First off, I am a new guy to the Harley world and the forum. I hope I don't re-ask old questions, but I am very curious about some things to do with my bike.

I recently got a 2008 Heritage Softail Classic Twin Cam 96. The engine has been modified slightly, with Stage 1 components and Andrews 26N cams as well as a few other add-ons. The bike/engine has 35,000 miles.

The previous owner took the time to document everything about the bike, including a pictorial history of the engine modifications being installed, dyno sheets, and a Blackstone Labs Oil Report which has the sequential history of oil changes at about every 5000 miles. I'm not going to write the entire comment section from the report, but suffice to say it is very impressive, with the final comment being to "try 7000 miles next run on the oil."

Engine Oil: Red Line 20W/60 was used from 1000 miles to 30,000 miles. It was changed to Royal Purple Synthetic at that point.

Primary: Red Line Synthetic has been used since 1,000 miles.

Transmission: Red Line Heavy Shockproof has been used since 1,000 miles.

Now for the questions: Why would he have changed the engine oil brand at that point? Are these lubricants as good as their advertisements say? What can anyone tell me about them?

I am going to do a service in the very near future based on the fact that the bike is new to me and it has run about 5000 miles since the last service. I would like to know a bit more about these items when I do the service.

Thanks in advance for any help. I appreciate any information I can get from folks smarter and more experienced than myself.
Jim

 

Hi Jimmy and Welcome.
To answer the question...all the oils you mentioned are excellent oils. The 20w60 works for motors run in hotter climates, not so much were I live. 20w50 is the norm most places and bikes.
The best thing you can do for that bike is ride it and change the oil every 4000 to 5000 miles, stretch that to 6000 if you need to.

 

Some people change oil brands because of cost,availibility or thinking something is better.
The brands that were used are well known and used.

 

Agree with 1flhtk4me. Redline is not cheap and not easy to get. If either of those wasn't true I'd probably use it, but since they are both true I don't. The previous owner of your bike may have started feeling the same way.

Now, the question about are they as good as they say. I'll say yes, with the caveat that conventional oil isn't as bad as they say. Redline/RP/Ams is good stuff, but the only way they can justify their outrageous prices is to make conventional dino oil out to be certain death for your motorcycle. UOA reports do not back up those claims which is why I use Valvoline VR1 20W50 at $3.29/qt available right around the corner from AutoZone.

If you want to continue using Redline I'd order it by the case and continue the 5,000 mile OCI. You can also consider using the Redline automobile 20W50 since you don't have to worry about the friction modifiers. That'll save you quite a bit.

 

Cool. Thanks for the info

The only questions then are: If I decide to change to a more available, less expensive brand, is there a procedure I should follow...or will the changeover be painless for the bike? And does anyone think there is a brand/formulation, etc that would be best for me to go to based on what the bike has been running?

 

If you decide to change brands of oil, or change over to conventional oil, you simply change the oil, all motor oils are compatible with each other.

 

Just drain and fill.

If I told you use brand x,there will others telling you to use brand a,b,c,d etc-.
It's all personal choice.

And if you did a search on which oil to use,plan on sitting on your AZZ for days reading!

 

Again, thanks for the help. I appreciate it.

Those may be basic questions, but I really don't want to do any damage to the bike/engine. This motorcycle riding thing is incredible and this bike is amazing. I don't know how I made it to 47 without trying it sooner.

Take it easy,
Jim

 

Sure sounds to me like you bought the bike off one sharp dude! That's sure a good start.

If you have any concerns about the lubes used in any of the 3 holes, I can sure recommend Blackstone analysis. Since you apparently have a report from the op, you already have a trendline started. Blackstone will tell you if metals are spiking (indicating inordinate wear or a possible problem with the lube) and is the very best way, I believe, to set a reasonable oil change interval.

I've used Blackstone for years on car/truck/bike and I swear by UOA's. I once sent them a sample from a Jimmy I had newly acquired, and they actually called me immediately after completing the analysis to advise that my oil was filled with antifreeze. Good bunch. If you do UOA, be sure & ask for TBN test, which gives best indication whether or not removed oil is wore out, or still good. TBN test is extra $10.

 

You can get redline products here. I think if you spend more than $100 shipping is free. Nice people.

http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/