I got a 96 FLHRI almost a year ago and I have noticed I'm adding a qt every 1200-1500 miles. The guys I ride with don't see smoke comingout of my pipes and there areno puddles in the garage. So where's it going and is this normal?

By the way, thisweb sitehas become the most valuable asset I know for anybody who owns an HD.

 

That isnot normalconsumption, IMO. Watch for smoke from your exhaust at night with light shining from behind the bike.

 

If you are not burning or leaking then you may be loosing it through volatility. Are you using petroleum? If you are, try a synthetic. Just a thought.

 

You may have some leaky worn valve seals. How many miles do you have?

 

I have actually seen auto manufacturers claim a quart per thousand miles is "within acceptable limits".


There are a couple facts about oil that may effect your consumption without it being a sign of excess wear or bad seating of parts on break in. If you ride in mountainous areas and engine brake a good deal, you will probably see more oil use than an engine run mostly on the flats with little engine braking. Also worked engines with loose tolerances encountered in racing will often use more oil. Lots of cold starts and short trips will cause build up of water in the oil tank and then taking a long ride will evaporate the diluting water and you will have a sudden drop in level.

All engines use some oil. My 04 WG used so little as to be negligible between changes. My O6 seems to use a bit more but also has a bit of blowby from using it at higher speeds on interstates with more frequency. Never enough to cause dripping but enough to wipe off the air filter after a couple hundred miles.Might also want to check your primary oil level as they had a problem a while back with a leaky seal causing engine oil to enter the primary. Valve seals will cause consumption and is most noticable when you first start the bike.

You should also pull your plugs and look for signs of excess oil burning. They should be grey to white or light tan. If they are black and sooty with dark spots on the porcelin, oil is probably the cause.

I agree, a qt. in 1000 miles is excessive but, if money is tight I'd carry a qt. with me and check it everyfill up. Check it hot, in the same spot if possible or on known level ground. Measure how much you have to add (cheap, marked plastic container.) and keep a record of the mileswhen the last FULL was observed.

If a dealer has a customer on a new bike report excessive oil consumption, they will tape the filler closed so they can get an accurate reading after a set milage. People often overfill cold and when they blow it out and re check COLD they THINK they are burning oil they are just blowing out .

Hope some of this at least get you started in the right direction to find a problem or , eliminate a perceived one.

EZ

 

EZ2Ridersays it pretty good there.

 

MyFLHRI has 23k on it and is stock except for the pipes, can't tell ya what they are.I do ride in Florida an do a bit of 100-200 mile runs when I can. I used to ride my metric bikes pretty hard anddownshift and engine break my stock HD a bit like my old Kawasaki. I use a synthetic oil and have seen oil in the air cleaner after a good long ride. As for blowing smoke on start ups I can't say I've seen any, But I am going to check my primary. I did check the plugs and they were grey and tan, textbook perfect. That is the reason I don't believe I could be burning the oil since the plugs were in that condition. But I've been wrong before. The spare qt. is already in the saddlebag and I'm ready for more.

 

I have the owner's manual for my '77 Sporty. It says that a quart every 500 miles is acceptable. Amazingly, it doesn't use a measurable amount between changes, though. I'm sure that can be credited to my buddy's good topend work he did for me.

I have a friend that had a '76 FLH. I was thumbing thru his owner's manual. It said that a quart every 250 miles was acceptable.

Times sure have changed...

 

I really don't think a motor should use a measurable amount of oil at all, it depends on how it was broken in. As far as the dealers saying a qt every 1000 miles, that's like harley saying "they all do that"

 

I'm dealing with a similar problem. 05 SE Fatboy. Can't find any indicators though. Dealer says keep an eye on it. For now I'm just keeping record of every qt. I buy/add. I'm thinking of switching from the Syn3 to Mobile or Amsoil.