Primary Oil
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,080
Likes: 14
From: Mill-e-wah-que
Primary Oil
I just got done reading the entire Primary sticky and, holy crap, there's almost too much there. I'm relitively new to doing all of my own maintainance, but I'm committed to doing all this myself. I've got the engine and tranny oils down pat...now on to the primary!
I narrowed my primary choice down to the following 3:
1) Red Line (not sure the exact name of the oil for the primary -need your help there)
2) Rotella - Need the weight of the oil most regularly used in the primary
3) Amsoil - Need the weight or exact name of what I need & where to buy
Please let me know your choice and why. Please be as specific as possible in your recommendations as this will result in a buying decision for me and I'd prefer not to put the wrong weight or type of oil onto the primary.
For those of you that prefer we newbies not ask these newbie kinds of questions: Yes, I have a manual...No, I won't be using H-D oils in any of the 3 holes.
Thanks folks!!
I narrowed my primary choice down to the following 3:
1) Red Line (not sure the exact name of the oil for the primary -need your help there)
2) Rotella - Need the weight of the oil most regularly used in the primary
3) Amsoil - Need the weight or exact name of what I need & where to buy
Please let me know your choice and why. Please be as specific as possible in your recommendations as this will result in a buying decision for me and I'd prefer not to put the wrong weight or type of oil onto the primary.
For those of you that prefer we newbies not ask these newbie kinds of questions: Yes, I have a manual...No, I won't be using H-D oils in any of the 3 holes.
Thanks folks!!
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,080
Likes: 14
From: Mill-e-wah-que
Banned
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 275
Likes: 0
From: Maryland
I use redline in my tranny and primary,,,Why? because a long time harley rider and mechanic friend , who does ALL of his own maintenance (sometimes in his apartment
and uses his dishwasher to wash parts in) recommends it and as an aircraft mechanic myself,,I like the way my tranny shifts with the shockproof crap in it,,,
What are you going to `use for engine oil? looking for something myself,,I used to run Amsoil in my other RKC's,,, but my friend says its crap,,he uses regular Harley Dino oil
and uses his dishwasher to wash parts in) recommends it and as an aircraft mechanic myself,,I like the way my tranny shifts with the shockproof crap in it,,,
What are you going to `use for engine oil? looking for something myself,,I used to run Amsoil in my other RKC's,,, but my friend says its crap,,he uses regular Harley Dino oil
Last edited by Niblet; Apr 6, 2012 at 08:07 AM.
Where did you get your proven results from, a used oil analysis?
Any rotella grade will work in your primary. They all carry the JASO stamp which means wet clutch safe. I use the conventional 15w-40 in my bike and I haven't had any clutch issues in any of my bikes using it. I have a couple jap bikes from the 80s and use the rotella t conventional in all of them.
Amsoil,you need the motorcycle oil in the 10w-40 flavor. You can use the v-twin 20w-50 but I have read threads on it being a bit thick til the bike warms up. Look for JASO on the back label and you are good to go.
Harley branded stuff costs more for a less than top quality product.
Go with rotella. It's cheap so I change primary when I change the oil. It always comes out dirty and I figure clean,new fluid is better than old,dirty fluid.
Amsoil,you need the motorcycle oil in the 10w-40 flavor. You can use the v-twin 20w-50 but I have read threads on it being a bit thick til the bike warms up. Look for JASO on the back label and you are good to go.
Harley branded stuff costs more for a less than top quality product.
Go with rotella. It's cheap so I change primary when I change the oil. It always comes out dirty and I figure clean,new fluid is better than old,dirty fluid.
As far as engine oil goes the conventional vr-1 offering from valvoline turns out some really good used oil analysis',so does pennzoil 20w-50.
If your going syn in the motor any major brand will work fine.
If your going syn in the motor any major brand will work fine.
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,080
Likes: 14
From: Mill-e-wah-que
I use redline in my tranny and primary,,,Why? because a long time harley rider and mechanic friend , who does ALL of his own maintenance (sometimes in his apartment
and uses his dishwasher to wash parts in) recommends it and as an aircraft mechanic myself,,I like the way my tranny shifts with the shockproof crap in it,,,
What are you going to `use for engine oil? looking for something myself,,I used to run Amsoil in my other RKC's,,, but my friend says its crap,,he uses regular Harley Dino oil
and uses his dishwasher to wash parts in) recommends it and as an aircraft mechanic myself,,I like the way my tranny shifts with the shockproof crap in it,,,
What are you going to `use for engine oil? looking for something myself,,I used to run Amsoil in my other RKC's,,, but my friend says its crap,,he uses regular Harley Dino oil
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider
Verdad Gallardo
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,913
Likes: 2,541
I've only ran 3 different oils in my primary so far. Syn3, Amsoil 20/50 synthetic, and HD Formula +, and of those three, the Formula + works the best as far as shifting and clutch feel goes. Have a whole case of it sitting in my garage and intend to use every drop.
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 760
Likes: 1
From: Mesa, AZ
I used to buy a quart of Formula+ for $9, but since the primary calls for 38 ounces it was always a little short. I don't measure 38 ounces exactly, but a quart doesn't quite come up to the bottom of the clutch pack. Now I spend $13 on a gallon of Rotella T from Walmart and pour in as much as I need to get to the bottom of the clutch pack. It's cheap, easy, and works perfectly.