oil change intervals

[aldridgekennedy]

I talked with the mechanics at my local Kawi dealership and they said most people are changing the synthetic oils there every 4-5K miles. Apparantly no literature to advise that but rather just the pratices of the riders.

[fish]

5,000 with Mobil 1 syn. I'm due in about 600 miles and going with 20-50 for the warmer weather

[markclark57]

Originally Posted by aldridgekennedy

I talked with the mechanics at my local Kawi dealership and they said most people are changing the synthetic oils there every 4-5K miles. Apparently no literature to advise that but rather just the pratices of the riders.

I don't have the link handy. Consumer Reports did an article on oil changes a while back. That's what I base the 5K on. The study did mention the acidic blow-by and minimal differences between fossil and synthetic if changed before 5K.

[recumbentbob]

Originally Posted by fish

5,000 with Mobil 1 syn. I'm due in about 600 miles and going with 20-50 for the warmer weather

I'd think twice before I would use 20W50.
Here's a thread on it.
http://www.vulcanbagger.com/forums/s...ghlight=weight

Bob

[elvis]

At about 5000-mile intervals, I put a fresh filter and full synthetic Rotella T6.

[Top Cat]

Originally Posted by recumbentbob

I'd think twice before I would use 20W50.
Here's a thread on it.
http://www.vulcanbagger.com/forums/s...ghlight=weight

Bob

Good going Bob. That thread had some good info.

[Sin City Stan]

FWIW I run 20W-50 Mobile 1 in the summer per the manual. It gets above 104 quite regularly around here in the summer. Rotella 5W-40 the rest of the year.

[cnc]

While the manual says you can run 20-50 in really hot weather the oil recommended for most conditions is 10-40. Most wear on a motor is done during start up. A multi grade such as 20-50 will have a viscosity of 20 when cold and 50 when hot. You will be asking your motor to start with 20 weight oil after say sitting all night. This heavier oil will be slower to flow to critical engine parts at start up and this will far out weigh any advantage you might possibly gain from the 50 weight when hot. I'll stick with 10-40.

[Sin City Stan]

Originally Posted by cnc

While the manual says you can run 20-50 in really hot weather the oil recommended for most conditions is 10-40. Most wear on a motor is done during start up. A multi grade such as 20-50 will have a viscosity of 20 when cold and 50 when hot. You will be asking your motor to start with 20 weight oil after say sitting all night. This heavier oil will be slower to flow to critical engine parts at start up and this will far out weigh any advantage you might possibly gain from the 50 weight when hot. I'll stick with 10-40.

You don't understand. It's hot here. 5:30 in the morning it will be 90-100 outside. Add 10-20 degrees in a closed garage and the engine never really cooled off from the day before. It's the opposite of using 10W and 0W oils in severe winter climates.

[cnc]

Originally Posted by Sin City Stan

You don't understand. It's hot here. 5:30 in the morning it will be 90-100 outside. Add 10-20 degrees in a closed garage and the engine never really cooled off from the day before. It's the opposite of using 10W and 0W oils in severe winter climates.

I do understand Stan. My comments were general in nature and not necessarily directed at you. There have been people in this and different threads lately talking about using heavier oils. Many of those people live in more temperate climates including me. As I said I'll stick with 10-40.

[waterman]

Originally Posted by coacha

You actually get to ride out in the frozen tundra?

Why yes we do. Snow tires are still on the bike. I'll remember to remind you to take a ride the next time a hurricane hits the tropics of Florida.

[RACNRAY]

I have been selling and using Amsoil since 2004. Before that I was selling and using Mobil 1 and was extremely happy with it. A customer of mine who worked for a company that had a fleet of trucks that was converted over to Amsoil told me that Amsoil had a m/c oil. I contacted the local Amsoil rep who brought me 4 quarts to try in my Busa. I only had about 700 miles on the Mobil 1 in the skoot, but i went ahead and did the oil change with the Amsoil. I felt better clutch action, i had monster clutch spings in that motor so clutch action was a bit, uh, rough! I did not detect anything else, but decided to start selling and using Amsoil.

Throught the year i would recieve info from Amsoil on products and pricing, and in early 2005 i recieved a flyer that showed two m/c specific oils, the one we had been selling and a new oil, actually the one we have now. Since i was very pleased with the Amsoil i was curious as to why there was now 2 oils, and the new oil was more $$$.

I called Amsoil and spoke to a technician who explained that the original oil was being phased out and being replaced by the new oil (the oil we have now) which was formulated with a more extensive additive package. The primary advantages of this package was extended drain intervals in both mileage and storage. They also stepped up to the JASO MA-2 wet-clutch standard which allows for the highest level of friction co-efficiency in a wet clutch. This oil, as compared to the original formula (and the Mobil 1 ) oil, has a much more aggressive feel in clutch action, and most skoots that had the original Amsoil just don't shift quite as well with the new oil.

On my Vaquero my oil change intervals with the Amsoil was 6700 for the first and 7300 miles the last one. I am now 5300 miles into this next oil change with no noticeable deterioration in shifting or engine smoothness.

I have found that with good quality synthetics that oil change intervals can be increased which saves time and $$ and does not compromise the life expectancy or reliability of an engine.

RACNRAY

[aldridgekennedy]

Thanks RACNRAY. That explanation was very helpful. I feel like i made a good decision going with the AMSOIL and your experience confirms that. Looks like i will stretch that 3000 mile interval just a tad.

[Sight Seer]

+1 to Racnray. I go to 6,000 on my VFR using AMSOIL. Like he said, you can sort of tell when to change by shifting feel. So far, no change in shifting feel at 4,000 so I'll wait until 6,000 and change it again.

AMSOIL's site says you can double the manufacturer's interval...I'm not quite sure I'd go 15,000 miles between changes. Might be interesting to have the oil tested and see how well it held up.

Has anyone tried CASTROL Power RS R4 Synthetic High Performance Motor Oil 10W-50? I'm thinking of using this. Everyone that's used it has said good things in the reviews...no negative ones. Just curious.

[markclark57]

One reason I was changing @ 5K is, before moving to AZ I was only getting about 2-3K miles a year on the Nomad (and most of that as work commute). Weather is better and time more available now. I have put 4K on in the last 6 months and that's with no long rides. Also planning a couple of 3K+ trips this summer so I might have to adjust my thinking.