Harley Davidson 1200 Sportster questions with Pictures!.

[Chris B.]

I just bought my 1st Motorcycle, a HD 1200 Custom Sportster and bought my wife an 883 Low Sportster. What brand of oil do these engines like the best? I know zero about motorcycle fluids and maintenance. I like Castrol for my cars and trucks does Castrol make a good motorcycle oil? Also I just did the 1,000 mile tuneup that Harley requires and they used a dino oil for that. Should I change to a Synthetic next oil change?
Also what other fluids should I be using like in the tranny and such? Any other pointers would be AWESOME!!!! As soon as I learn to maintain our Bikes I plan on doing it myself as the Dealer charges a lot! Many thanks!
Here is my bike!

And here is my wifes!

 

[KW]

Nice bikes

Castrol 20W50 works well in the engine and can be had at a good price. Mobil 1 15W50 and Amsoil 20W50 are good choices for synthetics. I have seen Mobil 1 75W90 used in the primary case in the past, but I have not have a Sportster for years and don't know what the trend is nowadays.

 

[msparks]

Nice bikes.

I believe that Castol makes some motorcycle specific oils called "activo" or something like that. I think it's a semi-syn. Also there are a host of motorcycle specific 20w50's on the market, Rev-Tech, H-D oil, and others. Maybe this would be a good time to "cruise" around to all the independent shops to see what they carry and recommend.

The shop I have carries REV-Tech and Amsoil.

 

[Chris B.]

If I used Mobil 1 what weight would be the best? The book says 10w40, 15w50 and 20w50.

 

[wileyE]

Some of my buds work for a big company that invested in it's own oil lab. Needless to say the bikers (100's of them) accidently slip an sample through from time to time (oops). Lot of these guys ride H-D. Over the years theres been sort of competition as to who can find the "best oil". Long story short, 20w50 any flavor or brand, MC, car, Jaso, SM, synthetic, mineral, blend, doesn't seem to make a whole lot of difference. Some of the hdeo and specialty 40w have looked good too, but as a trend over many uoa the off the shelf 20w50's always look as good as anything.

 

[fuel tanker man]

I agree with the above, but will mention again that the Havoline 20W50 UOA's I have here are tops on the board, bar none. Other 20W50's (dinos and syns) have shown some good numbers in similar engines, but none are better than the Havoline...

Dan

 

[Chris B.]

Sence these H-D V Twin engines are air cooled would it be better to use a full synthetic oil or would a regular 20w50 stand up to the heat as well?

 

[KW]

Regular 20W50 will do the trick. But if you want an extra measure of protection for extreem heat or cold a synthetic is the answer.

If it were mine I'd run one of the following.

Castrol 20W50
Mobil 1 15W50
Amsoil 20W50 My #1 choice

All the above are very good oils and will work great in your new bike.

 

[brucelee]

Red Line 20W-50 in the HD.

 

[eg willy]

I would use Mobil 1 V-twin 20-50 in the engine, and the Harley brand of transmission/primary oil in that part of the case. Your trans and clutch share the same oil. Just my 2 cents.

 

[cousincletus]

When I had my Sportster (1992 883) I used H-D brand Sport-Trans fluid and Castrol 20W-50 dino and changed the engine oil every 2500 miles. I changed the primary oil at H-D suggested intervals.

 

[cb4017]

Chris,
Congratulations on the new bikes. Here a few links for you.
http://sportster.org/
http://xlforum.net/vbportal/
http://www.zanottimotor.com/
http://www.surdykeharley-davidson.com/

The dealers listed supply parts at a discount. Lots of good information on sportster.org and the xl forum.

Make sure you get a factory service manual and parts catalog. You’ll need them. One of the great things about these bikes is they are easy to maintain.

I’ve had 2 Sportsters and 3 Buells over the years. I used to use Mobil 1 15w-50 red top in my bikes’ engines and Mobil 1 75w90 gear lube in the primary. I now use Amsoil 20w-50 in the engine and primary/tranny of my current bike, a 02 883R.

 

[wileyE]

HD oils

 

[Bagger_Matt]

Tanker man, What are you using for trans and primary?

 

[carock]

Switch to Redline 15-50W,Amsoil V-Twin, or Mobil V-Twin after about 3000 miles.A great tip I can give you is to invest in rider training, wear good protective gear ( don't forget boots, your feet and ankles get trashed in accidents), and pay very close attention to tire wear. Replace your tires before they need it. Sportsters rock.

 

[Chris B.]

quote:

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Originally posted by carock:
Switch to Redline 15-50W,Amsoil V-Twin, or Mobil V-Twin after about 3000 miles.A great tip I can give you is to invest in rider training, wear good protective gear ( don't forget boots, your feet and ankles get trashed in accidents), and pay very close attention to tire wear. Replace your tires before they need it. Sportsters rock.

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Thanks! I did go through the motorcycle safety class and I always wear a jacket with armor, helmet, boots, gloves and eyewere! Lets just hope I never need them!

On a side note I raced my firends bigger 1450 Dyna and my 1200 Sportster beat it pretty bad. By 75 to 80 I had 5 bike lengths on him.

 

[TheFuror]

quote:

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Originally posted by Chris B.:
I just bought my 1st Motorcycle, a HD 1200 Custom Sportster and bought my wife an 883 Low Sportster....

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Nice bikes. Other posters have stated good recommendations about oil and such. It is probably much more important that you change these per schedule than what you use. I use redline oils in my big twin with good results thus far.

Harleys are easy to maintain, as they have electronic ignitions and hydraulic valves. No muss, no fuss. Only one carb so no messing with synchronizing it, either. Even better if you have fuel injection.

The big thing with Harleys is keeping the fluids changed and the primary chain in adjustment. Many, many people swear by the self-adjusting primary tensioners (Hayden M6 and the So. Oregon Hot Bikes unit HB-125). Your mileage may vary. Buy the factory manual and you will be fine.

Oh, your wife is quite pretty: get her a full-face helmet to keep things that way. My wife squaked when I insisted but she got used to it.

Best of luck.

Bob W

 

[honus402]

We have two 05' 1200Cs in the garage. Mobil 1 75W-90 seems to be the best I've found for the tranny. Mobil 1 15W-50 holds up well in the South Texas heat, but both 1200Cs seem to love Havoline 20W-50 which quieted both engines down a lot. The Havoline is probably the best bang for your buck, having more ZDDP than most of the "Motorcycle-Specific" oils. Love the Sportys and have a new Heritage Softail Classic ordered to keep them company.

 

[Blue_Goose]

Nice looking bikes!! I'm searching for my first bike as I just completed the MSF course last weekend...the 1200 isn't too big for your first ride?


Goose

 

[Chris B.]

quote:

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Originally posted by Blue_Goose:
Nice looking bikes!! I'm searching for my first bike as I just completed the MSF course last weekend...the 1200 isn't too big for your first ride?


Goose

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I was originaly going to get the 883 for my 1st bike but a few friends that have been riding talked me into the 1200 and I'm very glad they did! The 1200 is great and I got use to it pretty fast and acctually which it was a tiny bit faster but it holdes it's own.

My wifes 883 keeps up with my 1200 just fine though.