[DJW]

In my opininon you use any of these oils for extra protection, not to extend drain intervals.

What about you Hippo, you seem to have a good handle on this, what do you use?

Here is Mobil 1's reasoning:
Q.
What about Mobil 1 V-Twin oil? How is that different from Mobil 1 for passenger cars?
A.
Mobil 1 V-Twin oil is designed for air-cooled, large-displacement bikes. Because of their design, these engines can generate very high localized oil temperatures and high overall bulk-oil temperatures.

As you know, a typical air-cooled V-twin's rear cylinder gets a lot hotter than the front cylinder – it's a matter of airflow. When it's hot out and you're stuck in traffic, the oil temperature in your bike climbs rapidly. Above about 250° F, conventional motor oil is going to break down. Mobil 1 V-Twin synthetic oil is good to above 300° F.

In addition, Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 is a higher-viscosity grade than Mobil 1 15W-50 for passenger cars. And Mobil 1 V-Twin has no viscosity index improvers, so the oil is very "shear stable." Simply put, Mobil 1 V-Twin synthetic oil won't break down as readily as conventional oil.

Like Mobil 1 MX4T, Mobil 1 V-Twin has high levels of phosphorus/zinc and the same high-temperature detergent technology for superior wear protection and engine cleanliness, even at elevated oil temperatures.

With Mobil 1 V-Twin oil, you can go the full length of the manufacturer's recommended oil change intervals with ease.

Mobil 1

 

[DJW]

Land of Ice and Snow

Up here in the land of ice and snow, I never reach the 5,000 mi. mark, and I end up changing the oil yearly instead of based on mileage. That would leave me to believe that I'm better off sticking with HD purely based on cost. However, I have always had problems with loud shifting and I suspect the cold weather/ weather is a part of that. Cox 9000, check out Redline for a mail dealer.

 

[DJW]

Logical, well I suppose as long as I'm at the neighbors siphoning off the gas every night, I could probably skim a couple of quarts of oil a week too. Poor Bastages, they'll probably take the old girl in for engine rebuild and miss the whole camping season. hee hee.

 

[DJW]

1. If Harley spent 5 plus years testing and evaluating the V-ROD and is willing to warranty it why would you want to take "the man in the street's" word for whats best??

VR-1 FL, I don't necessarily disagree with point number 1, but I think you may be overestimating HD's concern for your engine. I think the question being discussed here is what the LONG term affect of using a sythetic oil is vs. the HD citgo can. I won't pretend to know, but I won't take HD's word for it either. That's what this whole consumer oriented site is for.