Oil coolers are a waste of money unless you're racing...

I don't know why they would tell you that. It is fine to switch over at any miles. I would put AMSOIL in right now.

Yup AMS oil only for my bikes!

Yup AMS oil only for my bikes!

Not sure why they would tell you that.  I can not think of ANY reason that the motor would require motor oil for the first 2500 miles.  If I am not mistaken Harleys are being delivered with Syn3 at the dealers.

Lucky they are in fact not being delivered with Syn3 FYI... it's Harley 360 good buddy:-)

I was just reading something on synthetic lube and now know why they don't recommend it for break in...

The lower friction may make them [synthetic lubricants] unsuitable for break-in (i.e., the initial run-in period of the vehicle), where friction is desirable to cause wear.

That's the word around the campfire... break em in with conventional motorcycle oil then as they wear in start using the synth... Actually the HD 360 is a blend.

I run my 06 ultra with lowers all year. I live in the desert where temp gets over 100 never had any trouble never misses a beat that`s the way they test them when it blows it`s on them i`ll pay my $ 50 and ride on.

they have a big test track in Phoenix:-)

What do you think about using synthetic oil in an old bike, I run my 81 shovelhead with SAE50, temperature is about 250 riding around town, average temp here in Holland now is about 65 to 70º F

If your talking oil temp and its effect on the life of your engine, in all sincerety, you need my custom blend of oil. There are a lot of good motorcycle oils out there and one of them, amongst the best is Amsoil, although, there are others and none of them will greatly reduce, eliminate wear, or lower your oil temp faster or better than my custom blend. Problem is you need to be in DFW to get it. After the first of the year if I can move with parst fast enough I may be able to bottle it to go. I'll let you know at that point.

Gotta agree with ya there GoFur... And I know for a fact that the new syns DO greatly reduce wear and operating temps. Imagine that a company with billions of dollars in R&D can actually make a product as good as he did in his garage!

I'll stick with AMS Oil thanks.

Same here. The new syns including AMS have come so far I don't know how much more you could ask for. My last road king went 125k miles without one oil, heat or friction related problem. Never had any problem with it overhaeting, and I run in the desert A LOT! The last oil change the oil came out just as clean as it did on the early oil changes.

Oh yeah, back to the original point of the post... Harley Air Cooled V-Twins RUN HOT. Always have, always will!

125K, a Harley? Use the right blend and you'll get 1.2 millions miles out of it like the pan I saw in Iowa did. Anyway, if your're only planning to keep a bike, like a car, for 100K or so, it really doesnt matter unless its compression, torque and horsepower you wish to maintain or increase. No sense in doing anything not sanctioned by the OEM or retail parts sales organization if you do not intend to keep your bike.

Black9, everyone has their favorite oil, I know a race team that swears by Castrol, others (in trucking) swear by Amsoil synth for their big high compression deisels, others in the northeast swear by Valvoline 60W racing oil and I did back in the late 60's and early 70's myself. After seeing what it could do I tooted a horn for it. Now however, I'm more into longetivity than performance and I blend my own oil to achieve that goal. Now a days most people buy the latest products in that they're buyers not bikers and want to be assured they fit in with the "in crowd". No, you won't have any lubrication problems with Amsoil. I personally favor it over the other motorcycle oils, although, this is not to say there are no other good oils available in the same class. Unfortunately, no motorcycle oil will run at as cool atemp as my blend will and that is why I use it. I dont want abnormal warpage problems or to even take that risk. Your OK, keep on puttin.

Hey Bum, not trying to put you down or nothing... but you say you blend your own for longevity. I don't see how you can qualify that? Unless you've been doing it for a loooong time - like before syn even came out - how do you know you can get 1.2 million or even a couple hundred thousand miles on the bike.

Best advice boys and girls is to stick to the tried and true high quality syn products out there. I have worked on bikes using every top brand Syn 3, Mobile, Shell, Amsoil, etc and have seen good clean engines with no oil related where on any.

The one that really does stand out is Amsoil because it goes a lot longer without breaking down, meaning longer between changes. So if you don't mind spending a little more so you don't have to change you oil a few times during the year, go with AMSOIL.

Haha! I was just checking out this thread and noticed Bum. He blends his own oil? World's greatest mechanic! LMFAO!!!

Cisco,
Synthetic oil is not recommended for use in old bikes. It is actually the exact opposite problem as using it to break in a new bike. Since older bikes have alot of wear and Synth is able to provide the same protection at a thinner consistency, it can tend to oil bypassing areas of the engine where it is meant to act a a sealant. Such as allowing combustion gases to get past the rings, not providing proper support between bearings and the crank,etc...

I also think it's important to remember that oil temp is not the same as engine temp. It can be an indicator of problems but, only if you are reading major fluctuations in normal conditions. Oil provides about 40% of the cooling in an air cooled engine so the oil is absorbing the heat. If the oil temp is high it can indicate high engine temps and improper flow but,if it's just a little high it is most likely fine.

One of the best properties of synthetic oil is it's increased ability to cool the engine. However the heat is transfered to the oil so, if you switch to synth and your oil temp goes up, it is most likely that your engine is running cooler because the synthetic oil is working better then conventional oil.

The best way to tell if your engine is running hot is to do what Black9 does and use an external temp gauge.

Good info StBobber... Thanks

I live in North Fla, run a 96 unmodified. I installed an aftermarket cooler The tpe that follows the front frame rails. I have one of those temp caps that plug intothe oilbag. I run Amsoil synthetic. Either the guage is wrong or I am extremely lucky. My bike runs 250 down the highway in summer, close to 300 in dead traffic. I believe the cap with theguage in it may be wrog because the dipstick is longer which would influence this. Been riding it 3 years, no change.

300 sounds a little high, but like you said the guage may be slightly off. But not a big deal 'cause as long as you know what your guage says is your norm, you will know if it changes drastically that there is a problem.