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[bobaroni]

I finally got a minute to look at the Summer '07 Harley Enthusiast magazine. On page 11 is a letter to the editor titled "Which Lube?"
A guy writes "I own a 2007 FLHX. My owner's manual specifies only one fluid for the transmission and primary case: Formula+. I want to change both my tranny and primary case fluids to SYN3 because of the superior film strength and wear protection of synthetic lubricants at high temperatures. Would I void the warranty if this lubricant is not specified in the H-D owner's manual?"

Reply from Editor: "SYN3 is the only synthetic motor oil that does not impact your 24-month warranty. And switching to SYN3 is easy because it isn't necessary to flush the compartments. Simply drain and refill."

[erniezap]

What a crock!!!

[Steve_G]

From the testing I've seen, it would be a syn to use SYN 3.  It appears to be among the worst performing synthetic oils available.  -Steve

[grc]

I finally got a minute to look at the Summer '07 Harley Enthusiast magazine. On page 11 is a letter to the editor titled "Which Lube?"
A guy writes "I own a 2007 FLHX. My owner's manual specifies only one fluid for the transmission and primary case: Formula+. I want to change both my tranny and primary case fluids to SYN3 because of the superior film strength and wear protection of synthetic lubricants at high temperatures. Would I void the warranty if this lubricant is not specified in the H-D owner's manual?"

Reply from Editor: "SYN3 is the only synthetic motor oil that does not impact your 24-month warranty. And switching to SYN3 is easy because it isn't necessary to flush the compartments. Simply drain and refill."

Noticed that one myself.  In fact my copy is lying here next to the computer opened to that page so I'll remember to pen a nice little note to the idiot who wrote that.  I'm not sure if that person is just ignorant of the law, or trying to drum up extra SYN3 business by ignoring the law.  Either way, he's full of chit.

Jerry

[Fired00d]

Noticed that one myself.  In fact my copy is lying here next to the computer opened to that page so I'll remember to pen a nice little note to the idiot who wrote that.  I'm not sure if that person is just ignorant of the law, or trying to drum up extra SYN3 business by ignoring the law.  Either way, he's full of chit.

Jerry

Considering the source (Enthusiast Magazine) I'm not surprised of that statement being in there. That's not the first time something totally off the wall has come out of the mouths of some MoCo representatives.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[Midnight Rider]

Noticed that one myself.  In fact my copy is lying here next to the computer opened to that page so I'll remember to pen a nice little note to the idiot who wrote that.  I'm not sure if that person is just ignorant of the law, or trying to drum up extra SYN3 business by ignoring the law.  Either way, he's full of chit.
Jerry

...as a Christmas Turkey....

[Talon]

I don't have any info to confirm this, but I've been told that HD farms out the Syn3 to the manufacturer with the lowest bid, not the highest quality!!

They probably wrote this themselves, superior film strength and wear protection!!!!! Sounds like a HD ad to me!

[skippy]

Got all my Amsoil K&Nfilters and redline shockproff to change all three bikes wiil do them this weekend . Going to spray the syn3 on a gravel road to help in dust control .

[grc]

I don't have any info to confirm this, but I've been told that HD farms out the Syn3 to the manufacturer with the lowest bid, not the highest quality!!

They probably wrote this themselves, superior film strength and wear protection!!!!! Sounds like a HD ad to me!

Talon,

Farming it out to the lowest bidder isn't unusual, other vehicle manufacturers do the same thing.  They publish a basic specification listing performance criteria and then leave it to the experts (oil companies) to do the actual formulating.  Unfortunately, the competitive bidding process guarantees that you won't get anything more than the minimum required to meet the manufacturer's specification.  And the "superior film strength and wear protection" statement is what we call puffery.  Superior to what, dino oil, castor oil, water, what?  A totally meaningless statement, typical of modern advertising.

The part that ticks me off is how they continue to make dishonest statements like this one in the Enthusiast.  How many years did they lie about using synthetics and intimate they would cause engine failures and void the warranty?  Total BS, and yet they kept the BS flowing right up until they introduced their own brand of synthetic.  I'm convinced the MoCo has more and better "spin doctors" and propagandists than the average politician.

Jerry

[REGGAB]

As with most magazines around here, that one ended up in the bin next to the porcelin throne in our half bath.  I saw that shameless punch as well.   

[theslash]

Guys it really does not make a difference which oil you use. The most important issue is to change oil every 2500 miles and choose the correct viscosity of oil for you temperature you are in. Proper warm up is critical for longevity of the engine. This has work for me for over 30,000 hours operating air cooled engines both in the air and on the ground.
No problems yet. When oil turns dark get it out of there.

[Fired00d]

Guys it really does not make a difference which oil you use. The most important issue is to change oil every 2500 miles and choose the correct viscosty of oil for you temputure you are ridding in. Proper warm up is criddical for longjevty of the engine.

Hmmm, that's odd the MoCo is only requiring/suggesting that oil be changed every 5K miles since it went to Syn3.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[Talon]

Guys it really does not make a difference which oil you use. The most important issue is to change oil every 2500 miles and choose the correct viscosity of oil for you temperature you are in. Proper warm up is critical for longevity of the engine. This has work for me for over 30,000 hours operating air cooled engines both in the air and on the ground.
No problems yet. When oil turns dark get it out of there.

I don't know if I agree with this statement, good synthetic oils are far superior to dino oils. There are 16 major test set by ASTM that the API group use to test oils, most high quality synthetic oils far out perform dino oil. One major difference among many is the drop in viscosity of dino oil vs synthetic oils, you definitely need to keep a lower mileage schedule with dino oil because of this. Also the mileage is not the only thing to take into account with oil changes. Oils especially dino oils will create corrosive acids over time, so if you ride you bike 1,500 mikes and put it away because of a bad winter and don't ride it much for 3-4 months, theoretically if you change your oil every 2,500 miles you still have 1,000 miles. Well these acids are corroding you bearings and matting surfaces. Dino oil is likely to create more acids than synthetic. So if your going to put you bike up for s long period of time you should change the oil before storing.
To me the main thing in regards to extended oil change intervals is filtering, good filters and good synthetic oil will extend this interval, but I'm not sure how good filters for motorcycles are, so I wouldn't push it to far.
                                       Just my 2 cents!

[Midnight Rider]

I think if you use a high quality Synthetic oil like Amsoil, Mobil 1, or some others that are SPECIFICALLY designed for the conditions our air cooled motors encounter, changing oil sooner than 5K is simply wasting the product, which is something none of us need to be doing.  The exception to this rule are those who consistantly ride is extremely harsh conditions (heavy traffic, extreme dust, short rides where engine does not reach proper operating temps).  Most of the people on this board RIDE their bikes from what I've read, and 5K between changes has been shown to be more than adequate.  A K&N, Amsoil, or HD filter is fine for those change intervals, IMO.  Prior to long term storage, a bike's fluids should always be changed, IMO.

BTW...I wouldn't run Syn3 in my lawnmower, and it's a HONDA.

[Talon]

I think if you use a high quality Synthetic oil like Amsoil, Mobil 1, or some others that are SPECIFICALLY designed for the conditions our air cooled motors encounter, changing oil sooner than 5K is simply wasting the product, which is something none of us need to be doing.  The exception to this rule are those who consistently ride is extremely harsh conditions (heavy traffic, extreme dust, short rides where engine does not reach proper operating temps).  Most of the people on this board RIDE their bikes from what I've read, and 5K between changes has been shown to be more than adequate.  A K&N, Amsoil, or HD filter is fine for those change intervals, IMO.  Prior to long term storage, a bike's fluids should always be changed, IMO.

BTW...I wouldn't run Syn3 in my lawnmower, and it's a HONDA.

I agree! I run Mobil1 in the motor, and Redline in the trans and primary.