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Yup,your right on target that the motor/trans/prim case all have somewhat diff operating conditions,operating temp & overall load put on the oil,thats for sure.

The problem is many people don't realize or don't believe that's the case with those 3 diff applications (motor/trans/primary) requiring a s somewhat diff wt/grade oil along with the oil also having a proper application specific additive pkg in it to better protect whatever app it's being used in too.

Will the trans or prim fail anytime soon if using 20-50 bike motor oil in those apps,no!

But can the trans & prim case have a longer overall srv'c life if proper application specific oil is used in those apps,ABSOLUTELY!.

And another thing i rec doing is HD recs 10k mile oil change for prim and i have found when servicing bikes over the yrs that the oil coming out of the prim case w-10k miles on it looks horribly contaminated & dirty/black with a lot of crap on drain plug too.

Thats why i rec not going over 5k miles on prim case oil esp when its easy and inexpensive to to do oil maint on prim case too.

When i change prim case oil my hsd it looks a heck of a lot less contaminated & dirty then when i let it go over 5k miles 1 time to approx 8k miles or so.

Same go's for the trans,HD rec's 20k mile oil change,well i found trans oil too look fairly discolored & contaminated @ 10k miles on HD's let alone going 2x longer to their rec 20k miles.

Again,its easy and cheap to change trans oil so i rec 10k miles or 1ry for hd trans oil change vs hd's rec of 20k miles.

As for HD rec's 5k mile motor oil & filter change, i rec max of 3k miles for std dino,4k miles or so for semi blend & 5k miles with full syn.

I rec the above motor oil srv'c because i have noticed that even with top quality 20w-50 motorcycle specific semi-blend of full syn that when they get over 3k miles to 4k miles & more/esp 5k miles that there is a bit more engine noise and few psi lower oil pressure too.

Thats due to the oils visc being sheered/beat up by the HD v-twin even when running an oil cooler & wards cooling fans in summer heat like i have on my HD.

Bottom line common sense when it comes to oil maint on any vehicle is where there is much cleaner oil with considerably less dirt & contamination in it lubing & protecting all the components in the motor/trans/prim case there will be considerably less wear happening in those areas thus considerably extending srv'c life of the components in the motor/trans/prim case.

It's when you let the oil changes in any or all of those 3 areas go longer distance & time before srv'c with fresh clean oil of proper grade & type for app being used in can be all it takes to start premature wear that can't be reversed.

JMHO coming from 4.5 decades or 1st hand exp wrenching/srv'cing bikes/cars & building motors too.

Scott

 

I trust the maker of the engine more than marketing firm of an Oil Company.
Harley Davidson recommends HEDO oil if not using their own.
I use Mystik JT8 15-50 HEDO oil. Commercial diesel and gasoline rated oil that meets real API specifications.

 

I don't know what HEDO oil is, and never heard of it or seen it marked on a bottle of oil. The ONLY oil I've ever put in a motorcycle was Syn3, Mobil 1, or Amsoil 20-50.

I don't even know where to buy it.

 

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Well i will take a stab at it.

If i am not mistaken HEDO isnt correct & is supposed to be HDEO (HEAVY DUTY ENGINE OIL).

Or if it HEDO is correct maybe is means Hvy Engine Diesel Oil?

Scott

 

Anyone know what the ppm ZDDP is in the Milwaukee Twins 20-50 oil is?
I'm looking at this oil and not see much info on it except that the price is right.

I've read the forum and see that the Mobil or AMSoil are highly recommended. These oils have higher ZDDP levels.

 

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Dont know zddp/anti wea agent lvl in Milwaukee Twin 20-50 oil because we dont know who/what true oil mfg bottle's the oil for under the Milwaukee Twin label.

You could have it tested @ Balckstone Labs for cost of 1qt oil & approx $25-30 for the oil test itself.

But i am wondering why you dont simply buy spectro,M1 & or Amsoil oil thats specifically designed & formulated for large disp HD V-twins vs buying oil that's obviously supplied by an oil mfg of unknown origin with under the " Milwaukee Twins " label thats not avail in near as many locations too?

Keep in mind M1's v-twin syn is avail locally from autozone/advanced auto/Napa/Walmart etc for $8.99 when on sale & $10.99 reg price.

Spectro is avail at quite a few motorcycle dealer ships & indy's along with online too ,amsoil is avail in a few places locally & online too.

BTW,as far as zddp/anti wear agent lvl go's all spectro 20-50 oils (std dino/semi-blend-full syn) for HD's has approx 1500ppm,amsoil mcv full syn 20-50 has approx-1400ppm & m1 full syn 20-50 v-twin has approx 1700ppm .

1300-1800ppm zddp/antiwear agent lvl is where you want to be for lrg disp v-twin like our HD's have esp considering the excessive heat they produce in stock form with lean fuel calibration cat converter too.

When talking good protection from motor oil for our HD's you want to use an oil that not only has a good quality base stock oil it also needs to have a quality chemical additive pkg including a proper dose of zddp/anti wear agent too all working together collectively for max protection which the 3 oils i reff above have.

Oh,for those wondering where HD's Syn3 full syn 20-50 falls with respect to zddp/anti wear agent lvl go's,it has approx-1200ppm.

Approx-1200ppm (was actually 1170ppm as tested) is bear min / kinda marginal of an anti wear agent lvl for best protecting a lrg disp HD v-twin in summer heat cond & or in heavy duty use cond riding 2up & bike loaded cruising long distance @ higher speed & rpm or if hammering it often too.

Will HD's running hd's syn3 syn 20-50 blow up due to using that oil,not likely in most cases.

Will HD's full syn syn3- 20-50 protect as well in hvy dty use and or excessive heat cond as other quality full syn 20-50 motorcyle oil like spectro,M1 & Amsoil mfg's,not likely.

With that said when i rvu'd oil testing of 17 motorcycle specific 20-50 oils a few yrs ago HD's full syn syn3 placed decent being in top 5 of 17 oils tested .

Amsoil MCV , M1-v-twin & spectro full syn 20-50 bike oils all placed in top 5 too with Amsoil in being 1st place & M1 v-twin coming in a close 2nd with spectro & HD's syn3 coming in after that out of approx 17oils tested @ the time.

I was a bit surprised to see RP's/Royal Purple's full syn 20-50 bike oil placed 8th out of 17 oils tested performing considerably lower/worse then Amsoil/spectro/M1 & even HD's syn3 20-50 full syn bike oils did.

Scott

 

Thank you for the post. I had read back in the thread and saw most of what you posted.
Now I know.

 

Shell and Pennzoil have the patented PurePlus technology. No engine varnish due to the purity of the oil. I'll be using it in my next oil change.

Yet the factory will warranty the bike for 7 years UNLIMITED miles doing that exact thing.


True, but you change the oil, and its renewed again. A lab analysis is best.

 

Yep, for 7 years. What about 8 years and beyond when the damage will start to show up????

 

How about you post a link to any legitimate post that tells of premature wear or damage to a Harley Davidson engine using any brand 20w50 oil, conventional or synthetic?