I used M1 15w50 in my primary just for the reason stated that it finishes off the 5 qt jug. Make changing the oil simple. It didn't feel as smooth as the Formula+ i nmy 02 RKC, but it seems to work fine. As for not using 75w90 because it is not a primary oil, well Formula+ is a gear oil Harley recommends for both the Transmission and Primary. I'm not seeing the difference here. I've heard that a good Heavy Gear oil in the primary will actually reduce the clutch drag that causes the big clunk when shifting from neutral to first gear. I have not tried it yet, but it is tempting.

If you live near OKC, I have some left over M1 75-90 you can have to top off your transmission. Now that the 09s take 32 ounces, the extra oil just takes up space.

Beary

 

Why is everyone that is using Mobil 1 going with the 15w-50 instead of the 20w-50?

 

Well I can not find the Redline, only Royal Purple and Amsoil. Guess I will have to choose one of those and just hold off on the primary for now.

 

OK, now I go on Royal Purples website and they recommend their 20W50 in all 3 holes even though they have 75W90, 75W140 and 85W140 for the trans.?

"Harley Davidson Evolution and Twin Cam Max-Cycle 20W50

Harley Davidson Evo and TC Transmissions Max-Cycle 20W50

Harley Davidson Primary Tank Max-Cycle 10W30, 10W40, 20W50"

Also when I saw it yesterday at O'Rilleys I do not think it was the Max-Cycle, just the normal oil but this is what they say about that...

"Does Royal Purple offer specific motor oils for motorcycles?

Yes. While the Royal Purple SAE and Racing engine oils may be used in motorcycle applications its Max-Cycle line of engine oils have been formulated specifically for motorcycle engines and transmissions."

Is this just marketing?

Also do most of you end up replacing the orings on the 2 drain plugs or are they OK to reuse a few times? Thinking about not even doing the primary right now because someone told me that you have to replace the gasget on the derby cover and that is another $25? I am right at 5000 miles with Syn3 in all 3 at 1000 miles (so they said) and have a good long ride coming up on Saturday. Do not have time to make it to a dealer for orings and primary gasget, got the HD oil filter last week end. Can swing by the ORilleys to get the RP and change the oil Friday night before the ride.

Please help.

Thanks

 

Plus 2

 

Is the Mobile 1 15W50 just as good at cooling the bike down (a little) as the Amsoil and Royal Purple claim?

 

OK, I started this thread and got some really good info but just got a brillant idea. So I have the 3 quarts of the Amsoil 10W40 and 27 ozs. left of the 75W90 for the tranny and supposedly Syn3 in all 3 holes at the 1000 mile service and I am right at 5000 now. Just called NAPA that carries Amsoil and he said as long as the seal is still on I can exchange them for the 20W50. So I will just have to buy 1 quart at a very resonable price of $8.99. On the 5 ozs that I am short on the 75W90 on the tranny I think I will just not drain all of the 4000 mile old Syn3 or add 5 ozs of the 20W50 that I have left over.

How does this sound?

 

It has been discussed in the past that M1 15w50 is almost as good as the 20w50. 15w50 is 2 to 3 dollars cheaper and easier to find (Walmart). There are a lot of folks who use 15w50 and are quite happy with it and I've never heard anything bad about it. I personally replace my O-rings every three changes and have never had a leak problem. Some folks even use plumbers dope or plumbers tape for added leak resistance (comes that way from factory), I do not. I don't know how many changes you can go without replacing the derby cover seal, but the 96 engine seal looks pretty hardy, so I will likely wait until I see it leak to replace it.

Many folks will say they use a certain oil and never have a problem. Since most oils will perform at least to minimum satisfaction, I'm not sure what a problem would be. I will admit that when I switch from regular (dino) oil to synthetic, I got a little weeping in the qaskets. That might be considered a problem, but for me the noticable heat reduction was worth keeping the syn oil.

I also wonder if there really is a bad synthetic oil. Some are better than others, but is the worst oil bad for our motors? I don't know, but again, how would we know? I think it comes down to what make each of us feel good about his bike. If you like RP, the extra cost of that oil over others (if there is any) is worth it for you.

I know how you feel though, I went through the same thing with my first Harley.

Beary

 

Good grief! How long is this ride on Saturday that it can't wait until you get back to do it right?

BTW, the interval is 5000 miles... Hence you can wait until your odo is at 6000 (although I, and many others I imagine, changed at 5000 to keep the nice round number).

 

I am going to do it right. I just do not have the orings on hand if needed and will be short the 5 ozs of tranny fluid. I may use the Mobile 1 next time but since I have the Amsoil and can exchange it for the correct weight I might as well use it. I am pretty **** and am at 4989 miles and will use the 11 miles to warm up for the oil change. The ride is going to be about 400 miles.