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!!OH NO!! Not !Another oil question??!!

I camped with a fellow a few years ago that was riding an old 1930-something Indian Chief. He was doing a check of everything one morning when I ask him what kind of oil he ran in such an old bike. he just smiled and said Mobil 1 syn. He said it cut down the wear on critical parts by 50%. I was impressed.
Heck, I am impressed he was riding that old bike! But, they are still out there and on the road. If he was running Mobile syn. on a machine that old, that is a recommendation. There is a vendor that runs ads for special oils for really old machines in "Classic Motorcycle" I think. None detergent as I recall. I think even in the really old bikes, such as the 30's era Indian, as long as you've good seals synthetic is a-okay. And even if you don't have good seals just watch your oil level, as I think probably most/all those old bikes will leak or weep some. Although, and anyone can correct me here, there may have been "total loss" oil systems still around in the thirties, in which case loss of oil wouldn't be a concern I'd think.
 
I wonder how many Harley owners that own the old Harleys (the ones with the ones with factory installed oil leaks) have tried synthetic. They marked their spot from the days they were on the showroom floor. I suspect the spots would be much larger.
 
I wonder how many Harley owners that own the old Harleys (the ones with the ones with factory installed oil leaks) have tried synthetic. They marked their spot from the days they were on the showroom floor. I suspect the spots would be much larger.

The old Harleys, shovelhead and before, are not recommended for synthetic...straight fifty dino is what thay need...When I tried synth in mine, it made no difference...it doesn't leak...
 
Amsoil, again:
"You may have heard the myth that synthetic oil can cause engine seals to leak. Synthetics absolutely do not cause seals to leak, they simply may only reveal an existing leak path and seal which has failed and is in need of mechanical replacement. ... What happens is exactly as we described above. If you have a very old engine that has been running petroleum oil, and it also leaks, for example around the rear-main oil seal, then chances are it will leak more with synthetic oil ... AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils are recommended for use in mechanically sound engines!"

An old Castrol GTX fan, I now use synth in every sound engine, trans, shaft, and FD.

I've never read (nor did I say) that it caused leaks. Only it that it could get through seals more easily esp. as they get old, so no myth really.

RM
 
Does not the fact that synthetic can get through faulty seals and gaskets that dino oil doesn't not strike you as a REAL PLUS FOR SYNTHETIC?

Or do you consider the propensity of an oil to gum up a plus?
 
Tricks from my professional VW/Porsche mechanic days...if you want to introduce synthetic to an older engine, start slowly. Add just a cup of synthetic to an oil change. Then next time add a quart. This seems to stop the leak paths.

A tip from modern mechanics and engineers. Keep the dino oil the engine for at least 2000 miles on any street machine before you switch to synthetic. The rings need to wear in a goodly amount to prevent blow-by.

My own personal tip, Redline oils come with all the old fashioned additives (like Moly and ZDDP) that aren't good for catalytic converters. Great stuff for Airheads.
 
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