This is simply data, not the start of an argument about which oil is best.

2006 FXDI. Mobile 1 15W-50 gold cap. I changed it at only 3,200 miles because it had been 13 months. Some years i ride 3K miles, and some years 12K miles. I also figured this was some hard usage this year, because it was mostly commuting and errends. Not enough long trips to make me happy. The new oil is the same, because I bought a case of it last year. Oil and air filters are stock H-D.

Why did I do a UOA? I don't know. Just felt like doing it this time. I'll try to remember to do it again next year to see if there's a change.

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Wear is generally above average in first sample from your Harley but with just 8,020 miles on the engine we're likely seeing the last remnants of break in. That would explain the high silicone, too, which comes from sand casted parts and sealers used when assembling your engine. Both should improve next time. Universal averages are based on an oil run of ~4000 miles. A minor amount of fuel was found that caused a low viscosity but neither is a problem. The TBN was strong at 9.1 so you had lots of active additive left. 1.0 is low. Try 4,000 miles next time.
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So, after reading this, here's some of my thoughts:

1. Wear is a little higher than it should be. That doesn't give me a lot of confidence in this oil. Althought the factory recommends 5K mile oil changes, this UOA may indicate a problem. I'll check it again at ~3,500 miles or so. OTOH, short runs tend to increase wear, too.

2. I ride in cold weather a lot. I don't let the engine idle for a long time to get really warm. That would account for the increased fuel in the oil, I think.

 

IMHO, you should change your oil by TIME, not miles IF you ride low yearly milage. Change at least every six months or 5000 miles but never longer than six months regardless of miles unless changed just prior to storage.

Mobile one 15/50 is very good oil and NOT the reason for excess wear IF the wear is excessive at all. The dilution of any oil with gasoline will contribute to wear too. Worry less, ride more, get your money's worth. With gas prices what they are, the milage a bike can give you really starts putting it in the realm of VERY practical transportation for most errands and commutes.

EZ

Ez

 

I agree with EZ.

 

I change my oil by time because my riding is so varied. But any of the synthetics should easily have a high enough TBN to be able to go 5000/1 year and not contribute to excessive wear. I only do UOA's on vehicles with high mileage to decide whether to keep them or trade them or on the purchase of a used vehicle/boat/bike. The cost of the UOA is about same as the cost of an oil change so why not just change the freakin oil. I realize it's nice to know the data but with a TBN that high (9) he could have easily gone farther. I know guys who have only changed dino HD360 annually for years and gone well over 100k on their engines without rebuilds.

So the synthetics are "earning their keep" by being able to go 1 year IMO