Et al,

After a long look I finally found a 100% synthetic oil, Motul 7100 4T 20W50 Engine Oil and gotta say it has made a world of difference from the HD sludge I was running.

More power, quieter running (now it sounds like a sewing machine!) and in the gear box is where it shines with smoother running and shifting, lots better.

If you can afford it, its worth it.

Regards,

 

I recently changed to synthetic also and loving the smooth sound, smooth shifting, quiet shifting, and smooth idle and acceleration. I went with Amsoil 20w50 motorcycle oil. Best "upgrade" so far.

 

Cool, thanx for sharing. I saw that brand on amazon and wondered about it. I have been wanting to go either with red line 20w60 or with royal purple 20w50.

 

At first I thought Motul must be some Chinese knock off of Mobil but from their web site I see they have been around for 150 years so they must be pretty good.
I agree on the synthetic, I have been running Amsoil in both holes since almost new and love it.

 

This is more an oil forum topic that has been debated endlessly and emotionally but I'll bite here .....

Motul is an excellent choice, being one of the few Group V synthetics with a polyester base stock. Polyesters are polar molecules that stick to metal better than other base stocks and have good natural detergent properties.

Motul also blends Zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) anti-wear additive according to the MSDS sheet to meet the obsolete but strict SG spec for wear. Modern oils have eliminated most of the ZDDP and are not as good for older flat-tappet engine designs, for example.

Red Line 20W50 also has a polyester base with 0.6 to 1.2% ZDDP. It is definitely equal in formulation and performance to Motul for our big twins. It is made here in the good old USA at a slightly better price and is now my preferred choice.

Cheers, RR

 

Sorry to be so persistent; what do you think of Red Line 20W60?

Thank you.

 

S&S really know H-D V-twins and here's their recommendation:

RedLine have this to say about 20W60

I stick to 20W50 even in Arizona 100+ weather for a stock XL883N. Hope this helps.

Cheers, RR

 

Mobil doesn't make an oil that is available to the public that can even hold a candle to motul. Motul is an ester based group 5 basestock. Absolutely the best possible basestock available. Mobil doesn't even make an oil,that the public can buy,that is group 5. Mobils best offering is a group 4,their afe line and the rest,including the v-twin stuff is a group 3/4 blend.
I'll never use mobil again. Not since they scammed the public and misled the public,well the uninformed public anyway.

 

Interesting, do you know what base stock amsoil uses?

 

Most of them yes.
Their sso line is group 4 with some esters to aid in the solubility for the additives.
The xl line is a group 3/4 mix. The oe line is a group 3.
The v-twin stuff is group 4,which costs more whereas mobil uses a group 3/4 mix which costs less,so Amsoil may cost a few bucks more per quart however it's a better made product.
Now do our engines really need these expensive boutique oils that have flashpoints of 475 degrees and are made from these types of basestocks,99% of the time no. However that 1% time where all that engineering comes into action,and you don't have it,could spell disaster.
I firmly believe that whatever name brand oil you use,in the correct viscosity,changed at appropriate intervals,will lead to long engine life. Whether it's synthetic or conventional is irrelevant. How many hours they are in use is.
Synthetic resists breakdown and acidity for longer than conventional however they aren't miraculous. A conventional and synthetic protect the same until you stretch out the oil change interval. Synthetic doesn't protect better,it protects longer.