is it OK to use 10w-30 mobil 1 syn. in a 2010 ROAD GLIDE

[gabbyduffy]

     I picked up some 10w-30 on sale, anybody using it there harleys

[Coyote]

Is it motorcycle oil or car oil?

[pddredduece]

I would not get away from using 20w50 oil. This is a air cooled engine, only air and oil plus fuel cool your engine.If your bike is stock it runs hot because of emissions.You can get Mobile  20w50 Motorcycle full syn oil at Advanced Auto Parts for $9.95 a quart. Some times you can find it on sale for $7.95 a quart. Why would you want to run oil for a car to save a little money and use it in a $20,000.00 plus motorcycle

[gabbyduffy]

Is it motorcycle oil or car oil?

car oil.

[Coyote]

My understanding is there are some additives (zinc maybe?) in M/C oil that are needed that are not in car oil. Not saying some don't use it but I'd give it a pass.

[Super Dave]

I'd use it in a car. Or, a lawnmower. Not my bike though.

[nibroc]

only in the XLCH's to kick start 'em in the dead 'o winter to show the wifie that they will start on the polar bear run

[War Horse]

This winter I found some Moblil One 15-50 on sale at AZ, never again, tho I will look into the Mobil One 20-50 V-Twin and try that, the Amsoil was getting to pricey for my current situation. Heck, even gas is gettin to pricey.... might have to go to McBarfs and get the used french fry oil. 

I cant believe I got sucked into another oil thread...... moths to a flame , I suppose.... 

[gabbyduffy]

    thanks fellows,..........i ran up to the corner and grabbed some 20w/50 mobil one syn, after draining that water of an oil out of my bike...... during the winter i read about guys using 10w/50 with out a problem, so i bought the 10w/30 thinking it was 10w/50........oh well. thanks again.

[GaryD]

I use 10-40 syn motorcycle oil in the winter - Chicago area - syn 20-50 syn in the summer   

Personnally I'd never use car oil in a Harley or any motorcycle for that matter.

Coyote, yes zinc was one of the additives they took out of the old Mobil1. Can't remember the other ingrediant.

I believe zinc was used to lub the valves.

[04Glider2]

Mobile 1 V-Twin 20/50 is their syn oil specifically for air cooled V-Twin bikes. You have to look around to find it, not all the auto stores carry it. Shouldn't pay more than $10 for a quart ever and usually less.
I suppose it is different than their 20/50 car synthetic? But who knows.
The Red line MTL is the same as their primary chaincase lube. They tell you that right on their website: Same product different label on bottle.

[tmwmoose]

Advance Auto here in Florida is selling mobil one motorcycle 20-50 synt @7.99 a qt I have been buying out the stock at the four stores in my town all month not one distributer can touch that price

[ridinflyin]

if you look at the service manual the 20w is for cold weather starts down to 40 degrees f  the 50w is for riding in temperature to 80 degrees f    you can use a 10w if you ride in WI.  winter say 30 or less and you can use a 60w for hotter than say 90 degrees as in AZ.  as long as the sg/sc/sh matches for detergents  you should be fine wether its auto  or motorcycle been useing auto for the last 105 yrs since 1903 till the last 5 yrs when they discovered motorcycle oil???
chicago ridin weather fir me is from 20 degrees on a sunny no snow day to trips out west at 110 degress  i use  redline 10w/60 so i dont chase the weather changing oil

[PoorUB]

     I picked up some 10w-30 on sale, anybody using it there harleys

Maybe if you ride in cold weather, but not for summer time use!

[EGNBLUE]

This winter I found some Moblil One 15-50 on sale at AZ, never again...

OK, I'll ask...why never again on the 15-50?

[dakota224]

Put the 10W30 in your car or lawnmower.. use 20W50 in your Harley.   

[glens]

Coyote, yes zinc was one of the additives they took out of the old Mobil1. Can't remember the other ingrediant.

I believe zinc was used to lub the valves.

Whatever it's intended purpose, I believe they reduced the amount due to adverse effects on "pollution control" equipment.  That would pretty much have to be any combination of O2 sensors and catalytic converters, I'd guess.

[Ultrashovel]

10w-30 is too light for a Harley-Davidson engine.

[War Horse]

This winter I found some Moblil One 15-50 on sale at AZ, never again...

OK, I'll ask...why never again on the 15-50?

Mind you this is my exprience with my bike and doesnt reflect to an over-all picture, not trying to start a war here 

My bike also has 93K on the clock and always had 20-50 in the engine, plus I live in Florida=heat and a heavy bike.

The reasons are 1, the engine got loud as heck once it got hot ( valve noise) 2, oil presure was 5-7 Lbs lower when hot.

And its not even summer yet when even the 20-50 struggles to maintain during 100* temps.

[MikeL]

I been running the Mobil 1 15/50 in my 2000 RKC I keep the oil in for 5k miles just turned 45k on the odo. Oil pressure cold 45-50psi 0-10 piping hot. I wouldn't put 10/30 in any HD. I'm gonna be upgrading to 98 cid within the next month. I'll let you all know how the cylinders look when it comes to wear but I bet nothing out of the ordinary.


                                                                                        MIKE

[hd06myway]

My understanding is there are some additives (zinc maybe?) in M/C oil that are needed that are not in car oil. Not saying some don't use it but I'd give it a pass.

I swore I wouldn't comment on another motor oil thread, but just had to chime in since you mentioned Zinc.. American Iron Mag did a oil test a few yrs ago, now we're talking testing, like laboratory, and there's no reason NOT TO USE AUTOMOTIVE OIL IN YOUR HARLEY'S, in fact, for Dino oil (non synthetic), KENDALL GT 20w-50 has MORE ZINC additives, and additives that are beneficial to your HARLEY AIR COOLED motor than Harley's own 20w-50 oil... Kendall GT and Synthetic Mobil 1 15w-50 were both HIGHLY recommeneded for use in your HARLEY motors... I swear by 20w-50 Kendall GT, been usuing it for decades, if you want to save a few $'s, you don't need to buy "motorcycle" oil, there's no such thing... that's a marketing ploy, wake up and educate yourselves people!     and no, I WOULDN'T use 10W-30 in my Harley...

[kik]

My understanding is there are some additives (zinc maybe?) in M/C oil that are needed that are not in car oil. Not saying some don't use it but I'd give it a pass.

I swore I wouldn't comment on another motor oil thread, but just had to chime in since you mentioned Zinc.. American Iron Mag did a oil test a few yrs ago, now we're talking testing, like laboratory, and there's no reason NOT TO USE AUTOMOTIVE OIL IN YOUR HARLEY'S, in fact, for Dino oil (non synthetic), KENDALL GT 20w-50 has MORE ZINC additives, and additives that are beneficial to your HARLEY AIR COOLED motor than Harley's own 20w-50 oil... Kendall GT and Synthetic Mobil 1 15w-50 were both HIGHLY recommeneded for use in your HARLEY motors... I swear by 20w-50 Kendall GT, been usuing it for decades, if you want to save a few $'s, you don't need to buy "motorcycle" oil, there's no such thing... that's a marketing ploy, wake up and educate yourselves people!     and no, I WOULDN'T use 10W-30 in my Harley...

You are right there are some car oils that do just fine in air cooled engines, after all look at the old VW air cooled engine, they ran fine. But War Horse is also right, the 15-50 make my bike rattle like it's coming apart when the temps get above 80* I'm looking at Valvoline racing 20/50 right now.

[Ultrashovel]

You folks need to read the Harley-Davidson Owner's Manuals for your respective motorcycles. Above 80 Deg. F., Harley recommends straight 60 Weight oil.

[harborjohn]

Motorcycle Oil?  I have a picture in my head of the guys at the oil bottling plant laughing thier azzes off when they are filling the motorcyle oil bottles(knowing those guys will pay double the price for the same oil)       What if I put my motorcycle motor in a boat, do I need to run boat oil in it?  Im sure if i put my motorcycle motor in a car i can run regular automotive oil, right?

[runamuck]

I would only use it in the primary. Have had 10w-30 in mine for many miles...

[War Horse]

Motorcycle Oil?  I have a picture in my head of the guys at the oil bottling plant laughing thier azzes off when they are filling the motorcyle oil bottles(knowing those guys will pay double the price for the same oil)       What if I put my motorcycle motor in a boat, do I need to run boat oil in it?  Im sure if i put my motorcycle motor in a car i can run regular automotive oil, right?

BUT, if I put my boat or car engine in my Harley frame , can quit running water (coolant) through it ?   

[GaryD]

I'll bet you $100 that the oil going into a bottle of auto oil  IS NOT  the same as oil going into a bottle of motorcycle oil. They both may be just fine, but the MC oil is going to have a different additive package formulated for bikes. I'm sure if it was the exact same oil, somebody would be exposing that in a minute. One additive I can think off right away that's better in MC oil is anti corrosion additive since most bikes are stored in the winter and cars are not.

It would be nice if we had an petroleum expert that can address this issue, but since we don't, all our opinions are just that - opinions no facts.

I suppose all those that think all oil is the same are the same people that think you have to use premium fuel in your Harleys - one of the biggest myths of all time.

[mp]

No oil with a starburst symbol on the container should be used in a Harley.  That includes all 10w30 oil.  I wouldn't use it in the primary either, since they contain friction modifiers that could cause the clutch to slip.

[EGNBLUE]

This winter I found some Moblil One 15-50 on sale at AZ, never again...

OK, I'll ask...why never again on the 15-50?

Mind you this is my exprience with my bike and doesnt reflect to an over-all picture, not trying to start a war here 

My bike also has 93K on the clock and always had 20-50 in the engine, plus I live in Florida=heat and a heavy bike.

The reasons are 1, the engine got loud as heck once it got hot ( valve noise) 2, oil presure was 5-7 Lbs lower when hot.

And its not even summer yet when even the 20-50 struggles to maintain during 100* temps.

That's interesting as the viscosity between the two oils are nearly identical especially at the higher temps.

But thanks for responding...

[War Horse]

This winter I found some Moblil One 15-50 on sale at AZ, never again...

OK, I'll ask...why never again on the 15-50?

Mind you this is my exprience with my bike and doesnt reflect to an over-all picture, not trying to start a war here 

My bike also has 93K on the clock and always had 20-50 in the engine, plus I live in Florida=heat and a heavy bike.

The reasons are 1, the engine got loud as heck once it got hot ( valve noise) 2, oil presure was 5-7 Lbs lower when hot.

And its not even summer yet when even the 20-50 struggles to maintain during 100* temps.

That's interesting as the viscosity between the two oils are nearly identical especially at the higher temps.

But thanks for responding...

Thats what my thinking was also to begin with, but my engine seems to disagree.

[HogMike]

Ah.....another "oil thread"!

I still use the same full synthetic in my bikes (except the Pan)
My evo went 100k and I pulled it apart just to do some upgrades, still had the cross hatch in the cylinders.
My '06SE had 90k when I got rid of it.
My '09 had 35k when I got rid of it. I changed oil every 10k miles on that one, just to see how the oil held up. No problems.
My '10 has 35k on it now.
I change my oil every 5k miles now.
JME, and never found a reason to do otherwise.

[pddredduece]

Advanced Auto Stores has Mobile One full syn 20w50 motorcycle oil on sale now till March 31,2012 $7.99 quart. Regular price is $9.95 a quart

[Old Crow]

Oh boy.  My FLT is not a newer model.  It's a Shovel with a 4 3/4" stroker kit in it. 
All I've ever used in it is Castrol 20-50, regular dino oil from Wally World.
The bike was pulled down with 60k on the stroker kit with valve stem seal issues.  I figured that I may as well do the complete top end while I had it apart(yeah, it's a sickness).

Machine shop only had to take .010" off to clean the cylinders. 
That's less than .010" wear on old technology cylinders, with little short stroker pistons(that I regularly spin to 7k rpm(yes, Virginia, I do beat the crap out of it))in 60,000 miles with automotive conventional oil that I pay less than $5 a quart for just about anywhere. (come get me, grammer police  )

You guys just go right on buying your $9 and $10-a-quart oil. 

As for the zinc.
I restore old cars for a living.  I was just at a trade show in Indiana yesterday, talking to a rep from American Refining Group.  He stated that the lack of zinc in the modern oils mostly affects cam break-in on flat tappet motors and recomended a bottle of zinc additive(ZDDP)in a new motor.  He said roller tappet motors did not need the extra zinc during break-in.
He also stated that you did not really need to keep adding the zinc during successive oil changes.

Last I looked, even my shovel had roller tappets, and some of you guys with twinkies are even running Chevy roller tappets in your bike.
In other words, I wouldn't sweat the zinc in a Harley motor with roller bearing cranks and roller tappets.

If you really, really gotta have zinc, go with Brad Penn, Penn Grade 1 .  That's the new name that Kendall GT-1 is being marketed under and it's got the highest ZDDP concentration of any oil on the market.  It's also still that familiar green color that GT-1 users know and love.
They even have a V2 4 stroke motor oil version if you buy into that hype.


Me?  I'm gonna ride in to town and pick up another 5 quart jug of Castrol...my shovel needs her spring oil change.   See ya.

[tdkkart]

As for the zinc.
I restore old cars for a living.  I was just at a trade show in Indiana yesterday, talking to a rep from American Refining Group.  He stated that the lack of zinc in the modern oils mostly affects cam break-in on flat tappet motors and recomended a bottle of zinc additive(ZDDP)in a new motor.  He said roller tappet motors did not need the extra zinc during break-in.
He also stated that you did not really need to keep adding the zinc during successive oil changes.

Last I looked, even my shovel had roller tappets, and some of you guys with twinkies are even running Chevy roller tappets in your bike.
In other words, I wouldn't sweat the zinc in a Harley motor with roller bearing cranks and roller tappets.

There you go using facts, expert testimony, and common sense again........
But you're right, the toughest lubrication challenge in most automotive and industrial engines, the flat tappet cam/lifter interface, doesn't even exist in a Harley engine, never has afaik.
As far as heat goes, any "50" rated oil, dino or synthetic, is more than capable of handling the heat produced in a Harley engine.

300 degrees?? Yea right, my bikes take 20+ miles at highway speeds to get fully up to temperature. Around here the bars are no more than 10 miles apart, most of the bikes never get fully up to temp. I've been on a bagger running 2-up for hours across New Mexico in 100*+ temps, the oil temp never went over 250*, we thought we were gonna die. I'd love to see someone stay on that bike with the oil temps at 300*.

I'd like someone to show me engine parts that died due to heat and lack of lubrication using any conventionally available 15-50 or 20-50 oil.   

[chopper]

It would be nice if we had an petroleum expert that can address this issue, but since we don't, all our opinions are just that - opinions no facts.

What are you talking bout? No "petroleum expert"?

Hell man, we got 10,000 of em!   

[Old Crow]

It would be nice if we had an petroleum expert that can address this issue, but since we don't, all our opinions are just that - opinions no facts.

What are you talking bout? No "petroleum expert"?

Hell man, we got 10,000 of em!   

  closer to 12530 as of this posting

[War Horse]

If they're reading this , they're to busy laughing to type a response...... 

[Flat Dog]

Why has no one posted the Earl photo yet?

[hd06myway]

Why has no one posted the Earl photo yet?

We're having too much fun... the informed educated crowd vs the paranoid "it has to be a motorcycle oil" crowd... less filling... tastes great!  Independant scientific analysis has proven time after time that so called "motorcycle oil", yes for "air cooled" motors... is nothing more than a Marketing tactic to generate sales.  God this is fun!  

[Ultrashovel]

Why has no one posted the Earl photo yet?

It's no use. They keep on talking about oil. Sheesh. Oil is oil as far as I can see. If you got some, you're good to go. If you don't have any, just stay home. All this stuff about zinc makes my damn head hurt. 

[Dennis The Menace]

Okay, this one has outlived its usefulness....and another example that oil threads attract the wannabe comics.