my 08 heritage softail classic just hit 5k and i'm gonna do the service myself. it has the 103 big bore kit, power commander, and v&h short shots. i'll be using 20w50 synthetic. should i buy the hd oil, or could i use something else? also is there anything else i should do other than what is in the service manual? --thanx, craig

 

Switched to syn 20-50 at my 5k also. Kept my receipts for warranty purposes. I did all the recommended maintenance except for checking the steering head adjustment. Just couldn't do the fall away crap because the cables restrict the movement and I didn't feel up to disconnecting them. Had some high speed wobbling issues around 12k and took bike into dealer while it was under warranty. They said the steering head needed adjustment and since it was a maintenance thing they banged me for $75.

Got alot more bike wrenching experience since then. Just did a handlebar change on the wife's Deluxe and was able to do the proper fall away check. Her bike was fine at 8k. More importantly I learned that disconnecting the cables is not that big of a deal so I'll do my own steering head adjustment next time.

Yeah I know there are members on here who say you just torque the steering nut to a certain spec and that's probably what the hd techs do. But until I hear it from an hd tech which isn't likely I'll stick with the book method.

 

Oil is. I would recommend you check the tightness of your spokes. Several have lost hubs because of loose spokes.