Oil Consumption Question
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 13
From: Fort Worth
Oil Consumption Question
Has anyone else noticed that after a sustained ride at speed, your engine consume more oil than daily commuting or around town riding? Here's what I see.
The wife rides a 2014 Road King with a 103, Jackpot 4" slipons and PV tune, 35,000 miles and average 800 miles a month on normal months with 1500+ other months depending on season and family, or 1850 miles per month since new. I ride a 2015 CVO Limited with a 110, Jackpot headers, 4" slipons, external breather and PV tune, 13,000 miles and average 1500 a month on slow months, or 2600 miles per month since new.
With both bikes, I do all the maintenance and service the bikes to 4 squares or 8 dots with cold oil on the stick. After service, I complete a 15 mile ride, cool them down and check the fluids again to make sure they are 4 squares.
If we do around town riding with the weekend 250-400 mile rides, oil levels stay consistent and I might lose a square or dot worth of oil every several thousand miles and this is the same with both bikes.
When we do sustained rides, I'll lose 4 squares worth of oil in 1000 miles. This only seems to be at higher cruising speeds, say at 75 and above and only when we seem to be putting the miles behind us heading to a destination. Easter weekend, we did 1000 miles heading to Carlsbad, NM and back home. I found the same thing in oil consumption and had lost 4 squares.
With both bikes, I don't see any difference in quantity of oil from the breather.
Any thoughts?
The wife rides a 2014 Road King with a 103, Jackpot 4" slipons and PV tune, 35,000 miles and average 800 miles a month on normal months with 1500+ other months depending on season and family, or 1850 miles per month since new. I ride a 2015 CVO Limited with a 110, Jackpot headers, 4" slipons, external breather and PV tune, 13,000 miles and average 1500 a month on slow months, or 2600 miles per month since new.
With both bikes, I do all the maintenance and service the bikes to 4 squares or 8 dots with cold oil on the stick. After service, I complete a 15 mile ride, cool them down and check the fluids again to make sure they are 4 squares.
If we do around town riding with the weekend 250-400 mile rides, oil levels stay consistent and I might lose a square or dot worth of oil every several thousand miles and this is the same with both bikes.
When we do sustained rides, I'll lose 4 squares worth of oil in 1000 miles. This only seems to be at higher cruising speeds, say at 75 and above and only when we seem to be putting the miles behind us heading to a destination. Easter weekend, we did 1000 miles heading to Carlsbad, NM and back home. I found the same thing in oil consumption and had lost 4 squares.
With both bikes, I don't see any difference in quantity of oil from the breather.
Any thoughts?
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,319
Likes: 1
From: Deep South Texas
The wife and I both have 2015 RK's and I have not seen any significant oil use. Granted we are not logging the miles you are, I average around 1400 month and the wife around 1200. Both bikes currently have just under 3000 miles on the meter. I would say 90% of the miles have been at or above 75 mph, where we live almost all miles are highway miles.
My 2009 RG did not start to use any oil until it passed 50K miles, even at that it was maybe 1/2 qt between changes (5K intervals). Only time I ever saw it use more was coming off the interstate after 5+hours of 80+ mph runs.
By the way, what are you calling squares?
My 2009 RG did not start to use any oil until it passed 50K miles, even at that it was maybe 1/2 qt between changes (5K intervals). Only time I ever saw it use more was coming off the interstate after 5+hours of 80+ mph runs.
By the way, what are you calling squares?
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,016
Likes: 277
From: East Tn Foot of The Dragon
With regard to the original question, yes I have noticed this and more so when using Amsoil and Mobile 1. With disregard for the second part of your post, my parents told me to say nothing at all if I didn't have anything good to say.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 13
From: Fort Worth
I'm beginning to believe they are....
Thanks. Yes, interstate miles is really the only place I really see it where we set the cruise at 80+ and stop for gas stops as needed. I did a test the other day. We both did about 315 miles and it was all at 65 and under with speeds up and down through the small towns. Neither bike lost any oil that was measurable.
If you look on the oil stick, there are squares and circles indicating the oil level. I believe the squares are upright and the circles are on the side stand.
The wife and I both have 2015 RK's and I have not seen any significant oil use. Granted we are not logging the miles you are, I average around 1400 month and the wife around 1200. Both bikes currently have just under 3000 miles on the meter. I would say 90% of the miles have been at or above 75 mph, where we live almost all miles are highway miles.
My 2009 RG did not start to use any oil until it passed 50K miles, even at that it was maybe 1/2 qt between changes (5K intervals). Only time I ever saw it use more was coming off the interstate after 5+hours of 80+ mph runs.
By the way, what are you calling squares?
My 2009 RG did not start to use any oil until it passed 50K miles, even at that it was maybe 1/2 qt between changes (5K intervals). Only time I ever saw it use more was coming off the interstate after 5+hours of 80+ mph runs.
By the way, what are you calling squares?
If you look on the oil stick, there are squares and circles indicating the oil level. I believe the squares are upright and the circles are on the side stand.
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 13
From: Fort Worth
With disregard for the second part of your post, my parents told me to say nothing at all if I didn't have anything good to say.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,319
Likes: 1
From: Deep South Texas
We are planning a trip out to Arizona (hopefully in May), I will have to see how the new bikes do on oil during that trip. The longest the new bikes have been on the interstate with the cruise set at 80+ is only a couple of hours at a time.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2014
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From: Vancouver, WA
Regarding Finalshot's question, most all of my rides are 70 mph and over and with 2,000 since the last oil change, I'm still reading to the top of the squares on the side stand when hot. I have a ride coming up that will be 600 per day for 6 days and will change the oil before that ride so I will be watching it then.
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Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 13
From: Fort Worth
Huh? I don't get that either.
Regarding Finalshot's question, most all of my rides are 70 mph and over and with 2,000 since the last oil change, I'm still reading to the top of the squares on the side stand when hot. I have a ride coming up that will be 600 per day for 6 days and will change the oil before that ride so I will be watching it then.
Regarding Finalshot's question, most all of my rides are 70 mph and over and with 2,000 since the last oil change, I'm still reading to the top of the squares on the side stand when hot. I have a ride coming up that will be 600 per day for 6 days and will change the oil before that ride so I will be watching it then.
I didn't add to the first part but I did ask the service team about it. I stopped in to schedule a time to fix my shifter that fell apart and brought it up to the service writer. I said, I have noticed sometimes my bike consumes more oil than I think it right. He said, Do do a lot of high speed highway miles? He must have heard of it before to be able to say this. Not that it is right....
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 684
Likes: 23
From: Weymouth, MA
I've had this happen with other bikes (non-HD) where they consumed oil more rapidly at high speed vs. around town.
Hell, the wife's 2002 Jetta eats 1 quart of oil per 1000 miles, and that is considered "normal" per VW.
Hell, the wife's 2002 Jetta eats 1 quart of oil per 1000 miles, and that is considered "normal" per VW.