Synthetic For Shovels?

[jimboo]

oil for shovelhead engine? Redline 20w-60 or 60w harley oil?

can i run Redline 20w-60 in my shovel, i now run straight 60w harley oil. at night in the mountains sometimes drops in the 40,s during the day can be over 100 degrees. referring to montana and wyoming area in the summer.

 

[TQuentin1]

Re: dino vs synthetic

oil for shovelhead engine? Redline 20w-60 or 60w harley oil?

Jimboo,

If your bike has had a diet of dino oil all its life, and you have NOT had it completely apart and all the internal cleaned up (like an overhaul), then switching to a full synthetic like Redline, Spectro, Amsoil, or Mobil 1 VTwin (to name just a few) will likely clean out a bunch of crud that has accumulated over the decades. This is due to the better detergent package in these oils. So, some users with older engines have experience leaks that developed AFTER switching to full synthetics because of the better cleaning characteristics of these products. Just be aware of this possibility.

On the weight (actually viscosity) of the oil you should use in the engine: going to synthetic does not change what you should use from an oil weight stand point. Use the same weight called for by the Operator's Manual or Factory Service Manual for that model and year.

TQ

 

[lamegame]

Re: dino vs synthetic

i have an 86 evo thats been on dino all its life can i give it some synthetic juice was thinking Mobil 1 VTwin will it like it.

 

[lamegame]

Re: dino vs synthetic

thanks for the fast reply hobbit

 

[glider]

I have to go the opposite direction here about Syn in that engine. I think you would find that if you swapped syn into that shovel, it would leak like a strainer. Stick with a detergent oil of the proper viscosity for that engine.