ironhead sportster oil weight?

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so, were going to have the top end rebuild on my 82 1000cc ironhead.

a valve hung open 2 years ago...


so, without knowing what thw engine builder will recommend, would a 2050 act as a 50 wt oil and do fine in these engines?

theres random people on xlfourms saying they ran 2050 the last 30 years without issues. so im wondering if 2015 oil is a weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee bit better then 1982 lol
 
The oil is probably better , but still is what should be used in your bike.And yes it's a 50 wt when up yo temp. In AZ, you could run straight 50 or even straight 60 wt without issues.,,
 
im curious what the guys will say. i was seriously contemplating 2050 and frequent changes since dad lives 1 mile from work........................................
 
20w50 will work fine. The problem with Ironheads is they just run hot. So make sure the thing is not running lean and if you do not have one, putting an oil cooler on it would be a good idea.
 
i have a billet oil cooler i made myself.

i drained the oil yesterday on the thing and it was disgustingly thick.
 
there's a good possibility of some sludge if the oil drained 'thick' after being warmed up; you might want to consider doing 2 short mileage OCI's to flush out any [censored] from the engine...if you have an AutoZone and they are still running $2 off/qt then grab some Valvoline conventional 20w-50 (enough to do 3 oil changes) and 3 applicable filters; run 2 consecutive 1000 mile oil changes with new filters for flushing reasons and change back to a normal length/time oil change interval afterward (unless you prefer a different oil than Valvoline); good luck with the ironhead...
 
If you have any places that sell Mystik oils around, pick up some of their 15w50 semi synthetic HDEO for a flush.

Around here a 2 gallon jug is about 25 bucks. That should help clean it out and many people use the oil all the time in their big twins with pretty good luck.
 
I'd run Red Line _after break-in_, probably starting with their 15W40, unless my engine builder was knowledgeable and specific about an alternate spec.
 
the top end is at the shop being redone... turns out a valve seat gave out and thats why she died.


ill be purchasing walmart 2050 for the break in and flush... might stay with it from there on or seek a different brand
 
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