ynthetic oils have arrived. Harley-Davidson itself even endorses their use, offering its own Harleybranded synthetic blends. Harley-Davidson isn’t alone here, either. Every major oil company now has synthetics for motorcycle applications. The benefits are impressive. Synthetic oils not only hold their viscosity longer than conventional petroleum-based oils, they do a demonstrably better job of lubrication overall and, significantly in an aircooled engine like a Harley’s, synthetic oils have been shown to dramatically reduce running temperatures. An aircooled engine, remember, is also oil-cooled. Synthetic oils can drop that oil temperature by as much as 15 to 25 degrees. Welcome in any V-twin application, that temperature drop will be especially appreciated by anyone with a big-bore/high-compression motor.
     For all those reasons running synthetic oil in a Harley makes good sense. So does threading on a K&N Performance Gold® Oil Filter to go with that synthetic oil. K&N’s oil filters and modern synthetic oils were made for each other. K&N Oil Filters use a special Synthetic Media especially compatible with synthetic oils.
     This resin-impregnated filtration material is designed for maximum flow, reduced pressure drop and enhanced filtration–all important
attributes–but most significantly here that K&N Synthetic Media
won’t break down as it filters today’s popular, higher concentrated
synthetic oils. A little known fact: filter breakdown is something all too common when synthetic oils are matched with standard OE-style
paper filters. When used with synthetic oils a standard paper oil filter can disintegrate internally and actually end up filtering itself and clogging prematurely.
     That condition is a non-issue with a K&N and it’s Synthetic Media
filtration material.
     Switching to a K&N Oil Filter has other benefits. Almost a “race spec” filter, the K&N provides 20- to 30-percent more filtration area than a standard OE or OE-replacement filter. The filter body itself is made from
heavy-duty steel, much thicker than any OE filter body and with a correspondingly higher burst point. From a looks standpoint the K&N is available with either a bright-chrome or gloss-black finish and in either finish there’s a handy 17mm hex nut formed right on the end for easy installations and removals. The hex nut has even been factory crossdrilled for safety wiring.
     K&N Oil Filters have pressure relief valves where applicable set to slightly higher PSI ratings so the filter can do its job longer, and there
are anti-drain back valves included where applicable. The K&N Oil Filter base gasket is even pre-lubed for a leak-free installation.
     Switching to synthetic oils with a matching K&N Performance Gold® Oil Filter is a win/win situation. One cautionary note from our friends at K&N: don’t try to break-in a new motor or new bike on synthetic oils. This stuff is so good, and so slippery, the required wear-in process–especially with the piston rings–might not happen. Wait at least 3,000 miles before making the synthetic switch. And yes, the K&N
filters work just as well with regular petroleum-based oils. K&N offers an oil filter for just about every Harley-Davidson from the early 1980s thru 2007. Drag Specialties has them in stock.