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[speedydog5]

just curious it seems i am going through oil, i have no leaks and no smoke coming out exhaust but it seems i gothrough oil any ideas or is it nature of this beast

[Harleyrider_49]

Well......how much is "too much" ? I've never had a significant loss between changes....95"/1550cc

[speedydog5]

Well......how much is "too much" ? I've never had a significant loss between changes....95"/1550cc

im guessing like a quart about every 1500 -2000 miles

[sadunbar]

im guessing like a quart about every 1500 -2000 miles

I change oil every 3500 miles and loose none between changes...  I put 3.5 qts. in per oil change.   

[Twolanerider]

Watch for smoke when the engine is started or when you quickly open the throttle after letting it idle. If you see it at those times worry about oil going through the valve guides.

[dartman]

just curious it seems i am going through oil, i have no leaks and no smoke coming out exhaust but it seems i gothrough oil any ideas or is it nature of this beast

Ive had two 110,s neither one needed oil added between 5000 mi changes

[donald p]

27700 miles on the 09 and the oil is always on the full mark  at oil changes.

[Gutter Man]

I was going through about the same amount of oil, about a quart every 1500 to 2000 miles so at about 3500 miles I changed over to valvoline vr1 20W50 dino oil and ran the piss out of it. gave it no mercy for about 1000 miles before I had the dealer change it for a free service i had coming. I have no blue smoke at start up now and as far as I can tell with about 5500 miles on the bike I havent burned or added any oil. I am not a real fan of synthetic oil or semi syn oil for breakin and I think I proved it once again. Or the rings just decided to seal up after a good old fashion pavement pounding, tire squealin, 100 mph back road, drive it like I hated it . Dealer told me to bring it back in at 1000 miles and they will check the oil to verify the usage. so far no change. had it happen with a sled 2 years ago. used amsoil after a rebuild and had to tear it back down and knock the glaze off the cylinders. used dino oil for the first tank of oil and she sealed right up. There is something to be said for the synthetic oils. I use them in just about everything i own, just not for break in.

[07 CVO Road King]

I'm in the same boat as Speedydog.  I might get a little further on a quart maybe 2500 miles.  I hadn't really put much thought into it though because I thought it was normal for the 110.  If the oil is going through the valve guides, Is this something to woory about and fix quickly?

[Screamin]

Pulled your plugs yet? My '09 uses zilch between changes (3,000 - 4,000 miles). 15,000 on the odometer.

[07 CVO Road King]

No, but will today.  Good idea.  Thanks

[SERK3]

I was going through about the same amount of oil, about a quart every 1500 to 2000 miles so at about 3500 miles I changed over to valvoline vr1 20W50 dino oil and ran the piss out of it. gave it no mercy for about 1000 miles before I had the dealer change it for a free service i had coming. I have no blue smoke at start up now and as far as I can tell with about 5500 miles on the bike I havent burned or added any oil. I am not a real fan of synthetic oil or semi syn oil for breakin and I think I proved it once again. Or the rings just decided to seal up after a good old fashion pavement pounding, tire squealin, 100 mph back road, drive it like I hated it . Dealer told me to bring it back in at 1000 miles and they will check the oil to verify the usage. so far no change. had it happen with a sled 2 years ago. used amsoil after a rebuild and had to tear it back down and knock the glaze off the cylinders. used dino oil for the first tank of oil and she sealed right up. There is something to be said for the synthetic oils. I use them in just about everything i own, just not for break in.

Couldn't agree more

[hooligan]

The 07 SERK I have was in to the dealer for oil consumption (1 qt per 1000 miles)twice by the previous owner.. The dealer said they found nothing wrong. When I bought it they had just changed the oil and it was over filled.I brought it to the proper level and have put about 600 miles on it with no usage. But these miles have been in temps 50 degrees or less.I've never liked SYN3 and will be changing to Red Line.

[grc]

The 07 SERK I have was in to the dealer for oil consumption (1 qt per 1000 miles)twice by the previous owner.. The dealer said they found nothing wrong. When I bought it they had just changed the oil and it was over filled.I brought it to the proper level and have put about 600 miles on it with no usage. But these miles have been in temps 50 degrees or less.I've never liked SYN3 and will be changing to Red Line.

It's easy to understand why some customer's continue to overfill their Harley's, but it is amazing to me how many dealership employee's do the same thing.  I guess that's what happens when they promote the wash boy to oil change and maintenance "tech".  Face it folks, going to the typical dealership for an oil change is about like taking your car to Jiffy Lube; you don't get real mechanics doing oil changes.  If they manage to drain and refill with the correct fluid, and not strip the drain plugs (or leave them loose), and properly tighten the filter, consider yourself lucky.

IMHO, anyone who experiences fairly rapid consumption needs to first do an accurate measurement of the oil level, and adjust it to about 1 pint low (halfway between Full and Add when hot).  Then ride the bike and log miles as well as amount of oil added, never adding more than what is required to maintain that 1 pint low level.  I think a lot of folks will be surprised at how that massive consumption problem tends to disappear or at least become much less severe.

As for break-in with synthetics, that has never been a problem for me, and it hasn't proved to be a problem for millions of other folks with cars and trucks that come from the factory with synthetic oil these days.  IF the cylinder walls are machined properly, and the rings made and fit properly, there is no special "break-in" oil or procedure required on modern vehicles.  Also, with many Harleys the tendency is to lose a lot more oil through the valve guides and seals or the breather system rather than the rings.  Changing to dino oil and thrashing the engine isn't going to help those problems at all (and probably won't help a real ring issue either).


Jerry

[Beary]

Changing to dino oil and thrashing the engine isn't going to help those problems at all (and probably won't help a real ring issue either).

Yes maybe, but there are still two facts that seem to be discounted in these discussions: rings still have to be seated and synthetic oil is slipperier than standard oil. So there is no doubt more risk with engines that use synthetic oil during break in.

While one may find riding a little more aggressively during break risky, there certainly is no risk with using dino for the first 1000 to 3000 miles, none.

The one advantage of breaking in a motorcycle is the standard transmission. By the nature of riding a motorcycle, we apply more back pressure on the rings when letting off the throttle to allow the engine help slow us down. Corvettes with automatic transmissions (delivered new with synthetic) seem to fall prey to burning oil more than the standard transmission guys. The only car I have that burns any oil is my wife’s automatic Suburban that she broke in. I’m not sure she ever drives over 30 mph and she is in no hurry to get there.

One doesn’t have to ride like an Indianapolis 500 driver to break in an engine. Just riding normal in town will do pretty good job provided they let the engine help slow them down. No aggressive riding there, and a few normal accelerations on to a highway sure wouldn’t hurt either. 90 percent of breaking is done in the first 50 miles anyway, so the real break in doesn’t take that long.

So while there are those who say dino oil isn’t required for a good break in, my thoughts are that it sure doesn’t hurt.

Beary