Mobil 1 V-Twin + Lucas Oil Stablizer = Very Good

[JimB]

OK... this is not an oil thread. Im just sharing what I did & learned.

Background: 07 SG, 103 kit, 255 cams, HD adj p-rods & no head work. My bike has been noisy since it was new. Various clicks, clacks & rattles that no amount of rocker alignment or p-rod tweaking would get rid of.  It had a defined rattle passing thru 2500-2800 rpm, any gear, it didn't matter. Sometimes Id get a loud chatter on de-acceleration as well. When I did the 103 kit 13K miles ago, all the rocker clearances were checked and none was bad enough to shim. I've used Amsoil with a K&N filter from the beginning & changed the oil around 5- 6K miles.

I've read recently on various forums, that combining Mobil 20/50 V-Twin oil with Lucas Oil Stabilizer does a decent job at reducing upper valve train noise. I've never used any oil additive in the bike or in previous bikes either and generally considered the claims as Snake Oil & just a way to sell a product.

Lucas states on their web site that its ok for a HD V-twin motor.

It was time to do an oil change & since I was out of Amsoil so I picked up 3 qts of Mobil V-Twin and a quart of Lucas Oil Stablizer as well. Figuring what the hell... cant hurt anything if I tried it.

Did the oil change with a hot motor..., 3 qts of Mobil & 16oz of Lucas ( the Lucas stuff is thick, like warm honey) & fired it up. After a few minutes to get the new stuff circulating, I immediately noticed it was quieter than before.

Shut it off, checked the oil level, it was good enough & I headed out. Rode about 80 miles, noticeably quieter thru all rpm ranges. Oil pressure at hot idle was 8-10 psi, a little better than before & oil psi going down the road was at 32+ psi, about the same.

This morning I fired it up, the cold motor was very quiet as compared to before. I did about 125 mi today & it was quieter in all segments. The 2500-2800 rpm rattle is almost gone & no noticeable de-acceleration chatter.

Bottom line... I cant say if it is because of the new oil or Mobil 1 is quieter than Amsoil or the Lucas stuff helped it. But, using Mobil1 V-Twin 20/50 & Lucas Oil Stabilizer definitely reduced the valve train noise in my bike.

Your opinion may differ ................

[timtoolman]

I use it with red line 20-60. Always used it when I had big diesel rigs. Good results with it in everything.  Yes it makes valve train quiet

[whitebagger1]

A friend of mine uses the oil stabilizer in his flat tracker. Its burns alchohol and the alcohol and it's too dry. The lucas in the oil keeps it cooler and quieter and stops the alcohol from destroying the oil and the motor.

[76shuvlinoff]

The only time I've run the Lucas stabilizer is in my 1944 Ford 9N.
All I can say is it definitely raised the hot oil pressure from 20 to 35 psi

[Dennis The Menace]

So, what does the Lucas really do?  Raise the viscosity?  A thicker oil may explain reduced noises and ticks.  hmmmmm......interesting.

Jim, let us know how this works out long term.  I might try it out myself.

[Dennis The Menace]

Jim, did you use dyno oil and stablizer, or all syn, or a mix?  Looks like the Lucas stabilizer is available in syn or dyno.

[hogpipes1]

Sounds like the same  story STP always had  thicken up the oil  more vis- quite the noise . cold temps  more Eng drag at start up . then there's the experts in the oil industry who say a heavy  vis- oil has more drag, friction,  = more heat.  my own oil fix  mix is Mobil 1, or amsoil with a shot glass of moly. no dry starts  and at 1 time had the claim of slipperiest chem. out there. u tube had a video showing the Lucas stab. didn't mix with  the oil. so looks like everyone  has there own fix wheather they have  a problem (or think) they do.

[JimB]

I used the Mobil 1 V-Twin 20/50 Synthetic & the Non Synthetic Lucas, the Lucas wasnt available in Synth when I bought it.
Lucas says either can be mixed but does recommend the Synth in colder applications
I only used a 1/2 Qt of the Lucas so I dont think theres an issue.

Like I said, opinions will differ.....

[Rags722]

Do what you want and believe what you will when it comes to oil additives.  My personal opinion has been if you need an additive, you are using the wrong oil.

That said, I thought my tranny was making some noise, so I stuffed two bananas in there, and believe it or not, the noise is GONE.  I'm going to try adding a pear and apple to my engine oil to see if they help calm down the valve noise I've been hearing.  I've also noticed a slight pinging in this heat, and will try cough syrup on my next fill up.  I'm sure this stuff will do no harm because the bananas have been in there for 2 weeks and everything is fine. (Sound familiar?)

[troop]

Maybe just add a qt of Amsoil 60w syn to the mix??

[War Horse]

BANANAS !  Cool, are you using the synthetic ones ? 

[Dennis The Menace]

I'm not a chemical engineer or scientist, but I get the fact you can create complex molecular chains that can perform whatever task you want to perform.  After all, syn oil is a man-made chemical cocktail, so an oil additive can certainly be produced that provides some extra protection or function in a motor.

If the addititive were to increase/enhance the viscosity to a similar consistency of a 60 to 80 wieght, I can see the effect on our motors.  In hot riding conditions, it could be a real good thing.  IMO, when it gets above 70 degrees out and the motor is working above 2500 RPM (like, city riding), I would think a higher weight oil might do some good.  That seems to be the conditions when my TC starts to make a racket and one must wonder if the oil is getting a bit thinned out at a high temp.  Because, that is what happens as oil heats up--it thins (for the most part).

Just thinking out loud here, not that I am an expert on this stuff.  Maybe I should stick to building complex mainframe and server business systems--it seems to be easier.  lol

[Dennis The Menace]

I changed all the fluids and adjusted the clutch this afternoon.  Put half quart of the Lucas additive in the motor and will see what effect it has.  I also use Mobil1 20/50 syn and used the Lucas dyno additive.  Cant tell much diff, but only ran about 3 miles around the hood to get all the fluids flowing for now.  The clutch needed the adjustment, feels great again.

BTW, Advanced Auto parts has Lucas dyno additive on sale for 8.99 right now.  Syn was 16.99.  If anyone is interested.

[76shuvlinoff]

Dennis
.....ergo the Lucas additive must've fixed your clutch? 

- Mark

[Dennis The Menace]

Well, I didnt use it in the transfer (tempting tho).  It was the Hippo (RIP) clutch adjustment method that made it just right!  lol

[Scooterfish]

Rags,  On the bananas did you peal them 1st? 

[R.Bingham]

Well I tried the Lucas Synthetic Oil Stabilizer last night. I pulled 28oz of the M1 15w50 out of the oil tank that had about 1500 miles on it. I then I added the Lucas oil stabilizer.

I will have to say that it was a big waste of money.  I swear that it is noisier than before. I will be dumping it out ASAP.

I did notice that on the bottle it suggested for noisy differentials to use the Heavy Duty Stabilizer instead of the synthetic. After blowing $17 on the synthetic Lucas ain't getting my money for the Heavy Duty. On the bottle of the synthetic it claimed to quieten Harley Davidson motorcycles. I followed there recommendation of 30% of the capacity and if you ask me it made the noise worse.

[Dennis The Menace]

I noticed the stated viscosity at 100 C (212 F) was only 45 for the Syn, but 100 for the dyno additive.  Cant see where the syn product would do much, other than add slicker molecules perhaps.  The syn product defintely does not add viscosity to existing oil, the way I read it.

It also stated the dyno leaves a slick film when cold, which is supposed to help immediately with cold starts.  Sounds a like a big difference in the products.  This (dyno) would help with cylinder lube and bearing lube, according to their info.  Reduced friction and metal on metal is always a good thing on a cold motor, IMO.

[hogpipes1]

Take the receipt and complaint and send it back to the co. for a refund . there's a good u-tube video about how it doesn't work (mix) with the oil . some one can find it and put it on this site  to see for themself.

[rbabos]

Take the receipt and complaint and send it back to the co. for a refund . there's a good u-tube video about how it doesn't work (mix) with the oil . some one can find it and put it on this site  to see for themself.

Yup, seen that a couple of years ago and steered away from it until a few weeks ago. Hot summer weather prompted me to try it. Started to get periodic lifter clatter at times. Hell, even swapped the lifters out thinking they might be weak. Same thing. After the next oil change the lifter got quiet and have remained that way. That air mixing thing on the video might have been the cause.
Oh well, should be a good assembly lube if nothing else.
Ron

[86fxwg]

Did a bb kit on a buddys 02 roadking @ 15000 miles,now has 105000.He always uses 20/50 mobil1 with a quart of lucas,just checked his tensioners they looked good just put it back together. The motor is quiet   

128000 on my 86 fxwg never been apart other than lifters and a rear jug leak. Hell all i did was slide the jug up pulled the pin stone surfaced the cylinder and reasembled that was at 52000 mies. I know i like it,
My street glide gets it every oil change. I also use purulator filters.

Dave

[R.Bingham]

Did a bb kit on a buddys 02 roadking @ 15000 miles,now has 105000.He always uses 20/50 mobil1 with a quart of lucas,just checked his tensioners they looked good just put it back together. The motor is quiet   

128000 on my 86 fxwg never been apart other than lifters and a rear jug leak. Hell all i did was slide the jug up pulled the pin stone surfaced the cylinder and reasembled that was at 52000 mies. I know i like it,
My street glide gets it every oil change. I also use purulator filters.

Dave

Are you using Lucas synthetic or Lucas Heavy duty?

[86fxwg]

I use Lucas non syn stabilizer with HD 20/50. Actually it just tuned 129736 miles.

[PoorUB]

Did a bb kit on a buddys 02 roadking @ 15000 miles,now has 105000.He always uses 20/50 mobil1 with a quart of lucas,just checked his tensioners they looked good just put it back together. The motor is quiet 

I ride with a couple guys that have over 100,000 miles on stock 88's that run nothing but HD 20-50. Bikes run fine and don't use enough oil to add between changes.

[HarleyHiwayMan]

I use Valvoline Syn 20/50 motorcycle oil. I pulled out 12oz yesterday and added the mineral Lucas stuff yesterday. I rode 400 miles and the 103" is as chattery as ever. See no difference so I wil change it out and move along..
About HD360 20/50, its Cenex product. Could it be the same oil sold by WalMart and O'Reilly auto parts but in different color package? Nawwww, surely not, the other brands are a lot cheaper than Harley oil.