OK, OK, I know this is the wrong question to ask, as there are many varying opinions. .. . . . . . but I'm gonna ask anyway.

I bought my bike used, It now has 40K miles on her, and I'm going to change out all 3 holes, so I will know its done. I am coming off of a metric bike, where all I needed was 1 oil for everything, so this is all new to me.

I have decided to go with Amsoil for my oil, but not sure what to do for the other 2 holes. I want to go synthetic, so let me know if there are any variations in weight from dino oil. With you suggestions, let me know the best place to buy, as I have found that the dealers push the HD products, and do not stock many other options.

Thanks,

 

Other than Harley primary oil can't help you there other than that i believe the primary is 20/50. For the tranny Mobil 1 has a synthetic tranny oil 75/90 that should work. Harley uses the same 20/50 for both tranny and primary. I like the heavier oil for the tranny. I see you have the motor oil figured out already. Good luck

 

Oh boy.... you have opened Pandora's Box. This is one of the most hotly debated topics on the forum, and there's a high likelihood that you'll end up more confused.

I use HD's Syn3 for the crankcase and transmission, and HD's Formula+ for the primary. I have run Syn3 in the primary, and while it is recommended by HD, I find that Formula+ runs a little quieter.

There are lots of Amsoil advocates on the forum, and it has the rep of being a very good oil. I don't have any experience with it. I do like the idea of synthetic in all three holes though. Maybe I should look into their product for the primary.

 

I run what and where the pastor runs, have been for a while, works for me.

 

The dealer put in Syn3 in the primary on the 1000 mile service and I didn't like the feel at all. Since then, I've used Formula+ in the primary with good results, but I'm currently using Type F ATF in the primary and like it just as much. The clutch feels better to me with either Formula+ or ATF over 20-50 and the plates don't stick together especially when cold. I get no cold start clunk when shifting into 1st, and very little noise when hot.

 

I just went through this myself. In the end, I decided on Amsoil 20W-50 for the Engine and Primary, and Amsoil Gear Lube 75W-140 for the Tranny.

After speaking with the tech support rep at Amsoil I felt this would be the bst combination.

You can put the 20W-50 in all three holes, but the Gear Lube will help quiet down the Tranny some.

mikebaby

 

Gotta watch this - Subscribed.

 

Hmmmm, I never knew this was an option. How long have you been running the ATF, and have you experienced any problems with it? So is this why it is a bear to move around in the garage with it in gear and the clutch pulled in while cold?

 

I run HD Syn3 in all three holes.

 

Re: moving around in gear... That's been my experience. It's still harder to push than in neutral, but way better on Formula+ or ATF. I can start it in gear (I always start in neutral, just an example) and the bike doesn't lurch forward.

I've been running ATF for 15000 miles or so with no issues. I do have the SE compensator and some have proposed that we need a heavier oil than ATF and some fretting has popped up on the shaft splines. Honestly I haven't pulled mine apart to check, but will be doing that this fall.

Like I said, Formula+ was a good choice for me too. It's probably a bit over priced (what labeled HD isn't), but it does work well on the wet clutch.