I read that some of you use synthetic oil in your Harleys .
Do you use original Harley Davidson brand or another ?

 

I presently use the Harley Screaming Eagle stuff (Reccommended!!), but have used Mobil 1 previously with good results.



Lev

 

In the Sportster EVO engines I normally run Mobil 1 20W-50 V-Twin.

But any good 20W-50 oil (especially those recommended for V-Twin
engines) would probably work just as well.

Sometimes people fret and worry too much about specific types of
engine oil to use in Harley's. Change the oil and filter frequently and
the engines will be happy.

I know guys with high mileage EVO's in Big Twins (80,000+ miles) that
are running straight 50 weight in the winter and 60 weight in the summer.
None of them have had oil related problems. In fact one of Harley's
recommendations is to run SAE 60 oil in the Sportsters when the outside
temperature is above 80 degrees, but most people just run a good
20W-50 synthetic year around.

I've often thought that if our bikes were smart enough to read various
internet Forums, they would laugh at the amount of time people spend
worrying about which specific oil to feed them.

 

I bought a used 1200 with 7,000 miles on it and no warranty. I used Castro 20W50 blend and changed oil/filter and primary every 2,000 miles and had over 52,000 miles on it when I traded it in on a St Bob. Now I use Harley's 360 20W50 conventional oil (what came in it) and change the oil/filter every 5,000 miles. (I change the oil in my car and truck more often than that.) It is what Harley recommends. If it's good enough for their 2 year and extended warranties, who am I to argue? I have been averaging around 10,000 miles a year. Done my 5,000 mile service in May and am expecting to do the 10,000 next month, also a new rear tire. I want to see how the bike does using the minimum service requirements specified by the warranty. I bought the extended warranty so my "test" will last 7 years. I really hope I don't regret it.

 

you can check the other areas here and get tons of different and colorful answers. i use the moco syn 3 and the bike rides well. the bottom line is change it regularly and use a new filter. can't go wrong that way. most folks are going with synthetics for longevity and temp benies. good luck.

 

Amsoil.

 

I'm always a little amused at HD......

For years they said not to use synthetic oil in their V-Twin engines, and had a stack of reasons why this was their recommendation.....

But suddenly they started marketing their own brand of synthetic oil, and their previous recommendations against using anything but dino oil was null and void...

It's interesting how 'market share' and the almighty dollar can change opinions.

 

Yet another Oil thread...

My 1200r has 950mi on it so far and its going for the 1000mi service next week. I plan on using HD's synthetic oil this time since the service came with the purchase of the bike. But after that, I plan on using Mobil 1. Honestly, I'm going to use Mobil since that's what I have used in all my bikes with good results. So I'm going with what I know (or think) works.
Same with my truck, every truck I have had, I used semi-sythetic Quaker State or Castrol. Just because I believe its works well.

Anyway, Question is, if your bike is out of warranty and HD recommends their oil, will they back that up should something fail as a result of their own oil?

J