HD Forums Australia
Home
Topics

2021 Softail Standard oil use

1/2
  • ScottyB
    ScottyB
    2 years ago
    Hi everyone. Wandering your opinions about my bike. I have a 2021 Softail Standard. Love it, awesome bike. Though since I bought it, I have put 2.5 litres of oil into it. The bike has done 12,000km. At about 6,500km the dipstick was dry. There is no evidence of an oil leak anywhere. Bike isn't blowing smoke. The bike is running great. Booked it in for the dealer to have a look at it end of next month. Has anyone else heard about this motor going through that much oil?
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    2 years ago
    G'day mate, HD have an allowable oil consumption figure for the M8, it's bullshit but it's there, yours sounds worse than their limit but being warranty you will have to rely on the dealer, a compression test and a leak down test would be handy, it's gotta be going somewhere even if you are not seeing smoke.
  • John.R
    John.R
    2 years ago
    I think they quote a 1qt (basically 1l) as acceptable every 1k miles. Ridiculous. 
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    2 years ago
    Thats perfect for a 2 stoke M8!  What they all complaining about?

  • WideglidingNZ
    WideglidingNZ
    2 years ago
    Quoting John.R on 28 Sep 2022 09:30 AM

    I think they quote a 1qt (basically 1l) as acceptable every 1k miles. Ridiculous. 

    Ridiculous indeed if you do the HD service intervals(8000k's) that's using about 8 litres of expensive HD oil between services and you have to put up with it, just HD Bull Shit hopefully a decent dealer should sort it for you(fingers crossed) lucky for me my '20 Lowrider S never uses a drop
  • STEAMER
    STEAMER
    2 years ago
    Quoting ScottyB on 28 Sep 2022 12:11 AM

    Hi everyone. Wandering your opinions about my bike. I have a 2021 Softail Standard. Love it, awesome bike. Though since I bought it, I have put 2.5 litres of oil into it. The bike has done 12,000km. At about 6,500km the dipstick was dry. There is no evidence of an oil leak anywhere. Bike isn't blowing smoke. The bike is running great. Booked it in for the dealer to have a look at it end of next month. Has anyone else heard about this motor going through that much oil?

    Similar to Sumping
  • ScottyB
    ScottyB
    2 years ago
    Thanks for the replies everyone. Like you said my hands are tied a bit as the bike is still under warranty so back to the dealer and hopefully they sort it. Should be using bugger-all oil. Sumping idea is interesting. I do think it's lost a little bit of power. The fact that the oil light won't come on, I remember checking the oil at about 6500 km's and the dipstick was dry. No oil light.
  • John.R
    John.R
    2 years ago
    Oil light goes off pressure not oil volume. It'd have to be so dry of oil that it sucks a gut full of air long enough for oil pressure to drop before light goes off.

    I've been keeping an eye on mine after hearing some peoples experiences. 
  • B0nes
    B0nes
    2 years ago
    An earlier model and pretty extreme but check out this video.

  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    2 years ago
    To the best of my knowledge the M8 softails are not prone to sumping, that's not to say they can't just that it isn't a regular occurrence. 
    Bones, that vid makes me nervous, my 110 has 6 thou, last time in the pump still looked good, finger's crossed.
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    2 years ago
    Lotsa horseshit about oil on the net, yours shouldn't be using oil to the extent it is, wouldn't matter min or syn.
  • ScottyB
    ScottyB
    2 years ago
    Thats it Grease Monkey. Every rider I talk to, oil use is usually the least of their worries. Use bugger-all! Going back to the dealer this Friday, so I'll put it on them to suss it out. 
  • Far Canal
    Far Canal
    2 years ago
    My 2008 Softail Standard never used any discernable amount of oil, until I had the stage 4 bizzo added. Then it suddenly started using oil. Cant help but thinking the people who put the bigger jugs and pistons in just took them out of the box and fitted them without checking the clearances were acceptable. Bike blows no smoke and leaks no oil but as has been said previously "the oil must be getting lost somewhere".
    Recently rode from Hobart to Gympie (about 2000ks), took 2 litres of spare oil and got there with both spare bottles gone.
    That makes Harley's ridiculous quote of 1litre to 1000miles seem enviable!.
    I am even stupid enough to service the bike every 5 thousand Ks. Probably only need to do it every 20K when ya put that much oil through the old thing.
    Keep hassling  the dealer ScottyB. Your bike is under warranty and that is exactly what warranty is for.
    Good luck with it.
  • STEAMER
    STEAMER
    2 years ago
    My 2011, fxst, stage 1 with 58,000km. Lucky if uses 100mm between services. Really i would say uses no oil.
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    2 years ago
    Quoting Far Canal on 23 Oct 2022 02:55 AM

    My 2008 Softail Standard never used any discernable amount of oil, until I had the stage 4 bizzo added. Then it suddenly started using oil. Cant help but thinking the people who put the bigger jugs and pistons in just took them out of the box and fitted them without checking the clearances were acceptable. Bike blows no smoke and leaks no oil but as has been said previously "the oil must be getting lost somewhere".
    Recently rode from Hobart to Gympie (about 2000ks), took 2 litres of spare oil and got there with both spare bottles gone.
    That makes Harley's ridiculous quote of 1litre to 1000miles seem enviable!.
    I am even stupid enough to service the bike every 5 thousand Ks. Probably only need to do it every 20K when ya put that much oil through the old thing.
    Keep hassling  the dealer ScottyB. Your bike is under warranty and that is exactly what warranty is for.
    Good luck with it.

    That's fucked bro, needs a hone an new rings minimum, damn pricks frighten people off what they know, nothing has changed, slugs go up n down, cross hatch matters, straight bores are very desirable! 
  • 408
    408
    2 years ago
    Quoting Far Canal on 23 Oct 2022 02:55 AM

    My 2008 Softail Standard never used any discernable amount of oil, until I had the stage 4 bizzo added. Then it suddenly started using oil. Cant help but thinking the people who put the bigger jugs and pistons in just took them out of the box and fitted them without checking the clearances were acceptable. Bike blows no smoke and leaks no oil but as has been said previously "the oil must be getting lost somewhere".
    Recently rode from Hobart to Gympie (about 2000ks), took 2 litres of spare oil and got there with both spare bottles gone.
    That makes Harley's ridiculous quote of 1litre to 1000miles seem enviable!.
    I am even stupid enough to service the bike every 5 thousand Ks. Probably only need to do it every 20K when ya put that much oil through the old thing.
    Keep hassling  the dealer ScottyB. Your bike is under warranty and that is exactly what warranty is for.
    Good luck with it.

    Quoting Grease Monkey on 23 Oct 2022 02:29 PM

    That's fucked bro, needs a hone an new rings minimum, damn pricks frighten people off what they know, nothing has changed, slugs go up n down, cross hatch matters, straight bores are very desirable! 


    I found a pic of the 103 cylinders in the big bore kit.  They look ok to me  :)  I guess the Dealer does the hone.

    Seriously, a check with a leak down tester would be interesting. I have one I will loan you.

    103 big bore.png
  • Far Canal
    Far Canal
    2 years ago
    ''Seriously, a check with a leak down tester would be interesting. I have one I will loan you.''

    Thanks for the offer GG408, might have to take you up on that.
    Bit busy right now but will get in touch.


  • Fey
    Fey
    2 years ago
    2016 FLS  serviced every 12 months. Last time by Fearless Motorcycles. I'll continue to go there until we move up North.They are a great bunch! Don't ride as often as I would like to especially with the lack of decent weather in Adelaide at the moment. 9000kms never had to top up the oil. Check it every time I head out or get back and just stays at the top mark.
  • ScottyB
    ScottyB
    1 year ago
    Hi everyone, thanks for your comments.
    The dealer wants to check the oil every 1000km's.
    So oil filled to the top line of the stick.
    Just took it back for the 1000km check, oil has probably gone down a quarter of the stick.
    Just have to take it back after the next 1000km.
    So see what goes....

  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    I know this isn't really helpful, but my 1990 Sportster with 160000 km on the most recent rebuild, scored bore in rear cylinder and a minor weep around the top O ring on rear exhaust pushrod tube uses way less than that. That's gotta be fixed under warranty! 
    As others have said, it needs a hone and new rings at least, maybe valve guide seals as well.
Topics
1/2