Spring Startup

[Grayrider]

Started my 97' Heritage all stock today. First time since the last ride in November. Have about 2000mi on the Syn oil [Mobil 1  VTwin]. Didn't chamge it as there were so few miles on it!  Did put in fuel stabilizer to the full tank. 20,000 miles on the bike.
I let it run for about 20 minutes to get it good and warm before riding it. Noticed a little ticking like a lifter. Rode for about 20 miles. Still ticking when I parked it. Is this going to go away after riding for a bit and getting the oil moving around good or is a little ticking normal? Can I make an adjustment on the lifters or push rod to get rid of the slack?  Or, is it time?

Also, wondering about that. The motor sitting for months then starting without a lot of oil on the parts that long. Does that cause any problems? 
I know the Syn oil coats the metal better than dino oil. But, sitting that long and then starting with just s thin film of oil on the moving parts. I know the oil pump needs about min. 700 rpm to pump any volume. So, even when turning it over to start, it wouldn't get much oil moving!

[lengbyroadking]

My 87 has just under 80,000 on it and I get a ticking sound every spring until I ride 10 miles or so. Of course I'm still running the original lifters. I too have used the mobil 1 V twin since the bike was new. I will be replacing the lifters, cam and cam bearing this spring. With just 20,000, I wouldn't worry too much, but some say lifters should be replaced at 20-30 thousand. I didn't adhere to this advise. Just ride it a few miles and if the ticking quits, have fun. If not, give somethought to lifters.

[Hossamania]

No need to let it idle for 20 minutes to warm up- hurts the motor much more than it helps!
About 1 to 1 1/2 minutes then ride nicely until motor comes up to full temp, 5 to 10 miles. After that you can beat hell out of it if you like!
As far as ticking, these motors make a lot of different little noises. Ride it until it really starts to get obnoxious and it's easier to find the source of the noise! I have a feeling you won't even notice it after a couple good hours of riding. Ride it for an hour with earplugs and then remove them. The noise from the motor is unbelievably loud and you'll swear it's going to blow! After 10 minutes you won't notice the noise again.

[92flhtcu]

After having to rebuild my 92 after a lifter failure I am in the camp of replacing the original lifters at 30k , the 86B lifters will
get replaced after they get 40k on them, they are cheap and easy to replace
Rob

[heritage2]

two  more reasons not to use synthetic oil . I have used dino oil for seven years in my bike and don,t get a tick on startupafter sitting all winter  . why does everybody think synthetic is so great?

[Grayrider]

The guy that had the bike before me used only Syn oil. And I have read where its not good to go back and forth with dino and Syn.  From what I have read, Syn is supposed to adhere to the metal better and cause less friction.
Although dino has been used for almost a century keeping engines running, I think there are positives for the Syn oils!
Most high performance racing engines use Syn now.
I spoke with a HD mechanic. He says when you tear down an engine, you can easily tell which one has run dino and which one has run Syn.  The syn will show little wear relative to the dino engine. Moving parts will be cleaner with less obviuos wear. But if a part is weak, it will wear and break no matter what you coat it with!
I also believe if you change your oil regularly and don't constantly beat the crap out of it, dino will keep it running just fine!
Otherwise the moto wouldn't sell it would they..... 

[Hossamania]

So.. What type of oil would you recommend? 

[flhs90]

Evos:

Great thread with the pot stir. Castrol GTX was the oil of choice when I bought my 90 evo. I've upgraded to Torco Semi syn.
I keep hearing stories of evos going 200,000 miles or more with little changed out other than lifters and maybe a valve job and that's on dino. Not sure if car dino or motorcycle dino.
How many of you made the switch to syn after dino on bikes in excess of 60,000 miles? What leakage issues if any?
What additional wear is "obvious" and is it significant?

Anybody running the Rev Tech or Rev Tech Pure oils by Custom Chrome?

What dino motorcycle specific 20-50 vs. car dino 20-50's offer the best "anti wear" additives?

Not trying to be a cheapskate just not dump money into the oil recycling bin.

[Grayrider]

I think you could beat this issue with a stick forever.
Everyone knows someone that has run dino forever with few issues and everyone knows someeone that swears by Syn oil. I don't know that one is better than the other in every instance!
Every one has an opinion and a reason for their choice.  There are so many different oils available and they all claim to be the best! I expect most of the refutable oil manufacturers produce good oil.
It comes down to what you know and belive and what you like to use!   

[Hossamania]

Where's Earl? I was actually kidding about the oil.
I was more concerned with letting the bike idle for 20 minutes. Nowhere, in any manual does it say to idle for more than a couple minutes. There's no way to control heat dissipation and the oil pressure isn't where it should be.