hey hack! You said you'd not consider changing oil manufacturers? Ah, but you already did! HD used to have their oil made by Sunoco. Now it's made by Citgo.

Mikey B - You run that 15w-40 for any length of time during the summer, provided the temps get to summer temps where you live, and you would've voided the warranty if the bike was still a new one. That 15w-40 will thin down to a 30 after a thousand miles, and possible even before that.

Stoney, have you contacted S&S, yet? They have the reputation of going the extra mile to help someone with one of their carbs. And if you decide not to go with syn, I'd recommend 20w-50 Havoline. It has shown less wear than even many synthetics on several used oil analyses on HDs.

Anybody who claims synthetic oil will leak out past gaskets and seals in a new engine can't produce any evidence, except hearsay. And that don't cut it. It can leak out of older bikes, especially if the seals and gaskets are dried out or shot. It may not have leaked prior to the change to synthetic, but once the syn was put into the bike it started leaking. Reason is simple - the synthetic oil dissolved the gunk, sludge, and crap on the inside surfaces of the already shot seals and gaskets. That crap was the only reason the dino oil wasn't leaking, wasn't leaking badly, or wasn't leaking yet! Once the crap was flushed away, any oil would leak out, and the syn oil would leak out easier.

I run synthetic in two cars and have never had a leak. Both were changed to syn on the first oil change. I ran it in my bike until the crankcase leaked so badly I couldn't afford it leaking out. The crankcase leak is a crack from an idiot using a sheet metal screw instead of drilling/tapping a hole properly. Bike was switched at 13 years old and about 40,000 miles. Bike now has over 130,000 miles on it. The new crate motor will get synthetic, too.

Fram filters - Unless you are willing to pay for their top of the line filters, I wouldn't use 'em in my worst enemy's lawn mower. Their lower end filters are pure-d junk! Cheesy paper, cardboard ends, anti-drainback valves that don't seal, and bypass valves that don't seal. Y'know what happens whan the bypass valve doesn't seal? The filter bypasses all the time. No sense even having a filter on there if the dirty oil goes around the element. For less money than Fram wants for their best filter you can get a Wix, a NAPA Gold (made by Wix),a Purolator, or several others that are far better filters.

 

"HD used to have their oil made by Sunoco. Now it's made by Citgo."


Harley Davidson oil is now made by Hugo Chavez's oil company? That's reason enough not to use it.

I switched from HD oil to Amsoil at about 10,000 miles (1 year) on my '91 FXRS. Been using Amsoil in it for 15 years and 80,000 miles. It doesn't leak and it doesn't burn a drop.

There's nothingbetter thansynthetic oil, especially in an air-cooled engine.

 

1993 FXRS-SP with 19000 when I bought it. Changed to Mobile 1 and it has never leaked a drop.
Can't go wrong with syn, it holds up better under high temps with out breaking down or loosing its viscosity. A Wix filter is far better than fram they are junk.

 

Guys,
Thanks again for the many replies. I think that I'm going to go with a synthetic probably M1 V-Twin at 20K. Redline Shockproof in the trans and haven't decided on what for the primary yet. It just makes sense with the higher air temps here. Since I've owned the bike it has not leaked any oil. That said, if it starts to leak with the synthetic better to find that out now and fix it.

Good news is after a paid ALL the fees yesterday the bike is now registered and legal. That meanson Sunday she will get a workout .

Skip,
Replied to your PM in regards to the Super E problem & what was discovered. Going to try and get the manual from S&S today.

 

I do use 15w40 ONLY in the winter months. Usually from around November to around March or April....whenever it starts to warm back up. That is really only about six months and about 4,000 miles as I don't a whole lot of riding then.

As soon as it warms up....I immediately change the engine oil back to 20w50 and change the filter as well. Usually, a black wix goes on it. The primary gets 15w40 all year long though.

I definately do not recommend using 15w40 in the warmer months. It is a great oil and is about the right grade for the winter....but it is too thin for summer.

 

I agree about Fram filters.....junk. Auto Zone has Mobile 1 V Twin, but they no longer carry any filters for HD. Who carries Wix?

 

Napa, Oreillys, Car-Quest, and a few others do. Autozone does not carry Wix though. I only use Wix or the HD OEM filters.

 

I know. Switched in the fall last year. About to dump it and go back to 20w-50 for the summer. Beena little cooler than normal around here!

MikeyB

 

My experience withauto/truck/motorcycle applications as well as turbomachinery is that synthetic oilmay exploit existing leaks, but it does not create new leaks. I've also noticed that synthetics will find paths to leak that petroleum-based oils won't in some cases.(e.g. NPT and flared fittings, etc.)

In the case of an older 'sludged up' engine, I have also seenleaks develope after switchingfrom a low/non-detergent petroleum-based oil to a high-detergent petroleum-based oil.

Synthetics are simply better products than petroleum based fluids... I don't think anyone can offer a rational argument thatthey are not. Now, as to whether or not anyone needs synthetics, I reckon that's a different question withmany differentanswers.

Personally, I run synthetics or synthetic blends in all my vehicles and wouldn't have it any other way.

 

I've been doing quite a bit of research recently on this issueand the Amsoil MCV synthetic seems to come up trumps against other populartypes like Belray and Syn3 (in fact, one report I read tested Amsoil agains 25 other brands, both synthetic and fossil, and it out performed all of them). You can even use it in all 3 holes with (apparently) little appreciable wear or reduction in performance. I have even read that the Amsoil oil filters are far superior to the OEM product for no appreciable increase in cost.

Any thoughts?

P.S. No, I am not an Amsoil rep nor do I have any interest in the company. I just want to provide my 98 FXSTC with the best possible protection to maximise longevity.

Long live the last of the trueshakers!