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Syn 3 Oil You Decide

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Jack Klarich

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SCREAMIN' EAGLE® SYN3 SYNTHETIC MOTORCYCLE LUBRICANT
What are the key benefits to using SYN3? SYN3 Lubricant:

Can be used in the engine, primary chaincase, and transmission.
Offers improved film strength for superior wear protection at high temperature, and improved deposit control for a cleaner engine, transmission, and primary chaincase.
Is formulated for reduced oil consumption, improved wear protection, high temperature detergency, and superior overall field performance.
Provides high temperature film strength, which means the lubricant maintains film thickness in high power output and high engine speed conditions, keeping the metal parts from rubbing against each other and resulting in less wear.

In the past, Harley-Davidson® did not recommend the use of synthetic oils in H-D/Buell® motorcycles. Why is H-D introducing a synthetic now? Because Harley-Davidson cannot test and certify all available synthetics on the market nor control their oil and additive formulations, we have discouraged their use. However, Harley-Davidson, in close partnership with our suppliers, analyzed available petrochemical technology and developed a custom-blended candidate fluid that can be used in all three cavities of a Harley-Davidson/Buell motorcycle. This product has been exclusively designed for Harley-Davidson and is the only synthetic product TESTED and CERTIFIED by Harley-Davidson engineering for use in H-D/Buell motorcycles.
What kind of testing was done on SYN3? Over three years of laboratory bench testing, dynamometer testing under accelerated conditions, open road vehicle durability testing, closed course durability testing, and wear and deposit rating analysis was conducted on SYN3.
Who makes or blends this product? SYN3 is a proprietary blend, exclusively custom-blended for Harley-Davidson.
Will H-D 360 Motorcycle Oil be replaced by SYN3? Harley-Davidson continues to offer H-D 360 Motorcycle Oil. SYN3 is an alternative lubricant product from Harley-Davidson, and in particular, a formula that is very effective for high performance engines and hot climate applications.
In which motorcycle models can SYN3 be used? SYN3 is formulated for use in Harley-Davidson Evolution® XL, Evolution 1340, Twin Cam® (all displacements) and Revolution-equipped models and all Buell® models.
Can SYN3 be used in ShovelheadTM engines, 4-speed Big Twin transmissions, and early Shovelhead 5-speed transmissions? Harley-Davidson did not test SYN3 in these engine configurations. There are a multitude of tests that must be completed before a lubricant can be certified for use in Harley-Davidson engines, primary chaincases and transmissions. Many of these tests require that the components be brand new, and the required quantity of new powertrains for testing and validation could not be procured.
Will the use of SYN3 lengthen my service intervals? No, we recommend that you still follow your owner's manual for the proper service schedule for your vehicle.
If this product is a high performance lubricant, why would my service intervals not be extended? While SYN3 will help reduce the amount of impurities to your engine, no lubricant product can reduce fuel dilution (this happens every time you start your vehicle). As a result, the regular service schedule is recommended for optimum performance of your vehicle.

Lubricants begin to break down the moment the engine is started. The long molecular strands of the lubricant begin to be sheared between the faces of gears, pistons or other moving parts. SYN3 was tested to confirm that the lubricant provides the protection required for the engine, primary chaincase and transmission for the drain intervals specified in the Owner's Manual.
A common concern with other available synthetic oils is that roller bearings may "skate" or "float" in the bearing race, and not actually rotate as designed. How does SYN3 prevent this from happening? SYN3 was formulated to provide improved high temperature stability, shear stability, proper lubricity for anti-wear (without roller bearing "skate" or "float") and maintain the coefficient of friction for proper clutch operation (without clutch slippage).

Harley-Davidson does not recommend any lubricants that have not been tested and approved by Harley-Davidson engineering because we do not control the formulations. Lubricants are reformulated frequently to meet changing American Petroleum Institute (API) Ratings. API Ratings are developed and tested for use in water-cooled automotive engines and diesel applications. There is no API Rating (classification) for Motorcycle Engines.

Harley-Davidson, in close partnership with our suppliers, analyzed available petrochemical technology and developed a custom-blended candidate fluid that could be used in all three cavities of a Harley-Davidson/Buell motorcycle.
Can a brand new bike have its fluids drained and refilled with SYN3, without voiding the warranty? Yes, this product can be used as a first fill upon delivery of a new motorcycle. The formula is approved by Harley-Davidson for use in all stages of engine life and is not detrimental to the engine break-in cycle.
Do the cavities that are going to be filled with SYN3 need to be completely drained? Yes, the cavities that are to be filled with SYN3 must be completely drained. It is not recommended to mix SYN3 with other lubricant products. During servicing, a residual amount of fluid will remain in the sumps. It is not required to "flush" out the residual fluids.
Should I put a can of additive in with each oil change? No, SYN3 is blended with an additive package already included. Other additives are not needed and may not be compatible with SYN3. In fact, oil additives may actually dilute the SYN3 formulation.
If I'm on the road, and realize I'm down a quart of engine oil, and cannot buy SYN3, what should I use? If SYN3 is not available and addition of motor oil is required, the first choice would be to add H-D 360 SAE 20W50 to the SYN3 for engine lubrication. Although H-D 360 is compatible with SYN3, we suggest the mixture of the fluids be changed as soon as possible. If H-D 360 is not available, the second choice would be to add an acceptable diesel engine oil as listed in the Owner's Manual, and again we suggest the mixture of the fluids be changed as soon as possible. DO NOT add diesel engine oil to the primary chaincase or transmission.
Can a quart of oil be added to the Primary Chaincase or Transmission when SYN3 is not available? If SYN3 is not available and addition of lubricant to the Primary Chaincase (Evolution 1340 and Twin Cam 88) is required, the first choice would be to add H-D Primary Chaincase Lubricant. Although H-D Primary Chaincase Lubricant is compatible with SYN3, we suggest the mixture of the fluids be changed as soon as possible.

If SYN3 is not available and addition of lubricant to the Primary Chaincase and Transmission (common reservoir) for Evolution XL and all Buell models is required, the first choice would be to add H-D Sport-Trans Fluid. Although H-D Sport-Trans Fluid is compatible with SYN3, we suggest the mixture of the fluids be changed as soon as possible.

If SYN3 is not available and addition of lubricant to the Transmission (Evolution 1340 andTwin Cam 88) is required, DO NOT ADD H-D Semi-Synthetic Transmission Lubricant as the two lubricants are NOT compatible.
 
I haven't used Syn 3 since 04 when my bike was new so it's probably been reformulated since then but I was haveing transmission issues with the Syn 3 and swithed to Amsoil and now Mobil 1 and haven't had any issues since dumping the Syn 3.
 
I seen a oil comparison and syn 3 was below regular oil , I'd use a good one like amsoil or mobil 1 ,I've been using amsoil in car and bike for years if none around I use mobil.
 
Hello all, new to the forum. Just picked up a 2021 Street Glide Special. What’s the opinion between Mobil 1 Vtwin and Amsoil Vtwin? Also anyone running the Amsoil Vtwin transmission fluid? Thanks all, Tom
 
HI TomNC
Welcome to the forum from Gulf Coast AL
I have used Syn3 in the past with no issues, I switched to Mobile1 several years ago mostly because of cost and have had no issues as well. I am running Redline Shockproof in the trans, it does shift smoother and run quieter than Syn3. Never used Amsoil.
 
+1 on what Russ posted, always a debate on what to run and you'll find multiple opinions.
I too run Mobile 1 in the engine and Redline in the tranny.
 
Thanks to everyone. I just picked up the bike, put about 225 miles on her, breaking her in and I will be changing all the fluids out at 1,000 miles. Ride safe everyone and enjoy your rides.
 
Motorcycle lubrication (vehicle lubrication, actually) is a religious subject and pretty much everyone has an opinion. It happens to be a long time passion of mine and I've invested a lot of time researching the subject, tearing apart oil filters and having fluid analyses done and so on. I am hardly a tribologist but I'm guessing I know a tad more about the subject thank some. So here's some facts:

The statement that someone has used Brand X for years and "never had a problem" is completely meaningless. If I put maple syrup in my oil bag and "never had a problem" would you do as I did?

If you change the oil every 3,000 miles or so, pretty much any API/JASO rated motor oil of the correct weight in the engine will be fine. If you want to go for extended drain intervals then you want to use a high quality synthetic.

Most providers won't tell the public what's in the blends they sell but they can't hide that information from the US Government. They are required to file a Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) that discloses all the details on what's in what they are selling. Not to get into a confrontation (but I'm happy to discuss this off line) Harley Syn3 is a 60/40 blend of synthetic and petroleum oils. There's more data in the MSDS but suffice it to say that syn3 is a semi-synthetic at best. It's supplied by whatever vendor will do so at the lowest cost and the syn3 source has changed multiple times since it came out. An intelligent person understands that "provided at the lowest cost" is the inverse of providing the highest quality possible product. syn3 is an inferior blend and at the top tier cost-wise. You may not like reading this but it's an undeniable fact.

AMSOIL 20W-50 and Mobil1 are essentially tied in terms of blend, additives, and the rest. These would be your top of the line choices. Pennzoil also has an excellent synthetic that I run in my hemi. For now I am running Mobil1 in my Harleys because it is less expensive and performs very well. I have noticed that my engine does run a bit hotter on Mobil1 than it does on AMSOIL.

AMSOIL has done extensive testing and those test results are available on-line. Very few (if any) of the others publish anything even close to these. So IMHO, AMSOIL is the gold standard that other lubricants should be measured against.

Filters: a big deal is made about filtering tiny particles. 5 microns, which is absolutely microscopic seems to be the holy grail number. Again, if you are changing your oil every few thousand miles any decent filter will be fine. FRAM, btw, is NOT a decent filter. But what's important here is the filter element size. Filtering 5 micron particles with a tiny filter means the filter will clog up faster and thus, once it's clogged, the bypass valve opens and nothing gets filtered. A ten micron, large filter element will serve you well for 5k miles. K&N has (IMO) the best overall filter for the average rider. AMSOIL filter elements are significantly smaller than K&N although it's probably fine if changed out every 3k miles.

Yes, you can put 20W-50 motor oil in a Harley transmission and chaincase and it will be ok but.... Harley Davidson made that specification so as to sell more syn3, not because it's the best lubricant for those applications. Ditto for raising the drain interval from 10k to 20k. NOTHING was changed in the tranny or chaincase to allow for doubling the drain interval. It was a marketing ploy. You should continue to change those fluids every 10k miles or once a year whichever comes sooner.

I run 85W-140 gear oil in my Harley transmissions. Always have For years, the MoCo said no, no, no to that but have recently started selling their own brand of 85w-140 (or a weight something like that) so...... contrary to popular lore, these "recommendations" are not coming from Harley engineering. They are coming from marketing guys.

I've gotten good service out of Bel Ray and my oil samples always look good when they are checked at the lab. You'll notice that the clunk when you're shifting will go away with a heavier oil as you would expect.

I run Redline chaincase oil just because... but so long as you are changing it regularly (10k max) and keep your tensioner adjusted correctly you should be fine. I've not seen any difference in wear between engine oil or any particular brand of chaincase oil.

I hope you find this information helpful and by all means have a look around and learn about the various lubricant group levels, base oils and so on. It's an interesting topic in a geeky kind of way.

A final note: heat is the big killer of lubricants and air cooled motors. IMHO an oil cooler is a vital accessory. I haven't run without one for 50-odd years. If you run your motor hard when it's really hot out, think seriously about shorter engine oil drain intervals. Lubricants are cheap. A rebuild is not. And just for fun, send a sample off to the lab now and then. They can tell you a LOT about what's going on inside your engine.
 
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