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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 199
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 199 |
Hey chasps,
I'm posing a few Q.'s here about my new bike because it seems a few of you guys have a bit of background with bikes, plus after trying the Australian HD riders forum, I'm underwhelmed with the general response. In fact, the whole level of dialouge there suggests somewhat limited intellectual horizons. Sadly, some of those guys can barely string 2 words together, let alone spell.
Now, I do recognise most of you won't have had bikes, but some of you will, and a few will have had Harley Davidsons. Those last few are who I am specifically addressing.
The bike is a 2010 HD XR1200. It's almost new, just 900 kms. Say 600 miles. Barely run in really. However, having always had Japanese fours, and having had the last one, a Yamaha XJ650 continuously registered and on the road for 22 years, I am far from current with HD's.
What I am wondering is regarding motor and gearbox oils for it. The owners manual recommends HD synthetic 20-50W for the bike's engine in my general climatic temperature range of 40-100F here in southern Australia. Well, what else would a motor vehicle manufacturer recommend but its own expensive oil brand? Last I checked 5 litres of synthetic oil at an auto accessories and parts store, you could pay anything up to $120 for it. I suspect the HD engine isn't quite that exotic or particular in its lubrication requirements. It's basically a warmed over Sportster motor and that's all. Buell cams, compression ratio of 10:1, up from the standard Sportster's 9.7:1, EFI via a cold air "scoop", and an oil cooler. Hp is claimed to be 90 from 1200cc, so the specific output is pretty modest by todays sportbike standards. To be precise, it's yeilding 75hp per litre at the crank, versus, say 170hp/litre for the current Yamaha R1, maybe 180hp/litre from the current Suzuki GSXR1000, and the new ZX10 Kawasaki is claiming 195hp from its 1L engine. All the Japanese bikes are of course DOHC mutivalve engines with redlines of 12-14000rpm. My XR's is 7000, and is of course a pushrod 2V motor, no OHC or camchains. I don't know yet if it's a roller bearing (high oil pressure required) or plain bearing (low oil pressure adequate) bottom end, but maybe you guys do.
To the gearbox. Engine + gearbox although of unitary construction sharing the cases, have different oils, which is new to me. It is a constant mesh design like Jap bikes, so no riding issues, in fact it's a barrel of laughs to ride and despite the output figures goes quite hard, will pull 2 up easily and actually feels and sounds like a real hooligans bike. I'm going to have to be very careful.
So given the output and that it's purely a recreational toy, no racing, shouldn't regular hypoid 80-90W be okay? Is there anything particular Harley characteristics which really do mean you should go with the expensive exotic gearbox oil?
I look forward to your articulate responses. If you can spell them right, all the better.
Cheers,
John
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 681
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 681 |
I have a 2008 harley softail........traded bagger harley......have always had harleys.......never a problem, change oil, check air pressure, etc. for 35 years I have had a harley, never bought one when AMF owned company in the 70s, but would never switch.......20x50 is the right choice, even in Wisconsin. I still stick with the real oil, don't really know about fake oil as I call it but I stick to the real stuff, cheaper and has always done me well, hope that helps....... 
Critter
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Well, the XR is spec'd for the synthetic oil, though there are brands other than the HD brand that could be used there.
I've always poured Ashless Aircraft Oil (that's a type, not a brand name) into my rather massaged '89 FXRP engine.
My tranny is still filled with Harley's stuff, it has only been changed once in all these years. Yeah, I know...
My riding buddy fills his HD crankcase with Castrol synthetic, you may be able to find that stuff where you are. The real difference< in my opinion, is that if you go with the "natural" motor oil, you should change the oil a bit more often than you would with the synthetic. My V-twin is so tight that I can actually tell when the oil is starting to die, the throttle response gets a tad mushy. The XR engine is a very tight build also and should act much the same.
And the synthetic stuff is likely to prove to be a bit more slippery at high temps, which would translate to more power.
Ride safe,
--Mac
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,163
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,163 |
Shack, If it recommends synthetic oil, stick with synthetic. Do not use non-synthetic oil. I am sure you can find a non-brand named oil a little cheaper. Also, make sure to stick with the oil change routine they recommend, mileage wise. I've had several Honda Motorcycles over the years and they are a great stress reliever  Be sure to also check your oil levels (not leaning over) every couple of rides or so, HD's have been known to leak some. Congrats on the new ride, have fun and be safe out there Trax
Last edited by Muzic Trax; 08/04/10 03:35 PM.
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Off-Topic
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 199
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 199 |
Okay, thanks guys, thread concluded. The consensus seems to be synthetic for the engine, at least. I found and read a 2005 paper by a lubrication specialist last night at the USA Sportster site which strongly suggests Mobil1 15-50 is a very safe bet, in terms of adequacy over the long term plus ongoing easy availability. You see, Harley express a caveat in their owners manual that whatever you decide to lube the bike engine with, stick to it in order to prevent possibly nasty interactions between different oil types and their various ingredients.
Smack wrist, Mac for that long suffering gearbox! And a big elephant stamp to critter and Trax, + thanks also lads for chiming in. Promise I will try to stay safe and not kid myself any more (than necessary) that I'm still 22...
J.
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Off-Topic
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
That gearbox ain't long-sufferin' my man.
Always use high quality lubricants to begin with, I say.
And Harley Davidson gearboxes are built tough. I've had my share of Kaws and Hondas also and know what I'm talkin' about here.
And I second the recommendation about that Mobil 1 synthetic, having used it in cages if not in mah scooter. Good stuff.
There seems to be quite a few examples of scooter trash around these here forums.
gOOd.
--Mac
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
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- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
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Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
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Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
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