I would like to see a good discussion on what brands of oil and what you think of them. I talked to a couple of pros and there is a big controversy about synthetics vs dinosaur. Some say that the rollers inside the engine will not roll properly with the synthetic and will ware out your engine faster? What do you think? How about the primary and the trans too.

I've been using Castrol GTX 10/40 and 20/50 since my bike was new. I stopped using the HD oil and chrome oil filters after my buddy (a long time pro wrench) looked at a brand new one just before I was to install it and told me it was junk. He took me over to the car parts store and we found a much better Fram oil filter of the same size and threads with 5 times the protection (his estimate). The filter is made for a BMW car. Oil changes are every 3000 miles give or take the distance to get home. I have very little stuck on the magnet oil plug and the oil is usually still pretty clean. Bike works great and knock on wood, I hope to get many more years out of it.
I use the HD tranny oil, fork lube and primary oil still.

i have been running Mobil-1 for about 5 years in the ultra and in the wide glide before it. I run the mobile gear lube in the trans as well..... never any issues. both have been bored out to 95 inches and run hard...

Wives tale or truth???
Older bikes can't use the synthetics

If a motor burns oil it will burn more with syn. Likewise if it leaks it will leak more with syn. It would probably be trouble in a tired motor or a shovel head or earlier motor.

I use Redline synthetic and am very happy. My RK has 32,000 and does not leak or burn oil.

I am in the exotic car business and have been for a very long time. It is pretty widely known in the exotic and high performance car world to stay away from Fram filters. They have gotten a well deserved reputation for collapsing internally and cutting off oil flow. I know of a number of motors that met their end as a result of that.


Opps screwed up and put the photo in twice.

First I ever heard of that so I just did a web search:
Results:


Lucky me!! I've been using the cheap ones for 17 years so far.
The filter I use is for a much bigger car engine with more flow and extra medium than the HD ones.
Thanks for the heads up!!

This is an issue where I listen to the wrench that built Betty's engine. He told me to use synth in her, so I do.

When I bought Spinner she ran very hot during break-in, so hot I thought something was wrong. The same mechanic suggested we change out the oil at about +600 miles (as I remember?), and we drained it. Nothing out of kilter, but I felt better about the procedure.

When I asked him about oil for Spinner, he told me to buy garden variety oil. "Get something, anything, in a nice looking can," he recommended. I agreed, he changed the oil, dealer's choice.

After the winter mods (done for power and to see if heat subsided) we once again faced an oil change. I have given him discretionary power, after all, it's "his" engine. Once again he chose the same oil and a black factory oil filter.

Spinner runs like a top.

One question Brian?
Since you have experience with hi end engines, what brand can you suggest?

I was in the Parts store last night checking into different brands and there wasn't a big variety...

I use the Harley oils. but I am sure that there are different options out there. Never would of thought that a Fram oil filter would collapse like that!

I am also a crew member on a record holding Land Speed Record Car. From that experience I have switched over to Redline but being 25 miles from the company makes their products very easy to get around here.

They make a 20/50 and 20/60 specially designed for Harley motors.

My shop is in the Ferrari business and we use their products for about 90% of our needs.