Harley Rider: AMSOIL Fulfills Its Claims

[Lubrication Engineer]

I thought forum members would be interested in reading this testimonial from another Harley Rider. William Wright Sr. of Marrero, La. tested the quality claims of AMSOIL lubricants on a trip of over 1,000 miles aboard his Harley this spring. The hard ride included a run on the Tail of the Dragon and turned him into a life-long AMSOIL customer. The Tail of the Dragon is part of US 129 on the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina. The 11-mile stretch with 318 curves draws thrill-seekers in all types of vehicles from across the country. “I was a skeptic of AMSOIL products,” Wright said. “I want to emphasize was.” Wright owns a 1997 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide. “It had 17,000 miles on it,” he said. “It was a repo, so who knows the history of the bike. There were signs of slight oil leakage around the rocker arms, heads and gaskets.” Nonetheless, he bought the bike and looked for the best oil for it. “I had settled on Mobil 1 20W-50 synthetic oil,” Wright said. He had no real complaints about it, except that his bike burned a little oil during an earlier 900-mile trip. “That unsettled me,” Wright said. “I wanted my bike to run. Really I wanted it to purr for me, if you know what I mean.” He learned about AMSOIL in online forums and on the AMSOIL website and decided “it was either great oil or a lot of hype,” he said. Wright, his brother and a friend planned a road trip to Maggie Valley, N.C. “Before the trip I put four quarts of AMSOIL 20W-50 Advanced Synthetic Motorcycle Oil in my engine, AMSOIL 10W-40 Advanced Synthetic Motorcycle Oil in my primary and the Severe Gear 75W-90 in the transmission.” In six days they drove through fi ve states and traveled all over Maggie Valley and the surrounding areas. “We even went to Deals Gap and rode the Tail of the Dragon,” Wright said. The Dragon is famous for testing the mettle of machine and man. “I have a dent in my almost-brandnew, paid-to-have-painted fender from the engine guard,” he said. “Yep, I must have braked so hard going into a curve that the front end of my motorcycle dove downward with such force the engine guard put a crease in my fender about four or fi ve inches long.” The rest of their trip also tested the bikes. They drove the Interstate averaging 70 to 75 miles per hour. “It was a lot of hard mileage on my 12- year-old bike,” Wright said. “We traveled up and down mountains, and when I rode the Dragon, I don’t think I got out of third gear.” Then they were on to New Orleans. “We hit the road and started the drive home in the rain,” Wright said. “Outside of Chattanooga, we hit traffi c that was piled up for miles because of an accident. It was slow-going for at least 40 minutes. I was worried about my bike; it was not too hot out, but with no wind cooling my motor, I worried.” When the group stopped to rest, Wright’s brother checked the oil in his 1998 Harley-Davidson Road King that was running Harley-Davidson Syn3 motor oil. “He had to add oil and this was only halfway home,” Wright said. “I was shocked. He was upset that he had to add oil. He checked my bike, and I had not burned any oil. He was mad to say the least, as he fusses over his bike worse than me sometimes.” They continued their ride, running at 75 to 80 mph. “I drove a total of 1,988.3 miles,” Wright said. “Hard miles if you ask me, and I did not burn any oil at all. NONE. “My brother said, ‘That’s it,’ and he dumped the Harley Syn3 and put in AMSOIL motorcycle oil. It felt like my engine never strained to keep up with the other bikes. Even driving in the mountains I had power to spare. My bike would get hot, but if we parked for 30 minutes, which I timed, I could put my hand on the rocker box because it cooled down that fast. I averaged 46 miles to the gallon with me on the bike, and I weigh 229 pounds, plus all the gear. We had headwinds so strong it felt as if someone was holding the bike by the rear and pulling. During that time I thought my mileage would really go down. I also thought my engine would really get a workout with the load on her. “AMSOIL motorcycle oil is all it was written to be. I am switching to AMSOIL lubes for my Mustang. I am still in awe of AMSOIL products. You know, it is remarkable. I drove my baby hard and she never missed a beat, ran like a top, great gas mileage and non-stop riding for six days.”

This ad is not displayed to registered and logged-in members. Register your free account today and become a member on HD Forums!

[KBFXDLI]

Ok...fine but I don't think its the oil.

[OldFenderGuy]

I don't get it, or maybe I'm missing something....

Amsoil is a good oil, but any number of conventional or synthetic oils could have made the same 1,000 mile trip with similar results.

I know guys running EVO's (with much more than 17,000 miles on the clock) that run nothing but conventional Rotella T 15W40, and travel across country all the time. They also have excellent results....

I could have one of them write a glowing review for Rotella T, but what would that prove?

[Lubrication Engineer]

I understand your point, however Rotella is a good quality petroleum based diesel oil but it is not a motorcycle specific oil. Yes it will work "ok" in a motorcycle but it does not have certain additives and chemicals that are specifically blended into motorcycle oils in order to provide maximum performance and protection. Thanks

[OldFenderGuy]

Have you looked at UOA's for various oils (with Rotella T being just one example), their additive packages, and how well they performed in air cooled engines?

I have, and I have also reviewed many UOA's for so called "motorcycle specific" oils....

The UOA results might be surprising, as many have been conditioned to think that nothing but high cost, motorcycle specific oil will provide necessary engine protection..

My opinion of various oils is based on published information listing additive packages, UOA's, and actual results from those that have 'opened up' very high mileage bikes and checked the condition and wear on internal components.

If I can run a bike for well over 100,000 miles without any abnormal engine wear or damage, using something like $4.25 a quart synthetic Mobil 1 15W50 (just for example), what big advantage would I have gained using a much more expensive 'motorcycle specific oil'?

I guess we can just 'agree to disagree' when it comes to all the hype and cost associated with motorcycle specific oils.

[capnez]

was amsoil started by Glen w, turner?rotello is recommended use by the moco which I use in 3 holes with mobil 1 15-50 that i will put up with amsiol at half the price.sell it for what mobil 15-50 and I may buy ,it is your advertising tactics that turn ever one away

[capnez]

If a guy sells a ford he is going to tell you to by Chev .He is making money on amsoiled
got to a barber and ask if you need a hair cut and see if he says your good let it grow

[big cahuna]

I have to agree with OFG on this one. If you check your Harley owners manual is says to use Diesel oil, if Harley oil isn't available. Rotella t has been around forever, and you can get it at Walmart for less then $12 a gallon.I use it in my old Goldwing and it lubes the motor and trans. It seems to have enough of what is needed to do its job in a bike or a diesel.

[Dan89FLSTC]

Wow, almost two thousand miles, incredible...I would never have believed it possible to go that far on a bike without using a drop...

Ugh... wait a minute, I do it on my old evo all the time, using 20w50 auto oil...but it only has 115,000 miles on it (60,000 miles on current rebuild).

Intelligence insulting snake oil advertisement like this will keep me from buying amsoil.

[hd4evr2008]

That's a really dumb story. Is that supposed to be an advertisement of some kind? Ya know, I'm disliking Amsoil more and more. I think I'll go drain it out of my bike and go back to Mobil One, at least they don't resort to crap like this! Don't you Amsoil salesmen understand stuff like this turns people OFF your oil?