I hav a Harley Softail Delux, can I use automobile motor oil or only motorcycle oil?

The manual says to use harley davidson oil, however tests between auto oil and motorcycle oil showed that the motorcycle oil broke down before the car oil. I know 20 years ago there was no such thing as motorcycle oil and they charge about 300 percent more for motorcycle oil. I used to hav a Suzuki motorcycle and the manual said you could use automobile oil.I hav a Harley Softail Delux, can I use automobile motor oil or only motorcycle oil?
Simply, no. Automotive oil uses additives designed to reduce friction in the engine. On your bike, this oil would eventually ruin the clutch. Yes, it costs more to buy the proper oil, but in the long run it will save you money on repairs to your clutch. If you want to save some money, the Shell Rotella blended synthetic is a bargain. Just make sure to look at the oil specifications in your manual and make sure the oil you buy meets those.I hav a Harley Softail Delux, can I use automobile motor oil or only motorcycle oil?
i don.t know harley has had very different weight oils in theirs over the years than the norm if you have the manual or a quart of oil i would look at the weight and the service rating if you could get an automobile oil with the same i would say it would be ok








i didn,t think harley clutches ran in the engine oil





of course synthetic
unless u want to pay for a new engine, u best use only 20w50 oil. standard car oil's are too thin. this engine is partially oil cooled. u can listen to another hd owner, or learn the hard way why hd uses 20w50. either mobil1, amsol, or hd's. never quaker state.
You can use automobile oil in a motorcycle as long as it's not ';energy conserving'; oil. The energy conserving oils have additives that are not good for the motorcycle clutch. Most of the 10w30's are energy conserving. Check the back of the oil container to see if it's energy conserving or not. I use Shell Rotella T 15w40 in my Vulcan and have not had any problems.
No you can not if you use other oil than for a motorcycle which is not recommended use an oil for diesel engines a 20w 50. Otherwise you will be purchasing a new engine sooner or later. that is an expense you do not want. There are plenty of good motorcycle oils out there for you to choose from Do your research and you will find the right one for you. Oil is the single most important thing you can use in your engine. so choosing the right one is very important also on a Harley you need to change your oil every 2,500 miles too.
Auto oil should work OK, but, a while back, Harley was recommending the use of diesel crankcase oil (Rotella, for instance) in the event that HD brand oil was not available. I believe the reasoning was that diesel spec motor oil has more additives designed to carry off heat than most motor oil, something to consider with an air cooled engine.





I use Rotella 5 W 40, full synthetic in a Honda Magna and VLX Shadow, by the way. Both are liquid cooled V engines.
the biggest difference is that a motorcycle bathes the gears in the oils as well. We don't have separate heavier weight tranny fluid like a car. That being the case stay with whatever is recommended for your bike.
If your gonna ';stray'; from HD oil....





The Shop manual sez , use an oil that you would use in





a Diesel engine....





Gotta Fly...


Mike %26amp; Jaz in MN
Though u can find automobile oil viscosity similar to your HD, characteristic of the oil differs in properties required for your bike. However, it will take awhile before the problem emerge!





Safe riding...


Blue Sky, Endless Road...
No, Just as the oil have change for the cars it has also changed for the motorcycle.





Be Safe
unless u want to shell out about 6,000 for a new engine not including labor to install, u best run only 20w50 mc oil. harley's are not like the metric bikes that can get away with it. hd's are air cooled, and some of this cooling also comes from the oil. car oil is just too thin to withstand the heat hd's engines will put it thru, and they will break down very quickly. air cooled engines will run alot hotter in the oil zone than water cooled engines.


u can run 20w50 synthetic (amsoil), or mobil1, but it is strongly advised u only run 20w50 absolute minumum in the deluxe. dont come back bitc-hin about 'hd's are leaky junkers' when we expressly warned u NOT to run weak car oil in the engine.





and btw: clutches and engines in hd's use different oil's; sportsters being 1 of them. better thoroughly read that manual and adhere to it to the letter....or u will pay severely in engine damage that wont be covered by warrenty
in the older Harley just any good 50 wt. with Harley oil you are just paying 2 times as much for a name.and if it says motorcycle oil it might be 2 cycle oil. back years ago most motorcycles were 2 cycles. Harley's %26amp; most other motercycles use 4 cycle oil now. my bike as been down for a few yr's.but i ,ve switched over to royle purple senthyitic in all my cages, and i love it. if my bike was up that's what i would use, if they make it in a 50 wt.