"Uh...selective inbreeding?"

My response was obviously to Joe's post (all the HD mechanics he knew).

 

re-read the post. my bad, read your post too quickly.

Removed the offensive comment also.

 

Pastor Joe. I have spent countless hours researching oil. Both automotive and motorcycle varieties. There is a wealth of info available on tge net at the push of a button. I will give you a rundown of what I have learned,condensed version.
Syn oils do not make a motor last longer. Oil is oil regardless if it's synthetic or conventional. Synthetic oil resists thermal breakdown for a longer period of time,so unless you plan on a longer oil change interval don't bother with a synthetic,a conventional is more than adequate for a 3000 mile oil change interval.
Syn oil is not "cheap insurance".
Now don't be fooled by these bottles of motorcycle specific oils. Amsoil didn't have a dedicated mc oil up until a few years ago simply because any 20w-50 will do fine,however the market was to dense to realize it. But their is a large market for mc oils and the consumer believes it's better for their bikes,when in reality it's better for the oil companies bottom line.
Now I do use synthetic only because I got 400-500 quarts at an estate sale for 10 bucks,otherwise I would be using the vr-1 conventional from valvoline. It shows great in used oil analysis and it's cheap.
Now if you want to use synthetic by all means,it's your money. But in order for it to be a better value you stretch out your oil changes to 5000 miles. I had a sample analyzed and at 5000 miles and blackstone told me in their notes that the TBN was at 4.2 iirc so there was still at least 1000 miles of life left in the oil.
Now contrary to popular belief syn will not make the motor last longer anymore than eating healthy will make you live longer. There are way too many other variables so it's imposible to say syn will extend engine life.
If you do choose to go the syn route the mobil 1 15w-50 is a good value as well as castrol syntec 5w-50 for the motor.
Your primary needs an oil that has the JASO stamp on it. A few auto oils do, rotella t 15w-40 is one of them. It's cheap and works great,the primary doesn't need an expensive boutique oil.
Now for your tranny red-line shockproof heavy is great stuff. It sticks to everything it touches. Never will your tranny be dry again with that stuff in there.
As far as your mechanic recommending conventional I assume it's because he knows it works,and costs less. It's also in his best interest for you to come in more often for maintenance.
But don't dwell into this too much. Pick a product and use it. Your bike won't know the difference.

 

Probably some edict from the MoCo for them to use HD branded oil, and since they probably know that the HD synthetic is absolute crap.. they'll run conventional...

It's whatever makes you feel better about protecting your motor.

 

My indy puts semi-syn (half dyno/half syn) in my bike, he told me the full syn oil from H-D is crap. I do whatever he tells, he is the specialist...

 

Note to those who really want to understand more about oil.

Currently something labeled 20W 50 is not that weight of oil viscosity.

The numbers reflect that at cold temps the oil will protect (act like) 20 weight oil. At hot temps it will act like 50 weight oil.

The true viscosity is somewhere between 7 and 12.

The good old days of oil the single grade oils were the weight viscosity that they said.

Now with engineered oils both mineral and syn the numbers do not identify the viscosity of the product but the range of protection it offers.

Darn stuff pours out of the engine at oil change time like it was water. And I wanted to use a word other than darn!

 

I do my own routine service and while I rarely share my secrets I'll clue y'all in. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Yup, the old EVOO. Cheaper than syn, greener than dino since it literally grows on trees, and you can pick it up at any supermarket. Keep your eyes open and occasionally you'll find a twoferone special cutting the cost even more.

And the best part? Sprinkle a little oregano on the primary and your bike will smell like a ristorante.

Works in the forks as well and if you build a special insertion tool using a turkey baster and the hose from a bicycle pump you can fill your tires with it. All the benefits of balancing beads plus self-sealer in case of a puncture. Lowers the center of gravity on your bike as well.

As soon as I get a chance I plan to fill my Airhawk seat cushion with it. Will post my review once a put a few miles on it.

[Cue music...O Solo Mio!]

 

I think this sums it up nicely.

 

There's nothing wrong with using a good quality conventional oil if you service it and maintain it properly.
But I gotta tell you, I use full synthetic on my '01 FXD and will change over on my 2012 FLD when it hits 5K.
And it's not the price that attracts me!
I've read that synthetic oils make your engine run cooler and it sticks to the engine parts A LOT longer. When does an engine wear most? At start ups. So if the engine parts are coated better at start ups, to me that means less wear on the engine.
Can't prove it....just what I've read.

 

Yes. But newer Harley's generally require only 5,000-mile intervals. At 10,000 miles, a used motor oil analysis showed that I could easily extend the interval to 6,000, using Syn3, which is a blend.