Oil change intervals and what kind?

I'm a complusive sorta guy, so I put a few days between each of the 3 fluid changes (crankcase, primary, trans) to make it easier to figure out the source of any leaks that might crop up. I change every 5000 miles, using synthetics.

Tom, Good Idea...

TOM <--- Yeah, what he said! (I'm going to borrow the interval thingy too -- that's a good idea)...

I change my oil every 1700 miles.Also I change all the fluids at the same time and also Check the primary chain tension also.Using semi Synthetic,You will also find that alot of H/D owners and service personel say not to use straight Synth oil.When I find more out I'll let you know.

FXSTBI said:

I change my oil every 1700 miles.Also I change all the fluids at the same time

Click to expand...

Money to burn.......

If FXSTBI is running 62mph in second gear, I say it would'nt hurt to change the fluids a little more often. IMHO.

Since I'm a RUB, I have my oil changed, every 2500 miles. Plan to switch to synthetic at 12500 (plan to quit using the dealer then). greg

ps, I'd change it myself, but no room it the apartment parking area.

Im going to change mine every 5000 like the manual says and do the normal checks while I am there. I dont really see a point of changing teh oil before then unless I put the bike through severe conditions. Just my .02 .

4000 Miles

I don't know why I change mine every 4000 miles. I guess I just do it because I want to be MORE precautios than the manual suggests, but I don't want to waste money and change fluids when its not necessary. I use the original HD 20/50 dino oil. I have not heard both good and bad things about using synthetics in an engine with 50 year old design like our beloved HD. With my luck...I would have the bad experience using synthetic oil, so I stick to the proven stuff that has been run in HD for longer than I have been alive!

Money to burn?no, just precautious and also Biz is very,very good right now also.As far the 5000 mile thing,be ready for a rebuild at about 25k?If I can get another 20k out of it then its money well spent.....Rat 509 the 62 mph thing is only every now and then..LMAO..............

im with you FXSTBI. whats wrong with takeing care of your bike. whats the use of skimping on oil.

as they say, cheap is always expensive !

Some folks say syn oil causes leaks, others say I got xx,000 miles on syn oil no leaks ever. Some say bearing skate with syn oil, others say that's B.S. Some say bike runs cooler with Mobil 1, others say "whatever". Some say Mobil 1 v-Twin is nothing more than Mobil 1 15W40 at a higher price to gouge the Harley owners (that may very well be true.) Others say just run HD360, you'll be fine...others say Amsoil is God's gift to the internal combustion engine and so on and so on. Fact is, bikes are no different than cars or trucks. Run a premium brand/grade, whatever is easily obtained and affordable to you, and change it often. I am going to change mine every 2500-3000. Factory manuals have MINIMUM recommendations, not edicts. 3000 is ideal for any gasoline engine, more often than that and you are wasting money. (Which you could be using to customize )

crawdaddy said:

Fact is, bikes are no different than cars or trucks.. (Which you could be using to customize )

Click to expand...

In general the two really are very different. The V-twin is (with the exception of the VR) air cooled. And there lies the rub. You would never expect your car to idle and/or rev between 1000-1500 for an hour in the hot sun without a radiator would you? Well that's what you do every time you with your Harley.

The question here is what is BEST, for the bike, not what will be OK. I'm betting on Mobil 1 every 1500 mi. and my VR IS watercooled. If that's overkill, so be it.

DJW said:

In general the two really are very different. The V-twin is (with the exception of the VR) air cooled. And there lies the rub. You would never expect your car to idle and/or rev between 1000-1500 for an hour in the hot sun without a radiator would you? Well that's what you do every time you with your Harley.

Click to expand...

Of course not. That doesn't mean Harleys need radiators either. The designs are different, but the lubrication requirements are similar, perhaps a bit more demanding on the air cooled.

What's BEST? That depends. Sooner or later you run into diminishing returns. $$$ spent yields no increase in longevity. Change every 500 miles and the motor will last...will it last measurably longer than if you changed every 2500??? Maybe, maybe not. (Myself, I doubt it.)

Do what makes you happy. The REAL fact is, nobody ever wins the The Great Oil Debate...

I settled on every 3k for the engine oil. I don't think the trans or primary go through the same type of temperature abuse, so I stick to every 5k on those.

I change my oil every 1700 miles

Click to expand...

You need a new hobby, dude.

Mobil 1 for V-Twins ( formulation for the automobile oil has changed ), every 5K miles in my VROD. This works out to be about every 6 months. The riding time here in Northeast Texas is about 11 months out of the year, it gets very hot, with ambient temperatures 1 foot off the asphalt or concrete in the summer up to 120 F. It is not uncommon to be 90 F in December, 20 F in January.

JMS

I been riding the same old shovelhead for alot of years. Have used just about every type of oil out there at one time or another. Had to rebuild the top end once(main problem valves), but I beleive gas changes over the years caused that. Any way, the key thing is to keep the guts clean with regular changes. How often? That depends on alot of deferent things(like how hard ya push the bike, dusty riding conditions, etc.) Pick a number between 2 & 5 and stick to it.


P.S. Here lately been using Mobil-1 15W50 snyth in the engine, but still use straight 60 in the tranny.
Ed

My Process

My personal preference is similar to the post above mine. I change my oil every 3000 miles (using HD 20/50) and my trans-lube every 5-6000 miles (using HD 70Wt SportLube).

Truth be told it depends on the conditions in which you subject your ride too........ heat, dust, short blasts, iron butts and so on.

For the most part I change engine oil every 6000 and trans / priimary every 10000. I do adjust these for any adverse conditions I might have gone thru in between changes. HD recomemends 5000on all but they like to make money on oil and filters, you do remember what HD stands for don't ya?


Ride On! Ride Safe! and quit :beatdh: