It's a good question. I switched to M1 15w50. I'm tired of paying so much for the V-Twin version. I don't think there is any difference.

 

I use Redline with shockproof in my tranny as well. Have in the last two bikes, But it stinks so bad. I have to open the garage doors and turn the fan on when I change the tranny fluid, It gags me! It's good stuff. I'll probably stay with it. If you want to try a different primary fluid, Redline primary oil is good. I'm using it as well. I order them both from racerpartswholesale.com Great place to buy from and they have low shipping cost. I really like the Mobil 1 15/50 in my engine though!!! Ride safe!!

 

OK we talk about moly contents and zinc but this is a motor only... it doesn't go in a clutch like metrics and 15W50 is used in cars all day long...It's just a motor??? Why does it need to have all this extra **** in it to go in a Harley engine??? It is after all just an engine...If i was running a metric with the clutch and motor oil together then i would and have always in the past run a M/C specific oil because of friction modifiers. but with HD it's a different story right?

 

that's what I was thinking......
I'm only going to use the Mobile 1 in the motor only..
I use Redline Trick-shift in the primary and Mobile 1 gear oil in the trans..

 

Trick Shift ain't Redline, it's B&M.

http://www.bmracing.com/PRODUCTS/Fluids_2

You can have the bottle sitting in my garage if you want. It didn't work at all with my clutch. Used to grab all the time.

 

If you don't know the difference between a car engine (motors are electric but I won't be labor that point since most consider their HD their motor) vs an air cooled engine then take both for a drive, ride on a hot day and check the oil temp when you get back. The V-Twin oils are designed not to break down at significant higher temp. which I believe you'll find. They also contain higher phosphous / zinc levels which reduces friction by creating a barrier between metal surface and as stated earlier if you google why they reduced the ZDDP levels in auto oil you'll find some answers. As far the HD clutch is concerned I don't get you anolgy, auto oil with higher molydenum will eventually make your clutch slip. V-Twin oil doesn't have higher molydenum but higher phosphorus and zinc so it can be used in the primary. I'm not an oil engineer but have read enough to be dangerous and would like to hear fr. someone who has used Moble 15w50 auto oil in their HD engine for over 100k without any problems.

 

Yeah, I never understood why they call them Motorcycles, should be Enginecycles, I guess! If you go to Mobiloil.com they have answered questions from Harley owners about using Mobil1 15/50 in v-twin engines. They fully approve of using it.

 

This is true for any synthetic oil vs. dino oil, not V-Twin oil in particular. Furthermore, there's nothing in a V-Twin oil that makes it better suited for a V-Twin engine than for a V4 or 6 cylinders motorcycle engine. Mobil1 V-Twin works equally well in a Goldwing than in a HD and for HD, it works equally well in a water cooled V-Rod than in an air cooled Bagger

I called Redline Tech Support this summer and asked them what's the difference between their V-Twin tranny oil with shockproof (black bottle) vs their tranny oil with shockproof (red bottle) and the answer I got was "the packaging". It's a packaging that sells for $2 more per quart but what's inside the bottle is exactly the same.

When I was in college, I worked in a plant of a major chocolate and candy manufacturer in Europe. The same chocolate bars coming out of the machine were wrapped with either XYZ brand or ABC brand wrappers. Same stuff. One would sell for 20% more than the other in stores and people were telling me that one tasted better than the other. Yeah right!

 

Just did some poking around the Mobil 1 website and hit their FAQ section.

What are the overall advantages of Mobil 1 motorcycle oils?

In addition to the overall benefits listed above – specifically, high-temperature stability and low volatility/low oil consumption – Mobil 1 synthetic motorcycle oils also offer superior anti-corrosion performance compared to conventional motor oil, which is important in many parts of the country where bikes may sit in garages for several months of the year.

Compared to conventional oils, Mobil 1 motorcycle oils provide superior wear and high-temperature protection, and promote engine cleanliness and lower oil consumption.

Once you get past these general advantages, you have to deal with each specific motorcycle oil one at a time to understand the benefits.

What about Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 motor oil? How is that different from Mobil 1 for passenger cars?

Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 fully synthetic motor oil is designed for air-cooled, large-displacement bikes. Because of their design, these engines can generate very high localized oil temperatures and high overall bulk-oil temperatures.

As you know, a typical air-cooled V-twin's rear cylinder gets a lot hotter than the front cylinder – it's a matter of airflow. When it's hot out and you're stuck in traffic, the oil temperature in your bike climbs rapidly. Above about 250°F, conventional motor oil is going to break down. Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 fully synthetic motor oil is good to above 300°F.

Like Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W-40, Mobil 1 V-Twin has high levels of phosphorus/zinc and the same high-temperature detergent technology for superior wear protection and engine cleanliness, even at elevated oil temperatures.

With Mobil 1 V-Twin oil, you can go the full length of the manufacturer's recommended oil change intervals with ease.

 

Since I never use motor oil in the primary (redline v-twin primary) then I can switch to standard Mobil 1 5W 50 ? yahooo!
I have gotten my mobil1 v-twin at Walmart for 9 bucks a quart but it's hardly ever in stock. Most indie shops sell it at between 12 and 16 bucks a Qt ... what a ripoff.
Mobil 1 5w 50 ain't the easiest to find either but for 5 bucks I'll start looking right away.