The Great Oil Debate

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Feb 29, 2008 | 08:07 PM

#21

Chicago Spike

Road Warrior

Joined: Nov 2006

Posts: 1,738

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From: St. Charles, IL

RE: The Great Oil Debate

Quote:

ORIGINAL: csbreeze

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Chicago Spike

The difference is the oil change intervals can be extended over natural oils. Even natural oils can go longer than the old "3,000/3month" ad campaign. That was a great ad campaign, and it had it's day when it was true and oils were of a straight weight and had no aditives for detergents or friction. But these days of multi-weight, detergent laced, friction-reducing, shear-stability oil, you can easily extend your change interval. Even in air/oil-cooled engines. Now, I do send an oil sample once a year to www.blackstone-labs.com and they test the oil that comes out of your engine and breaks it down to see what is going on and if it is still within protection limits. Vehicle manufacturers have slowly been upping the change intervals over the last few years. My recent Honda was 8,000 miles on natural oil. Wife's BMW was 15,000 on full synthetics. It is up to the owner's of course, but you can go beyond what most MoCo's say safely

I will not disagree with you but I will say this. Syn3 that was in my bike during a hot summer only had 2500 miles on it. It had broken down to the point it was black and watery. The way it ran off the dip stick didnt even remind me of oil. For me if the oil brakes down that bad I will not use it. Syn3 will not go in my engine ever again. Total synthetic oil can pull its self back together and give better protection from what I experienced. Syn3 I dont trust any longer.

So you can do an oil analysis by just using your eyes?! I thought I had good eyesight. HD oil is not made by HD. Remember that. HD, as well as all other vehicle manufacturers that have brand name oil, do NOT make oil. They put out a bid for a contract for any company that will give them an oil that just meets their specs and the lowest bidder wins. So you get a cheap oil, that Harley sells to you at a premium price. Try a Mobil 1 or AMSOIL and when you see oil look bad, try sending it in for a test. You'll be surprised that the oil is still protecting and I would guess with only 2500 miles on that oil, it was still protecting your engine better than you think. You can't go by color alone

Feb 29, 2008 | 08:14 PM

#22

skratch

Seasoned HDF Member

Joined: Jan 2007

Posts: 20,616

Likes: 4,440

From: anacoco, la

RE: The Great Oil Debate

Quote:

ORIGINAL: csbreeze

I will not disagree with you but I will say this. Syn3 that was in my bike during a hot summer only had 2500 miles on it. It had broken down to the point it was black and watery. The way it ran off the dip stick didnt even remind me of oil. For me if the oil brakes down that bad I will not use it. Syn3 will not go in my engine ever again. Total synthetic oil can pull its self back together and give better protection from what I experienced. Syn3 I dont trust any longer.

not saying you're wrong, but without analyzing the oil, you are only making a guess as to it's 'broken down' state. if its black, then it is doing its job in picking up contaminants.... oil doesn't just 'turn black'. the oil you use in your bike is a very subjective thing. you are the one using it, you are the one who has to feel good about it. i don't use syn3 either. i really would like to use redline, but i can't get it anywhere here, and i really hate paying 15 bucks for shipping! so i use mobil 1 from walmart for the engine, formula + for the primary, and i'm getting ready to try some amsoil severe for the tranny....

Feb 29, 2008 | 09:08 PM

#23

Terminator69

Road Master

Joined: Feb 2008

Posts: 860

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From:

RE: The Great Oil Debate

Does any one have a part # for the Amsoil, I would like to switch in my 07 sg, I live in Mn.

Mar 1, 2008 | 12:59 AM

#24

captjon37

Outstanding HDF Member

Joined: Sep 2007

Posts: 2,272

Likes: 3

From: Slidell, Louisiana

RE: The Great Oil Debate

terminator69-Go to the amsoil website and use the search for your bike.

pop1-Thinking grandpaw smarter, how old are you? you will see the light one day old dude. I will test the oil often and i don't think it will BURN UP and if it does i get a new one. I love the "do what i do or it will grenade" crowd and the "I am a cheap skate and you are wasting your money" people. I just would like to see if it will make a year before it breaks down i will never make 35k. I don't keep vehicles long but if i can get a year between oil changes in my truck i will be happy. I am not trying to sell you or anybody else on amsoil or any type of synthetic oil. Use what makes you feel good but i will trust what i see before i listen to old people. Being old don't make you smart, it just makes you old.

Mar 1, 2008 | 07:17 AM

#25

Chicago Spike

Road Warrior

Joined: Nov 2006

Posts: 1,738

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From: St. Charles, IL

RE: The Great Oil Debate

The AMSOIL part numbers are;
MCVQT-EA 1 quart bottle
MCVQT-CA 12 quart case
MCV1G-EA 1 gallon bottle
MCV1G-CA four, 1 gallon jug case

Mar 1, 2008 | 09:23 AM

#26

CDN. RG

Tourer

Joined: Nov 2007

Posts: 313

Likes: 2

From: Ontario,Canada

RE: The Great Oil Debate

I use to be an any oil will do rider,quaker state 20-50 car oil was my oil of choice it was cheap and was available just about anywhere,then me and my brother went to visit a buddy who lives in Florida ,the guy is one of those obsessive compulsive types and is oil crazy ,always changing his oil constantly and trying different exotic brands of the stuff,anyway when we got there it was stinkin hot and my brothers old 67 shovel wouldn't run worth a **** ,stalling when stopped at traffic lights etc,etc. ,so our buddy said lets go back to his place and change the oil and use some synthetic he had that was last months flavour and he wasn't going to using it anymore,can't remember the brand,we did the oil change and to my surprise the old shovel was like a new bike,no more stalling and it ran like a champ,not a very technical test but it made a believer out of me,been using synthetic ever since ,I am not brand loyal but a firm believer in synthetic.

Mar 1, 2008 | 04:16 PM

#27

iclick

Extreme HDF Member

Joined: Sep 2005

Posts: 11,615

Likes: 50

From: Baton Rouge, LA

RE: The Great Oil Debate

Quote:

ORIGINAL: mike79

I apologize for beating a dead horse. I am a new Harley owner and have one question. I have read hundreds of threads regarding how great Amsoil is. My question is if it is so so great, why is it so difficult to buy. Why is it not sold everywhere like other great oils. I have been a Corvette owner for ten years and using Mobile1 and never heard of Amsoil. Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree. I just findit odd.

Amsoil is a fine oil, albeit no better than many others on the market, but is aggressively marketed using a hierachical (some call it "pyramid") structure similar to Amway products. You can become a "dealer" by paying a fee, which allows you to purchase the oil at "dealer cost," which is still higher than some competitors at retail. It is sold in an environment of rather aggressive hype and often exaggerated claims, so do your research and beware of claims that look too good to be true. That said, you won't be buying a medocre or even fair product if you elect to use it, as tests have shown it to be a good performer (reference Motorcycle Consumer News, American Iron, and Quick Throttle magazines, all of which have performed comparison tests on oils). Is it the panacea that some claim it is? No, but it should be in your top five list among others like Mobile 1, Royal Purple, Redline, etc.

Here is a list of good choices. Pick the one which is least expensive and most accessible:

Mobil 1 15w50 or 20w50 VT
Royal Purple 20w50 or MaxClycle 20w50
Redline 20w50 or 20w60
Amsoil 20w50

Note: In practical terms, motorcycle-specific oils are no better than their much-cheaper "car oil" counterparts.

Mar 1, 2008 | 07:35 PM

#28

Chicago Spike

Road Warrior

Joined: Nov 2006

Posts: 1,738

Likes: 7

From: St. Charles, IL

RE: The Great Oil Debate

Car oils USED to be the same as bike oil. But no longer is this the case with more and more car oils being designed for energy efficency. Motorcyle oils oils have also changed their additive packages for the v-twin specific engines now. Here is a good article explaining the change over the years;
http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0310_oil/