Miss Ruby loves full synthetic..final drive ??

[schoeney]

Well I haven't changed oil on any of my vehicles in about 15 years. I used to do it all....back when cars + bikes were simpler. You guys made me want to do it on my 2003 1500 (5300 miles-3rd oil change-first by me) myself for a few reasons;

1) I think it is a great opportunity to look the bike over closely to check for wear and anything loose.
2) I don't trust my stealer + it saves me $$
3) It gives me an excuse to get my two biker neighbors together to crack open a few cold ones in the garage. "Biker" sounds a little strong for a little league dad and a retired Honda executive. More like the movie Wild Hogs...cmon we know you watched it.

I am amazed the first taste of fully synthetic made to Miss Ruby. She is quieter and she shifts smoother. I know any oil change may cause that but this was dramatic change. No cackling on decelleration.

I acted on the tip from this site and got a heck of a deal at Wally World...$2.77 for the filter and $23 for a 5qt container of 15-50 Mobile 1 full synthetic oil. My buddy just about fell over when I told him the price..he pays $14 for his Stratoliner filters at the Yamaha shop.

I am still a little uneasy of the very small amount of final drive fluid (75-90 Synthetic) she drank...I kept thinking she needed more but whenever I added more it just kept coming back out. I did as the KawaNow experts (BD, MacMac, CDQ, Gadget,etc) recommend and left it on the kick stand. It seems to be fine. Throttle bodies and air filter look like new!

She runs great, smooth as silk, no cackling and much quieter. Hey maybe I can slip some of this stuff into my wife's morning coffee....oops...did I say that out loud?

[rksaw]

Originally Posted by schoeney

She runs great, smooth as silk, no cackling and much quieter. Hey maybe I can slip some of this stuff into my wife's morning coffee....oops...did I say that out loud?

Glad that you enjoyed the experience...now for the wife, I don't know bud!!!
Rich

[VulcanE]

I agree with you 100%, it's amazing how much difference the full synthetic oil makes in the way the bike operates. I've been running Amsoil, but with the current price of it ($16 a quart), I'm leaning toward the Mobil 1 15w50 myself for the next change.

[k9sarky]

Did you use motorcycle oil? I haven't seen motorcycle oil in a 5 qt. container. It's my understanding from the forum that you shouldn't use cager oil in a bike . Something to do with the wet clutch. Don't know if one oil change of cager oil would hurt. No expert here,just giving a heads up from my limited base of knowledge .

[waterman]

Originally Posted by VulcanE

I agree with you 100%, it's amazing how much difference the full synthetic oil makes in the way the bike operates. I've been running Amsoil, but with the current price of it [b]($16 a quart), [/b]I'm leaning toward the Mobil 1 15w50 myself for the next change.

Holy Cow, I buy direct and my cost right now is $8.25 per quart or 7.85 per quart if I buy a case. Have to add in shipping of course. 20-50 is about .30 more per quart. Listed suggested retail is only $11 right now.

[caddman11]

According to my shop manual and the owners manual, to do your gear lube, you need to keep the bike vertical, not on the side stand as stated in your post.

[macmac]

schoeney. cool beans.. The one problem I might have is if the filter is a fram.. I really don't like the bottom dollar fram filters.. I use either wix, or NAPA gold, which cost about 6 bucks.

CaddII, uh... Yeah the book says things that in practice don't always work out so well. A little less from full, like filling just this rear end gear box on the side stand insures you.'we' won't over fill the rear end case. Over filling will drown the seals. A once drown seal leaks untill it is removed and wiped off, or replace.

Another problem I have with the book is the miles it say we can put on that measly 6.2 ounces of gear oil. I change mine each time I change the engine oil. Who ever wrote that oil was good for 24,000 was smoking something in a pipe, that wasn't exactly legal I fear..

Mostly because it is just 6.2 little ounces...

Another thing is oils like this and right down to keroscene when cold will be at one level and when hot will expand and be at a much higer level that we might expect.

I use oil lamps alot, Aladdin ones, which are far from cheap. I store my K-1 cold, and I found if I don't fill to less than 1/2" from the filler cap, the lamp will over flow after being simply brought in the house, much less light it.. It holds 1 qt.

Simply put. 'we' are better off with a little less oil, than too much.

[caddman11]

Interesting to know, but leaving the bike on the side stand would seem to me to leave out a load of gear lube, not just a little. I agree with your thoughts on blowing the seals though, and how oil expands. Anybody here know the difference between vertical and on the stand by fluid ounces? Inquiring minds want to know.

[chainsaw]

So is the Mobil 1 alright to use? I know, here's that oil thing again.

[VulcanE]

Originally Posted by "CHAINSAW"

So is the Mobil 1 alright to use? I know, here's that oil thing again.

As long as it IS NOT "energy conserving" or "EC", it won't affect the wet clutch operation.

[redeye]

I just changed the oil in Anita's Shadow & my Nomad this past weekend. Lucky for me, both bikes use the same Wally World ST-7317 oil filter. I've been using Shell's Rotella full synthetic 5w-40 DIESEL Motor oil in the Nomad since it's second oil change w/o any problems. The drained oil still looks brand new when it comes out of the NAD, making me think 5,000 mile drain interval may be extended to 7,500 miles.

I figure if this oil is tough enough for diesel tractors, then it will be fine in our bikes...........Just my $00.02 -Rich

[dogdoc]

I also use the shella rotella with good results and cheaper than the Mobils stuff.

[redeye]

DOC,

It ain't much cheaper since Wal-Mart raised the price from $16 to $20 a gallon.

[macmac]

I run Mobil 1 for cars in full syn, and their gear oil for the rear end. I like it..

CaddII, I dunno. You go fill up the gas tank on the side stand I bet. Next time you do, fill it just to the plate at the inlet, and don't over fill it at all.. With the cap still open, stand the bike up and see what happens...

[vulcanero03]

Originally Posted by schoeney

Well I haven't changed oil on any of my vehicles in about 15 years. I used to do it all....back when cars + bikes were simpler. You guys made me want to do it on my 2003 1500 (5300 miles-3rd oil change-first by me) myself for a few reasons;

1) I think it is a great opportunity to look the bike over closely to check for wear and anything loose.
2) I don't trust my stealer + it saves me $$
3) It gives me an excuse to get my two biker neighbors together to crack open a few cold ones in the garage. "Biker" sounds a little strong for a little league dad and a retired Honda executive. More like the movie Wild Hogs...cmon we know you watched it.

I am amazed the first taste of fully synthetic made to Miss Ruby. She is quieter and she shifts smoother. I know any oil change may cause that but this was dramatic change. No cackling on decelleration.

I acted on the tip from this site and got a heck of a deal at Wally World...$2.77 for the filter and $23 for a 5qt container of 15-50 Mobile 1 full synthetic oil. My buddy just about fell over when I told him the price..he pays $14 for his Stratoliner filters at the Yamaha shop.

I am still a little uneasy of the very small amount of final drive fluid (75-90 Synthetic) she drank...I kept thinking she needed more but whenever I added more it just kept coming back out. I did as the KawaNow experts (BD, MacMac, CDQ, Gadget,etc) recommend and left it on the kick stand. It seems to be fine. Throttle bodies and air filter look like new!

She runs great, smooth as silk, no cackling and much quieter. Hey maybe I can slip some of this stuff into my wife's morning coffee....oops...did I say that out loud?

Hi there, i too have a 2003 nomad identical to yours, I went full synthetic at 40,000 miles, it had that many miles when i bought it, and the clutch started to slip, went and replaced the clutch spring twice in 8,000 miles and still i was getting slippage, so i talked to a mechanic and he recomended semi-synthetic motul 5100 10-40, so what i did, went and odered all new clutch plates, replaced the plates, clutch spring, and added the intermediate ring that goes between the clutch spring and the spring holder, which the 1500 didn't have only the 1600's and haven't had any problems since. so i would recommend to keep an eye on the feel of your clutch. best of luck!

Jesus.