Oil Questions Asked And Answered

Originally Posted by IBVic

AL

I use VICTORY oil at the Bonneville Salt Flats. I has performed very well.

Greg

C'mon Greg, admit it, you did take a swig or two. You did perform very well

[Rowebote]

I'm a fan of Vic oil as well. However if you decide you want to use something else the key thing I've read is that full Synthetics aren't recommended. Oils with friction modifiers can cause issues as well. Since the oil is also used to lube the clutch on Vics, full synthetics and friction modifiers can cause your clutch to slip. I know there are a few guys on thevmc that swear by the Rotella blend (not the full syn).

Chris

[ALStensby]

Originally Posted by JoeGopher

Seriously, I look at it this way - victory put a lot of energy and money in to testing and developing a proprietary para-synthetic oil for these bikes to ensure proper lubrication and friction for the wet gear system. Saving 10 -20 bucks on an oil change just doesn't seem worth it to me to risk it.

Now that I think about it, maybe I should just buy a 55 gallon drum since I have re-useable filters???

And as usual, your results may vary and opinions are just like assholes... Everyone has one.

Thanks for that extra tid-bit. I'm going to look in to it a bit. In the past, most of them that I've come across were just re-branded oils instead of ones they actually developed specifically for their vehicles. That does make a difference for me. While oil is oil, there are small things that can make a difference.

Also, yes...you should start buying the 55 gallon drum.

And yes, everyone has one...and everyone else's stinks.

[Gibby]

Victory oil and filters for me. Maybe a bit more expensive and I keep the receipts along with meticulous records, just in case.

[Minnesota Kid]

I agree with Joe. All the R&D that Victory performed was with the oil they recommend so that's what I stay with.

[Johnny Ritz]

Victory partnered with Lube-tech to develop the oil for the Victory application.

I had a very bad experience with Mobil 1 on #434 which required pulling the engine and sealing the top half. (at least we didn't have to split the cases)

Then I put another 70K on it using the Victory oil.

I know Victory oil is expensive, but....

[johnny vision]

Vic oil comes from Lube Tech they have a distributing point at 55 and 169. No we can't buy from them.
You cam buy a Wix filter at O Riley's and its rated at the top of filters. P/N 51358 or 51356 one of them is longer then the other but if there not side by side you would never know. There for $6.50 and K&N is $13.95
Buy five crush washers and replace every other oil change. I'm not sure about the crush part cause there flat.
Use what oil you like, a lot are running synthetic cause your motor runs cooler.
Clutches slips cause of the rider not the clutch. All clutch fiber plates are designed to work with synthetic oil's as well as normal oil.
Never Never run oil that is not designed for motorcycle cause of the shear factor is different for cars.

Bottom line with any thread on oil is that unless anyone posting is a Petroleum Chemical Engineer who also has a degree in mechanical engineering who also happens to work for Polaris, it's all personal opinion and hearsay, mine included.

Victory could have licensed Amsoil or anyone else to provide a full synthetic but their engineers had valid reasons to use the oil they did and price wasn't a factor. Only they know from testing and warranty what is required for the bearings, seals, pistons, rings, working surfaces, gaskets, transmission and clutches to work in harmony. They don't want to pay for warranty claims. Neither Amsoil or anyone else has that experience. Reducing operating temps aren't always a good thing either, consider Victory reducing the size of the sump and installing a smaller oiler cooler on the later V92 series to get the engines to run HOTTER. Those specs remain on the tube frame bikes today from 2002.

Do what you like if other than Victory oil but be prepared to pay the price if it fails (especially under warranty). Polaris won't give a rip what a legal precedent says and chances are you and your attorney won't want to spend the $ to sue when Polaris has deep legal pockets. They'll bank on you running out of $ and/or desire after years of dragging you through the legal quagmire and they have the expert engineering resources to refute any claims you may have to the contrary. I'm not picking on Victory; HD, Honda and just about any other manufacturer would do the same if you don't play by their rules. Not a good gamble to save a few yen.

Look at it this way, you bought a Victory to escape aggravation, not create it. If you want aggravation you can always disagree with your wife or buy another Harley

I'll bet that Excedrin bottle is running low...

[sks700]

Fuel to the fire: I've never heard of a Victory motor failure... regardless of choice of oil...

I too use the Vic oil...

[stillsteamn]

More fuel, opinion, and anecdotal tales: Amsoil has published test data of their various oils in various applications. Theirs is extremely high quality stuff. I run Amsoil in everything I own, change it once a year or 25,000 miles. No problems. And a lot less hassle. With a bypass oil filtration system and Amsoil installed in my '99 Silverado 5.3L I went 50,000 miles over 4 years with only filter changes and top-offs. Then TBN (total base number) got a little too high, prompting an oil change. It's now at 150K miles and running like new, I've since backed off to changing oil every 2 years with that setup (no short trips).

Dean, like you I've been using Amsoil since the 1960s in my cars and in a lot of cycles, we were one of the first distributors at Beck-Arnley. Its one of the best engineered synthetics for a multitude of applications. But, with Victory being a "new" high-performance package with just a 13 year data record and few failures to draw on, I opt for Victory oil. 100K+ mile engines with no leaks are reason enough for me to trust their oil and the changes are so stupid-easy I actually enjoy them. As Ritter discovered, it can be risky being an oil guinea pig as not all gaskets and seals are alike and it can take a long time to find out. Victory may use compounds that their oil is suited for while other oils may attack or penetrate them.

More time, more miles, more oils and more guinea pigs are needed to get a clear picture for me. I don't care if my Toro develops a seal or base gasket leak but I wouldn't want one on the bike.

Hopefully Amsoil proves to be a great Vic oil when not just a few high mileage riders like Roadkill Tim report on it, but many. Then I may jump in. Is it good for engine packages like your Silverado and many other 60 yr old engine designs? Absolutely, time and numbers have proven it. And better yet it's great to have an Amsoil die-hard that lives nearby so I can find out

I love this thread.

[Fireman Gary]

well if 2 cents is all you want here is mine, When i first got my 2005 Vegas i was wondering the same thing. My father inlaw was at a Victory dealership in all places Vegas he was asking a tech there about my question and when i called him on the phone myself, the tech told me that i could use Royal Purple Max Cycle 20/50 as an alternate. I have read great reviews and bad, but it to is very pricey. For the cost and piece of mind the Victory oil kit is the way to go, all the parts (oil, filter, and washer) all included.

make it simple just buy VICTORY.....

[Schamby]

I am just going to stay out of it.

[Happy Dan]

What does anyone really save by using non-Vic oil? It's cheap insurance, period. I'm more worried about the longevity of tires!!! Vic oil, only, in my Cross Country. The few $$ that I would save going to something else and risking clutch slipage isn't worth it to me. Sometimes, you have to eliminate the headache factor and the guess-work.

[King Moto]

My 2011 XC is the first motorbike I've ever owned where it was cheaper for my dealer to change the oil and keep the mess than it was for me to buy the kit and do it myself.