oil useage

[rookiejoe]

bought a sportster 1200 custom a couple months back have about 3,700 miles on it. i seem to use about 1 quart per 1,000 miles and that seems excessive the dealer says it is normal. anyone out there think i should be concerned.

[tomv]

there may be a difference between "normal" and "acceptable" here. there are industry standards for acceptable oil consumption and that might fall into that category. the difference is we all know there is something less than right causing the concern.
did you purchace it new? if not what year is it?

[rookiejoe]

Originally Posted by tomv

there may be a difference between "normal" and "acceptable" here. there are industry standards for acceptable oil consumption and that might fall into that category. the difference is we all know there is something less than right causing the concern.
did you purchace it new? if not what year is it?

purchased it new its a 2004 sportster 1200 custom

[tomv]

you might want to request they document the concern on a repair order while your bike is under warranty. it wouldnt be a bad idea to look for others with a similar concern also. if it is a "normal" thing and they all do it thats one thing. if yours is one in a thousand then there should be a resolution. you also might want to ask if they would expect it to get better or stay the same as the bike accumulates more miles.

[MPZ]

That is not normal or acceptable. Not unless you beat the **** out of it every time you ride it.

[rookiejoe]

Originally Posted by tomv

you might want to request they document the concern on a repair order while your bike is under warranty. it wouldnt be a bad idea to look for others with a similar concern also. if it is a "normal" thing and they all do it thats one thing. if yours is one in a thousand then there should be a resolution. you also might want to ask if they would expect it to get better or stay the same as the bike accumulates more miles.

bringing it in next week for an oil change and the did put a note about usage on the service ticket. i have a 2 year warranty just picked it up in june 04 so i have plenty of time i just thought it is excessive and they are telling me its not wanted to know if i was being too obsessive about the bike its not that the oil is that expensive. i just worry it will get worse

[rookiejoe]

Originally Posted by MPZ

That is not normal or acceptable. Not unless you beat the **** out of it every time you ride it.

i dont think i run it that hard. 10-15 over the speed limit occaisionally a little more. i do like the bike but worry about how much it uses

[Trekker]

Originally Posted by rookiejoe

i just thought it is excessive and they are telling me its not wanted to know if i was being too obsessive about the bike its not that the oil is that expensive.

I'm confused about this statement.
Maybe I'm reading into it, but it sounds like your dealer is telling you that your concern about the oil consumption is not wanted.
To even own a Harley means that the person is a little obsessive about the bike. It's part of the Harley legend. But for a dealer to tell you that obsessing over your oil consumption is not wanted, would tell me to go elsewere for service.
My '87 FLH will eat about a quart every 2 months or so, but believe me I check the level every week.
If I'm way off base here, disreguard this. But if not, I'd be asking my dealer some pointed questions about this statement.
Just my $0.02.
Good luck on your new ride & ride safe,

[rookiejoe]

Originally Posted by Trekker1801

I'm confused about this statement.
Maybe I'm reading into it, but it sounds like your dealer is telling you that your concern about the oil consumption is not wanted.
To even own a Harley means that the person is a little obsessive about the bike. It's part of the Harley legend. But for a dealer to tell you that obsessing over your oil consumption is not wanted, would tell me to go elsewere for service.
My '87 FLH will eat about a quart every 2 months or so, but believe me I check the level every week.
If I'm way off base here, disreguard this. But if not, I'd be asking my dealer some pointed questions about this statement.
Just my $0.02.
Good luck on your new ride & ride safe,

sorry i'm not a very good typist. what i meant to say is, i just wanted to know if i was being a little anal about the oil situation. or if burning a quart of oil every 1,000 miles is normal on a harley. to me it seems like a lot but i've never owned one before. last bike was a honda and i never had to add a drop.

[Trekker]

Originally Posted by rookiejoe

sorry i'm not a very good typist. what i meant to say is, i just wanted to know if i was being a little anal about the oil situation. or if burning a quart of oil every 1,000 miles is normal on a harley. to me it seems like a lot but i've never owned one before. last bike was a honda and i never had to add a drop.

No prob.
It seems a little excessive to me being my '78 Sporty ate oil about that rate, but I wouldn't think that a '04 Sporty would.
I would ask your dealer just to get the piece of mind. Since you don't ride it hard, it should keep the level up.
Just my humble opinion.
Ride safe,

[djjacobs]

My 2004 XL883 is using the same amount, 1 quart every 1000 miles. My dealer did a compression and leak down test and said everything was within specs.
After he called the main company, he said that this oil usage is acceptable.
I'm dissapointed but I love my bike, the dealer has the complaint registered for warranty. Too bad I switched to synthetic on my 5000 mile service. It'll cost me more (adding 2 1/2 qts) before the next oil change.

[bussiemi]

One of the reasons I switched back to regular oil is the consumption on my 97 Ultra, about 3/4 QT per 1000 miles, the other is the deposits in the oil, I discussed this with others in this forum. Seems that these bikes tend to run a bit dirtier than I was expecting so said forget the syn3 in the crank case and am going to change the oil more regularily. Not that I am an expert but this oil consumption rate sounds "normal" but since I am new to an HD it makes me nervous too.