Changing Oil

Jesus Freak · 03-27-2012, 03:53 PM

Well it's time for an oil change and I know this question will get plenty of debate. Looking for first hand experiance with this motor / trany...
09 1700 Nomad
Brand & weight / viscosity of oil suggestion?
Synthetic or not?
Running Kawasaki non synthetic now....
Remember that it gets very hot in Oklahoma during the summer.

replay13 · 03-27-2012, 04:47 PM

The manual recommends 10-40, but if your in a really hot area 20-50 would be ok too. There is lots of good motorcycle oils, I get a good buy on Amsoil 10-40 motorcycle oil, so that is what I run. The 1700's takes 5 quarts with filter change (the book says a little less) so I feel its good for at least 5k miles. Some like to use cheaper oil and dump it more often. I'm sure you will get lots of other input. I run the K&N oil filter, the main reason is the nut on the front makes it easier to torque the filter to specs.
James

highwayman2011 · 03-27-2012, 04:57 PM

I went with Castrol synthetic 10w40.

redjay · 03-27-2012, 05:22 PM

I was hoping that synthetic would help with the clunky shift change on the 1700's. It did not. So next oil change I am going back to Kawasaki mineral oil. I dont see the point of paying extra for synthetic if it does not improve the shifting. On my Nomad it did make a difference, on the Voyager it does not.

BC RED VAQ · 03-27-2012, 08:52 PM

Mobil 1 20-50 synthetic oil run it in every bike I have had get it at wal-mart for $8.95 a qt. Great stuff I think but thats me.

Jesus Freak · 03-28-2012, 11:38 AM

Well after doing some searching I see that a lot of guys on here are running Rotella T6 5w-40.... Funny cause I used Rotella T 15w40 in my 1200 Gold Wing for many miles with great sucess. Wasn't sure how this would do with the V twin, but looks like I will be going back to the good ole Rotella.... I'm going to go ahead and use the T6 full synthetic this time. (I promised the dealer to use Kawi oil until the warranty was up)

RACNRAY · 03-28-2012, 07:03 PM

I use Amsoil 10-40 with a Scotts oil filter and change the oil and clean the filter every 7200 miles.

RACNRAY

smokey · 03-30-2012, 08:18 AM

The tranny is clunky from the factory, you will have to learn to live with it I guess :-)

I have a scotts filter as well and use normal 10-40 or 20-50 depending on the time of year and whether it is getting hot up here, I will also put 20-50 in if I intend to go down south on vacation. I will use the rotella 5-40 as well and have never had any issues, according to the manual you can use anything it recommends, the key is the lower temp, not the higher ones. Don't forget to drain both plugs on the underneath, and I would also recommend going to a magnetic plug, you will need two but they are pretty cheap on EBay.

Jesus Freak · 03-30-2012, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smokey

The tranny is clunky from the factory, you will have to learn to live with it I guess :-)

I have a scotts filter as well and use normal 10-40 or 20-50 depending on the time of year and whether it is getting hot up here, I will also put 20-50 in if I intend to go down south on vacation. I will use the rotella 5-40 as well and have never had any issues, according to the manual you can use anything it recommends, the key is the lower temp, not the higher ones. Don't forget to drain both plugs on the underneath, and I would also recommend going to a magnetic plug, you will need two but they are pretty cheap on EBay.

The 1700 has two plugs? Since I have changed the oil 3 times now and always put back 5 qts I'm not to concerned. However the magnet plug does sound like a good idea....

smokey · 03-30-2012, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesus Freak

The 1700 has two plugs? Since I have changed the oil 3 times now and always put back 5 qts I'm not to concerned. However the magnet plug does sound like a good idea....

The voyager motor has two plugs, and you want to take them both out, you will get a lot of oil from the front plug that is now a pint or more of dirty oil contaminating your nice clean oil change. There must be something in the bottom of the motor that stops the oil from flowing to the rear plug, hence the requirement for the front plug, if you are putting 5 quarts in, then in all likelihood you are overfilling the crankcase. On that note i find the oil level check procedure on this motor one of the most awkward and time consuming in all the time I have owned motorcycles and that is 43 years.

Jesus Freak · 03-30-2012, 08:53 PM

Darn it I'm not sure how I missed that in the manual. I did read and go through the crazy oil level check procedure the first couple of times so hard to believe that I'm a hole pint over. However I don't like the chance that any old oil remains to contaminate. So guess I will change it again tomorrow. $25 is a small price to pay for piece of mind. Thanks for the help SMOKEY!

smokey · 03-31-2012, 12:24 PM

Magnetic oil drain plugs go for around $10 on Ebay with $3 shipping, not bad for something that traps the crud. You can also use old Hard Drive magnets and use jb weld and attach them to the oil filter, problem is that they get thrown out with the filter, the Scott reusable has a magnet built in.

Jesus Freak · 03-31-2012, 06:08 PM

I pulled the rear drain plug and tiler let it fully drain then pulled the front drain plug and sure enough about a half a quart came out.... So my last oiled change I was running a half a quart over.. Hope that didn't hurt anything! Checking the oil on this 1700 is the most awkward thing ever. You almost need a barometer to get an acurate reading. Thanks again Smokey you may have saved me some heart ache down the road.

smokey · 03-31-2012, 07:29 PM

no problem that is what riders helping riders is all about.

highwayman2011 · 03-31-2012, 08:11 PM

I got the Dimple oil plug magnets for my Voyager $35 each. 1435 times stronger than a regular magnet. Will install on my next oil change.http://www.drainplugmagnets.com/kawasakimotorcycles.php

03-27-2012, 03:53 PM	#1
Jesus Freak Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 95	Changing Oil Well it's time for an oil change and I know this question will get plenty of debate. Looking for first hand experiance with this motor / trany... 09 1700 Nomad Brand & weight / viscosity of oil suggestion? Synthetic or not? Running Kawasaki non synthetic now.... Remember that it gets very hot in Oklahoma during the summer. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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03-27-2012, 04:47 PM	#2
replay13 Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 224	The manual recommends 10-40, but if your in a really hot area 20-50 would be ok too. There is lots of good motorcycle oils, I get a good buy on Amsoil 10-40 motorcycle oil, so that is what I run. The 1700's takes 5 quarts with filter change (the book says a little less) so I feel its good for at least 5k miles. Some like to use cheaper oil and dump it more often. I'm sure you will get lots of other input. I run the K&N oil filter, the main reason is the nut on the front makes it easier to torque the filter to specs. James __________________ Kawasaki 2010 Nomad 1700 Southern Oregon Vance & Hines slash cut slip-ons Cobra Powerpro CVT Thunder Air Kit, stock cover Kuryakyn Power Point 12v adaptor Cobra Luggage Rack Grasshopper back rest Tomtom GPS
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03-27-2012, 08:52 PM	#5
BC RED VAQ Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Beecher City IL 62414 Posts: 320	Mobil 1 20-50 synthetic oil run it in every bike I have had get it at wal-mart for $8.95 a qt. Great stuff I think but thats me. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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03-28-2012, 07:03 PM	#7
RACNRAY Sr. Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: SOUTH FLORIDA Posts: 1,210	I use Amsoil 10-40 with a Scotts oil filter and change the oil and clean the filter every 7200 miles. RACNRAY __________________ "TRUE HAPPINESS IS IN THE HEART, NOT IN THE OUTSIDE FIXES" WITH OVER 46 YEARS AS A MOTORCYCLE TECHNICIAN/HI-PO SHOP OWNER I AM A PURVEYOR OF FACT NOT FICTION! "WE LIVE OUR LIVES IN CHAINS NEVER KNOWING WE HAD THE KEY"
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03-30-2012, 08:18 AM	#8
smokey Sr. Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Orleans, ON, Canada Posts: 1,162	The tranny is clunky from the factory, you will have to learn to live with it I guess :-) I have a scotts filter as well and use normal 10-40 or 20-50 depending on the time of year and whether it is getting hot up here, I will also put 20-50 in if I intend to go down south on vacation. I will use the rotella 5-40 as well and have never had any issues, according to the manual you can use anything it recommends, the key is the lower temp, not the higher ones. Don't forget to drain both plugs on the underneath, and I would also recommend going to a magnetic plug, you will need two but they are pretty cheap on EBay. __________________ Smokey Capt(retd) Canadian Forces National President CVFR (Canadian Veteran Freedom Riders) 2010 VN1700 Voyager, ABS www.cvfr.ca VBA #02220
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03-27-2012, 04:57 PM	#3
highwayman2011 Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: N Las Vegas, NV Posts: 364	I went with Castrol synthetic 10w40.
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03-27-2012, 05:22 PM	#4
redjay Top Contributor Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ontario Posts: 6,930	I was hoping that synthetic would help with the clunky shift change on the 1700's. It did not. So next oil change I am going back to Kawasaki mineral oil. I dont see the point of paying extra for synthetic if it does not improve the shifting. On my Nomad it did make a difference, on the Voyager it does not.
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03-28-2012, 11:38 AM	#6
Jesus Freak Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 95	Well after doing some searching I see that a lot of guys on here are running Rotella T6 5w-40.... Funny cause I used Rotella T 15w40 in my 1200 Gold Wing for many miles with great sucess. Wasn't sure how this would do with the V twin, but looks like I will be going back to the good ole Rotella.... I'm going to go ahead and use the T6 full synthetic this time. (I promised the dealer to use Kawi oil until the warranty was up)
	0

03-30-2012, 08:53 PM	#11
Jesus Freak Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 95	Darn it I'm not sure how I missed that in the manual. I did read and go through the crazy oil level check procedure the first couple of times so hard to believe that I'm a hole pint over. However I don't like the chance that any old oil remains to contaminate. So guess I will change it again tomorrow. $25 is a small price to pay for piece of mind. Thanks for the help SMOKEY!
	0

03-31-2012, 12:24 PM	#12
smokey Sr. Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Orleans, ON, Canada Posts: 1,162	Magnetic oil drain plugs go for around $10 on Ebay with $3 shipping, not bad for something that traps the crud. You can also use old Hard Drive magnets and use jb weld and attach them to the oil filter, problem is that they get thrown out with the filter, the Scott reusable has a magnet built in. __________________ Smokey Capt(retd) Canadian Forces National President CVFR (Canadian Veteran Freedom Riders) 2010 VN1700 Voyager, ABS www.cvfr.ca VBA #02220
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03-31-2012, 06:08 PM	#13
Jesus Freak Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 95	I pulled the rear drain plug and tiler let it fully drain then pulled the front drain plug and sure enough about a half a quart came out.... So my last oiled change I was running a half a quart over.. Hope that didn't hurt anything! Checking the oil on this 1700 is the most awkward thing ever. You almost need a barometer to get an acurate reading. Thanks again Smokey you may have saved me some heart ache down the road.
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03-31-2012, 07:29 PM	#14
smokey Sr. Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Orleans, ON, Canada Posts: 1,162	no problem that is what riders helping riders is all about. __________________ Smokey Capt(retd) Canadian Forces National President CVFR (Canadian Veteran Freedom Riders) 2010 VN1700 Voyager, ABS www.cvfr.ca VBA #02220
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03-31-2012, 08:11 PM	#15
highwayman2011 Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: N Las Vegas, NV Posts: 364	Oil Plug Magnets I got the Dimple oil plug magnets for my Voyager $35 each. 1435 times stronger than a regular magnet. Will install on my next oil change.http://www.drainplugmagnets.com/kawasakimotorcycles.php
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