Question about engine oil.....
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Joined: Aug 2009
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From: Virginia Beach, VA
Question about engine oil.....
Hey!! 
Ok, I've been riding motorcycles for 32 years, but I've never worked on one!! (yes, I'm a senior poser) ..... I need to change the oil in my custom before I even think about starting it up. I'm gonna use Mobile 1 20w50. Is motorcycle oil different from car oil? I know that there's a Mobile 1 V-Twin, that's why I ask. Would it be a bad thing to put Mobile 1 in my bike that's "not" Mobile 1 V-Twin? I'm serious about this, I plan on doing "everything" to my bikes from now on. I can practically build a car from the bare frame up with my brain turned off, but I know nothing about bikes (except that I can ride the hell out of them). Thanks in advance for any help!!
Ok, I've been riding motorcycles for 32 years, but I've never worked on one!! (yes, I'm a senior poser) ..... I need to change the oil in my custom before I even think about starting it up. I'm gonna use Mobile 1 20w50. Is motorcycle oil different from car oil? I know that there's a Mobile 1 V-Twin, that's why I ask. Would it be a bad thing to put Mobile 1 in my bike that's "not" Mobile 1 V-Twin? I'm serious about this, I plan on doing "everything" to my bikes from now on. I can practically build a car from the bare frame up with my brain turned off, but I know nothing about bikes (except that I can ride the hell out of them). Thanks in advance for any help!!
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Joined: Dec 2006
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From: Conroe Texas
Yes the MC oil is a little different, yes you can use regular 20 - 50, different additive package but wont kill your bike. Hell you canm go to walmart and get the 15 50 M1 and use it, I have shell 20 50 car oil in my bike right now for new motor break in, cheap and changing every 250 miles til I get to 1000 miles then back to Mobil 1 V. So the answer is yes to teh question that I think you are asking.
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
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From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
The only somewhat significant difference between Mobil-1's auto vs V-Twin oil is that the auto oil has a LOW moly content and the V-Twin has NO moly. Moly is actually is good for your engine, but bad for your clutch if the quantity is to high.
Since Harley V-Twins, unlike most other V-Twins, have separate oil compartments for the engine, primary & tranny, I see little purpose in paying twice the price for Mobil-1 Engine oil with the V-Twin label vs the Mobil-1 automotive oil.
Since Harley V-Twins, unlike most other V-Twins, have separate oil compartments for the engine, primary & tranny, I see little purpose in paying twice the price for Mobil-1 Engine oil with the V-Twin label vs the Mobil-1 automotive oil.
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,800
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From: Houston, Texas
Look at this web page from Mobil 1. It states that it's ok to use the regular Mobil 1 15-50 as long as it's in the engine only. So, no, it's not a bad thing. It's also very cheap at walmart in a 5qt jug, in comparison to the V-twin version. The vtwin is designed for all three holes. The 15-50 is designed for an engine.
Fluid changes are easy and doing it yourself can save you a ton of money.
https://mobiloil.com/USA-English/Mot...Davidsons.aspx
For what it's worth, I use the Mobil 1 15-50 in the engine, Mobil 1 75-90 gear lube in the gear box, and trying to use up a case of vtwin I bought for my old bike in the primary. I'll probably use transmission fluid in the primary when i use up the v twin.
42,000 miles and no oil related issues.
Fluid changes are easy and doing it yourself can save you a ton of money.
https://mobiloil.com/USA-English/Mot...Davidsons.aspx
For what it's worth, I use the Mobil 1 15-50 in the engine, Mobil 1 75-90 gear lube in the gear box, and trying to use up a case of vtwin I bought for my old bike in the primary. I'll probably use transmission fluid in the primary when i use up the v twin.
42,000 miles and no oil related issues.
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Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Ozark Country
The moly ppm count in Mobil 1 15W50 is low enough (in the 70ppm range) that you should never have a problem, even when used in 'wet clutch' applications. In fact, the moly content isn't as high as many motorcycle specific fluids.
I know many people with dual sport bikes (such as the Suzuki DR650, Kawasaki KLR650, etc.) that run nothing but Mobil 1 15W50, and put many thousands of miles of extreme use on these bikes without any issues. Bikes such as these use a single fluid to lube the engine, transmission, and primary.
Most of the guys I ride with put a lot of miles on their bikes, 20,000+ miles each year, and the majority of them run regular Mobil 1 15W50 synthetic in the engines. Many of these guys now have well over 100,000 miles on the original engines without any major issues.
Also, around here in the lower Midwest you can purchase Mobil 1 15W50 for around $4.25 a quart when bought in the 5-quart containers.
Why would you pay twice as much for something else that doesn't provide any additional protection.
Harley engines aren't very smart, can't read, and don't realize they are 'being abused' if you don't feed them the latest high dollar motorcycle specific fluids. Change their oil and filter are reasonable intervals and they aren't very picky about the oil being used.
Harley owners worry and fret much more about the type of fluids they use in the engines than the engines themselves.
I know many people with dual sport bikes (such as the Suzuki DR650, Kawasaki KLR650, etc.) that run nothing but Mobil 1 15W50, and put many thousands of miles of extreme use on these bikes without any issues. Bikes such as these use a single fluid to lube the engine, transmission, and primary.
Most of the guys I ride with put a lot of miles on their bikes, 20,000+ miles each year, and the majority of them run regular Mobil 1 15W50 synthetic in the engines. Many of these guys now have well over 100,000 miles on the original engines without any major issues.
Also, around here in the lower Midwest you can purchase Mobil 1 15W50 for around $4.25 a quart when bought in the 5-quart containers.
Why would you pay twice as much for something else that doesn't provide any additional protection.
Harley engines aren't very smart, can't read, and don't realize they are 'being abused' if you don't feed them the latest high dollar motorcycle specific fluids. Change their oil and filter are reasonable intervals and they aren't very picky about the oil being used.
Harley owners worry and fret much more about the type of fluids they use in the engines than the engines themselves.
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Joined: Aug 2009
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From: Virginia Beach, VA
Awesome, this is exactly what I needed to know. Here's what happened.... three weeks ago I was on the chopper. I was less than a mile from the house when one of the coils went out on me. I turned around and went home on one cylinder. I'm guessing that since the other cylinder was dead, the gas had to go somewhere. I figured that half went out the exhaust, and the other half went in the crank case. Anyhow, thanks a ton for the replies, this is a BIG help!! Now I'm off to the parts store.
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From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
