Mike Ford - AMSOIL Independent Dealer

Jamie Jarvi |   Aug 01, 2017 9:26 AM The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a true bucket-list destination for any motorcycle enthusiast. Each year thousands upon thousands of riders descend on Sturgis, S.D., and turn this small, sleepy town into a motorcycle mecca. Some travel the road to Sturgis as an annual endeavor, while others make it a once-in-a-lifetime journey. In either case, there is always the thrilling experience of hitting the open road to Sturgis. For those taking their inaugural ride to the world-famous Rally the week of Aug. 4-13, we’ve got some ideas to keep in mind that will help make your first rally appearance a success. Formulate a plan: It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the sights and sounds of Sturgis. Leaving room for spontaneity is essential, meaning you don’t need a minute-by-minute itinerary. But having some guidelines ensures you are in the right place at the right time, whatever your dining/entertainment/riding needs. Be...

What’s the Difference Between Motorcycle, Dirt Bike and ATV Oil? John Baker | Jun 13, 2018 4:12 PM   Most people who ask have an underlying question they really mean to ask: Can I use the same motor oil in my motorcycle, dirt bike and ATV/UTV? Sure, you can use a single oil formulation for all your toys (assuming you use the correct viscosity in each). But you shouldn’t. Kind of like you can dump Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil into your machines, but you shouldn’t. Why? Because each application presents unique challenges to motor oil that one formulation can’t meet. We’ll break them all down to see why. V-Twin Motorcycle Metric Motorcycle ATV/UTV Dirt Bike But first, let’s look at what the motor oil must do regardless of the application. Whether in a Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki sport bike, UTV or dirt bike, the oil has to protect against wear and fight the damaging effects of extreme heat . These include deposit formation, which robs...

Lindsay Premo | Dec 12, 2017 8:42 AM Having grown up in the country, snowmobiles were a common form of transportation. When I was little my dad would tow the toboggan behind our late ’80s (don’t even try to guess my age from that!) machine to the local bar for burgers or through the woods to our skating pond. After the great Halloween storm of 1991 that dumped three feet of snow on Duluth, Minn., the snowmobile was the only way my dad could get us to the end of the driveway to catch the bus. And, of course, when we were old enough to ride ourselves, my siblings and I took the liberty of doing donuts on my mother’s perfectly manicured (yet snow-covered) lawn. So how does one choose the right snowmobile? We polled our resident experts (AMSOIL Dealers, employees, sponsored race teams) to see what they recommend when choosing the right sled. What type of riding will you be doing? Will you be pulling your fish house out to the middle of the lake? Cruising thr...

John Baker | Nov 29, 2017 8:22 AM First Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil , then XL Synthetic Motor Oil . Now, OE Synthetic Motor Oil is our latest oil to undergo a formulation change and facelift. What’s New? Everything. The oil inside the bottle, the label…essentially everything except the name. Excellent Wear Protection The protection the oil delivers is even different, as in better. The added protection is particularly important in the extreme environments produced by today’s smaller displacement engines that often run lower viscosity oil. Camshaft wear, for example, can result in poor valve timing, greatly reducing engine efficiency and leading to expensive repairs. The Peugeot TU3M Wear Test (CEC L-38-A-94), which must be passed to meet the GM dexos1® Gen 2 specification, determines a motor oil’s ability to limit wear. For 100 hours the four-cylinder test engine is subjected to extreme, wear-inducing conditions. AMSOIL OE Motor Oil provided 4...

Why Does Motor Oil Turn Black? John Baker | Oct 11, 2017 8:35 AM Motor oil turns black during use for a couple reasons: 1) Heat cycles During your drive to work in the morning, your engine reaches normal operating temperature (typically 195ºF-220ºF), heating the motor oil. Then the oil cools while your car sits in the parking lot. During lunch, the oil again is exposed to heat during your drive to Walmart for butter and shoe laces. The process repeats on the way home. And the next day. And the next. That’s what’s meant by “heat cycles.” The continual exposure to periods of high heat naturally darkens motor oil. Some additives in motor oil are more susceptible to darkening in the presence of heat than others. In addition, normal oxidation can darken oil, too. Oxidation occurs when oxygen molecules interact with oil molecules and cause chemical breakdown, just like how oxygen causes a cut apple to brown or iron to rust. High heat accelerates oxidation. 2)...

How A Motorcycle Wet Clutch Works Lubricating a clutch with oil seems like an invitation for slippage and inconsistent shifts. Lubricating a clutch with oil seems like an invitation for slippage and inconsistent shifts. However, a properly formulated oil can reduce clutch slippage. Here’s how. Wet clutches are widely used in motorcycles and dirt bikes. The term simply means the clutch is lubricated with oil, as opposed to a dry clutch. A wet clutch typically lasts longer and is more forgiving to operate than a dry clutch. Frictional Performance Vital As shown in the images, the clutch connects the engine and transmission via a series of alternating friction and steel plates. Friction plays a big role in proper clutch operation. To illustrate, imagine sitting aboard a motorcycle or dirt bike with the clutch lever activated, idling at a red light or in a starting gate. The friction and steel plates are separated, allowing the bike to run wit...

Why are We Tearing Apart this Indian Scout? (Plus, Check Out this New Product) John Baker | May 01, 2017 1:28 PM   Motorcycles occupy a prominent place in our national lore. The V-twin engine, one can argue, belongs in our menagerie of quintessentially “American” items, right next to the bald eagle, the Liberty Bell and Abe Lincoln’s stovepipe hat. It’s easy to see why. Motorcycles stand for freedom, rebellion, power. For many Americans ( like Guinness World Record holder Danell Lynn ), a motorcycle is their weapon of choice to fight the specter of an unlived, ordinary life. One of the best… Most opt for a Harley-Davidson, whose engines have provided the soundtrack of the American summer for decades. It’s impossible to drive through just about any paved corner of America and not hear the rumble of a Harley. The brand is so firmly entrenched in our psyche that, for many, “Harley” has become the generic term for “motorcycle,” the way “Coke” stands for...