| Author | Message | ||
     Brucelee |
I think your logic is flawed here and you may be setting your bike up for engine failure. I like the ROTELLA and use it in my BMW. However, it is too light for your bike (according to HD) and that bike really does require 20-50 given the head temps etc. Secondly, ROTELLA is not a real syn, rather a group 3 hydrocracked oil. It is a FINE oil but not a real syn. Third, ROTELLA has a MUCH lower HTST rating than say the Red Line, which means the oil will start to shear at high temps while the Red Line or M1 Twin will not. These other twins also have a higher flash point than the ROTELLA, which again is important in the high temp Buell environment. It is true that the lower vis will generate a bit less internal heat. However, if this is the logic employed, why not 5W-30W? | ||
| Thunderbox |
Actually there are several recommended oil viscosities in the owners manual. It depends on what the maximum temp is expected to be. You need lower viscosity oils for colder starts. You should use the oil viscosity recommended by Buell for your bike. Using an oil 10 less than recommended probably won't hurt the engine as most oils change viscosity long before they are ever changed. Most important thing is use a good quality product and you will be better off. | ||
| Brucelee |
"Actually there are several recommended oil viscosities in the owners manual. It depends on what the maximum temp is expected to be. You need lower viscosity oils for colder starts. You should use the oil viscosity recommended by Buell for your bike. " Totally agree with this. Using an oil 10 less than recommended probably won't hurt the engine as most oils change viscosity long before they are ever changed." Can't see where this makes sense. You want to use the correct viscosity as recommended by the bike maker AND use an oil that will stay in that grade when subjected to high temps AND an oil that will stay in grade as mileage piles up. To me, that is a real syn selected for the correct temps. That is NOT ROTELLA in most cases. "Most important thing is use a good quality product and you will be better off" Good quality being the operative word here. For me and most knowledgable oil types, that is first rate real syn at the proper vis for the temp encountered. | ||
| Thunderbox |
I use 100% synthetic. Bardahl Vtwin 100% Syn. So far it has been very good. The bike uses virtually no oil. Less than 4 ounces for 7800 kms (about 4900 miles) that was 2 up riding and sometimes pretty fast. Good oil is diffinately the key word here. You can't say enough about a good synthetic. Some have used normal dino oil for years with good results. I just chose a little better lubrication and I ride it hard. What I mean about oil changing vis is they all do. Some are better than others but in air cooled motorcycles the biggest change occurs in the first 500 miles. (Message edited by thunderbox on July 24, 2006) | ||
| Lowflyer |
To me, the whole oil debate is like arguing about bottled water. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I drink my water straight from the tap. I heard a guy on NPR say that the manufacturing process in making PET plastic bottles introduces lead into otherwise lead-free H2O. I'll take my water pb free if you please. | ||
| Lowflyer |
Tap water has mercury in it. | ||
| Brucelee |
"To me, the whole oil debate is like arguing about bottled water" we probably know a lot more about the oil we use than the bottled water we drink! | ||
| Lowflyer |
Pure conjecture. | ||
| Jmhinkle |
Brucelee Well, Shell Rotella T Synthetic may be one of those fake Synthetic Group 3 oils, but it has proved itself over and over in many different types of vehicles and situations as an excellent oil and can perform with or outperform some of the Group 4's. You are obviously well versed in your oil research or want us to believe you are, but either way I'm not going to argue about which one is better or a truer Synthetic. I've tried them all including the awfully high priced Amsoil. My overall best results of gas mileage -vs- longetivity -vs- oil analysis results varies by vehicle. The top 3 have always been Amsoil, Rotella T Syn., and Mobil 1. Use whatever you want and you are comfortable with. Personal tests leave me using Rotella T mostly and occasionally Mobil 1. Amsoil simply loses on price for me. As far as weight of oil, your heads will explode before they reach the temps that would require you to use 50W over 40W. As another person wrote, weight diminishes over time too. A good quality 40W will outlast a so-so 50w before shearing down. As far as 30W, you could get away with using one of the best 30W oils because they have a higher flash point than a crappy 50W. All I'm saying is a lot of factors come into play. Use what your comfortable with for your reasons. As long as you follow the overall guidelines of the book reading thru the BS, you will be all right. Any diesel rated oil is generally pretty good and that is why it is suitable for motorcycle use including our Buells. Notice is says switch back to 100% HD oil ASAP though. Do you think that is because your engine will self destruct without it? I think you know better. By the way, preach as much as you want about Oil Brands, but realize everyone gets different results from real world testing and they get sick of seeing use XX brand or YY brand or your motorcycle will die immediately. I'm glad you found something that works for you, but in my case, I wouldn't hit a dead dog in the arse with any Redline product. | ||
| Teeps |
Right side scoop = less fan run time = good in my book. But not $250+ worth. Realize that NO ONE from Buell is going to "admit" that a right side scoop is beneficial (or worse needed.) They have to tow the company line when it comes to design characteristics (some,here, might argue flaw or deficiency) especially when it comes to compliance, in this case EPA Emissions. (Message edited by teeps on July 25, 2006) | ||
| Lowflyer |
I drink Ozarka. Anybody that drinks anything else will develop butt cancer and die. | ||
| Ftd |
I bought the same model RSS as Aeholton. It should be here this week so I will report back my findings. Living in central FL I figured I needed all the cooling help I could get. Frank | ||
| Brucelee |
Re: ROTELLA-- As I said above, I use the oil in my car and it is a fine oil indeed. My car calls for a 5W-40WT oil and ROTELLA is a good oil at a good price. Then again, my car runs at 180 degrees all the time. The HTST of Rotella is 2.9; Of Red Line 6.1. The VIS of Rotella at 100C is 15.0 Red Line is 19.8. At least from where I sit, I will use the RL in my very hot air cooled engine. To each his own. | ||
| Lorazepam |
Ice Mountain for me. My job keeps the possibility of butt cancer at bay with regular reamings. | ||
| Lowflyer |
What brand of finger lube are they using? | ||
| Lorazepam |
They go dry all the way in. You get used to it after a while. | ||
| Jim_sb |
Riding home from the Moto GP at Laguna Seca on Sunday I had to ride through 115 deg. F. temps in the vicinity of Paso Robles, CA. Probably spent an hour at 75mph or so in those temps. I suspect the fan was wailing the entire ride home - doesn't bother me and it's hard to hear anything over wind noise at speed - but it gives rise to several questions: 1. What happens to my engine in that scenario if the fan quits? 2. Would I be able to tell if the fan quit? How? I can't hear much with earplugs and wind noise at speed. 3. Does the bike let me know via the check engine light if it's overheating? 4. Would an additional scoop provide the needed airflow? 5. Has Buell tested these bikes in these extreme conditions? (I suspect they have) 6. Are there any suitable temperature gauges I could get and mount on the bike to monitor either CHT or oil temp? AFAIK everything worked as intended. I will say this, when I shut down in Pismo Beach and again in Santa Barbara the fan continued to run for a long, long time. That bike was hot. Very hot. Regards, Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Fubar |
Jim - Did a similar ride Saturday - North to the East SF Bay area. Quite an experience. I rode for a couple hours at 80-85 mph. *Never* been so hot in my life. There were a couple sport bike guys under an overpass stripping off their racing leathers. One got them to his ankles and kinda just crumbled to the ground. My Uly performed great and I'm sure she was feeling much better than I was when all was said and done. | ||
| Bosh |
I did about the same ride as Fubar. Felt like riding through a blast furnace. Bike ran great all the way home. But definatley put some serious run-time on the fan. I would think it should be OK if it failed as long as you had some speed, but RS scoop would be peace of mind for sure. Waiting for the price to come down. P.S. The Highway Patrol made some HUGE $$$ that weekend!! I turned off at 12th street to make some gear adjustments and came up on 8 motorcycle cops lined up on the on-ramp with another hiding behind the bushes with a radar gun. They were having a good ole time. (Message edited by bosh on July 25, 2006) | ||
| Jim_sb |
Ditto here. I saw extensive CHP presence on the 101 after the races. I kept it around 75mph and tried not to upset them, just go with the flow. It worked. But I did see them handling out plenty of paperwork. Some to motorcyclists. Best, Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I believe the stock scoop on the ULY is setup so the fan draws through it. The aftermarket scoop seems like it would be of use as long as you are moving but an insulator when you are not moving. As for oil, I did my first oil change after 70 odometer miles (Motoman breakin) and I used Walmart Supertech 15W40 which is diesel rated. After 1000 or so more miles I used Mobil 1 15W50 synthetic as I have in my 97 Electraglide. Problem is, Mobil 1 was under 20 bucks for a 5 quart container and now they want about 28 bucks, and this is at WalMart. That's too high for a penny pincher like me. | ||
| Ftd |
I got my right side scoop today. Installed it with no issues. Great fit/finish. I will report back after testing it with central FL's summer heat. Frank   | ||
| 44mag2 |
Looks awesome! | ||
| Xbimmer |
Thanks for those pix, Ftd. The symmetry is a bit off but so is the XB stock so I don't care. More air to the rear cyl can't hurt IMHO. In my very-unscientific SOTP opinion... What's the worst that can happen? A pressure buildup of stagnant air (on a bike?) behind the rear cyl due to "obstructed airflow" of the L/S scoop? Since the fan is designed to work with the L/S scoop to remove heat then if the dual-cooled rear cyl does get hot enough to trigger the fan then I can only assume extra positive pressure from the R/S will exit via the fan (or in front to the sides of it) allowing a quicker cooloff and fan shutoff. As mentioned, pure conjecture. But I just ordered a scoop like Frank's which I didn't want to pay that much for but I'm hoping it'll reduce the fan's activity, after of course the warrantied replacement of my rattling current 6k mile-3 month old unit... | ||
| Bosezone |
I can tell you that if the fan goes out (mine did) the motor is fine as long as you are moving along. In town or at lights etc it behaves pretty much like any other air cooled twin. It gets a bit hot, pings from a start until your moving again for a minute or two. So if the fan went out at speed enough so you could not hear it, you would be fine. Where it will make a difference is hard acceleration with lots of stop/starts or idling around for long periods. In which case you will hear that the fan is not running and notice the engine heating up as you would on any air cooled motor. | ||
| Xbimmer |
Ftd, just noticed your modified front end... some more pix plz? | ||
| Solarbri |
Ftd, Where did you get that scoop from? | ||
| Ftd |
Solar, Email Rob at r.crins@gmx.net for scoop info. Frank | ||
| Ftd |
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