I had the dealer put in Mobil1 20w-50 at the 1k service. At the 5k service I did the oil change myself and when I drained the oil it was very dark and thick on a warm engine and I thought my dealer never changed the oil. I replaced it with Mobil1 20w-50 V-Twin and developed a leak around the oil filter so I removed the oil filter at 7200 miles and the oil is again very dark and really thick. It doesn't even resemble what I put in. Is it normal for synthetics to get thick after that short a time or is it just Mobil1? Anyone else checked how it thickens up so much?

 

That's just mobil 1. I hate the product and mobil unsavory business practices. Try amsoil.

 

Sounds like it didn't get changed. Syn oils have a good detergent package so eventually it will clean up. If it were me I would change my service intervle to 2500 miles till it gets cleaner.

 

Mobil 1 is darker than most oils right out of the bottle, so it will become black faster.

I run Amsoil and it is bright gold out of the bottle and these air cooled motors really benefit from them. Try Amsoil and see if you like the results. Run Amsoil's EA oil filter with the Amsoil 20W50 motorcycle oil for the best performing combo. Amsoil states 10K miles or one year before you have to change it which saves you time and money.

Hope this helps!

Shawn

 

I wouldn't blame Mobil 1 though. My oil never gets darker than week coffee. I think once you service it a few times it will lighten up. A dark oil means its doing its job. And I don't care what oil you use as long as its changed regularly. All oil gets dark but black is not normal for a regular oil change on a newer bike.

 

you could switch to an oil that stayed clear as honey longer....but all that would mean is that the oil is not cleaning and instead is leaving deposits through out your engine. So basically, if the oil turns coal black its carrying away deposits. deposits can be caused by low octane gas and relatively low RPM ranges.

 

I think I'll give it a try next time. Thanks

 

I really didn't think it was a Mobil1 problem, just curious if it was normal. Thanks for the help.

 

I use only the best gas I can find but I do live the the 2000-3000 rpm range. Maybe I need to blow it out a little.

 

Been using M1 V-Twin for 15+ years and it always gets a little darker. All oils do that, even the daunted Amzoil. If your oil isn't getting darker it isn't doing its job and shortening the change intervals won't change that aspect no matter which brand is used.
I've never noticed M1 getting thicker - always comes out the same as it went in except for the slightly darker color, same as any other oil I've ever used.