I quit using synthetic in my bikes years ago.

 

The only thing I run in my 3 vehicles since new is Mobil 1 so I’m not against synthetics but for by whatever reason my M8 doesn’t seem to play well with it (syn3 and redline) Since I change at 3k in my bike guess the extra cost of synthetic wasn’t really worth it anyway.

 

All of the techs at my local HD dealership only run conventional in their personal bikes and most of their bikes have performance builds (i.e. 124/128 kits).

 

I'm not married to SYN in these, and never have been..but just playing the devil's advocate.....mentioning the recommendations of shops and tech service folks, etc...I think we at least need to include the manufacturer's knowledge of their engines and their credibility..after all, HD has been exclusively shipping CVOs with their SYN oil for nearly 20 years, and think of how many others have chosen it for their non-CVO bikes in that timeframe..I would think that is plenty long of a validation time period to have been able to determine if they believed it was detrimental to performance and longevity of their powertrains

 

Same experience here. I still use their products to date in my bikes. Spectrol in the crankcase and Belray in the transmission and primary. If it's worked for me this long I am not about ready to switch.

 

Ive talked to Feuling and S+S numerous times on the phone about sumping and their oil pumps and both companies recommended convention oil to me, Feuling has it listed on their website. These 2 companies have vast knowledge and their opinion is good enough for me.

 

And I’m not trying to convince anyone to agree with me or change what they run in their bike, that’s just never on my agenda. I’m just simply stating MY situation and what seems to be working for me. If you like synthetics, by all means run it.

 

oh I know..and I saw that Feuling tech tip long ago...I never would have switched to SYN from conventional after over 15 years of using conventional oil exclusively if wifey-poo hadn't bought a CVO, just got lazy carrying two kinds on long trips is all..and the fact that Harley has always stated HD360 is the preferred oil for normal use in all non cvo bikes also says something...either one works and protects just fine in different applications

 

I believe some of the oil recommendation from OEM's comes from chasing the EPA fuel standards by using an oil that flows with less effort. Not to mention getting oil flowing to critical parts during startup faster. Same with the newer cars and their oil and tire recommendations.

Having ridden older bikes, primarily Shovelheads and EVOs, for lots of miles in unbearable heat with conventional oil and no wear problems on bearings etc, I can't imagine it doesn't protect about as well as long as it is changed regularly and likely earlier than synthetic. Instead of the 5k change interval, as some have suggested, 3k sounds good.

I'm still running synthetic in my M8, but have considered changing to conventional and after seeing that both S&S and Fueling as well as Fuelmoto recommend it, I'll likely make the change in the near future. Just purchased oil for the next change, so it will be after that.

Paul

 

My 2017 RK is an early build 8/16. I've been running 360 20w50w and Formula+ since bike was new. I've got 48k + miles with no issues. I run the snot out of this bike and this Harley is the most reliable Bike I've ever owned. I expect it to go at least 100k before a top end. I just hope gas will be available cause I still have a lot of years of riding to do and electric ain't my thing.