Agree on that. Amsoil's motorcycle oil is supposed to be changed at twice the manufacturer's interval. So if you're changing it every 3,500 miles, then you're not supposed to go farther than 7,000 with Amsoil's oil and EAO filter.
Just for a little education for those who have not done much research on the oil for their expensive bikes, I've taken the time to locate this information for your reading pleasure:
Motorcycle oil tests done from an independent certified lab:
Wear Protection (4-Ball, ASTM D-4172)
The ASTM D-4172 4-Ball Wear Test is a good measure of the existence and robustness of an oil’s additive chemistry. It is used to determine an oil’s ability to minimize wear in case of metal-to-metal contact. The test consists of a steel ball that sits atop three identical balls that have been placed in a triangular pattern and restrained from moving. All four balls are immersed in the test oil, which is heated and maintained at a constant temperature. The upper ball is then rotated and forced onto the lower three balls with a load measured in kilogram-force (kgf). After a one-hour period of constant load, speed and temperature, the lower three balls are inspected at the point of contact. Any wear will appear as a single scar on each of the lower balls. The diameter of the scar is measured on each of the lower balls and the results are reported as the average of the three scars, expressed in millimeters. The lower the average scar diameter, the better the wear protection of the oil. In thiscase, the load, speed and temperature used for the test were 40 kg, 1800 RPMs and 150°C respectively.
ASTM D-4172 testing SAE 40:
Royal Purple's wear scar was 1.08.
Amsoil's was wear scar was an incredible 0.40. Royal Purple's wear scar is MORE THAN DOUBLE of Amsoil's.
When testing the SAE 50 oil:
Royal Purple's wear scar was 0.95
HD Screaming Eagle Syn3 wear scar was 0.70.
Mobil 1 V-Twin was 0.65.
Amsoil's was one of the best perfomers with 0.40.
High Temperature/High Shear Viscosity (HT/HS ASTM D-5481)
Shear stability and good high temperature viscosity are critical in motorcycle applications. How these two areas in combination affect the oil is measured using ASTM test methodology D-5481.The test measures an oil’s viscosity at high temperature under shearing forces. Shear stable oils that are able to maintain high viscosity at high temperatures perform wellin the High Temperature/High Shear Test. The test is revealing as it combines viscosity, shear stability and viscosity index. It is important because bearings require the greatest level of protection during high temperature operation. Test results areindicated in cetipoises (cP), which are units of viscosity. The higher the test result, the greater the level of protection offeredby the oil.
On the ASTM D-5481 Shear Viscosity test machine testing SAE 40 (
higher is better on this test.)
Royal Purple scored a 3.94
Amsoil's was 4.52
When testing the SAE 50 group (Higher=better)
Royal Purple tested as 5.34
Screaming Eagle Syn3 as 5.45
Amsoil's was 6.02, best scores of the test.
Pennzoil and Bel-Ray EXS scored the worst of the test.
Volatility (Evaporation) (ASTM D-5800)
When oil is heated, lighter fractions in the oil volatilize (evaporate). This leads to increased oil consumption, emissions and viscosity increase. Higher operating temperatures produce greater volatility.To determine an oil’s resistance to volatility, ASTM test methodology D-5800 is used. In this test, a specific volume of oil is heated to a temperature of 250° C for a period of 60 minutes.Air is drawn through the container holding the oil sample, removing oil that has turned into vapor. At the end of the 60-minute period, the remaining oil volume is weighed and compared to the original weight of the sample. The difference is reported as the percentage of weight lost.
In the SAE 40 testing (lower is better):
Royal Purple's evaporation was: 11.16%
Amsoil's was only 6.44%. In this case, RP's was TWICE as bad as Amsoil.
In the SAE 50 testing (lower is better):
Royal Purple's evaporation was: 9.23% (worst of all of the oils in the test)
Screaming Eagle was: 5.40%
Amsoil's was only 3.89%. In this case, Royal Purple's evaporation was almost 3x that of Amsoil.
Rust protection is measured using the ASTM D-1748 humidity cabinet test. The procedure calls for metal coupons to be dipped in the test oil, then placed in a humidity cabinet for 24 hours at 48.9° C. After 24 hours, the coupons are removed and inspected for rust. Oils allowing no rust or no more than three rust spots less than or equal to 1 mm in diameter are determined to have passed. Oils allowing more than three rust spots or one rust spot greater than 1 mm in diameter are determined to have failed. The degree of failure has been divided into three additional categories: 1-10 spots, 11-20 spots and 21 or more spots.
Amsoil: 0 rust spots
Royal Purple, Pennzoil, Golden Spectro, Valvoline, Motul, Royal Purple, Castrol, Bel-Ray ALL FAILED the test.
Now you can see why some of the people here who use Amsoil are raving about it. At least we have some numbers to go behind some of the raves.
Hope you found some of this helpful in your decision making. I recommend staying away from the
Screaming Eagle. Remember, Harley doesn't make the oil. They go out to one of the lowest bidders and then they put a very high markup on the oil.
Amsoil is mail order. That's why you don't see it in the stores. They have warehouses all over the country making shipping super fast. Become a preferred customer and you can get wholesale pricing on the oil.
Hope you find this post helpful.
