Just wanted to throw this in here for others that are on the fence.

I did my 1000 mile service this weekend and used Mobil 1 V-Twin 20w50 for both the engine and primary, and here is what I've noticed:

Smoother shifting (both up and down)
Neutral to first "clunk" is a bit reduced
Clunk from an imperfect **** is reduced
Engine runs 8-12 degrees cooler for the same speed, gear, fuel, and ambient temps versus HD dino oil
Clockwork sound of the engine (sewing machine sound) is slightly increased

Not wanting to start another big oil thread, just reporting that on my particular bike, at the 1000 mile mark I'm very pleased with this oil.

In 3000 miles I'll change it out, get a Blackstone analysis done, and post the detailed analysis here as a followup.

 

Thanks for the write up! Good info.

 

Are you drinking that Mobil 1? Never heard of it as a home remedy, but hell, maybe I'll try some too. We all know how a "clunk from an imperfect ****" can be a real "pain in the ***"........

 

Blackstone is the precise reason I dont use synthetics. Nothing wrong with it, just not worth the cost to me.

 

Just kiddin' ya above.

I saw a sign for sale price in O'reilly Auto yesterday, 3 quarts Mobil 1 V-Twin and a Wix filter for $29.95. Not a bad deal, I think?

 

Um. Putting engine oil in a transmission might not be the best idea?

 

harley recomends there sin-3 20w50 in all three holes on the twin cam .. i use mobile1 v-twin 20w50 in crank .mobile1 10w40 in primary and mobil1 75w140 in tranny.

 

The transmissions on Harleys is not like a modern car transmission with hypoid gears that require a GL-5 heavy gear oil.

Not only does HD recommend the use of their own Syn3 20w50, you will easily find hundreds if not thousands of members on this forum and other HD related forums that run a 20w50 motor oil in their transmission.

Mobil also recommends it over their other offerings that meet GL-5 specs, and gear lube:

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...ide_Glide.aspx

The F+ lube (and/or the Syn3) that HD has recommended is essentially a 50 weight gear oil, which is VERY similar to the 20w50 I'm using.

There is a TON of discussion on this, you will hear lots of opinions on all sides of this debate, but I decided to go this way because I read a LOT of reports of guys who have used M1 Vtwin in all three holes (or two, depending on the bike) for many years and many tens of thousands of miles with no issues.

Also, I change out the primary/trans oil with every engine oil change. It only adds $10 to the cost of an oil change and it gives me some peace of mind that those gears have fresh oil+additives.

I'll be closely monitoring the magnetic primary drain plug, and the oil analysis in 3000 miles will tell me if I have higher than normal levels of metallic content in the oil, that would be an indicator that the choice of M1 20w50 was not ideal, and I'll try a GL-5 oil (there are NO yellow metals in our trans/primaries) such as M1 75w90, Redline Heavy Shockproof, or Motul 300/7100.

 

Many vehicles the world over utilize engine oil in the transmission, it is not a new concept or practice. It needs a stable lubricant, that will lubricate the primary chain, the gears, and won't make the clutch burn up. I've put 1800 miles on the machine and I just put in "fluid #3". I'm not going to derail the thread with the "great oil debate", but I'm onto some stuff that works for me.


OP: Glad you are posting what you did, and your impressions. Enjoy the ride.

 

so parabelum you think i'm ok to use the mobe1 10w40 in primary and 75w140 in tranny?