Oil Question

I have a 2017 TG and live in SW Florida (HOT). When I first got it new in 2017 I bought an oil change kit from J & P with their own 20W50W engine oil and different transmission oil and primary case oil. I never used the engine oil until I had 35,000 miles, allowing the dealer do all the service work every 5,000 miles. But when I got 35,000 on the bike I changed the engine oil myself using the J & P 20W50W oil. Then when I got up to 40,000 miles last week, after hearing how good Red Line oil was from a friend I changed the engine oil to Redline 20W60W and Redline transmission oil in transmission and Red Line in the primary. Just before I made the change I connected my Vance & Hines tuner so I could get a engine temp while it had the 20W50W oil in it and drove about 5 miles on Interstate at a steady 70 MPH and I came home changed all the oil to the Redline and afterwards did the same run and the engine temp went up 6 degrees from 259 to 270. I've been riding all week at different speeds and at slower mixed riding the temp has shot up to 280 degrees. I was hoping to reduce the temperature of the engine, not raise it. I also a few weeks ago put a DK Comfort lift kit on and DK tank lift with the wings.

My question is should I go with a lighter oil to cool the engine? I thought with the high temp that we get here in Florida the 20W60W would be better but was I wrong?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Aquaholictom

Definitely do not go with a lower weight oil, fact, many of us Florida riders run straight 50 or 60 weight oil here. Some run it year round, it may be a bit harder starting in cooler weather. You need to get a temp reading on your oil after a ride. Also some of these early M8 engines had problems with sumping. This condition will make your engine run hotter and even up to over heating the oil.

Jack Klarich said:

Definitely do not go with a lower weight oil, fact, many of us Florida riders run straight 50 or 60 weight oil here. Some run it year round, it may be a bit harder starting in cooler weather. You need to get a temp reading on your oil after a ride. Also some of these early M8 engines had problems with sumping. This condition will make your engine run hotter and even up to over heating the oil.

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Thanks for your quick reply and I will check my oil temp after a ride. Where should the temp

be?

Aquaholictom said:

Thanks for your quick reply and I will check my oil temp after a ride. Where should the temp

be?

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Sweet spot 200- 230 degrees

I'm curious Jack, when someone post an oil question, do you get an alert on your phone?

HAWG BLUD

Any body lookin for some good oil check out ebay for HAWG BLUD 20-50 full synthetic Harley motor oil regular price $18.00 a quart on sale for $75.00 a case of 12 with free shipping I been running I think it runs cooler then amsoil, weird red color , I bought 8 cases . I don't no them or work for them , just good oil at a great price .

MDO said:

I'm curious Jack, when someone post an oil question, do you get an alert on your phone?

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I can smell an oil question

Aquaholictom said:

Thanks for your quick reply and I will check my oil temp after a ride. Where should the temp

be?

Click to expand...

Below is a video that addresses that exact question on an M8-

Also, here are a couple of Reports on the What, Why & How regarding the temps on these Trikes-

Report LINK 1

Report LINK 2

Jack Klarich said:

Sweet spot 200- 230 degrees

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Yep!

Kevin

ROAD DOG said:

Any body lookin for some good oil check out ebay for HAWG BLUD 20-50 full synthetic Harley motor oil regular price $18.00 a quart on sale for $75.00 a case of 12 with free shipping I been running I think it runs cooler then amsoil, weird red color , I bought 8 cases . I don't no them or work for them , just good oil at a great price .

Click to expand...

$75 is a good price, but I'll spend a couple $$ more for a tried and true brand name instead of a no name like Hawg Blud - catchy name though. Wonder who actually makes it?

I use Amsoil or Mobil 1 mostly or any name brand when it goes on sale
8 cases!!!! Boy you must ride a lot. That's about 20 oil changes. That would last me about 10 years @ 2 changes per year.

oil cooler

Keven, I have the Large Love Jugs and would like to get the oil cooler and oil relocation kit but I see unless you have the small love jugs there isn't any room for the installation. Is that correct?

Also, here are a couple of Reports on the What, Why & How regarding the temps on these Trikes-

Report LINK 1

Report LINK 2


Yep!

Kevin[/QUOTE]

Aquaholictom said:

Keven, I have the Large Love Jugs and would like to get the oil cooler and oil relocation kit but I see unless you have the small love jugs there isn't any room for the installation. Is that correct?

Also, here are a couple of Reports on the What, Why & How regarding the temps on these Trikes-

Report LINK 1

Report LINK 2

Yep!

Kevin

Click to expand...

[/QUOTE]

That is correct. The oil cooler will not fit with the larger fans.

But you will gain some cooling with an oil filter relo...lot easier to change the oil too.

Plus there are other things you can do to cool things down, as seen in the reports above.

However, for oil, it has to have a place to dissipate the heat, and when HD went with the "Twin-Cool" design, that only cools down a portion of the heads, they sacrificed the oil cooler, leaving no place for the oil to shed the heat.

Kevin

GARYD said:

$75 is a good price, but I'll spend a couple $$ more for a tried and true brand name instead of a no name like Hawg Blud - catchy name though. Wonder who actually makes it?

I use Amsoil or Mobil 1 mostly or any name brand when it goes on sale

for $8 ~ $10 per qt.​

8 cases!!!! Boy you must ride a lot. That's about 20 oil changes. That would last me about 10 years @ 2 changes per year.

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8 Cases work on motor cycles Amsiol $8.00 A quart WERE

ROAD DOG said:

8 Cases work on motor cycles Amsiol $8.00 A quart WERE

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What does "8 cases work on motor cycles" mean??

I was referring to other brands ON SALE when I said $8/qt.....actually I paid $4.99/qt. for Mobil 1 (motorcycle oil) at a rural hardware store 2 years ago. It was a 8 qt. limit though.



BTW: I was an Amsoil dealer a few years ago and I paid $8/qt. then and sold at my cost to friends.

GARYD said:

What does "8 cases work on motor cycles" mean??

I was referring to other brands ON SALE when I said $8/qt.....actually I paid $4.99/qt. for Mobil 1 (motorcycle oil) at a rural hardware store 2 years ago. It was a 8 qt. limit though.



BTW: I was an Amsoil dealer a few years ago and I paid $8/qt. then and sold at my cost to friends.

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I repair MOTORCYCLES I think its good oil , it work good for me and seems to make the bike run cooler . Amsiol hear runs $13.00 and up mobil 1 is $10.00 and up .

Since starting to use the Redline "line", I absolutely love the results, been several years now and my bikes have run cooler, quieter and I'm not really concerned with a little extra cost. I'm guessing on a complete 3 hole swap it's maybe $10 more than HD's oil.

I think the primary oil has really improved the feel of the clutch, the shockproof makes the tranny shift smoother, stills has the "clunk" some times. The engine oil helps with the cooling, although it's hard to be specific with the recent changes I'd done (Cool and Clean, being the biggest). Last summer I could tell it did run cooler.

The redline stuff is the first oil that I actually don't do all three holes every service. So I suspect I'm saving $$ in the long run. With this bike, I'm shooting for longevity, plan to keep her forever ... :blush:

How are you measuring the heat difference? If by feel it will be wrong. Any good synthetic oil will transfer heat away from the engine faster, making it feel hotter. You need to read the cylinder head temp to be accurate.

Pressure Counts

Jack Klarich said:

Definitely do not go with a lower weight oil, fact, many of us Florida riders run straight 50 or 60 weight oil here. Some run it year round, it may be a bit harder starting in cooler weather. You need to get a temp reading on your oil after a ride. Also some of these early M8 engines had problems with sumping. This condition will make your engine run hotter and even up to over heating the oil.

Click to expand...

Let me just add my unqualified opinion. Modern engines are designed with a system designed to run at oil pressures within a specific window. Pressure is regulated by the passages leading to bearings, valves etc... If you use oil of a different viscosity it can affect the engine oil pressure. I stick to the recommended weights (found in my manual).

...for every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert.

The one thing I'd like the oil companies to do is put a colored dye in the oil so it's easier to see on the dipstick.....especially when somewhat new.