Oil Consumption Question
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 276
Likes: 43
From: Spokane, WA
Can't say I've noticed that w my m/cycles because they don't seem to burn enough oil to worry about.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,937
Likes: 320
From: Vancouver, WA
That's interesting. I flew air-cooled piston airplanes for years and we never ran them at the "full" oil level because the engine would just burn through that 1st quart in little time. Then the consumption would settle down.
Can't say I've noticed that w my m/cycles because they don't seem to burn enough oil to worry about.
Can't say I've noticed that w my m/cycles because they don't seem to burn enough oil to worry about.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,271
Likes: 246
From: Columbia SC
Good points in this thread, also if the OP is using some funky oil with a low flash point and/or its a fact some oils vaporize faster then others. As much as more then 10% ... Page 17.
http://wpc.1c96.edgecastcdn.net/001C...ved/index.html
http://wpc.1c96.edgecastcdn.net/001C...ved/index.html
Tourer
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 344
Likes: 4
From: USA
Here's the history of my oil changes on my new RGS:
0-1000 miles + as-delivered oil = no blow-by
1000 miles to 2500 miles + Syn3 = no blow-by
2500 miles to 5000 miles + Syn3 = no blow-by
5000 miles to 10,000 miles + Redline 20/50 = constant blow-by
10,000 miles to current miles + Syn3 = no blow-by so far
New HD oil filters at every oil change (4 filters if you're counting). Always 3.5qts or slightly less as measured at operating temp on the jiffy stand. (I use an empty oil bottle to measure out how much more than three full quarts I'm adding.)
Properly cleaned, dried, oiled PM SuperGas/K&N air filter service at every oil change. (Just misting the filter with K&N filter oil...not soaking it.)
Typical daily freeway commute speeds are 75~80~85mph (indicated
) for about 45 minutes each way.
Recently took a fast road trip (with Redline 20/50 in the crankcase that already had about 2500 miles on it) which had me seeing indicated 80~90mph for an hour or so between fuel stops (fueled up every 200 miles on 200~400 mile days)...and I was wiping oil mist off from my right-side cover and front of my right saddlebag at every fuel stop. I dealt with blow-by during this oil's first 2500 miles as well.
My observations: I never got blow-by with the PDI oil and subsequent Syn3 changes, but I got blow-by with the RL 20/50 oil. Can someone with bigger brain cells than me explain why this blow-by/no blow-by happened? My next oil change at 15,000 miles might entail the use of Mobil-1 V-Twin Full Synthetic if I catch it on sale. THANKS!
0-1000 miles + as-delivered oil = no blow-by
1000 miles to 2500 miles + Syn3 = no blow-by
2500 miles to 5000 miles + Syn3 = no blow-by
5000 miles to 10,000 miles + Redline 20/50 = constant blow-by
10,000 miles to current miles + Syn3 = no blow-by so far
New HD oil filters at every oil change (4 filters if you're counting). Always 3.5qts or slightly less as measured at operating temp on the jiffy stand. (I use an empty oil bottle to measure out how much more than three full quarts I'm adding.)
Properly cleaned, dried, oiled PM SuperGas/K&N air filter service at every oil change. (Just misting the filter with K&N filter oil...not soaking it.)
Typical daily freeway commute speeds are 75~80~85mph (indicated
) for about 45 minutes each way.Recently took a fast road trip (with Redline 20/50 in the crankcase that already had about 2500 miles on it) which had me seeing indicated 80~90mph for an hour or so between fuel stops (fueled up every 200 miles on 200~400 mile days)...and I was wiping oil mist off from my right-side cover and front of my right saddlebag at every fuel stop. I dealt with blow-by during this oil's first 2500 miles as well.
My observations: I never got blow-by with the PDI oil and subsequent Syn3 changes, but I got blow-by with the RL 20/50 oil. Can someone with bigger brain cells than me explain why this blow-by/no blow-by happened? My next oil change at 15,000 miles might entail the use of Mobil-1 V-Twin Full Synthetic if I catch it on sale. THANKS!
Last edited by nuttbaggerr; May 31, 2015 at 03:24 PM.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,807
Likes: 1,488
From: SW Washington State
food for thought. I managed the maintenance of a large fleet of trucks, it was not uncommon for one of the big oil guys to come in and cut pricing to get our business. In the process of change over we were always reminded of increased oil consumption in the fleet as the new oil additives washed out the old. I always think about that when I hear of guys changing oil brands. In this same fleet, we decided to add an additional filter and stop changing oil. we logged over a million miles in trucks without an oil change [ ever ]. I'm not advocating such a thing on our bikes, I'm just feeding this oil thread.
5th Gear
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Glendale, AZ
I was doing some research and came across this thread, I have a 14 CVO Limited...I recently got back from Rolling Thunder...we road roundtrip from Phoenix...going out we took our time and were mostly on back roads doing about 70 mph...coming home, we wanted to get back and averaged 700 miles a day on the freeway's at an average of 85MPH. On the second day near Nashville, my shifter began to strip and it was getting difficult to shift up so I stopped in Fort Smith, AR when it got very bad. They also noticed my compensator was very noisy (told 4 times by my local dealer that it was a normal noise in the 110). They fixed the shifter and tightened the compensator...it was like I has a new bike! No more embarrassing rattle when we pulled in for gas!
About 600 miles down the road as we were just outside of Amarillo, my bike started making a racket...I thought it might have been bad gas so we pulled over and after scratching our heads I decided to check the oil...and to my amazement...the dip stick didn't register any oil! I had my buddy stand it up and it just touched the the dipstick when upright. I stopped at the next gas station and bought 2 quarts of oil which got it half way back up the dipstick on the jiffy stand and we holed up in Amarillo next to the Harley dealer. Next morning I take it in and they changed the oil and told me to watch it on the way back and to take it to my dealer when I get home for a leak test. Along the way I checked it again and it seemed to be ok, I checked it when I got home 700 miles later and it was down about 3 dots on the dipstick. I called my tech and he said the 1,000 miles per quart was acceptable but I could bring it in if I wanted to have them do a leak test, which I am doing next week...
About 600 miles down the road as we were just outside of Amarillo, my bike started making a racket...I thought it might have been bad gas so we pulled over and after scratching our heads I decided to check the oil...and to my amazement...the dip stick didn't register any oil! I had my buddy stand it up and it just touched the the dipstick when upright. I stopped at the next gas station and bought 2 quarts of oil which got it half way back up the dipstick on the jiffy stand and we holed up in Amarillo next to the Harley dealer. Next morning I take it in and they changed the oil and told me to watch it on the way back and to take it to my dealer when I get home for a leak test. Along the way I checked it again and it seemed to be ok, I checked it when I got home 700 miles later and it was down about 3 dots on the dipstick. I called my tech and he said the 1,000 miles per quart was acceptable but I could bring it in if I wanted to have them do a leak test, which I am doing next week...
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 516
Likes: 30
From: SoCal/Show Low, Az
35k on my 14 CVO limited and no serious consumption. At the end of the 5,000 miles between changes it is down about a 1/4-1/3 of a quart. Just about all of my riding is highway at speeds of 75+. At oil changes I use 3.5 quarts of Amsoil 60wt and just switched to the new Amsoil 10w/60.
Last edited by yzernie; Jun 2, 2015 at 10:32 AM.
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