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11th June 2009
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Senior Chief Master Mechanic
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 959 Sportster/Buell Model: XLCH Sportster/Buell Year: 1975
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Buying another one! Who's using synthetic in an iron head and what weight?
I've owned 5 sportsters in my lifetime.... a 72 , 74, 76 , 77 (brand new) and a 79 (took it on a trade) and it looks like I'm getting a nice, clean, relatively unmolested 75 (converted back to right side shift) Is anyone using synthetics in sporties now and if so what weight?
1st post by the way !
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11th June 2009
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Drag Race Champion
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: space
Posts: 393 Sportster/Buell Model: '75 hardtail Sportster/Buell Year: yes Sportster/Buell Model #2: honda shadow Sportster/Buell Year #2: 2000 Other Motorcycle Model: 1964 suzuki hill billy 80
Reputation: 138
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welcome from spokane, washington. theres been quite a few threads about syn oil in ironheads. I believe the overall consenses was no thanks.
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11th June 2009
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Rider Of The Iron Steed
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: London, ON Canada
Posts: 23,742 Sportster/Buell Model: XLH Sportster/Buell Year: 1978
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Welcome! to the Ironhead/XLForum.
Lots of recent talk about using straight 40/50/60 dino oils, depending on air temperature.
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11th June 2009
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Custom Bike Builder
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,464 Sportster/Buell Model: XLCH Sportster/Buell Year: 1972 Other Motorcycle Model: Heritage Softail Other Motorcycle Year: 1999
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Use fossil 50wt. in the engine, synthetic 20/50 in the trans.
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12th June 2009
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Senior Chief Master Mechanic
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 959 Sportster/Buell Model: XLCH Sportster/Buell Year: 1975
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BuckIRyder
Use fossil 50wt. in the engine, synthetic 20/50 in the trans.
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They'll land up mixing a bit no? Isn't there a breather hole that vents pressure? |
12th June 2009
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Chief Know It All
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 407 Sportster/Buell Model: XLS Sportster/Buell Year: 1979
Reputation: 164
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I will pass along this advice from a very trusted master mechanic, master machininst, and land speed record holder (on an ironhead) who had about 30 years experience working on old-iron and I had the pleasure of studying under.
"I strongly discourage you from using synthetic in your ironhead. On a molecular level, synthetic oils are engineered with much smaller molecules than dino oils, which in turn makes them slicker. This allows the nonsealed older styles of bearings to skate inside of the races. This inturn causes heat and brinelling. If you want to get the most out of your bottom end, use dino. No blends. Straight 50w up to about 95 deg days then 60w."
As far as the primary....they make sportlube for that. Dig it.
Oh, that breather hole. My advice...plug it.
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12th June 2009
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Senior Master Custom Bike Builder
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 7,863 Sportster/Buell Model: XLCH 1000 Sportster/Buell Year: 1977 Sportster/Buell Model #2: 75 motor in Norton frame. Other Motorcycle Model: 42WLA 45, Harton, Narley Other Motorcycle Year: 1942
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The old tale that synth causes rollers to skate has been proven myth long ago.
But synth in loose-clearanced old twins does rattle a lot and tend to burn a lot, this I found from experience. And synth in the gearbox of an Iron head I found makes the clutch slip.
Plug what breather hole? The bottom end and the gearbox both need to breathe.
__________________
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.
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12th June 2009
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Flat Track Champion
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: In a wind tunnel
Posts: 641 Sportster/Buell Model: ironhead Sportster/Buell Year: 72
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Plug the breather????? This almost sounds insane, but shit, thats where most of my oily mess is coming from. Can you really do this?
__________________
I'd rather die trying!
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12th June 2009
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Senior Master Custom Bike Builder
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 7,863 Sportster/Buell Model: XLCH 1000 Sportster/Buell Year: 1977 Sportster/Buell Model #2: 75 motor in Norton frame. Other Motorcycle Model: 42WLA 45, Harton, Narley Other Motorcycle Year: 1942
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gunterjaeger
Plug the breather????? This almost sounds insane, but shit, thats where most of my oily mess is coming from. Can you really do this?
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No you can't. Go to the techincal stickies index at the top of the forum and look up the Engine Breather 101 thread. It will explain what is causing the oily mess out your breather and how to fix it.
If you plug the crankcase breather, all that pressure will come out the next easiest place, usually a gasket or points seal etc. Plus it robs you of several horsepower as the lower end of the engine acts as a big air compressor. |
12th June 2009
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Senior Chief Master Mechanic 1st Class
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Down the Shore
Posts: 1,274 Sportster/Buell Model: XLH-1000 Sportster/Buell Year: 1975 Other Motorcycle Model: Honda Spree Other Motorcycle Year: 1987
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I think he means to plug the transver valve between the case and the primary. If it goes bad, and your bike wet sumps, allot if not all of the oil winds up in the primary. HD finally blocked it off perminentaly in '77. Last winter my '75 wet sumped and all of my oil wound up in the primary because it went through the transfer valve.
I would not plug the breather, as Hopper said, bad things would happen.
Chris
__________________
It’s not really your bike unless you work on it yourself!
"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it,
no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own
reason and your own common sense."
-Buddha (536 B.C.-483 B.C.)
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