HD Syn vs Regular HD Oil

4795 Views 46 Replies 26 Participants Last post by polizzio, Mar 24, 2004

Michel

Discussion Starter · Jan 25, 2004

Should one seriously consider switching to HD synthetic oil vs. the regular HD oil. If yes, is the HD’s the best choice, who makes it and what is its quality vs. other brands? When is the best time to switch? My 03 V-Rod has only about 1,400 Km and will be reading for its first service at 1,600 km. I expect to bring her in in March on a good day when the weather imporves here, it is now about -20 celcus and going down to -30 tonight.

21 - 40 of 47 Posts

Ketsugo

· #21 · Feb 3, 2004

4

Michael333 said:
Alright John, your avatar is oh so appropriate for your enduring tenacity. (Owned a Rotty -- great dogs)
I'm running Mobile 1 and was really impressed at the switch, especially with the clutch operation. I think in a past post you said NAPA carries Amsoil. I take it that there will be no drawback to switching to Amsoil from Mobile. (This stuff better make my hoo-hoo's stand up) :mrgr:

Hi Michael,
I don't think Napa carries it but there will be no ill effects changing. The stuff can be had from George Douglas [email protected] . He's great to deal with and his prices are fantastic. Mobil1 is an excellent product, no doubt, so I doubt you will be able to feel a difference.

HawgDoc,
As I stated above, Mobil1 is a great product, but the Amsoil does out perform it in tests.

http://oilhelp.com/comparisons.pdf

There are more results in the link above.

John

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HawgDoc

· #22 · Feb 3, 2004

John,
I have no beef with Amsoil, and I'm sure they have a fine product. But, as YOU stated above, they funded the tests you refer to. I have read dozens of tests over the years by many organizations, and have always been impressed with MobilOne being at the top.
I also meant to say before, that the service interval recommended now by HD is 5,000 miles... extended from the previous 2,500.

One other thing just came to mind, and that is the grade called for by H-D is 20W50. Dont know how that relates to Amsoil tests, but just a point of order.

Bob

PS. It's also kind of a moot point now that we have Syn3. :vrod:

Michel

Discussion Starter · #23 · Feb 3, 2004

Does anyone know who provides HD with its Syntethic Oil?

Ketsugo

· #24 · Feb 3, 2004

Michel said:
Does anyone know who provides HD with its Syntethic Oil?

Sunoco?!?

http://www.performanceoiltechnology.com/harleydavidsonoil.htm

John

zyz

· #25 · Mar 14, 2004

VA V-Rod said:
Hummm, I have heard all of the test results Amsoil claim come from a lab they own.

I use Mobil 1 they seem to be more straightforward and have come out on top in test done by American Iron. Switch over at 500 miles and not one problem, over 9000 miles on the bike so far.

Dave

Hi Va VRod Do you use Mobil 1 or Mobile 1 V-twin?
I am thinking of changiing to Mobil Synthentic

zyz

· #26 · Mar 16, 2004

I switched to HD's SynIII oil in my '02 V-rod as soon as it became available, still change oil at the standard recommended intervals, noticed a difference, & hope it will have been worth the money in the long run. My bike runs cooler & turns over easier on cold starts. I hope & assume engine wear is therefore minimized.

IMHO, however, HD's synIII oil makes even more sense in air cooled engines that see a far greater range of temperature changes, since syn oils are not supposed to break down as much or as fast under high heat. Then there is the added benefit of being able to run the same oil in all three reservoirs.

The V-rod mechanic at my HD dealer says he uses HD's syn III based on faith but will not make a recommendation for others to do so untill he has seen a difference in wear after doing major engine repairs after at least 20,000 miles. Sounds logical to me.

Although I use the HD SynIII oil, I'm not sure it makes much difference, other than cost, which brand is used, as long as the oil is designed to work correctly reference motorcycle clutches. They may all be better than standard oils.

Just my two cents worth.

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bpolly

· #27 · Mar 16, 2004

hey ketsugo. being a oil lab tech i see the three test that were done but waht about the spectrol analysis which deterimens how much wear particles their are on all of the different pieces that are in the bike. the machine tells you how many ppm each element is. also what about the aquatest that detects if their is any water or condinsatiion built up in the oil. also that is a good test to check if you have a radiiator leak into your oil. just wondering if that they had done those, those test and if so what were the results.

Max

· #28 · Mar 16, 2004

Robyyy I use mobil 1 v-twin syn in both and my V-Rods. I wish I could find the article but at one point I read that the v-twin syn oil was developed with HD but in the end Mobil wanted their name on the label and the MoCo said no to that.

Max

zyz

· #29 · Mar 16, 2004

mobil v -twin

Max said:
Robyyy I use mobil 1 v-twin syn in both and my V-Rods. I wish I could find the article but at one point I read that the v-twin syn oil was developed with HD but in the end Mobil wanted their name on the label and the MoCo said no to that.

Max

Max, Thanks for reply! I checked with local Mobil dealer today they said they dont carry it in stock its imported ! and it comes in 1 liter bottles, @$20.00 a bottle and in packs of 5 bottles but they have the Mobil 1 in stock but its most likely cheaper than the Harley synth oil !

redrazor

· #30 · Mar 16, 2004

Mobil 1 V-Twin seem fine!

I swithched to the V-twin Mobil 1 a couple of weeks ago, and it seem just fine. No change in oil temp though. However, shifting is somewhat easier, and neutral is easier to find. Bought Mobil 1 V-twin at Autozone store for
about $48 for box with (5) quart bottles. Comes out to about $10 per quart.
I guess I'll change oil every 3,000 miles with this oil.(?)

good luck, redrazor

Shawn Nelson

· #31 · Mar 16, 2004

John, thank you for the link to George.

awtrott

· #32 · Mar 17, 2004

redrazor said:
I swithched to the V-twin Mobil 1 a couple of weeks ago, and it seem just fine. No change in oil temp though. However, shifting is somewhat easier, and neutral is easier to find. Bought Mobil 1 V-twin at Autozone store for
about $48 for box with (5) quart bottles. Comes out to about $10 per quart.
I guess I'll change oil every 3,000 miles with this oil.(?)

good luck, redrazor

Correction: AutoZone sells a box with (6) quart bottles for $47.97, which works out to about $8.00 per quart. I have however gotten your described results, and have noticed a much smoother roll as the clutch is released. :thumb:

redrazor

· #33 · Mar 17, 2004

You're Right!!

awtrott said:
Correction: AutoZone sells a box with (6) quart bottles for $47.97, which works out to about $8.00 per quart. I have however gotten your described results, and have noticed a much smoother roll as the clutch is released. :thumb:

:hiding: No wonder I had a quart bottle left over after my oil change!!!
I stand corrected......(6) qts. for under $50.....not bad, I think! sorry for the bum info.

redrazor

awtrott

· #34 · Mar 17, 2004

redrazor said:
:hiding: No wonder I had a quart bottle left over after my oil change!!!
I stand corrected......(6) qts. for under $50.....not bad, I think! sorry for the bum info.

redrazor

No problem, just an honest oversight.

greenham

· #35 · Mar 17, 2004

When I took my 02 in for it's 10k mile service the mechanic say my oil analysis from Blackstone. He noticed the Mobil 1 on one of my changes and asked if I used Mobil 1. I said I had but have since gone back to dino oil till my fuel in the oil problem is ironed out. He said Mobil 1 was too slick for the roller bearings and it causes them to skip due to lack of friction. He went on to say skipping in a roller bearing is bad. He said it was great oil and spec'd better then most but was to slick for the Vrod. I asked wheer did his info come from and he said the instructors from the Vrod school he just returned from.

Who knows... had Mobil 1 in my Valkyrie for 3 yrs, did 10k between changes and teh analysis was great.

mjw930

· #36 · Mar 17, 2004

greenham said:
When I took my 02 in for it's 10k mile service the mechanic say my oil analysis from Blackstone. He noticed the Mobil 1 on one of my changes and asked if I used Mobil 1. I said I had but have since gone back to dino oil till my fuel in the oil problem is ironed out. He said Mobil 1 was too slick for the roller bearings and it causes them to skip due to lack of friction. He went on to say skipping in a roller bearing is bad. He said it was great oil and spec'd better then most but was to slick for the Vrod. I asked wheer did his info come from and he said the instructors from the Vrod school he just returned from.

Who knows... had Mobil 1 in my Valkyrie for 3 yrs, did 10k between changes and the analysis was great.

That's that same old urban legend, wives tale, :bs: that HD mechanics have been putting out for years. Funny how most of that went away once HD came out with a synthetic all their own :slap:

Tell him to read the label on Syn3...... Can be used in all modern HD motors and transmissions with no regard to break in period and in fact it comes standard on the CVO bikes if I'm not mistaken. I'd also like to know where these roller bearings are in the V-Rod motor. They were on the cams in the push rod motors but I'm pretty sure the bearings on the overhead cams in the V-Rod are conventional.

Seems he should have spent more time awake in the class rather than whatever else he was doing while he was away from the dealership OR the instructors need to reprimanded for keeping this myth alive :bs: !

Max

· #37 · Mar 17, 2004

You will find some really good oil information in this thread from a pro on the subject.

http://www.v-rodforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1430

Max

VA V-Rod

· #38 · Mar 17, 2004

Robyyy, Sorry I wasn't able to get back to you sooner; I use Mobil 1 V-Twin oil and check with your local distributor, I got mine for $6.53 per qt. But after reading more on oils not sure my try the regular motor oil Mobil 1 of course next time. But I got 6 cases so it will be a while before I need more.

Dave

greenham

· #39 · Mar 17, 2004

No he said the HD syn was fine, almost because it was worse the Mobil 1. HD syn is less slippery then Mobil 1 hence no isse with roller bearing skip. I am sure in the end it's all as you said "Urban Legend" or more commonly reffered to as Bull$hit..

mjw930 said:
That's that same old urban legend, wives tale, :bs: that HD mechanics have been putting out for years. Funny how most of that went away once HD came out with a synthetic all their own :slap:

Tell him to read the label on Syn3...... Can be used in all modern HD motors and transmissions with no regard to break in period and in fact it comes standard on the CVO bikes if I'm not mistaken. I'd also like to know where these roller bearings are in the V-Rod motor. They were on the cams in the push rod motors but I'm pretty sure the bearings on the overhead cams in the V-Rod are conventional.

Seems he should have spent more time awake in the class rather than whatever else he was doing while he was away from the dealership OR the instructors need to reprimanded for keeping this myth alive :bs: !

mjw930

· #40 · Mar 17, 2004

Ah, more slippery :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

It sounds like you've found yourself a Mensa candidate .......

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