Living in NW pa...when ever the snow melts and the roads dry up i try to get the bike out for a ride. I was told that doing that in the winter, the oil can accumulate acidity in the oil. Is that because of short trips, the oil doesn't get a chance to fully warm up?

 

Yes, short trips will foul you oil. Not a big deal. Just change it more often.

 

If the moisture that accumulates in the oil isn't "burned off" it can cause rust inside the engine, and will combine with other materials to form several acids. Just ride long enough to get the engine oil temp up to normal, and then ride some more! I've been told to go at least 40 miles; I can't verify that, but it should be a long enough time to get rid of the moisture.

 

I agree that it takes 20+ miles to get her hot and burn off the moisture.

For the past 10 years, my Ironhead has been getting short tripped. Usually about 5 miles or so around town every week or two. I change the oil every year or so........A little dirty oil over the winter ain't gonna hurt a bike. It will do more good for your soul to ride the bike. Ride it if you want.....Just don't let it sit in the driveway and idle for the sake of just hearing it run.

 

thats why i use amsoil no moister problems great product-ride safe

 

Amsoil doesn't prevent moisture.

 

I wont take my bike out in winter if I 'm not gonna do 65 miles or more. Even then if the temp is below 20f that motor doesn't get that hot. But I've never seen white sludge on the filler cap. I have to believe Harley would tell you not to ride the bike in the cold, if it would damage it.,,

 

It's not riding it in the cold that causes the problem. Your engine oil does three basic things. It helps cool the engine, it lubricates all of your internal moving parts and it cleans the inside of the engine. The acid/moisture buildup in the engine is more of an issue if the bike (or any engine) is only used for short trips where the engine never really gets good and hot long enough to burn off the moisture. The acid is a by product of the combustion process and the engine runs rich when you first start it. If it never gets really warmed up, most of the time your engine is running rich and putting more crap (unburned or partially burned fuel) in the oil. That is why they (manufacturers) tell you to change your oil every X,000 miles or three months, whichever comes first.
No brand of oil will keep moisture out of your crankcase and the moisture is at least as harmful as the acid.
Another thing that will help is to add some STP Oil Treatment (Super Tech brand at walmart is fine...same stuff)to your engine oil. This stuff (zinc or zinc phosphate) was removed from most oils because it is not good for cat converters. Since we don't have one, it's nice to put it back in there. This stuff will help your oils viscocity index stay closer to where it started before you poured it into your engine.

 

Just a note: 10w-40 & higher viscosities haven't had the zinc removed.

 

Good point....don't use oil that says "energy conserving" in the little spec circle, especially for your primary/wet clutch.

P.S. Adding about a half quart of the oil treatment with your oil change should keep your viscosity level from dropping below where it started at in the bottle. Most of the viscocity breakdown occurs in the first 500 to 1000 miles. I didn't believe it until a friend had me try a little test that he had already done himself with his 95 Impala SS. I changed the oil in my 340 and took note of my oil pressure after the engine was warmed up. I wrote down what the pressure was at idle and cruising and then waited 1000 miles and checked the numbers against the original numbers. At idle it had lost about 4 pounds of oil pressure and at cruise speed it lost 9! I then drained a little oil out (very messy! have you ever removed the oil plug and then tried to pu it back on real quick? LOL) and topped it off with the oil treatment. My pressure was back where it started at idle and actually picked up 2 pounds at cruise speeds. The numbers remained pretty constant after that. I'm sold. I also switched to Kendall instead of Valvoline 20w50 because they were out of the Valvoline. Amazing! The Kendall (which is cheaper and has a very small budget for advertising compared to Vavloline) held more of it's viscosity after 1000 miles than the Valvoline. Go figure!