Oil, single or multigrade

[DuoDave]

Description: What are the thoughts on this?

I see that some of you guys are using 20/50 multigrade oil in your Pans. I use 50 weight monograde. The trouble is that the 50 weight is not available locally, I have to order it up specially. I use 20/50 in my other old bikes, so it would be handy to use it in the Harley. What are the thoughts on this?
I use the same 50 weight in the Harley gearbox. Any recommendations here?

[dirtydistrict]

Duo; if you use detergent oil such as 20w50 you should use a filter as this oil 'clean' your engine and bring with it particules; also, change your oil regularly. For me 20w50 is a good choice, available everywhere. Any comments ?

[panster]

Hi Dave,
yep I use 20w50 in my Pan, I run a Norton Commando style oil filter bracket which takes a short spin on iron head Sportster filter, and change the oil every 2,500 miles.
No problems, but who knows 'till rebuild time.

[VintageTwin]

I've used Harley's 20-50 on my Pan motor since it was rebuilt 30.000 plus miles ago. I put my Pan motor out there on the road as a "test case" for Harley 20-50 exclusively. I have the OE external filter. I change the oil every 3000 miles. There is something about Harley oil. I wrote about it in the book, from info sent to me from Jerry Heinz, Harleys oil engineer. Sun Oil makes the secret formula. They use additives for an air cooled motor's heat extremes. My friend in Houston who restores Triumphs, and Nortons said, "Aw man, I was in the advertising business. The Harley oil thing is a bunch of hype...who ya teasin?" However, get a bottle of any 20-50 oil on the market. Then get a bottle of Harley 20-50. Put some oil from brand "X" on your fingers, then close your fist. Open and close your fist. Now, go wipe your hands off. Then put some Harley oil in your hand. Do the fist thing again. Uh-huh!!...yeah....feel that "cling"? Sticks your fingers together doesn't it? Uh-huh..Uh-huh. See?? Hey I tell you what....my other friend who uses nothing but Harley oil in his '78 Sportster, since the day he bought it new, says that he burns less oil using Harley oil. Other people have testified to this too, but Harley makes no claim on that. H-D prints their testimonials, but remains quiet. If Knuckle and Pans didn't drip to the primary, I'm sure we would see the difference in oil consumption as well. I say...buy Harley oil and save your motor and your money in the long run. So it cost $4.50 a quart and it takes 20 plus bucks to change your oil. It's your motor man..(author gets all choked up with emotion at theis point)...it's your horse...(blubber, sniff, boo-hoo)...and also the 20-50 is thinner than straight grade 60. The thin oil gets drawn out of Knuckle lower covers quicker than cold thick grade 60. Use straight grade 50 or 60 in your trans. Mark Stettler, M.M.I. phd, who rebuilt my motor said, "After 2,000 miles on your motor, you can alternate between oil changes using Harley 20-50 one time and Harley grade 60 the next. For purity of testing though, I've used Harley 20-50 only, and my motr runs swell.

[panster]

I didn't say in my previous reply, I,m using H-Ds oil too.
I just clicked over 32,000m today since '98, a little smoke at
tickover, but appart from the chain oiler, consumption seems pretty
good, (better than my last Shovel, not quite as good as my Evo Sporty).

[53rigidrider]

I looking at Royal Purple synthetic oil in 50 and 60 wt. My wrench buddies swear by it, and one was running his '61 Pan 200 miles out of Boise when his timing hole cracked down the case.
He rode to Boise with virtually no oil in the case, and only had to replace the left side case due to the crack. (there was no appreciable damage to the rest of the engine) He was running that synthetic.
Anyone else hear good or bad stories of synthetics?
;D

[Sidecar]

Biker dudes around here don't run H-D oil. The word is that it foams when hard on the throttle. I'm not talking about the yuppies either.
I used to run 20/50 H-D in my dresser and switched to straight 50 when it got warm outside. The 20/50 used to scare me when the oil pressure would drop off to almost nothing at 90 degrees ambient. Too friggin thin.
I run non H-D 50 now and let the bikes warm up for a while before I take off.

In case you're interested, the special additive for air cooled motors is available in quarts from Ural dealers.

[shaker]

I went from H-D 60 to mobil 1 super syn 15-50 in my 49 used .5 qt at 1000 mi with both , runs a little cooler with the mobil , my pan has been switched to belt , and has s&s pump , i guess makes a little difference. shaker

[Sidecar]

Anyone ever do the screw driver test with STP oil treatment ???
Dip a screwdriver into the STP and then try to hold onto the shaft with your thumb and first finger. It sure is hard to hold onto.
A couple of years ago someone gave me a bottle of "Hyperlube" or something like that. It's in a tall, kinda thin almost clear bottle with blue or green or red writing on it. It must be about a quart. It's floating around my home somewhere. The guy that gave it to me builds high performance H-D's. He ran it in all of the drag bikes he built. I think he told me that you can add it to all of the oils. He swears by it. I never tried it. Maybe it's good stuff ???
Buy good oil. The kind that you are comfortable with and change it every once in a while.
I can't say for sure, but I think they only had 30 weight when these bikes were designed. I have manuals on early 2 stroke engines that required 30 weight premix. There is no mention of any other grades.
I'm afraid of 20/50 when the weather is nice and warm.
Someone, "who is in the know" once told me that H-D uses "thin" oil to make them run hotter so they can pass the air pollution standards easier (along with a lean fuel mixture).
Hot bike = burn cleaner ??

[VintageTwin]

To me, it all comes down to this: In hot August. Mid-day at a long traffic light (no, lets say someone roped you into riding in a ...parade, yes a parade!) and it's hot, hot, hot. Harley promised me that when I use their oil (20-50 or straight-grade 60 or All-Temp, any oil they make) that no matter....no matter.....how hot it gets inside the motor, that Harley's oil is specially formulated so that it always leaves a thin film of oil between the roller bearing and the race of main bearings. This thin film keeps the rollers from "skating" on a race. If the roller skates, it leaves a flat spot on the race and creates a "memory" for the roller to return and slide again..and again...and again. As for putting aftermarket additives (like STP) in Harley oil? Harley says, "It's like adding sugar to Coca-Cola...it doesn't need any"- Jerrry Heinz, H-D Oil Engineer.

[Sidecar]

''As for putting aftermarket additives (like STP) in Harley oil? Harley says, "It's like adding sugar to Coca-Cola...it doesn't need any"- Jerrry Heinz, H-D Oil Engineer.''

You hit the nail right on the head !!!!!!

You can make your own H-D oil just like Jerry did and save yourself some money !!!

Any airplane nuts on this board ??
What do/did they run in air cooled engines ??
It may be interesting to know because the air brakes don't work very well on planes when you're droppin out of the sky !!!!

I should add that I was thinking about the amount of revolutions and not the heat build up. I would think that they use excellent oil in planes with props.

[DuoDave]

Well, the replies here are pretty much what I expected, with some favoring 20/50 multigrade and others opting for a monograde suitable for their local temperature range. I came across this site a couple of days ago - http://performanceoiltechnology.com
Look up the article on Harley-Davidson oil. Makes interesting reading. Of course the guy is trying to sell you his product, so who knows? My own opinion is that H-D oil is probably no better or worse than any other equivalent oil, but clearly there are some of you who feel otherwise.

[53rigidrider]

I got about a gallon of AeroShell 60 weight radial aircraft
oil that I've used in my Pan, until I got thinking about airspeed and altitude in relation to cooling a radial engine.
I ride at about 300' above sea level, and except in dead Winter, the temp doesn't even come close to -10 F like the aircraft engine is used to.
I'm running Rev Tec 50wt right now, but am looking at the Royal Purple Synthetic in Spring.

[Sidecar]

I looked at the Amsoil site and I'm not impressed with their stuff.
In 1987 I ran their synthetic stuff in a 2 stroke. I ran it at a 40:1 premix ratio. (their instructions called for 50:1) In 50 to 60 degree F weather, while racing my buddy, in a clearing in the woods, I cooked the top end of the motor. I might add that it was a water cooled motor.
It didn't overheat. Lack of lubrication did it in.
There was a guarantee back then (not sure about now). The rep that called on the place where I bought the stuff, didn't want to talk to me about it. Guess that they didn't want to pay ???
I guess that I would have to say that I don't want to run their junk.

[DuoDave]

Thanks for the benefit of your experience, Sidecar. I don't think Amsoil products are available in the U.K.,but if I come across their stuff, I will be giving it a miss. As luck would have it, I found a local stockist of Castrol 50 weight, so I will stick with that. It means I don't have to buy a separate oil for the gearbox.