Trans oil question... Syn 3?

[SpringerSteve98]

I'm almost due for my first oil change. The previous owner said he changed out everything when he first got it... And i'm about 1k miles from being due (engine oil). He said he was going to put syn 3 20/50w in the tranny, which is what is in the primary... He said he had "rev tech" in the tranny now. When i go to do my oil change I kinda wanted fresh oil all the way around (even though the bike only has 13k miles on it)

Anyway, i just wanted some feedback from a more knowledgable source, this is my first EVO. Is putting syn 3 in the entire thing a mistake? Should I use a different weight in the tranny? I should add i'm a big fan of synthetic oils in my bikes, and i think its wise to spend a little extra on oil. I have a bone stock 80 ci EVO motor and a 5 speed tranny.

 

[Bud White]

use something other than syth 3 there are tons of posts about different oils to use

 

[SpringerSteve98]

Thats a great link, smitty, thanks. It makes me want to drain the tranny and change it immediatly, as i'm not sure what kinda "rev tek" oil the previous owner put in it. I do know it seems kinda hard to find neutral unless the bike is rolling. Could this be because of incorrect weight oil in the tranny? Or just poor oil choice?

 

[glider]

Could be either the weight or type of oil causing the problem. It's only a quart of oil, why not go for it?

 

[SpringerSteve98]

Its a rainy day here... Might as well.

OK, after reading quite a bit in the self help section I've decided to go grab a quart of (amsoil is likely) 75/140 GL-1 synthetic oil for my 5 speed tranny. Before attempting to change it is there anything i might be missing? Sorry if i'm bugging you guys... I'm just a new Harley owner thats very proud of my machine and i want it to run smoothly and for a very long time.

 

[glider]

Why not go with the Spectro? Worth the time to find it. IMO

 

[TQuentin1]

OK, after reading quite a bit in the self help section I've decided to go grab a quart of (amsoil is likely) 75/140 GL-1 synthetic oil for my 5 speed tranny. Before attempting to change it is there anything i might be missing? Sorry if i'm bugging you guys... I'm just a new Harley owner thats very proud of my machine and i want it to run smoothly and for a very long time.

Nope. Easy to do. You will want to put the following in your engine, tranny and primary:

Engine: FULL synthetic 20W50 VTwin engine OIL (Mobil 1 VTwin, or equivalent)
Tranny: FULL synthetic 75W140 GL-1 or GL-5 GEAR lube (Spectro, Red Line, Mobil 1, etc.)
Primary: HD Formula + or Spectro Primary

Also change out the oil filter to the HD one specified for your bike.

There ya go!!

TQ

 

[IR Rick]

Just pickup a new 09 Ultra Classic, i ran Sny3 in my 03 and the plug aways came out clean... i have been on other forum and they speck highly of the Sny 3... I just change the oil inthe engine and tranny on the 09 I had some Sny3 left over. the tranny smoothed out, and going into 5th and 6th it almost fell in. The 03 was hobby bike, the 09 is a cummuter, and plan on doing some over the road tips. Too try to keep these bikes up on service i can see they are a high CPM bike to run, Compare the Goldwing, but the 09 is alot more fun to ride,(it's hard to go home) It would be good to start a poll on how many miles you are getting out a motor or tranny on differant oils

 

[SpringerSteve98]

Went all over town and the only thing i found that comes close is a Royal Purple 75/140 GL-5... I recall reading somewhere in the self help section that the GL-5 is geared more twards the newer 6 speed tranny's. I read about, but don't really understand the difference in ratings between GL-1 and GL-5. Which is better for my 5 speed? Or is there enough of a difference to worry about.
I think i might end up waiting a hundred miles or so until i can order in some Spectro... Forecast is for rain most of this week anyway. *sigh*

 

[SpringerSteve98]

Just pickup a new 09 Ultra Classic, i ran Sny3 in my 03 and the plug aways came out clean...

I donno, just because the plug comes out clean doesn't necessarily mean that there is unnecessary wear that will show up just after your warranty expires. I guess i might be overly cautious and want the best for my ride. I want to see how many miles i can get... I'm in it for the long haul. To be honest i can't see why the Harley Davidson dealers would know more about oil than the people who produce oil and/or study what exactly the oil is doing.