oil change
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Stage I
Joined: Feb 2012
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From: Huntsville Alabama
oil change
I have a 1993 Harley Davidson 883 that has been running on reg 20w50 for the life of it. I am debating on changing to synthetic oil, but have had positive and negative opinions on it. Some say when they swapped over and it made their clutch slip...the only thing I know about synthetic is that you don't have to change the oil as much. My bike runs perfect, I just don't want to cause any problems...does anyone have any opinion on this....thank you
Try it. If it causes the gaskets to weep oil switch back.
Synthetic is also able to withstand thermal breakdown for longer than conventional. However if it ain't broke......
I have read a zillion oil threads and I have learned that oil preference is subjective and everyone has a different favorite. Some guys use the more expensive v-twin oil(on necesseary for shared sump bikes,JASO). Alot of guys use mobil 1 15w-50. It's cheaper than the v-twin with very,very(almost identcal)additive numbers. And I have seen very good reviews of the valvoline VR-1 conventional.
As long as the oil you buy has a second number of 50 you are good to go. The first number represents the characteristics(pour point) of oil when it's -40 degrees.
You are going to get many answers. Pick the kind you like,change it regularly and enjoy the ride. From the info I got from blackstone when I sent oil in for used oil analysis is that if you change conventional at 3000 miles and syn at 5000 miles you are still in the safe zone,as the oil will still have TBN(total base number) remaining which means the additives aren't depleted.
Now if you want to you can send your oil of choice in for analysis and after 3 or so blackstone labs can suggest a regular change cycle with that oil,and they can establish wear metal trends. They may conclude that with your riding style the oil chosen can go longer,or shorten up your oil change intervals. 3000 and 5000 are safe numbers but the oil MAY be able to go longer.
Personally I change the oil once it gets a strong odor if fuel,regardless of mileage. But I do that with every gas motor I own.
Pick one you like and use it. Your engine won't know the difference.
Synthetic is also able to withstand thermal breakdown for longer than conventional. However if it ain't broke......
I have read a zillion oil threads and I have learned that oil preference is subjective and everyone has a different favorite. Some guys use the more expensive v-twin oil(on necesseary for shared sump bikes,JASO). Alot of guys use mobil 1 15w-50. It's cheaper than the v-twin with very,very(almost identcal)additive numbers. And I have seen very good reviews of the valvoline VR-1 conventional.
As long as the oil you buy has a second number of 50 you are good to go. The first number represents the characteristics(pour point) of oil when it's -40 degrees.
You are going to get many answers. Pick the kind you like,change it regularly and enjoy the ride. From the info I got from blackstone when I sent oil in for used oil analysis is that if you change conventional at 3000 miles and syn at 5000 miles you are still in the safe zone,as the oil will still have TBN(total base number) remaining which means the additives aren't depleted.
Now if you want to you can send your oil of choice in for analysis and after 3 or so blackstone labs can suggest a regular change cycle with that oil,and they can establish wear metal trends. They may conclude that with your riding style the oil chosen can go longer,or shorten up your oil change intervals. 3000 and 5000 are safe numbers but the oil MAY be able to go longer.
Personally I change the oil once it gets a strong odor if fuel,regardless of mileage. But I do that with every gas motor I own.
Pick one you like and use it. Your engine won't know the difference.
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Joined: Feb 2010
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From: Glen Burnie, MD
Only problem I saw when I went all HD syn3 is that you tend to get some bearing whine coming from the tranny on downshifts. I ran all syn3 for a while, but now I've switched over to all redline products. They are also full synthetic and are much better then the HD stuff. I also dont just run motor oil in everything any more, I use the products that are designed for each part of the bike. I get mine at the HD dealership and it's not a whole lot more expensive. I change everything somewhere between 2500 to 3000 miles, some people say I'm crazy but that only consists of 2 to 3 changes a year so it's no big deal. I dont plan on ever getting rid of my bike so I try to take very good care of it.
Last edited by madjimmax; Feb 11, 2012 at 09:17 AM.
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