possible Generator noise?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,134
Likes: 146
From: texas
from what ive read 60w is recomended for warm temps.-----i cant really make any other arguement other than that.
i remembered that you lived in south texas before.did you ever make it to padre island.i bet youve been there more than me.the bad thing about the rio grande valley is that you have to tie everything down or someone will steal it.
i remembered that you lived in south texas before.did you ever make it to padre island.i bet youve been there more than me.the bad thing about the rio grande valley is that you have to tie everything down or someone will steal it.
Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 566
Likes: 3
From: rural ontario
I have been using the HD 60wt in the summer, 50wt in the late spring and early fall, 20/50wt in the early spring and late fall. I ride 5-6000 km a month and do the changes monthly. After 20yrs since the last rebuild the bikes internals had some wear and I replaced most of the bearings/bushings but overall I didn't 'have' to... just 'did' so I could get another 20yrs out of it worry free.
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6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
after doing a bit of research, and calling multiple garages/mechanics, the census (in ohio anyway) is straight 60Wt spring summer fall, and if you are gonna ride winter, move down to 50Wt. So it currently has 60Wt in it, hance why i let it warm up so long when it was 25 outside. I would say my oil was circulating fine, i had it at about a 2k rpm idle for 10 min then normal around 900 for the rest, and even after being warm that long i had roughly 32 pounds of oil pressure. after the ride it was about 25.
Thanks for all the suggestions, and opinions, they are appreciated.
Thanks for all the suggestions, and opinions, they are appreciated.
after doing a bit of research, and calling multiple garages/mechanics, the census (in ohio anyway) is straight 60Wt spring summer fall, and if you are gonna ride winter, move down to 50Wt. So it currently has 60Wt in it, hance why i let it warm up so long when it was 25 outside. I would say my oil was circulating fine, i had it at about a 2k rpm idle for 10 min then normal around 900 for the rest, and even after being warm that long i had roughly 32 pounds of oil pressure. after the ride it was about 25.
Thanks for all the suggestions, and opinions, they are appreciated.
Thanks for all the suggestions, and opinions, they are appreciated.
Most of the IronHead experts that i have listened to on these forums over the past 7 years would agree that 60W is useful in desert-like conditions, that 50W would be the normal choice, and that 20W50 would be the good winter/cold weather choice.
As we well know, there is never complete agreement when it comes to oil. But the above is the general concensus.
Also, in no circumstances should you let the engine idle at startup for more than a minute or two. This is very bad for the engine. The cold oil is not circulating well at idle; the system needs higher RPM. Of course, one would ride conservatively until it is warmed up.
The high oil pressure is not an indication the the oil is circulating just fine; quite the opposite in fact. With the engine fully warmed up the oil pressure will typically be between 5 and 10 psi. The higher pressure simply indicates that the oil is still cold and thick, and that the oil pump is having to work harder to move it. Regardless, the oil is circulating just fine at the pressures that you quoted.
IronHead engines need oil flow, not oil pressure as is required by other types of engines.
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6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Thank you Iron Mick, i will definetly re-evaluate and probably go with ScottFisher's regime, I do plan on doing alot of mountain riding this year down in Ky. I think i'm going to fab up a oil heater from an old trough heater, even at their hottest you can handle them bare handed, that should be fine i would think, just drop it in the tank a hour or two before fire up, oil is nice and warm.
40 and below 20 50, over 40- straight50. I ran 60 during the summer and I liked it. The engine ran quieter and seemingly a bit cooler.
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I am not putting specific temps on it. In southwestern Ontario i use 50W for late spring, summer, and early fall; 20W50 for late fall, winter, and early spring.
An oil cooler is not a necessity here but i run one anyway, with a Jagg bypass. I run it only during the hot part of the summer - it keeps the oil tank a little less hot so it is less likely to burn my leg.
As a general rule, 60W for desert-like conditions, 50W for normal conditions, 20W50 for cold weather.
An oil cooler is not a necessity here but i run one anyway, with a Jagg bypass. I run it only during the hot part of the summer - it keeps the oil tank a little less hot so it is less likely to burn my leg.
As a general rule, 60W for desert-like conditions, 50W for normal conditions, 20W50 for cold weather.
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 400
Likes: 1
From: se ohio
i also run strt 60 all season long, i tried the lighter oils, just made the bike run hotter and it did get noisier, no problems ( but i change my oil every 1500-2000 miles) bike is .040 over,10.5 comp with r5 cams and a head work,does not get overheated at all