RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike
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[Poll]
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What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike
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| Mobil 1 V Twin |
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| Mobil 1 20/50 gold cap |
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| Redline |
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| Royal purple |
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| Rev tech |
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| Bel Ray |
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| HD 360 |
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| Syn 3 |
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| Amsoil |
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| Dynacycle |
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Total Votes : 1734
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(last vote on : 5/20/2008 12:39:04 PM)
(Poll will run till: -- )
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RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike - 9/16/2007 6:51:59 PM
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Thunderchild
Posts: 155
Joined: 9/15/2007
From: Mississippi.
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ok guys...please forgive my ignorance here but i AM a newby.....
why not use the oil that HD recomends?
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RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike - 9/16/2007 7:30:40 PM
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Lost1
Posts: 1492
Joined: 3/10/2007
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Both of HD's oils- the dino HD360 and the Syn3 synthetic have been tested and did well against competing oils, however, Syn 3 costs about $10 a quart at dealerships, which is more tham Mobil 1 V-Twin and Redline, both of which are better oils.
HD360 is also pricey, and there are dino oils out there that perform as well for less money.
It comes down to- you can use HD's oils and your engine should last at least 100k+ miles. Or you can use one of the other oils on the market, which will in turn get you an engine that should last at least 100k+ miles. Six of one, half dozen of another. 
There are better oils than HD's brand, and there are some that are worse than HD's brand. But for the most part there are no bad oils on the shelf anymore. Just pick one and change every 3000 with dino and 5000 with synthetic. You'll be fine...
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RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike - 9/24/2007 7:54:24 PM
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sargek
Posts: 793
Joined: 10/6/2006
From: San Antonio, Texas
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Have ran HD360, Amsoil and Syn3 in the motor, and out of all of them, HD360 ran the quietest. No idea which runs the coolest, but I'm guessing it's one of the synthetics. Valve clatter can't be good though, even though Harley's make noise, it's still an engine and metal on metal is generally not a good thing. Curious to try Mobil 1, but getting disappointed by all of the synthetic hype because I have not had the results I thought. Now that "winter" is coming on (South Texas -we have winter?), am thinking about switching back to HD360 to see how it runs. Might try Mobil 1 next summer to see if it's all that...
[edit]
Changed back to dino (HD 360) last night before a long ride today. Bike ran great and was quieter than synthetic. Sticking with HD360.
[edit]
< Message edited by sargek -- 10/7/2007 7:05:55 PM >
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RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike - 10/6/2007 10:06:39 PM
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mgmmgm
Posts: 197
Joined: 2/28/2007
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 Have had oil changed at Stealer at 1k, and again at 2, 300k, and then I changed it at 4k myself, but I used the scavenger oil change system and put in 20-50 Castrol 4 cycle for V-twins.
Anyone use the scavenger system ? see www.roguechoppers.com for their system, which takes out about a qt of dirty oil that is left behind in your oil system. Just draining the oil and changing the filter is -not- enough.
Regards,
Mark
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RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike - 10/9/2007 10:30:07 PM
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SSGBobber
Posts: 59
Joined: 3/6/2007
From: Paragould, AR
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I just bought 3 quarts of Castrol V-twin from my Street Bob. Any bad votes for this stuff? Ive got to get my 1k service done by this weekend, and dont have time to order the Redline or Mobil 1.
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RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike - 10/10/2007 6:10:34 PM
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beepo
Posts: 185
Joined: 9/3/2007
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I just did my first oil change, the bike has 17k miles on it and I went with Mobil1 products. V-Twin 20/50 in the engine, 75/90 gear oil in the tranny, and Racing 4T 10/40 in the primary.
It took the previous owners 15 years to put the first 15k on in, and I've added 2k in two months. Some of that is "New Bike Syndrome" (must ride every day) but I expect that I'll still put the miles on as long as I own it. That's what they're for, right?
Question: How long can I go between oil changes? I live in PA and so far my rides rarely last more than an hour or two. Also, did I just spend a bunch of money on good oil only to screw it all up with a Fram filter? And finally, do I really need to change it at the beginning of Winter and then again at the first sign of Spring? I'm not married to any particular brand, but Mobil1 seemed to have a lot of users and was available at my local auto parts store. Any adivce is appreciated.
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RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike - 10/10/2007 6:48:17 PM
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Lost1
Posts: 1492
Joined: 3/10/2007
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How long can I go between oil changes?
With synthetic I'd change it at 5000 mile intervals. (3000 for dino.)
did I just spend a bunch of money on good oil only to screw it all up with a Fram filter?
Yes. A Harley filter works great and is only about $8 at the dealer, so why mess with a cheap filter?
do I really need to change it at the beginning of Winter and then again at the first sign of Spring?
If the bike will be sitting unused for the winter then yes, definitely change the oil before storage.
If you'll be riding year round there's no law that says you have to change it- especially with a good synthetic like Mobil 1, but it wouldn't hurt either. You could also switch to a 10W-40 for easier starts on those cold winter days...
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RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike - 10/12/2007 10:47:31 AM
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beepo
Posts: 185
Joined: 9/3/2007
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Thanks Lost1, It wasn't a cheap oil change and I couldn't imagine doing one every month...
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 10/19/2007 9:41:14 AM
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FatBoy94
Posts: 199
Joined: 10/16/2007
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I use amsoil 20W50
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 10/21/2007 3:57:27 AM
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04fxdwgi
Posts: 52
Joined: 10/18/2007
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Mobil 1 V-Twin 20-50 in motor........ Has Moly for motor protection.
Mobil 1 Racing 4T in primary............ No Moly so it helps clutch friction co-efficient.
Mobil 1 75-90 Gear oil in gear box... Gear boxes need the special formulation of gear oil.
This combo, I believe, is superior to the off the shelf " Motor Company Recommended Oils " at the
Stealers . Did a lot of research on the properties of different oil's from manufacturer's. Never have a
single problem with this combination. Tough part was finding out the specs on the Harley oils ( which is
of a concern, since Harley does not make oil, just re-packages other brands " made for Harley ").
I change all 3 every 2,500 miles. Alot of money invested in machine and don't want to cheap out a couple
of bucks on maybe the most important maitenance item on the most expensive parts ( power plant / drive
train ).
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 10/21/2007 4:59:13 AM
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glide
Posts: 1280
Joined: 2/12/2006
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quote:
ORIGINAL: 04fxdwgi
Mobil 1 V-Twin 20-50 in motor........ Has Moly for motor protection.
Mobil 1 Racing 4T in primary............ No Moly so it helps clutch friction co-efficient.
Mobil 1 75-90 Gear oil in gear box... Gear boxes need the special formulation of gear oil.
This combo, I believe, is superior to the off the shelf " Motor Company Recommended Oils " at the
Stealers . Did a lot of research on the properties of different oil's from manufacturer's. Never have a
single problem with this combination. Tough part was finding out the specs on the Harley oils ( which is
of a concern, since Harley does not make oil, just re-packages other brands " made for Harley ").
I change all 3 every 2,500 miles. Alot of money invested in machine and don't want to cheap out a couple
of bucks on maybe the most important maitenance item on the most expensive parts ( power plant / drive
train ).
Smart man here!
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 10/22/2007 5:55:32 PM
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The Beastmaster
Posts: 934
Joined: 10/21/2007
From: Kennesaw, GA
Status: offline
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I think I'll be running the Mobil1 V-twin stuff in the motor for now, with an oil tank cap temp gauge. I just go the bike, so we'll see how that works out.
I am leaning toward regular Mobil or Valvoline 10w-40 or 20w-50 dino in the primary, and since I have cases of it at work, some motorcraft 75W-140 synthetic gear oil in the gearbox to see if I get any improvement. Finding neutral isn't an issue for me, but shifting is quite noisy. If no improvement, I'll drain it and try the Royal Purple or Amsoil.
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 10/23/2007 5:58:23 PM
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glide
Posts: 1280
Joined: 2/12/2006
Status: offline
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If it's improvement you want in the gear oil, try this one, you'll be glad you did. I switched from M1 75/90 to this and it's a very noticable difference.
Thumbnail Image
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 10/24/2007 4:03:23 PM
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warrenrx
Posts: 26
Joined: 1/12/2007
Status: offline
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Just as I guessed some 34% are sticking with genuine harley or syn3 oil from Harley. More than that salute the company and bow to the 2nd in synthetics amsoil. MOBIL 1 is a great oil too, and would be my second choice. S&S cycles uses it factory direct to fill their engines and recommends it too. Hmm...Lets see every and I mean every oil company says they sell the best oil. Who are any of us to believe. Hell I can prove anything and no way do I believe any report produced by or for amsoil. Has anyone noticed that amsoil is ranked either the best or at worst 2nd best in every category for every test imaginable. That cant be true, its no way that would happen a million years. No one oil is the best in every respect there are little things called trade offs that we have to make in every aspect of life. To get a little better in this direction we need to give up a little of this. For example and there is no better example than the human body, the best of fine tuned machines. You can have a high heart rate causing your BP to be slightly elevated. To aleviate the problem we may start a beta blocker to lower that heart rate but there are trade offs. In doing so many if not a class effect of beta blockers is increased cholesterol. What has just happened? Well to lower the heart rate we also lowered the HDL (good cholesterol) responsible for transporting lipids out of the blood stream and back to the liver. Hmmm. Also you have increased your risk for liver problems in the long run. Now granted I am pushing this to the extreme here, but it does happen. It happened to me. I would never say any oil is crap, except for that 1.19 a bottle stuff manufactured by some off name company. Amsoil is an incredible oil, but so is castrol, pennzoil, honda GN4, harley 360, royal purple, Motul, and not to forget Repsol. There are so many great makers of oil out there, and none of them are the best in every respect. Sorry amsoil.
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2007 Dyna Streetbob FXDB
Harley (360) 20w50 dino
Mobil in tranny
V&H Straightshots HS slip-ons
Ness Stage 2 air, Dobeck TFI
2007 Suzuki Hayabusa
Yoso pipes, air intake mod, dobeck TFI
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 10/27/2007 6:06:51 AM
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glide
Posts: 1280
Joined: 2/12/2006
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quote:
ORIGINAL: warrenrx
Just as I guessed some 34% are sticking with genuine harley or syn3 oil from Harley. More than that salute the company and bow to the 2nd in synthetics amsoil. MOBIL 1 is a great oil too, and would be my second choice.
These cars come with factory fill Mobil 1 in the engines and endorse the use of it with future oil changes.
Aston Martin
Bentley Amage and Bentley GT
BMW all models
Cadillac CTS, XLR, SRX and STS
Mitsubishi EVO
Porsche vehicles
Chevrolet Corvette
Dodge Viper
Mercedes-Benz AMG vehicles
Mercedes SLR
Pontiac GTO
CVO Harleys
When was the last time you saw an "AMSOIL" sticker as a factory fill in anything? 
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 11/4/2007 8:39:52 PM
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northern
Posts: 3
Joined: 10/24/2007
Status: offline
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Newbe here,
I just purchased an 07 Dyna after selling my old shovelhead and I ordered a case of Klotz V-Twin Techinplate 20w/50, I also ordered there transmission and primary case lube. I have been useing there oil in my atv's and snowmobiles for years and It has served me well. I was just wanted to know if anyone here has been useing it in there bike?
https://www.klotzlube.com/main.asp
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 11/10/2007 3:19:24 AM
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Zapper
Posts: 40
Joined: 7/20/2007
Status: offline
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First service I did on the 06fatboy went with M1 Vtwin 20w50 and formula+ on the tranny and primary but will switch to M1 75-90 for the tranny next service.By the way hows this for getting ripped off in Australia for buying HD filters at the Stealers ....$25! and you guys get it for $8.....Formula + I got charged 12.50.
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 11/18/2007 6:02:11 AM
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tomkatz4
Posts: 92
Joined: 10/18/2007
Status: offline
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OK guys, I'm sold.
I ran HD oil in my 04 Heritage (18,000 miles in 1 year), 06 RKC (36,000 miles in 2 years).
But after the oil comparisons and learning that HD oil is made by CITGO,
I'm ready to put Mobil1 or Amsoil in my 08 HD UC.
So, since you told me what is best, now tell me where is best to purchase these oils.
Thanks, great forum.
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 11/18/2007 6:23:24 AM
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Lost1
Posts: 1492
Joined: 3/10/2007
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quote:
ORIGINAL: tomkatz4
So, since you told me what is best, now tell me where is best to purchase these oils.
Mobil 1 V-Twin can be had at Wal Mart for about $8.50 qt. Autozone also sells it for the same price.
Mobil 1 15W-50 is comparable to the m/c V-Twin specific stuff and is only $4 qt. in a 5 qt. jug from Wal Mart.
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 11/20/2007 9:56:12 AM
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Cityfyrman
Posts: 57
Joined: 11/17/2007
Status: offline
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I use Mobil 1 V-twin 20w50 in motor and primary (5 qts)
Royal Purple in Tranny. 75w90 (24 oz.)
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 11/20/2007 6:02:18 PM
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livingitup
Posts: 49
Joined: 11/17/2007
Status: offline
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Where's the best place to find the Mobile 1 V Twin?
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 11/20/2007 6:07:02 PM
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Lost1
Posts: 1492
Joined: 3/10/2007
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quote:
ORIGINAL: livingitup
Where's the best place to find the Mobile 1 V Twin?
Wal Mart & Auto Zone usually carry it...
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 12/25/2007 2:17:33 PM
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madcritter
Multiple Time Contributor
Posts: 1252
Joined: 12/23/2007
From: Sunny Beach''''s of NC
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Been using HD's 20W50 in the crank and Formula+ for primmary and tranny. Switching tomorrow as soon as the store opens to Mobil 1 V twin for crank, Fourmla+ for pirmary and Mobil 1 75W90 for tranny.
Thanks for all the good info here.
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RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike - 12/26/2007 5:58:12 AM
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Jeff Dodson
Posts: 56
Joined: 12/25/2007
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quote:
ORIGINAL: bassrock
I will be going to the Mobil 1 I believe but I won a case of royal purple 20W 50 in a charity auction for $21. I thought I could get the max cycle but after I won the auction I was informed only motor oil. So I am planing on using this case and going to the motorcycle Mobil 1.
All I use is Royal Purple. I contacted Royal Purple because I could not find the MAX CYCLE and they told me it dont matter. they are basically the same. I have been using it for about 3 years and I do alot of Funeral escorts and big truck escorts and my bike never breaks down and in fact, it dont even hit that skip idle (over heat protector) with this oil. I did with the HD SYN3.
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 12/26/2007 6:10:07 AM
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elcid1989
Posts: 600
Joined: 6/26/2007
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I said AmsOil, but I have not decieded yet. I had been using SYN3, but I found out on this forum that SYN3 is made by Citgo, and Citgo is owned by our South American Friend, and I will not give him another dime! As far as I'm concerned, he can dry up and blow away.
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 12/26/2007 9:05:38 AM
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madcritter
Multiple Time Contributor
Posts: 1252
Joined: 12/23/2007
From: Sunny Beach''''s of NC
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quote:
ORIGINAL: elcid1989
I said AmsOil, but I have not decieded yet. I had been using SYN3, but I found out on this forum that SYN3 is made by Citgo, and Citgo is owned by our South American Friend, and I will not give him another dime! As far as I'm concerned, he can dry up and blow away.
that was one of my reason for looking for another oil, I ain't giving that closet commie another penny.
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RE: What Brand Engine Oil do you use in your bike - 12/26/2007 1:27:07 PM
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madcritter
Multiple Time Contributor
Posts: 1252
Joined: 12/23/2007
From: Sunny Beach''''s of NC
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Just finished switching tranny oil from Formula Plus to Mobil 1 70W90. Went about 10 miles the 3rd and 4th gear whine is almost all gone, shifts easier and nutral is easier to find. Only thing that worries me is putting synthetic in with older seals.
Will switch to the Mobil 1 V Twin when oil change is due in a couple of weeks. Guess I'll stick with the formula Plus in the primary.
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RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike - 12/29/2007 9:04:57 PM
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tootal
Posts: 111
Joined: 12/29/2007
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First off, I use Amsoil in everything. First it's great stuff and second, my racing partner is sponcored by them and he gets a discount. Saying that, I would use any synthetic over dyno juice unless I'm breaking in a new motor. Castrol is the best non synthetic out there period. Mobile one is a blend, not a full synthetic even though it says so on the side of the bottle. The government has lowered the requirements of what it takes to be called a synthetic. It's good oil don't get me wrong, but it is NOT a full synthetic. I don't know about syn3. Amsoil, Royal Purple, Red Line are all full synthetics and great products. I use to run Schaeffer Racing oil with great results. Schaeffer is the oldest lubrication company in the US. They make mostly diesel oils and make a great product. It is a blend like Mobil One, and a very good one also. It's mostly a matter of how often do you want to change your oil? With Castrol I changed every 3000 miles. With Schaeffer, a blend, I went 5000 miles. With Amsoil, or other full syn, I would go 10,000 with a filter change half way through and of course a top up. That's my .02 cents worth, well maybe a nickel!
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tootal
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RE: What Brand Oil do you use in your bike - 12/29/2007 9:53:49 PM
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pococj
Outstanding HDF Member
Posts: 7277
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From: Texas! Ya mean there''s someplace else?
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quote:
ORIGINAL: tootal
First off, I use Amsoil in everything. First it's great stuff and second, my racing partner is sponcored by them and he gets a discount. Saying that, I would use any synthetic over dyno juice unless I'm breaking in a new motor. Castrol is the best non synthetic out there period. Mobile one is a blend, not a full synthetic even though it says so on the side of the bottle. The government has lowered the requirements of what it takes to be called a synthetic. It's good oil don't get me wrong, but it is NOT a full synthetic. I don't know about syn3. Amsoil, Royal Purple, Red Line are all full synthetics and great products. I use to run Schaeffer Racing oil with great results. Schaeffer is the oldest lubrication company in the US. They make mostly diesel oils and make a great product. It is a blend like Mobil One, and a very good one also. It's mostly a matter of how often do you want to change your oil? | | |
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