getting a harley what oil?

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ok sorry im sure this has been asked before.
i am getting a 1996 sportster 1200 custom. wondering on the best oil to use. i would really like to use royal purple 20w50.
i have a local walmart that sells mobil vtwin20w50. or should i just use mobil delvac?
thanks
 
Any of the suggestions are great. I run Amsoil with 100% confidence. Coose any of these though!
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Most people are happy with Rotella T 15w-40.


Yeah, what he said....

+1

Probably one of the stoutest oils on the market for the price - now with the JASO-MA certification on the bottle!
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Most people are happy with Rotella T 15w-40.


???? I've never spoken to any Harley owner or service person using or recommending 15W-40. Your manual does or should specify a 50W oil and Mobil-1 V-Twin 20W50 would be an excellent choice.

BTW, the Rotella 15W-40 Dino remains a great choice for liquid-cooled motorcycle engines.
 
Originally Posted By: nazareth
ok sorry im sure this has been asked before.
i am getting a 1996 sportster 1200 custom. wondering on the best oil to use. i would really like to use royal purple 20w50.
i have a local walmart that sells mobil vtwin20w50. or should i just use mobil delvac?
thanks


Yes it has been covered. You will need to make two choices on a Sportster. 1. Motor Oil 2. Transmission/clutch (HD SportTrans equivialent). A 96 is not exactly a spring chick and has been in someone else's hands suing what oil we do not know so that may be a consideration wrt how much to spend or what to use.

Sorry to repeat my 2 cents since it is so lengthy but here it is.


Dino, I’d change all these at 2500 miles in a Harley

Valvoline 20W50 Vtwin $3.95
Valvoline 20W50 VR-1 $3.95
Bardahl 20W50 Vtwin American Classic ($2.00 if bought by the case during Dennis Kirks clearance. Otherwise may be hard to find. A real steal and killer additive package)
Havoine DS 20W50 $3.00
Kendall GT-1 20W50 $3.00 (have not seen a Harley UOA on this yet but looks good on paper)
Rotella 15W40 $3.00 a little light in grade but people use it and like it. I use it the primary on big twin applications.

Syn GIII/IV go 5000 miles

M1 15W50 Silver cap. $4.20 if bought in the jug. Proven winner over the years even if it does have a lot of unknown, possibly GIII now. Good additive package (1200 ppm ZDDP and lots of calcium). It does shear to a 40 pretty fast but still has very good wear numbers on UOAs.
Brad Penn 20W50 v2 MC oil. $4.50 if bought by the case. Have to find a distributor for this in your area. Real popular with the air cooled Porsche crowd. Gaining popularity in V twins.

Top shelf true syns easily go 5000+ miles

M1 Vtwin 20W50 $10.00, about 1600 ppm ZDDP
Amsoil MCV 20W50 $??? depends
Red Line 20W50 or 20W60 ($9.00 / Qt. by the case mail order) Killer additive package, about equal to M1 Vtwin in ZDDP plus about 500 ppm Moly. A Group V base stock.

Others include Royal Purple Max Cycle 20W50 which has loyal users and bashers but is now readily available at auto parts stores, Motul, and Maxima which are hard to find.
 
Originally Posted By: miker1
Here is a link to help with your decision; http://www.amsoil.com/products/streetbikes/WhitePaper.aspx


Oh boy, here we go.

That is the first time I have noticed the claim that these are the 32 most top selling motorcycle oils. That is not in the text of the test report as far I is it? A bit of a play on words since some of the most popular MC oils are HDEOs and PCMOs. I think they may have left a few others out too
wink.gif
. But it is nice to know that I can buy AMSOIL MCV all day every day for $8.40 per Qt bottle in hand.

Always someone selling something...
 
IIRC??? 10/40 is only recommended for a sportster below 40 deg so I vote for some kind of 20/50.
 
Originally Posted By: cven
IIRC??? 10/40 is only recommended for a sportster below 40 deg so I vote for some kind of 20/50.


True and agree, but some do use the HDEO 15W40s with no ill affects (however you determine that). It is actually HDs recommendation if caught in a pinch with no HD oil available. Of course they would not recommend what they consider a competing product. HD suggests HDEO as a "get me home oil" and then dump and refill with HD brand oil. I consider HDEO a proven alternative especially in cooler climates but not my personal choice/recommendation. I do use it in the primary drive of one bike though.
 
you can run 15/40 in the primary and motor if the temps you'll be riding in are 40 and below. You can leave the 15/40 in the primary when it gets hot out as its job is to lube the trans and cool the clutch. When it gets hot out 20/50 is what you should be running in the motor as 15/ 40 will tend to thin out. If you check the uoa posts for bikes, you'll see what lots of guys run. Some say it has to be bike oil, and others have had good luck with 20/50 car oil.lots of choices and alot are made because of price vs perceived value of boutique priced oils. Using the correct weight means more then the correct brand.,,
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny
I got the tatoo first, then the bike. I already knew what oil I was going to use.


crackmeup2.gif


Love it.
 
Harley Syn3 20w50 worked very well in my 2005 Sportster. In my 06 Lowrider I have used M1Vtwin 20w50, HD Syn3 20w50, Lubeatech 20w50 and Redline 20w50. For a big twin Redline seems to be the best but in a Sporty I would use the Syn3 20w50 especially in the trans/primary because it has little or no moly and won't cause any issues for the clutch.
 
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