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Winter Wgt. Oil

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tsp45acp

Active Member
Bought my 08 1200C in Aug. Switched to AmSoil Syn 20-50 at the 1K service. Got 2350 on the speedo right now. I drive 15-20 miles round trip to work ( Sporty is my daily driver unless it's raining in the morning). I give it a 3-5 min warm-up before I take off. When I get to work (and back home at night), the right side bottom cover on the motor (not sure what it covers though) is usually only warm or only slightly hotter to the touch. Not hot like it is in the summer.

My question is: since I'm not getting the engine "hot" like it does in the summer, ---Should I switch to a lighter oil such as a syn 10-40 for the winter months?

I've read about the oil passages getting clogged up from oil not getting hot enough to circulate properly and this concerns me. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, A newb winter rider--Tracy
 
tsp45acp said:
Bought my 08 1200C in Aug. Switched to AmSoil Syn 20-50 at the 1K service. Got 2350 on the speedo right now. I drive 15-20 miles round trip to work ( Sporty is my daily driver unless it's raining in the morning). I give it a 3-5 min warm-up before I take off. When I get to work (and back home at night), the right side bottom cover on the motor (not sure what it covers though) is usually only warm or only slightly hotter to the touch. Not hot like it is in the summer.

My question is: since I'm not getting the engine "hot" like it does in the summer, ---Should I switch to a lighter oil such as a syn 10-40 for the winter months?

I've read about the oil passages getting clogged up from oil not getting hot enough to circulate properly and this concerns me. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, A newb winter rider--Tracy
Click to expand...

I have a similar riding cycle of only a 5 mile "commute" and I think it would qualify us for using the 20/50W Synthetic as specified, but changing it more often than 5,000 mile intervals. When you do change, make sure you run it at least 20 minutes before changing out. We are hard on the oil, and do not allow moisture to "boil" out. :newsmile074:
 
I always assumed that a multi wieght oil meant good while using at the recomended temperatures for the rating? So thisk cold ,so thick warm .Am i wrong?
 
Gonna change more often, but a response I got on the XLForum suggested dropping to 10-40wgt syn. After looking in the owners manual, it does say to use 10-40 under 40 degrees. It's been pretty consistantly in the 30's to mid/high 20's so far (at night). Pretty cold for this time of yr here. Those temps are usually in late Jan & Feb. I'll prob call or stop by the stealership soon.

One of my other concerns is that the motor turns over "just a little slower" in this colder weather and that was what got me originally thinking about changing the oil wgt. With the colder weather and shorter rides, I'm wondering if my battery is getting a full charge each time I ride. Since the headlight is always on, how long does the bike need to run to put "that juice" needed to start er-up back into the battery?Tracy
 
tsp45acp said:
Gonna change more often, but a response I got on the XLForum suggested dropping to 10-40wgt syn. After looking in the owners manual, it does say to use 10-40 under 40 degrees. It's been pretty consistantly in the 30's to mid/high 20's so far (at night). Pretty cold for this time of yr here. Those temps are usually in late Jan & Feb. I'll prob call or stop by the stealership soon.

One of my other concerns is that the motor turns over "just a little slower" in this colder weather and that was what got me originally thinking about changing the oil wgt. With the colder weather and shorter rides, I'm wondering if my battery is getting a full charge each time I ride. Since the headlight is always on, how long does the bike need to run to put "that juice" needed to start er-up back into the battery?Tracy
Click to expand...

If it stays that cold all the time, probably 10-40wt synthetic oil (make sure it still is rated for V-Twins) would probably be fine as long as the temperatures on the upper range do not go much beyond 90 deg F for extended periods using this oil, as the oil gets thinner as it "ages"...offering less protection at higher temperatures (in other words by the time 3000 miles/3 months rolls around, it will probably be warm enough to change back to "standard" 20-50Wt Synthetic). :newsmile04:
 
hi all..ilive (new york state) where winters get cold. the owners manual for my 2002 fatboy with twincam 88b engine says to use 10w40 oil below 40 deg F. My local dealership service dept says dont, stay with 20w50. im plannin on staying with the 20, just wondered if any folks from cold climates have any thoughts or experiences ..thanks
 
20/50 in all my bikes which were all different types over the years, both winter and summer and never had a problem...
 
20/50 all the time Your ride you decide
Keep in mind if you ride in cold and below freezing weather to warm the bike up good to burn off the condensation, it can turn to sludge and ice in the oil, more frequent oil changes will help JMO
 
thanks for the replies.. it's time for an oil change, i'm gonna go with HD dino 20w50, and change it again in the spring ,probly not get very many miles out of it , but it will also serve to dilute the 3/4 of a quart (?) or so of dirty oil that remains after an unscavenged oil change, so my next summer's oil will be real clean..
just bought 4 quarts of amsoil 10w40, guess i can use it in the primary and my chevy colorado..
 
Shell Rotella T5 is 15W40 and JASO rated for motorcycles; a "diesel" oil. This oil would be good for a cold weather application as well as when the ambient temps warm up; no need for a winter and summer oil. Granted, it is conventional oil but if one is changing at shorter intervals, say 3K miles instead of 5K miles, one is not taking advantage of the cost premium one is paying for synthetic oil. JMHO.
 
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