In all the tests of motor and gearbox oil I have read, Redline has never even been on the radar, so I don't have a comment on its quality or lack thereof. But when you go with a tested brand, your results should be commensurate with its ranking in the tests. Mobil 1 and Amsoil products are always at or near the top of any tests, so those are what I use. Your results may be different, but these products haven't let me down yet.

Normally I don't care for someone's personal experience that contradicts testing, but I want to share this with everyone.

I had a piston top let go. When I disassembled the engine I found a cam lobe some .200 worn, I was running a Web 12A cam , so I contacted Web. I got the owner. She, yes it's a gal, asked what oil I'd been running. When I told her Mobil 1 she got a little agitated. Said some very uncomplimentary things about Mobil 1 and cam lobe wear. She did replace my cam, which I'd run some 13,000 miles and eight years, for $100 . I've not run Mobil 1 since. Now, I'm still not sure about the hardness of Web cams or the efficacy of Mobil 1. Does anyone else have experience with Web cams?

Buying the latest and greatest products makes a lot of people feel that they have done everything they can to increase the longevity of their machines; I am no exception. Spending money on my Norton or my mistress evokes very similar pleasant feelings; there are times, at my age,when the distinction between the two becomes very grey.

However...

GL-5 synthetic gear oil costs upwards of $16 (US) a quart around here and garden variety EP 85W/90/140 costs $3 (US), given the frequecy of the change you won't be stressing either lubricant. I change my gear oil every other engine oil change and make sure that the cog box has fresh oil in it for winter storage. I have heard from others that GL-5 is not suitable for the bushings found in the Norton gear box; enough so that I couldn't discount all such input.

I had an '07 BMW R1200 GS that specified GL-5 synthetic gear oil, mostly because the catalytic converter was directly under the transmission. I removed the cat and tried some garden variety oil and was amazed at how much better shifting felt. I have no doubt that synthetic oil will outlast and out perform their "green" oil equivalents, but "green" gear oils have considerably more zinc in them then their synthetic counter parts; the bushings in our Burman/AMC derived gear boxes love the zinc.

In the engine I am a staunch supporter of the greater protection that synthetic oil provides, especially on very hot days, after a proper break-in period.

RS

JimC wrote: Does anyone else have experience with Web cams?

CNW (as far as I know) uses Web Cams in all their rebuilds including mine. I was told not to use synthetic.

Hey Coco, what grind Web do you have?

JimC wrote:Hey Coco, what grind Web do you have?

I'll have to check the paperwork when I get home. I know I asked for a streetable, zippy cam but nothing too crazy.

I use WEB-CAM regrinds in all my builds. I have found their products and service to be excellent. I also use and recomend Mobil 1 synthetic. The only
WEB-CAM failure I have had was 25 years ago and the cam was made when WEB-CAM was still Weber Cams. It had quite a few miles on it and was chipping on the end of the lobe. I sent it to Web-Cam and they fixed it for free and I didn't even ask for warrenty.
One thing I always felt was a contributing factor in cam failure was the grind on the lifter pad. I re-grind a lot of lifters and have found a large percentage of them were not ground square. This puts all the load along one edge. I have removed new lifters from the package and checked them on my grinder and found some of them were not square. It takes a good machine or a very dilligent operator to make them square. Many places grind their lifters using a valve stem grinding attachment on a valve grinder. That does not necessarily provide a square grind as they aren't accurate enough for lifters.
I am not sure what WEB-CAM has against Mobil 1. If you look at the oil additives in Mobil 1 they show the necessary EP additives to be in abundance. I have a feeling their predjudice dates from when synthetic oils were just making an appearance and additive packages were not always so good. Thirty years ago before the use of hydrocracking in oil production the only oils sutable for use in an air cooled motor was straight weight oil with lots of Zinc. Modern oils are light years ahead of what they used to be. Jim Comstock

And to answer the original question. I use synthetic ATF in my transmission and change it once a year. I have plugged the open vent hole and have a vent hose from the top of the transmission. That helps keep the moisture out. Jim Comstock

Jim Comstock,

I have a new Web cam and new, not reground, lifters that I've not run yet. How can I be certain my lifters are square or the cam lobes are not askew?

Herein of Commando motor oils, and of Redline vs Mobil 1 in particular: http://www.nortons.dk/doc/lubricants.pdf

I read that a few years ago and stopped using Mobil 1. Thought it was some very objective testing based upon a Norton. I don't care have well Mobil 1 works in your Yamkawsuz XYZ 1500. In fact, I don't need to hear you've been running Mobil 1 in your Norton with nary a problem. Tear that sucker down and check everything out before you tell me how good you Oilzall 1-100w works.

This thread seems to resurrect itself once or twice per year. Last summer the topic was actively thrashed out in this forum with REAL evidence that I thought would put to rest many of the anecdotes that arrise from our personal preferences, Or not. I'm not trying to shill for Redline, but it is a serious performance lubricants company that post answers to many of the questions that reappear on these threads. First, Redline Tech Services states unambigously that it manufactures NO gearbox lubricants, GL-5 or otherwise, that corrode copper-bearing alloys at temperatures under 150C. If any of us have gearboxes operating above 150C, we have problems much more serious than choice of lubricants. Secondly, the dogged-gear transmissions in our Nortons require the highest film strength possible consistent with the viscosity found in standard 90w oils. The product Redline manufactures for our transmissions is Shockproof Heavy. This product does not corrode copper-alloy bushings. Metal flakes in the oil result from a mechanical problem, not from the use of Shockproof Heavy.

Since ATF is the anti-Shockproof Heavy lubricant, I'm always surprised to find riders who use it in our gearboxes. Could someone explain how such a thin oil is suitable for use in an over-stressed dogged-gear Norton gearbox? Many of you have much more relevant experience and knowledge of automotive lubricants than I do, so I'd love to see the non-anecdotal arguments for using ATF.

As Brian has just pointed out, there is a large body of evidence (see the tech pages of the INOA site) that speaks to the lifetime of various motor oils in our hot (200C plus) engines. Only synthetic oils emerge from the data with their film strength intact after 1000 miles of operation, with Mobil 1 a distant second behind Redline.

Hmm, makes one wonder how Norton Commandos ran for many thousands of miles originally when there was no such thing as synthetic oil and they were generally ridden a lot harder by us young guys than they generally are now by us old guys...

In the old days I used 90 wt hypoid gear oil from the local car parts place and it seemed to work ok. The only gearbox problem I had was the stock layshaft bearing coming apart, but I do not believe that was oil-related.

In recent years I've been using Redline MT90 synthetic gear oil in the gearbox, changed yearly. It smells a lot better than the hypoid oil.

Debby

And in this corner we have Mobil-1 and in this corner we have Redline, 15 rounds of boxing for your pleasure. Let the games begin. Oh and by the way I only use Amsoil, LOL LOL LOL.