[Kookopelli]

From the first day I rode my VTX 1300 I was convinced Honda had merged with John-Deere and mated the engine to a tractor gearbox. It clunked hard from first to second and second to third unless I was just crawling. If I ran first gear up to anything over about 12 mph before shifting I always checked the mirror to see if parts were rolling down the road behind me and after 3600 miles it was no better.

Yesterday I changed my oil yesterday to Amsoil 10W-40 and could not believe how nicely it shifts now. It still clunks a little but it is more of a nick than a clunk. It is now very Honda-like and a lot more fun to ride...especially if you like to ride on the brisk side of the tach.

Is this typical of any synthetic oil or is Amsoil just that good?

 

[GBIKE]

Amsoil is pretty good, but it didn't quiet the clunking on my VTX. I changed to Amsoil at my first oil change. I use it in my Aero and my classic cars and I know its good stuff. My friend with a Harley changed to Amsoil when he bought his bike used and it ran cooler and quieter.

 

[wanderingbear]

Almost any synthetic has the same results.

 

[Bassdude404]

Oh goodie!!!!..Another Amsoil commercial!!!...

 

[stebman]

I'm a brand new rider, been 30 years since my last bike. It was a 77' honda 400/4...I loved that bike. My memory may be off, but I remember that thing running soooo smooth, even at 70+. My first time on my new VTX1300 which I expected to be super smooth considering the size, was a little disappointment. The shifting is just as ydnarman described. and when on the freeways I am getting vibration I didn't expect from a bike this size. Nothing like my 400/4. Could possibly be from the wind I get, since my stock windshield 21" is too short. I need one about 23". Anybody know where I can get one?
I haven't reached my first service yet, but already planned on using Amzoil, since I use in my truck.
Safe riding to all.

 

[teraeric]

I'm a brand new rider, been 30 years since my last bike. It was a 77' honda 400/4...I loved that bike. My memory may be off, but I remember that thing running soooo smooth, even at 70+. My first time on my new VTX1300 which I expected to be super smooth considering the size, was a little disappointment. The shifting is just as ydnarman described. and when on the freeways I am getting vibration I didn't expect from a bike this size. Nothing like my 400/4. Could possibly be from the wind I get, since my stock windshield 21" is too short. I need one about 23". Anybody know where I can get one?
I haven't reached my first service yet, but already planned on using Amzoil, since I use in my truck.
Safe riding to all.

no, main reason is the 400/4 had 4 pistons that had less total mass than one of the two pistons in your 1300... the physics of moving stuff (honda only bends the rules with good engineering) means that a big vtwin has some vibration because of big things swooshing and booming... a 1300 has more than a 1800 because of the crankshaft configuration (two throws on the 1800, one (like a harley) on the 1300)...

those 400/4's were smooth as silk, i still remember the eerie feeling of having to watch the tach because you couldn't tell the difference between 5000 and 10000 rpms (i had a cb360 at the time that was much more communicative) until my buddy added a kerker pipe, the howl that thing made would stand the hair on my neck up ...

if you wanted silky smooth, you bought the wrong genre of bike... we buy big twins to be able to tell that there's something large and mechanical going on down there... and the 1300 is engineered to give you the most vtwin experience, in a civilized manner of course, that it can...

hope you can come to love it like we do... :choppersm

and welcome to the forums... pm me if you want to get together for a ride this week (or any week)...

 

[Gonzo1970]

Oh goodie!!!!..Another Amsoil commercial!!!...

While I do share the same sentiment as my good friend here, I will say that:

1) There are tons of posts here about the Clunk. Yes, its normal. Yes, its fine. Yes, it will last longer than just about any "other" trans out there.

2) There are tons of posts about Oils.. Dino Vs. Synth.

3) Amsoil is my brand. Yes, it did help the Clunk "Not Hit So Hard" but its still there.. and gets back to the "normal" clunk after about 8k miles (I run 10k on Amsoil, changing the filter at 5k because Filters DO get Full and bypass... thats bad)

But...

4) Posting about your experiences is not a bad thing here. By all means, post about what ya experience with your VTX. Thats what this place is for. Some people get a little jaded about people posting redundant issues.. Just roll with it.

-Gonz