Neither of my bikes seem to use any noticeable amount of oil between changes. My '06 EGC has 65K miles on it and the '10 Limited has 30K miles.

 

At 45,000 miles on my '09 RK it burns no noticeable amount of oil at this point. It always reads about the same throughout the 5k oil change interval. I use synthetic oil, either Mobile One 20W-50 or Amsoil 20W-50 and most recently as of last oil change trying Redline 20W-60 now that it's summer.

 

Well it sorta looks like its just the nature of this beast. Most do and some claim they dont.
My only nagging thought is why. I keep wanting to think it has something to do with the breakin process.
This is my second new HD and they were broke in differently, the first got broke on the gentle side. The second was not. And they both use oil.
I use spectra synthetic in the first. And HD in the second.
Seems like that puts that debate to rest.
I have owned many of the jap bikes and they never used oil until the abuse level took them there.
When its all said and done I guess it dont really matter I love my Harley and we have a life long commitment, if she needs a drink from time to time then thats just that much more we have in common. I will give her what she wants. Oh wow may have just stepped over the line there better hurry and push send before some one comes in the room and I'm sleeping in the garage again. Thanks to all.

 

..some will say they use no oil between changes, but what they mean is they can't see it go down at all on the dip stick, but a small amount is lost no matter what people want to think. It may not be much, if your lucky it could be a teaspoon in 10,000 miles, or a quart. Depends on a lot of factors but it DOES use some oil, otherwise they wouldn't bother giving us dipsticks.

 

20,000 miles on my 2010 RK. Never lost/burned enough oil between oil changes to add any, but I still check the level on a regular bases.

 

2010 SG 10k ....same 1/4 to 1/2 qt

 

Mine will use a very little on a long trip. Hardly any otherwise. I've never had to add between 5k changes. Sometimes I'll check about 2500 miles after I change it. Sometimes I don't. The most it ever used was about 7 dots on the stick, however much that is. I haven't seen any smoke.

 

17,000 and no noticeable oil consumption.

To answer one of your questions; you'll have to be burning about a quart every 1,000 to 1,500 miles before you'll see much if any blue smoke in the exhaust. If you've still got the Catalytic Converters on the bike the consumption will have to get even significantly worse than this before you'll see anything. Then the consumption will have to be at about 800 miles / quart before you'll start to see anything definite on the Spark Plugs. In other words, you'll know you've got a problem by checking your dipstick periodically a long, long time before the tail pipe or the plugs will tell you anything definitive.

 

My 07 UC with 59K on it not a drop but wife's 08 Uc little more then 20K uses 1/2 qt every 1000 miles, it's still under warranty but Harley guidelines are a qt every 1000 miles so I'm hoping it meets the guidelines before warranty expires.

 

Have 09 ultra with stage III 103 now have 11,000 miles. Just checked oil today and am down over quart and a half since last oil change which was 1800 miles. Had problem around 5000 miles with oil consumption and found all rings locked in line on both jugs. Dealer said one in a million chance of this. Looks like I'm going to be two in a million. Have gone to dealer they topped off oil and then put seal over filler and drain, have to put miles on then have checked. Last time dealer had bike for 5 weeks.