Oil: which one is favorite

[hd74]

What is everybodies favorite oil? I have finally run out in HD prelux 105 weight. I had cases of this stuff which you can not get anymore. Because I am rebuilding I need a good replacement when she is ready to fire. Is aeroshell still around?

[Cotten]

Yes, Aeroshell is still available, and perfect for a break-in oil. Aeroshell 80W is actually 40 weight, and you will want a light oil if the motor was rebuilt to spec.

In the long run, however, you may want something with anti-corrosion and wear inhibitors. My choice is Texaco Ursa 50, which since Texaco and Shell merged, is essentially Aeroshell with additives.

There are lots of good oils. Cheap but clean oil is better than dirty expensive oil. The only ones that I stay away from are Pennsylvania oils like QuakerState and Pennsoil. They sludge.

[VintageTwin]

Why risk your motor? The first 50 miles are the most important as well as the oil that is used to lubricate the internal parts when the motor is first started. Harley oil is designed for air-cooled motors, to prevent the roller bearings from skating on the surface of the bearing's race. If the bearing slides, it will create a flat spot on the roller and a memory that will force the roller to return to that spot. A thin film of oil is the only protective cushion the bearing parts have. The worst thing about using Harley oil is having to drain it and throw it away after the first 100 mile oil change, and then after the 500 mile oil change. In the late 70's Shovlehead owners began reporting valves sticking on hot motors while waiting at traffic signals. The heat generated while idling would increase the temperature of the piston rings and exhaust valves to critical levels. When the oil broke down from heat, carbon formed and lubrication decreased, and without warning, the valve would stick. The problem became more sever as petrol formulations changed to meet stricter environmental regulations. Sun Oil made Harley an oil with an experimental additive. In testing, the new oil earned a rating of 240, which meant the motor ran continuously for 240 hours. The testing was stopped at 240 hours before the minimum of test criteria was checked. This rating was three times superior to conventional motor oils. Two things affect the performance of an oil: the additives and the base oils. The quality of base oils vary widely. some of these are good for use in motor oils and some are not. H-D oil is formulated using crude from a specific area that gets refined, receives added polymers, and is tested to see how it performs in H-D motors. No other company has the H-D oil formulation, nor can they duplicated it. Harley uses an oil rating system developed by H-D engineers. The system uses the prefix HD, followed by the average number of hours the oil ran sucessfully in the test. A poor quality oil is rated HD40. A top quality automotive oil would be rated HD80. Harley's oil is rated HD240. The recommended viscosity grade for use in ALL temp. conditions is SAE 20W50 Harley oil. The SAE 50 and 60 grade is satisfactory is temps 60-100 F. The SAE 60 grade, in ambient temps from 80-over to 100 F. Use H-D's SAE 60 grade or cheaper Kendall 70W in 1936-64 transmissions.
Note: The SAE 20W50 H-D oil contains the same additives as the SAE 50 and 60 grade H-D oil. The difference is the ploymers added to 20W50. Both oils offer the same skid-protection to roller bearing/race surfaces. Aviation oils are not recommended because these oils do not contain an important additive that is required for good wear protection. All motor oils wear out. A. the additives become depleted B. The oil molecules undergo a chemical reaction with oxygen and break down. C. Contaminates, like water, gasoline, carbon, and dust tend to get mixed with the oil. Change the oil every 2,500 miles. Don't put additives in Harley oil, it doesn't need any. Buy it buy the case. Know this, because I know Stett will rebuild my motor if it pops, I run my Panhead hard. I don't wind the snot out of it, but I have run HD 20W50 for 30,000 plus miles in hot, hot, hot conditions...trying to burn it up... Like out to Borrego Springs where it gets over 100 F. daily. I think about Harley's oil claims when I start it up after getting gassed-up out there, out there where you can fry an egg on the sidewalk....I think about the rings,valves and bearing races, when I kick the slobbering beast over and I feel good knowing that I have anti-skate protection. It took more than a year to get my motor back and in the machine and on the road and I beseech of youse, to not think about how much the oil costs, just buy a case, take it on home and use it. Put some between your fingers. Feel that tack? Rub it into your hair and scalp. Check out how much cling is left in the bottle. That's HARLEY OIL!

[Cotten]

Having the HD label on a bottle of oil is just a drain on your wallet.
If you think its anything different than Mystik from your local farm supply,... then you are just gullible.

[57stroker]

I'm trying a semi-synthetic 50W made by D-A oils. I like synthetic oils, but if there is a place that weeps - it begins leaking. It seems like synthetic oils find a way to leak out of any motor, especially a Panhead. It's been in the motor about 100 miles and now you can see wet areas around some of the gaskets. The valvetrain is a lot quieter with the D-A. It's been 80 to 90 degrees the last few days and the motor and oil run cooler than the Custom Chrome 50W I was running. It should help my guides last longer.

[Sidecar]

I gotta throw my 2 in.
I know a petrochemical engineer that says that oil never breakes down, it just gets dirty. You only have to filter it.
Large ships never change the oil. They filter it and drip additives into the flow.
The old biker dudes around here spit on H-D oil because it foams when on the throttle hard. They run Wolfs Head oil.
I dunno ???
I don't run H-D oil because it's way overpriced.
I run 50w straight.
People argue about oil all of the time.
People say that H-D has been building the "same" engine for 50+ years. I dunno ?? Has H-D used special additives for over 50+ years in their v-twins ??
I live in Pa and have never seen Pennzoil or QuakerState sludge in anything unless it was dirty or burnt. No different than any other oil.
I do know one thing though. There are a LOT less oil refineries making motor oil than you might think. Why do you think all of those plastic bottles look the same and they have paper labels stuck on them ??? I've been there and seen it with my own eyes. Yeah, someone will tell you that they put different additives in the bottles.............
I like some better than others. I would say, buy what you feel most comfortable with, but stay away from the cheap stuff.
I don't run this oil anymore, but I think my favorite is Castrol.

[Cotten]

Sidecar!
You got it pretty straight.
My contention about sludging Pennsylvania oils is based on my experience in an auto shop. I could walk down a line of engine blocks and point out the ones that used Quaker, Penns, etc., by just looking at the gook from several feet away.

I was told it was the sulfur content. Great for racers, but .....

Oddly, I think that Wolf's Head was a Pennsylvania oil that wouldn't do that. But that might have been because I always poured it off of the top of the can and left the green stuff on the bottom.