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Rather agree about the hyper feelings some seem to have about their particular brands. The accuracy of @hattitude 's meme is certainly real.
If folk have a flat tappet and a rather high lift camshaft with a steep ramp angle, consideration to zinc content is important. Our engines don't, and most of the bearings are roller type. About the only real "load" on our engines is heat.
Radically modify the engine, ride it extremely hard, and you increase the load on the bike, engine and oil. Then your oil demands are higher.
I just run with Harley Syn3 cause its readily available and it works. Are there better oils, probably but I typically change it out every 4000 miles and oil change frequency is more important than what particular oil you run. As for cost, oil changes and fuel are likely the most inexpensive part of owning a Harley.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.