles.

15W-50 in engine
20W-50 V-Twin in primary
75W-90 in tranny

 

Not sure when this article was written but for now I'm going with Amsoil on all three after my 1k service.

http://www.harley-performance.com/amsoil-vs-harley.html

 

I know several that logged over 100K on syn3

 

So misleading present day "Synthetics" are. Since 2006, actually buying a "True Synthetic" off the shelf is impossible. (Yes, even Royal Purple standard formulations are hydrocracked petroleum)

According to the "Material Safety Data Sheet" for H-D's SYN3, it is chemically a blend of 60% synthetic and 40% petroleum oils.

Therefore, you are not getting 100% group IV PAO - group V Ester base oils in Syn3. They are cheating, blending 40% of group I, group II, and group III Hydrocracked Petroleum (highly refined crude) into their formulation. This is why when people use the term "Synthetic" with a brand that isn't 100% pure, I cringe. It's not their fault, they are just being misled.

This is not illegal but it's certainly deceptive. The Courts have ruled that it is legal to advertise a product that has a chemical composition that includes at least SOME synthetic properties as a "synthetic lubricant".. in the case of SYN3, that oil is a 60/40 blend and not a true, 100% synthetic or anything even close to it.

Now you know why I will only use Amsoil V-Twin 20W-50 in the engine,with their dedicated Transmission and Primary Case fluids.

Why pay more money for a product that isn't 100% pure? Amsoil Preferred Customers can buy at wholesale cost ($9.40 per quart), and it's 100% pure group IV/V. That's why! The cheapest approved lubricants will give your engine a long life if maintained frequently. However, the debate go far beyond that.

 

First service for me with Syn3 in all, kinda 'spensive puttin' it the primary though.

 

I had cams, heavy breather, and new mufflers put in my bike when band new. It was also dyno tuned to get the most from the new additions. Because of that, I changed the oil at 400 miles using Mobile 1 20w50 synthetic. The crank case oil looked pretty good but what came out of the filter was nasty. I just wanted the peace of mind to know that after the power runs, the oil was clean with no metal bits in it. I also had the 1000 mile service done and used HD SYN 3.
I am a believer in synthetic oil and I honestly believe that it cools down faster than conventional oil. That is why I also had the new fan powered oil cooler installed on the bike.