| Author | Message | ||
     Whisperstealth |
I'm planing on using mobile 1 15-50 in the engine, and would like to hear if anybody else has done the same. I know some use mobile1 20-50 in the primary, and at lest 1 person uses 10-40. I ask because I can get 4 qts of the 15-50 for cheap at wally-world, and it would be nice to be able to use that for both. What is the difference between "15" and "20" what exactly does the first number represent? Thanks, I know how muck people like oil threads  | ||
| Swampy |
It is 15W-50, or 20W-50. The first number is the flow rate at a certain temperature, usually the low number. So a 15W would flow faster at temperature X then 20W would flow at the same temperature. Typically the 15W is slightly thinner than the 20W. The other number is the protection at a certain higher temperature(I don't know what it is, I'm sure someone here knows) So a 15W-40, has the same cold flow as a 15W-50 but the 15W-50 has better engine protection properties at the higher temperatures then the 15W-40. Now something to think of is that the 15W-50 has more addititives to give it the better protection properties at the higher temperatures. I was once told by an oil engineer at the proving grounds that since the oil has to span such a wide range of temperatures that it will wear out quicker if used at the high extremes. Weather that is true or not  I run 20W-50, all the time in everything. I warm my bikes up slowly, not revving the piss out of them when they are cold. The only problem I ever had was a Blast that blew an oil pump drive gear, but the Big Kid that was riding it was doing everything possible to break it. I put a new gear and oil pump in it and he beat the crap out of it for another 15,000 miles before the big end bearing went out. Alot is to be said of the magic formulas that the synthetic oils have. | ||
| Billyo |
Do you use Mobil 1 for v-twins or the regular Mobil 1? The "for v-twins" seems to be hard to come by so I stocked up last time I found it. | ||
| Swampy |
I have used Castrol 20W-50 Synthetic(when it was available at Wallyworld). Mobil 1 15W-50 Synthetic(when on sale). I am using Amsoil 20W-50 Synthetic. Aaaannndd, in the old days I have used H-D(spit)Sport-trans fluid in the primary. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
I'm wanting to use the 15-50 in the primary and engine. The mobile 1 20-50 for v-twin is spendy even at WW when they have it, compared to the 15-50. $9.00 bucks a qt (20-50 V-twin) I think, to $19.00 for 4qts of the 15-50. I'd use amsoil, but at $11.00 a qt, kinda high. I'm just old enough to remember when valvoline was $2.00 or less for the dino! | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I used to use Mobil 1 15-50 from Walmart. It seemed to work fine, but then I tried Amsoil 20w50 just for fun. The engine was noticeably quieter (less clickity clack). Now I only run the Amsoil. Become a perfered customer ($20 per year) and the motorcycle oil is only $8.30 per quart. | ||
| Yamafreak |
I think 15W-50 would be fine in both holes just don't beat the crap out of her in the noon day sun.I run Mobil 1 20W-50 V-Twin in both holes but I would like to try the Amsoil 20W-50 in both. My bike runs and sounds so good how could it get any better?  | ||
| Towpro |
I don't know for sure, but I bet you find the V-twin oil has more zinc in it then the standard Mobile-1. | ||
| Dmmblaze |
It seems the general consensus of running 15w50 synthetic in both holes is fine. While most people saying so still run 20w50 anyway. Using the recommended oil, roughly a sawbuck more. Peace of mind, priceless. | ||
| Idaho_buelly |
"My bike runs and sounds so good how could it get any better?" Not only will it run and sound good,but it will "Feel" better with Amsoil..hahaha!  | ||
| Yamafreak |
My bike was a re-po when I got it, and the oil was black! I have 20w-50 v-twin in both holes now. when i get 1000 mile on the 20w-50(very soon)I want to change to 60w Amsoil in both holes for the summer.We will see how that feel's | ||
| Idaho_buelly |
I don't know about 60wt. But I do know 20-50 works well..  | ||
| Buewulf |
I switched to the Mobil 1 V-twin 20w-50 in both holes. Found it at Wal-Mart of all places for $7.00 a quart. Previous owner used the HD lubes. Shifts are certainly smoother, and there is a little less of that Briggs and Stratton-esque clatter from the engine. | ||
| Swampy |
The problem with 60W is that when it is cold you might not be able to get the stuff to flow, and then you might have oil starvation problems. The 20W-50, it flows like a 20W when cold but protects like a 50 when hot. I know lots of old skool peoples like to run the super thick stuff but they are not running them like "We" run them, plus I believe that the Buell engines are running closer tolerances than the "Other" guys... with hydraulic lifters and such. | ||
| Motorfish |
Advance Auto has Mobil 1 V-Twin on sale for $7.99 a qt. I think it is only for the month of March. I have not checked the local Wally-World. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
My wal-mart sucks! Only big store for miles around. I can go to other ones and find the same thing for less every time. I try to shop elsewhere when I can. | ||
| Cycletlh |
M1 15w-50 in both holes since new. Close to 30,000 miles in 2 years. No problems. Run it in m 4 stroke dirt bike and both of our Excelsior Hendersons. I also do not shop W M but have no problem finding M1 on the road. | ||
| Slowride |
Not to start a oil thread debate, but every Buell I have put anything other than sport trans in the Primary, I ended up losing the stator. 00 M2 99 X1 06 Uly So in the engine use 20/50 (pick a brand) in the Summer, 15/50 (Mobil 1) in the winter. In the primary, sport trans only | ||
| Mnrider |
I think anything in the motor is OK but I'm using Formula+ in the trans because of the stator like Slowride says. | ||
| Buewulf |
I can't for the life of me figure out how the brand of lube (or even the viscosity and formulation) used in the primary would have any affect on the longevity of the stator or anything other than the tranny and clutch. More than one of you has mentioned the stator issue, so could someone enlighten me on this matter? | ||
| Wesman |
There was an old wives tale that synth. would weep through the seal and damage the stator and dino would not ..... not true though | ||
| Mattmcc00 |
Here is an article about oils for motorcycles. http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Oils1.html They states that different conditions alter the pick of the best oil and that in fact thier are tradoffs making it such that thier is not 1 magical oil that fit everybody. BUT! He does states that these oils stand out for motorcycles: Synth: Mobil Delvac 1, Mobil-1 SUV, Shell Rotella T Synthetic. Of the 3 he seems to prefer the Shell. He also states that these are also fine oils: AMSOil, Motul 5100, Mobil-1 MX4T, Mobil-1, Redline, and Golden Spectro. And that Delvac-1, AMSOil, Redline and Motul synthetics contain no petroleum oils - they're pure synthetic. Word of caution on Mobile-1: Mobil-1 automotive oils all contain small amounts of moly - about 100 to 200 ppm. This can cause clutch slippage in some motorcycles. He's only heard of this being a problem in Honda Shadows. Regarding Harley's he had this to add: For extended oil life or superior protection, I recommend AMSOil, Golden Spectro, Motul 5100 or Mobil-1. Harley recommends a 20w-50 oil, so Rotella or other synthetic diesel oils will not do. However, the 15w-40 diesel oils meet the same film strength standard as 20w-50 oil, and are just fine to run in your Harley. I'm told that the standard Harley oils are made by Sunoco, and the Syn-3 is made by Castrol. The Syn-3 Harley synthetic is primarily a Group III oil, and contains very little PAO or Diester stock. I don't consider the Syn-3 Harley oil either a particularly excellent oil, nor a competitively priced oil. And for cheaper oils: If you prefer a less expensive petroleum oil, Chevron Delo 400, Mobil Delvac 1300, and Shell Rotella T are available at any auto parts store for under $7 per gallon, or at Sam's Club or Costco for under $6 per gallon. Their are lots more in the article including spec comparisons of the oils in a nice table. Also here is an article about AMSoil although I cannot attest to its un-biasness: http://performanceoiltechnology.com/harleydavidson oil.htm?source=overture | ||
| Reepicheep |
The stator is built with long coil of copper tightly wound on a ferrous steel skeleton. The copper wire has some kind of insulator "painted" on it. If that insulator fails, the stator can briefly short out, which makes arcing and a LOT of heat, which will start a cascading failure of the insulation... then the stator just dies. Historically, there was a worry about Mobil 1 gear oil and "yellow metals" like copper. I (and others) argued that copper doesn't matter, as the copper doesn't see the oil, the insulation around the copper does. So it shouldn't matter. But the nature of the insulation probably matters. Does Mobil 1 gear oil (or other oils) break down the insulation? Are there pinholes in the insulation already that let the copper start to react, causing the insulation to then fail? Who knows... In the tuber days, there was a pronounced difference in shifting when running the Mobil 1 gear oil instead of sport-trans. But now, we can get "formula plus", which works as well as the Mobil 1 gear oil. And the XB bikes shifted a lot better anyway, so there was not as much problem to fix. So the results are still speculative, but there just isn't much reason to risk it anymore. $6 for Mobil 1 gear oil, or $9 for formula+, then just run it for 10k miles... Just run the formula plus and be done with it, or put in non gear oil 20w50 in a pinch. IMHO, that's where I am at now. | ||
| Buewulf |
Thanks for explaining, though I can't imagine there would be any adverse reactions to the insulator/stator element from gear oil that wouldn't also be experienced from any other oil synthetic, petroleum, Mobil 1 or HD. OK, I officially hand this thread back over to the original poster. Sorry for jacking. | ||
| Tocino |
Not to start a oil thread debate You just did (or resurrected one anyways)   | ||
| Slowride |
"Did I do that?" | ||
| Bdrag |
Slowride So what the hell is "sport trans" ? Are you saying the Mobil 1 V Twin will or will not do the same thing as anything other than this Sport Trans whatever. Is that the HD Primary oil? BDRAG | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Sport Tran is the old formulation for the tranny juice. The new stuff is Formula + +1 on what Reep said, no one has been able to prove one way or the other regarding Mobil 1 gear lube. However, I lost 2 stators with the stuff. Since changing back to Formula +, no problems. Same thing on a couple other bikes I keep running for friends (I wrench, they buy beer, reroof my house, restock shop supplies, etc.). The failure mode was the same on all 4 stators that I've replaced (or was it 5, I loose track). I should have taken pictures of the last one.. Also like Bill said, Mobile 1 really worked great in the gear box. Much better than SportTran. The Formula + works just as good as the Mobil 1. Besides, it smells a WHOLE lot better! Mobile 1 stinks! Brad | ||
| Slowride |
BDRAG, Said in my best "Full Metal Jacket" Joker voice channeling John Wayne.... Ha, Whuat tha hale is Spoort Tanns, well it is just the best damn oil in this here side of Pecos.... Youins eyes open? Primary ALL THE TIME....  Summer  Winter  | ||
| Hambcastle |
I put Amsoil in the '09 Uly, and immediately I noticed the fan not coming on at all after shutdown on shorter trips. I haven't done the comfort kit or ECM flash yet. It must be running cooler. Also have it in the primary. | ||
| Yamafreak |
Hambcastle........What oil did you change from, was it? | ||
| Yamafreak |
I would like to run 60W Amsoil in both holes this summer,it should flow well. In the fall I mite try the 20W-50 Amsoil. I have 20W-50 V-Twin in both now. | ||
| Brakes2late |
M1 15w-50 from Wally World ($6.27/qt) in both holes for 2 years and 22k miles in my 06 Uly...No issues. |
