I have switched to synthetic on my 07 SG and did so at the 1000 mile service. I did a search to find this topic and did not see it but forgive me if I overlooked it. I decided to use synthetic before I found this forum and now I am questioning the choice. A lot of people seem to be real fond of Redline.
My question is this... Would staying with the same brand consistantly be almost as important as the brand itself? Kinda like a car that has been driven 150,000 miles by multiple drivers verses a single owner.

Just a thought as I feel I am going to start doing my own oil changes and think I will come off of the synthetic and then stick with that decision.

Thanks for any help,

 

First of all you made the right choice by switching to synthetic. The worst synthetic is far better than the best petroleum oil. Redline is favored by a lot of folks on this site and it IS 100% SYNTHETIC. A minor technical point is that Redline is not formulated specifically for use in Motorcycle Engines although a lot of folks use it and are happy with it. The two top Synthetic oils that are formulated specifically for use in Motorcycle Engines are AMSOIL 20W50 and Mobil 1 V Twin 20W50. You can't go wrong with either oil. There is no comparison between Synthetic and Petroleum oils, Synthetic being far superior in every aspect. So pick a quality Synthetic and stay with it.

03 Ultra Classic
AMSOIL 20W50 Engine and Primary
AMSOIL 75W90 Severe gear in Trans.

 

The best selling point for synthetic oil......

Petroleum oil is dirty, nasty, dead animals that comes from the ground. It is refined only to the point that it is still profitable to sell. The industry has set standards that quality oils must meet. Trust me, the bar is pretty low.


Synthetic, on the other hand starts life as perfect. Created by man to be a perfect lubricant. A perfectly clean base, and then an additive package is added to make it even more desirable. No refining necessary.

Now.....which one do you want in your $25,000 motorcycle?


nogood o~`o

 

Any of the 20w50 motorcycle synthetics including Redline will be fine. Just make sure you use a 75w90 gear lube in the trans. I like the redline shockproof heavy gear oil in my dyna and the redline MTL in the primary and am switching the engine to redline 20w50 for the engine. Redline is the only group IV oil out there. Look for them at www.redlineoil.com and you can buy it at www.myoilshop.com. You can find the Mobil1 products at Autozone.

I won't use anything but synthetics because of the heat protection capability of them but I don't think sticking with 1 brand will make any difference. I look at cost versus performance.

 

Sorry m8 not true.

This is a quote from the RedLine site, and refers to the 20W60HD (might be a clue in the title also). However I emailled RedLine tech help and they advised I use the 20W50 unless I was riding in a real hot climate .

Our motor oil specifically blended for the needs of American air-cooled V-Twin motorcycle engines provides the highest degree of protection and cleanliness available. Provides 50% more bearing viscosity than a petroleum 20W50. Note: Our customers are finding that most Japanese V-twins or "metric cruisers" work well on Red Line's 10W40[/size]

This is a quote from RedLine about the oil I use which is the 20W50.

The ultimate high-temperature protection in Red Line engine oils recommended for street use. Good for engines that regularly run very high oil temperatures. Best for engines that run large clearances such as air-cooled engines or large-displacement, all-out racing engines that see occasional street use. Provides 25% more viscosity in bearings than petroleum 20W-50s. Not recommended for use in cold climates where temperatures are at or below 10°F or -12°C. Not recommended for street use in production engines that see sustained oil temperatures below 225°F (those engines should use Red Line 10W-30 or 10W-40).
WB

 

I've been reading a lot about Red Line and Mobil 1 V-twin oil on this forum. I'm considering changing to them. So far, I've only checked two auto parts stores locally (one was an Autozone), but haven't found Red Line or Mobil 1 V-twin.

I do a lot of touring in the summer. Last summer's trip (7044 miles) I had the crankcase oil changed once and all cases changed once. How hard are these oils going to be to find when traveling? What does everyone else do? Apparently, all Autozones stores don't carry the same products because I've read where several have said they get their oil there.

 

If it's not on the shelf you have to ask the autozone guys to get it. If they don't have it they can order it from their warehouse. But the first time I bought it they had it in the back and didn't even know it. Redline is more dificult to get but try www.myoilshop.com or www.summitracing.com. If you use the redline shockproof heavy in your trans you can run it 10,000 miles easily (the tech at redline said 20,000) . Same with the redline MTL for the primary. But I change the engine oil at 3-5000 miles. I have seen the Mobil1Vtwin at 3 or 4 autozones. Try it......you will like the performance.

 

For the 07 Touring models (and I am pretty sure its the same for the softails), Harley-Davidson show on page 1.6 of their official service manual, (table 1-1) Shedule Maintenance Intervals, that the Primary Chaincase Oil should be changed at 10,000 mile intervals, and thr Transmission Oil should be changed at 20,000 mile intervals.

Now I will change both of these at 10,000 mile intervals initially and see what the oil looks like. I changed the oils on my 88TC at 5000, and the tranny oil was like new. It was a complete waste of time.

If you need to do an engine oil change on the road, IMHO it dosent matter if you normally use RedLine and refill with Amsoil, Mobil, etc. as long as its synthetic. The reverse would also be true, for example if you normally use Amsoil and cant get it on the road you could refil with a good quality synthetic.

Over here in the UK RedLine is hard to get and I have to go mail order, Amsoil is impossible to get and Mobil can only be had in 5W40 easily. If I had to get an engine oil fill on the road I would have to go with the HD Syn3, but I would change it as soon as I got home. I am not likely to need to change the other oils on the road. (I am not lucky enough to be going on any 10,000 mile plus trips any time soon)

If you want to use a particular brand of oil and think you may need to mix another brand at some point, I would suggest that you contact the Tech Dept of the Oil Company who make your chosen oil. If you keep a hard print of the email you get back you will have evidence of what you were told. The big companys know this and are not going to give you a load of BS and risk a law suit.

WB

 

I asked the Redline tech about having to flush the engine on an oil change and he said it was not necessary and that the redline oils were compatible with the other synthetics.

 

Thanks, I guess I could change the trans and pri cases before heading out on a long run. I don't like to go over 3000 on the engine if at all possible. I may stick with Syn 3 just to keep from having to change brands all the time.