Sportster oil- Shell Rotella

[BigCahuna]

Originally Posted By: Doog
Originally Posted By: nomochevys

I would like to change the oil once a year but that may not happen. With high gas prices I ride this thing all the time now and am racking up the miles. The bike is a 03 by the way and only has about 9K miles on it now. I have put 2K on it in the last 2 months. Sorry for the long post.


If you are riding 10,000 miles a year which is 2 oil changes how much money are you really saving? I would run Mobil1Vtwin 20w50 in that bike and change it every 5000 miles. BTW, if you calculate the cost of tires and other maintenance a motorcycle doesn't save you much per mile over an economy car unless you get a bike that is under 500cc.
Lets do some math. If you were to use 4 qts of Valvoline VR-1 oil and a $7 Harley filter the cost per change would be about $29. Times 2 would be $58 per year. Using Mobil 1 v-twin 4 qts and a $7 Harley filter 2 changes per year would be about $90 per year. That leaves a $32 difference which could be spent on gas, or beer, or just left in YOUR pocket, instead of the oil company's pocket.,,

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Yeah but above 40 its not recommended, and if I recall they say to use diesel oil as a stopgap only and to switch it out as soon as possible.
The only reason they want you to change it out, is so THEY can can sell you more of their overpriced oil. It won't hurt the motor at all or they wouldn't say to use it.,,


I wouldnt run Harley oil to save mein arsch. But heck the Kendall GT1 in the proper viscosity is even cheaper so why not run that?

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Yeah but above 40 its not recommended, and if I recall they say to use diesel oil as a stopgap only and to switch it out as soon as possible.
The only reason they want you to change it out, is so THEY can can sell you more of their overpriced oil. It won't hurt the motor at all or they wouldn't say to use it.,,


This is very true. The 15w40 rotella oil will absolutely NOT hurt your engine.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Originally Posted By: Doog
Originally Posted By: nomochevys

I would like to change the oil once a year but that may not happen. With high gas prices I ride this thing all the time now and am racking up the miles. The bike is a 03 by the way and only has about 9K miles on it now. I have put 2K on it in the last 2 months. Sorry for the long post.


If you are riding 10,000 miles a year which is 2 oil changes how much money are you really saving? I would run Mobil1Vtwin 20w50 in that bike and change it every 5000 miles. BTW, if you calculate the cost of tires and other maintenance a motorcycle doesn't save you much per mile over an economy car unless you get a bike that is under 500cc.
Lets do some math. If you were to use 4 qts of Valvoline VR-1 oil and a $7 Harley filter the cost per change would be about $29. Times 2 would be $58 per year. Using Mobil 1 v-twin 4 qts and a $7 Harley filter 2 changes per year would be about $90 per year. That leaves a $32 difference which could be spent on gas, or beer, or just left in YOUR pocket, instead of the oil company's pocket.,,


Yeah but what will be left of the Valvoline oil at 5000 miles in an air cooled engine? If it were a water cooled bike probably no issue. But I would spend the $32 a year which is 9 cents a day for the peace of mind.

 

[BigCahuna]

Doog, take a look in the Motorcycle UOA section, look at the at the Valvoline VR-1 UOA's. That should convince you that that oil will do the job without problem.,,

 

[Ken2]

The important thing is the oil's viscosity at operating temperature. The air cooled cylinders, especially the rear cylinder, run hotter than water cooled engines and have hotter specific points inside the engines. Use the specified oil viscosity.

JASO-MA is only about Japanese wet clutches running in the oil bath. It addresses nothing else about motorcycles engines and oil. JASO-4T is the spec for Japanese 4-stroke motorcycle engines without relating to the clutch.

 

[Propflux01]

Doog, Here is mine:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2366149#Post2366149

 

[nomochevys]

What is the typical cost of Valvoline Vr1 at say wall mart?

 

[BigCahuna]

I haven't seen it at Walmart , but get mine at auto zone. Last time I bought it, I think it was going for $5.50 a qt. Most auto stores round here carry it.,

 

[Robenstein]

At my local Thiessens farm store its about 4.50 a quart for VR1 and 3.50 for Kendall GT1 racing oil. So its pretty cheap for good oil.

 

[nomochevys]

Thanks for the opinions. I may look at valvoline since its 50w. I am trying to cut cost but wonder sometimes. The Mobile 15 50 is good and the motorcycle uses no oil on it what so ever. It runs fine on it even though its not specefic motorcycle oil. I think that is a lot of hog wash imo.

Im more confused now than ever. lol Thats what I get for coming to this forum.Oil and gas are going so high we have to look around or at least I do. The high prices have me back on my heals. I am riding my motorcycle every chance I can to save money from gas on my truck. My motorcycle is paid for so it does not cost much to run.

I hate these high gas prices.

 

[fxrider]

Valvoline VR-1 is $3.29 @ autozone & if ya watch the sales once a year it goes for $2.99 .... im still running Bardahl 20W50 that i bought for $1.25 a quart on a closeout..

 

[Sonic]

In my area the Valvoline VR-1 20w50 is like $5.49 a quart. The Mobil1 15w50 is basically the same price if you can find it in the 5qt jug. Considering you may only change your oil once a year or even twice, I'd just stick with the M1.

 

[nomochevys]

The valoline is almost the same price in my area also as M1. Ahhh. I may just stick with it and run it out to 5K. I will be buying wix filters also from now on and no more HD filters that are a rip off. I anticipate putting probably 8K a year on it so two oil changes a year give or take. Gas has gotten so high that the prices are killing me. I average about 45 mpg but thats it. Sometimes better and sometimes worse. These high oil/gas prices suck.