straight 50 weight in my Milwaukee 8

S

silver1

Joined
Jan 30, 2012
Messages
68
Location
indiana
Hello all, I just bought a 2020 Harley tri glide with 5.5k miles the PO did stage one and a Zippers 468 cam it runs nice, tons of torque! These M8's run hot! Mama and I test rode a 2024 TG to see if she could tolerate riding it after after back surgery a year ago, she can no longer ride on the back of the road king to rough for her so we decided to try a trike. We put about 30 miles on the 24 TG on an 80 degree day the heat coming off that bike was intense. Harley in their lack of wisdom decided not to put an oil cooler on these M8's. I plan on adding an aftermarket one but it's riding season now and I'm thinking about doing that this winter. to do it right it's a pretty big job. So what are you all running in your M8's I'm thinking of running a full syn 50w
thanks and have a great day!
 
I don't know where you can get a good full synthetic straight 50 motorcycle oil, just about all are 20w-50 and that's fine to use. I believe you can use 20w-60 as well.
 
harley didn't see fit to put an oil tempture gauge on these bikes either, I don't think they want you to know.JS I have read on a hot day oil temps can exceed 325 degrees or more even full syn breaks down high temps not to mention sustained temps that high can warp aluminum make the heads out of round leading to excessive oil consumption harley service bulletins now say a quart every 1k is now acceptable. The HD motor co is in a bad place because the the epa has put regulations that an air cooled engine just can't meet with out super high engine temps. I am a harley guy been riding them since the 70's we always had to mod them so its no surprise to me that in the 2020's I still do!
 
Blackstone's 35 years worth of racing and street motorcycle oil
analysis shows no significant differences in WEAR between the
grades... in other words either your 50 grade or a 30 grade will meet
and exceed your mileage expectations... what is significant between 50
& 30 grades is the amount of HP loss and the increase oil Temps due to
unwanted oil drag...

Quote BITOG DrDave
"My old Harley really liked 10w-30 Amsoil. These was a significant
reduction in wear metals going from 15-40 to 10-30. There were no
consumption issues. It certainly started easier. By easier I mean it
spun over much faster. The motor seemed quieter, and Harley's need all
the help they can get in that department."

full-45634-35309-oiltubeviscositytest.jpg
 
Invisible said:
How much does a quart of "straight 50 weight" weigh, and how much does a quart of 0W-20 motor oil weigh?
Click to expand...

Are oils are graded by gravity flow, formally called Kinematic
Viscosity (KV) in accordance to ASTM D-445... its important to note
that this test is not a measurement of an oils thickness nor an oils
weight... its a measurement of time required for a fixed volume of oil
at a constant temp to flow under the force of mean old Mr.Gravity...
The rate of flow is expressed in Centistokes (cST)... the lower the cST
number the quicker the flow which usually mean quicker revs and lower oil temps...

full-45634-35394-viscositytest1.jpg
 
Well first off, straight 50 wt oil will perform the same as 20/50 wt when up to operating temp. It will not provide any additional cooling. And may make the bike a bit slower to start, in cold weather. A large oil cooler will help more. I'm sure getting it tuned properly will reduce some of your heat issue. You should have heat deflectors that mount on the frame right under the driver's seat, to direct heat from the rear cylinder away. You should be able to find other wind deflectors either at the dealer, or at one of the online aftermarket places. Lastly, I know some guys that think because they ride a trike, they get a pass on wearing pants while riding their trike. Try to fight the urge to wear shorts when riding.,,
 
BusyLittleShop said:
Blackstone's 35 years worth of racing and street motorcycle oil
analysis shows no significant differences in WEAR between the
grades... in other words either your 50 grade or a 30 grade will meet
and exceed your mileage expectations... what is significant between 50
& 30 grades is the amount of HP loss and the increase oil Temps due to
unwanted oil drag...

Quote BITOG DrDave
"My old Harley really liked 10w-30 Amsoil. These was a significant
reduction in wear metals going from 15-40 to 10-30. There were no
consumption issues. It certainly started easier. By easier I mean it
spun over much faster. The motor seemed quieter, and Harley's need all
the help they can get in that department."

full-45634-35309-oiltubeviscositytest.jpg
Click to expand...
Where exactly in a running engine are steel balls dropped into a column of engine oil? Which ASTM test number is that? I’d like to review the methodology.
 
HD sells an oil temp. reading dipstick. Have one on my '01 Twinkie. It stopped reading temp. after 10 yrs though.
Just run the M1 oil.
They sell an oil cooler kit with or without a fan. Standard on cop bikes and made for parade duty.
 
silver1 said:
harley didn't see fit to put an oil tempture gauge on these bikes either, I don't think they want you to know.JS I have read on a hot day oil temps can exceed 325 degrees or more even full syn breaks down high temps not to mention sustained temps that high can warp aluminum make the heads out of round leading to excessive oil consumption harley service bulletins now say a quart every 1k is now acceptable. The HD motor co is in a bad place because the the epa has put regulations that an air cooled engine just can't meet with out super high engine temps. I am a harley guy been riding them since the 70's we always had to mod them so its no surprise to me that in the 2020's I still do!
Click to expand...
I installed one of those replacement oil dipsticks that have a temp gauge and amazingly I never saw over 270
 
I doubt if you will be able to buy a straight 50 weight synthetic oil.

What is the lowest ambient temperature you will see this riding season? I have a 2018 TG and HD only recomends an SAE 50 grade oil if your ambient temperature doesn’t get below 60.8*F. I’m in Florida. I’m currently using Mobil 1 15W-50.


IMG_0548.jpeg
 
You can do a lot to get those temps down. First, get rid of the cat exhaust.
Second, make sure you have a tune done. Third, I find it hard to believe you don't have an oil cooler. Install one pronto!! Fourth, go to DK Customs and read some of their articles about controlling heat. You can do a tank lift, install "wings", etc.

Getting rid of my cat and having it tuned made a huge difference. I also did a tank lift and added DK Custom's "wings".....which also reduced a bit of turbulence. In addition I used to have aftermarket fans that I used when stuck in traffic. I know Harley makes a fan for M8 baggers.

Do you have lowers? Take them off. I know someone will say they actually help cool the engine, and that may be true, But you will feel cooler with the air flowing across your legs. I have detachable lowers that I only use in cold weather. just for that reason.
 
Invisible said:
How much does a quart of "straight 50 weight" weigh, and how much does a quart of 0W-20 motor oil weigh?
Click to expand...
It’s in the msds and can be calculated from its density

PdsDetailsPage

Mobil HD 50 is a heavy duty engine oil primarily intended for use in gasoline automotive engines of passenger cars. It is formulated from high quality, mineral base oils and has an advanced additive system to provide good performance required by combustion engines.
www.mobil.com www.mobil.com
 
blueglide88 said:
Do you have lowers? Take them off. I know someone will say they actually help cool the engine, and that may be true, But you will feel cooler with the air flowing across your legs. I have detachable lowers that I only use in cold weather. just for that reason.
Click to expand...

Tri Glides have “twin cooled” motors. They have radiators in the lowers.
 
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