[DKIN21]

Anyone Using Lucas 20w/50 Motorcycle Oil, One Person I Talked To Said That He Is Running It In A 07 And That It Cooled It Down Quite A Bit. Any Comments??

Dkin

[jazzhog]

I don't no much about the Lucas oil but I do know that they make a good product. As far as the scoot goes I use amsoil 20-50 synthetics on my 01 fatboy and the bike does run cooler amsoil is also recommended for your other components on the scoot works very well. Check it out "JAZZ"

20W50 motorcycle oil - high performance Synthetic-Best for BMW, Triumph, Harley Davidson and more

[hotroadking]

Basically a 20W-50 is a 20W-50, dyno or syn

The big difference is the syns ability to withstand the heat and not breakdown over time like a dyno oil does, so it cleans and lubricates better, longer.

Better lubrication means it's easier for the piston to move and the other parts, ie less friction - less heat.

They all work well,

Everyone has their favorites.

Me I like Mobil1 Vtwin from the Autozone about $9 a qt
HD Syn3 is about $9 to $11 depends on the dealer
Royal Purple,
Amsoil
Redline

All have pretty much the same ingredients, and work pretty much the same, whichever you can buy easiest is a good thing.

[Art_NJr]

Basically a 20W-50 is a 20W-50, dyno or syn

Nope.

I'm not a chemical engineer (mechanical) but I used to work for one & have spoken @ great length with 2 others - one @ Red Line & the other @ Mobil. The guy I worked for retired from Amoco. And I also contacted the Society of Petroleum Engineers with a question about basestock oils. There is the slight possibility I learned a thing or two

A 20W50 conventional oil starts out as a 20 weight, then additives are mixed in to make it "act" like a 50 weight hot. The molecular structure is like a licorice stick or a DNA molecule - twisted. As the oil heats up, those molecules start to unwind & get longer - but if the oil gets too hot, the molecular structure falls apart & you can't put it back together.

But Red Line synthetic 20W50 starts out being 50 weight & has fewer additives. It can carry the 20W rating because it can pass the "cold flow" tests - which a conventional straight-weight oil like Valvoline SAE 50 can't. Amsoil uses a different basestock than Red line does & says it's better, but the SPE says it's not.

Nothing wrong with the basestock Amsoil uses, it's the "additive package" for the given application that's most important & I know folks who get great results with Amsoil. I happen to like Red Line better, but I also like good old-fashioned Valvoline conventional straight-weight Racing oil, which I've used since 1969, with not one oil-related engine failure.

But conventional & synthetic oils are very different & just because they carry the same rating (such as 20W50) does not mean they are the same. They are not even close in formulation.

[steveb]

I am curious about the Red Line is that a brand name and where would you get it. I have never seen it.

[chucktx]

no matter which oil you pick, be sure it will preform in an aircooled engine......royal purple auto oil will not work in an air cooled engine....same holds true for the others.......make sure it is specified for aircooled or vtwin......

[AZroaddust]

Originally Posted by Art_NJr

[color="Navy"]I'm not a chemical engineer (mechanical)COLOR]

That's OK. You would probably want to discuss oil matters and additives with a tribologist anyway.

[Art_NJr]

Originally Posted by steveb

I am curious about the Red Line is that a brand name and where would you get it. I have never seen it.

The website has a dealer locator. See: Redline: Why Red Line
and: Red Line Oil: Dealers

I am not a salesman for Red Line & stand to gain nothing if you choose to use it, but I can tell you I use it & 5 Sportsters I have put my hands on, including 2 running my engine, set Land-Speed-Records using Red Line.

And I can also tell you that when we pulled the top end off my 100" Sportster-based race engine after the 2002 season, when we won the East Coast Timing Association Championship, including a run of 180.025 mph, my piston-to-wall clearance was exactly the same as when the engine went together in December 2001.

And I do mean exactly - I measure to the 10-thousandth of an inch. Hone marks on the cylinders the same as a year earlier - cam wear -0- etc. I was a real "hard sell" on synthetic, but I know for a fact Red Line works - just darn expensive.

[Art_NJr]

Originally Posted by AZroaddust

That's OK. You would probably want to discuss oil matters and additives with a tribologist anyway.

Oh yes I would !!

God gave me the gift of the desire to learn & I certainly understand that "the more you know, the more you realize you don't know."

[pococj]

I've been running "car" oils since my first bike in 1973 - a '72 XLCH. In THE MAMA's Nightster I run Mobil 1 15w-50, purchased from Wally-World for about $20 per 5 qt jug. There is so little difference between it and the Mobil 1 V-twin that there is no way to justify the nearly double price. I had both of these oils, as well as HD Syn 3, tested for their additive packages. Both Mobil 1 oils had far better packages. And they are Group IV oils, while Syn 3 is a Group III. Throw in that HD Syn 3 is produced by CITGO, owned by our buddy Chavez from Venezuela, and I'll pass on ever using it.

If you're interested in learning about this type stuff, check out BITOG, an oil forum. http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi

Bottom line is this - use any quality oil of the correct viscosity for the riding you do. If heat is going to be a problem, then use a synthetic. Use a good filter, change oil and filter at 2500 - 3000 miles, and don't worry about it!

[chucktx]

i tried using auto oil of the same weight....bike ran hotter and noiser.....i was using royal purple..........changed back to oil for aircooled and all is good......
your mileage may vary tho......................

[steveb]

Thanks for the info on Red Line . I went to the web site and read the info there. It is interesting. I may try that oil the next time I change. It is a little spendy but so was the bike.

[REED]

I am a trucker (long haul)and a retired mechanic and I use the same oil in everything I own Mobile Delvac 15w40 it works great in my bike 06 Dyna FXDI 3500 with 131 cid engine. I have 2M miles on my truck 3406E cat and still running the same pisstons cyls and rings that it came with, engine hase gear drive cam roller tappets cooling jets on the pistons etc sort of like a twin cam, can be obtained at all good truck stops throught America and Canada and all at a very reasionable price. reedth@telus.net

[hotroadking]

As far as viscosity is concerned 20W-50 is 20W-50 dyno or syn it doesn't matter, regardless of the manuf process or starting point, these grades are standard and there isn't a syn viscosity range that is different than dyno.

[HellBoy]

While waiting for my ignition module to come in to my HD dealer, I've asked about synthetic oil and always got the same answer. The service mgr. said it will run cooler, but noisier. is this true? If so, what kind of noise. The ignition module was affected by heat, so I figure a lower temperature would be a good way to help prevent any further stalling out issues.

[jazzhog]

Originally Posted by HellBoy

While waiting for my ignition module to come in to my HD dealer, I've asked about synthetic oil and always got the same answer. The service mgr. said it will run cooler, but noisier. is this true? If so, what kind of noise. The ignition module was affected by heat, so I figure a lower temperature would be a good way to help prevent any further stalling out issues.

Absolutely not! Synthetic oil does not make the engine noisier, (at least not for me) it does make the engine run cooler. However the brand of lubricant is critical as for any type of oil. I use amsoil on my scoot because it has been proven to be superior to the motor company's brand of sync 3. I've been using it sins I bought my twin cam and it works great. I also use it for the gear box and primary. I've been researching some different types of lubricants and I've been getting a lot of good feedback on the redline brand especially for the gear box and primary. "JAZZ"

[Art_NJr]

Originally Posted by jazzhog

Absolutely not! Synthetic oil does not make the engine noisier, (at least not for me) it does make the engine run cooler.

My experience has been just the opposite - BUT - I don't use a multi-grade conventional, with the exception of having used H-D 20W50 for start-up & initial run-in on a rebuilt engine. Once the rings seat, out it comes. Comparing conventional Valvoline Racing Oil (not street legal version) SAE 50 with Red Line synthetic SAE 50 (also carries the 20W50 rating but it's not multi-grade), the valvetrain noises are much less noticeable with the Valvoline, but the oil temps are the same. Same is true when I go to 60 weight in hotter weather.

Now if you compare a conventional 20W50 with a synthetic 20W50, there shouldn't be any difference in mechanical noise level, but the engine should run cooler on synthetic.

I've been researching some different types of lubricants and I've been getting a lot of good feedback on the redline brand especially for the gear box and primary. "JAZZ"

That's what I switched to - Red Line 75W90 in the primary/trans on the street Sportsters & in the primary in the race setup. It has the proper additive to keep a "wet clutch" from slipping - several gear oils don't. I've got a Zippers trap door in the race setup which seals the tranny off from the primary & I run Red Line Shockproof Light in that tranny. Same combo is recommended for big twins too, but Shockproof Heavy in the trans.

Much of the time what works @ the track does not work on the street, but lubricants are certainly an exception. As previously mentioned, I was a real "hard sell" on synthetic but I started using Red Line @ Bonneville in 2001 & I'm sold. 4 team bikes set records in numerous classes running the engine oil, primary fluid & trans. fluid for the particular application both there & at the "Monster Mile" @ Maxton, North Carolina.

If you want to kill a lubricant real quick, run wide open for 4 miles on the salt, or a mile from a dead stop on concrete, after 50 or more full throttle dyno pulls. Do that all year long then take the engine & tranny apart. No measureable wear. Do it again the next year, same results. That's what sold me, not lab tests or advertising.

[jazzhog]

Originally Posted by Art_NJr

My experience has been just the opposite - BUT - I don't use a multi-grade conventional, with the exception of having used H-D 20W50 for start-up & initial run-in on a rebuilt engine. Once the rings seat, out it comes. Comparing conventional Valvoline Racing Oil (not street legal version) SAE 50 with Red Line synthetic SAE 50 (also carries the 20W50 rating but it's not multi-grade), the valvetrain noises are much less noticeable with the Valvoline, but the oil temps are the same. Same is true when I go to 60 weight in hotter weather.

Now if you compare a conventional 20W50 with a synthetic 20W50, there shouldn't be any difference in mechanical noise level, but the engine should run cooler on synthetic.



That's what I switched to - Red Line 75W90 in the primary/trans on the street Sportsters & in the primary in the race setup. It has the proper additive to keep a "wet clutch" from slipping - several gear oils don't. I've got a Zippers trap door in the race setup which seals the tranny off from the primary & I run Red Line Shockproof Light in that tranny. Same combo is recommended for big twins too, but Shockproof Heavy in the trans.

Much of the time what works @ the track does not work on the street, but lubricants are certainly an exception. As previously mentioned, I was a real "hard sell" on synthetic but I started using Red Line @ Bonneville in 2001 & I'm sold. 4 team bikes set records in numerous classes running the engine oil, primary fluid & trans. fluid for the particular application both there & at the "Monster Mile" @ Maxton, North Carolina.

If you want to kill a lubricant real quick, run wide open for 4 miles on the salt, or a mile from a dead stop on concrete, after 50 or more full throttle dyno pulls. Do that all year long then take the engine & tranny apart. No measureable wear. Do it again the next year, same results. That's what sold me, not lab tests or advertising.

Hey, Art it looks like you put the icing on the cake brother you definitely sold me on the Red line brand with that track record. Thanks, "JAZZ"

[hotroadking]

BTW I run Redline Heavy Shockproof gear oil in the trans, it's pink, so don't let that freak you out lol

It makes the loose gear setup in the HD's super smooth and quiet, (yeah it quiets down the gears) Good Stuff

I might try some syn 20W-60 down here in the summer, I do get more noise on dyno than syn, don't know why but it works, go figure, as you know the viscosity is the same but the syn seems to help.

[HellBoy]

At some point early this summer ( after I get my bike back from having the ignition module changed). I think I'll go to an independent and have the oil changed to either Amsoil or Redline. This way I don't have to listen any grief from the Harley dealer mechs

Art, to be clear, I shouldn't hear much of a noise difference and will likely see an improvement in shifting/ going to neutral. correct?