Hi Doc,yet another question about oil,I am about to put Mobil V Twin in my 06 softail standard but I am wondering if it is ok to use in all three holes ? I googled mobil and one of their write ups said to use the manufacturers suggested oil for the tranny and another said it is now ok to use V Twin in all three holes.What do you think, as I am being told by the mechanics I talk to not to use a 20w50 in the tranny.I don't want to be swapping back and forth using different oils so I would be greatfull for any advice. Also,will mineral and synthetic oils mix ? Thanks in advance Doc.   Peter.

 

Hi again

Yes, use it in all three.

Don’t mix synthetic and mineral oil as a regular thing although many oils out there are partial mineral/partial synthetic.

When I say regular thing, I mean it’s okay to mix in an emergency situation because at the end of the day it’s all oil and slippery stuff anyway.

I had a situation where one of my bikes was leaking oil and on the road where I discovered this I couldn’t get any synthetic oil but it needed a bit over a litre so I bought some mineral oil to fill the bill in the meantime. Everyone and his dog is an expert on oil, especially mechanics who often are brainwashed by oil company reps. Why in hell would H-D recommend Syn3 in their trannys if you shouldn’t use a 20W50 as it’s a bad thing? Their statements JUST DO NOT MAKE ANY SENSE.  This oil, that oil, this one is the world’s best, yada, yada, yada. Stick Mobil I V-Twin in all three holes and relax. Walk away from oil comparison discussions as they are mostly wrong, lead to uncertainty and aren’t worth listening to.

Cheers

Doc

ps This is well worth a read.

http://www.mklsportster.com/xlsyn3.htm

 

 

Wow a journalist in a magazine says to do it,so I guess it must be true

I don't know too many people that say you can't run synthetic engine oil in all 3 holes if you wish.Just that it isn't the best oil or even ideal to use.That is why you have people changeing transmission fluids to dedicated fluids,especially when hash shifting or noises become evident,and quite often,the quality of the shift or the amount of noise is reduced.I won't enter into the brand names,as this has been covered in other parts of this forum.But also be aware that anything you put in the primary,shouldn't contain any friction modifiers,as these adversly effect the clutch operation.I won't even go into the fact that there are basically type 3,4 &5 types of synthetic oils available,and all are rated to different tolerences,and a lot of different things mean a lot of different things to different people.Some are more concerned with cost,others just want the best,regardless of cost.Others will just go middle of the road and maybe change things a bit more often.Non of these things are right or wrong,just comes down to the fact that you need to be aware of the choices you have,make your own INFORMED decission and then don't whinge if something goes wrong.Because you will always get the inevitable "TOLD YOU SO"  when it does

PS

Do a search,there are much more up to date and better articles about the pros and Cons of synthetic oils in Harleys available on the net

 

nobody