How Many Miles?

[MPittma100]

Stir The Pot

To stir the pot even more:

How many change their oil hot?

How many change their oil cold?

Hint: This may be a loaded question.

MP

[jetmechmarty]

So...I would like to suggest that folks using SYNTH to replace the filter every 3K miles but not the oil until ~6K or so. Removing the filter only drains about 1/2 quart of so, and it can actually be captured and poured back in if desired vs. having to top up with new.

Thoughts, ideas, counterpoints, etc.!?

T.C.

I used to use full synthetic. It's a bit expensive. I was extending my drain times. Yes, I believe synthetic engine oil is more durable than the alternative, but the best oil is clean oil. IMHO

[IanDMacDonald]

I doubt I ride 3k in a season, so, I just change it every year, or when I had doubts regarding gas/oil contamination.

[MaximPhil]

To stir the pot even more:

How many change their oil hot?

How many change their oil cold?

Hint: This may be a loaded question.

MP

Hi Mike is this a Goldylocks quiz ?
How many change it Just Right
As i have to remove the exhaust to change the oil filter i confess to it being COLD on those occasions. Sometimes HOT if not removing filter or exhaust.

Phil

[dpotter58]

I change it hot, a couple times a year, always before a long trip like the upcoming southeast venture.

[CatatonicBug]

I always warm the engine before changing the oil on any vehicle, then let it cool down to a reasonable temp. Just so I don't burn myself if I touch the case/pipes. When I do the middle/final drive oils, that means I have to change it shortly after a ride.

I never really paid attention to mileage when I changed the oil. However, after doing the math, I might be re-thinking my routine now that I have a 56-mi. daily commute. My riding has jumped from 1K mi/yr to about 14K mi/yr since I moved to UT.

Even at 1K mi/yr, I always changed it twice a year - Once in the Spring, with 20w50, when I change the filter and the middle/final drive oils too, and once in the fall with 15w30 (or something similar) so it will start in the single-digit temps when I leave for work.

[MindWebs]

i Know this is going to sound horribly foolish but there is a little backround to it.

on the farm growing up we had 2 kinds of oil 10w30 for the gas engines
and 15w40 for the diesils. and that was all i was ever told for oil. i never thought anymore about it.

so... on the xs1100 it say 20w40... hmmm, that's different.
so i went to the parts store i always went to and bought 20w50 oil

as many of you have seen my posts i away's had limited top speed.
now over the past 2 years my seca has also been loseing power.

i mentioned this 6 months ago at an old yamaha shop. to which the "old" mechanic asked me what oil i used, (as stated) i replied 20w40
he pauses and say's car/truck 20w40?

i guess so, why?

well, he say's i've been spending most of my time rebuilding 1-3 year old
four wheelers and side by sides because people change the oil and just grab
normal oil for they're car and dump it in.

car oil isn't rated for the shearing force of the transmission, so the the gears in
the tranny "cut" the oil breaking it down within 1000miles making it worthless
for lubing the rings and top end.

most of the time it overheats the rings and takes all the tempering out of them
then they wear out very quickly.

in bikes, 4wheelers, side by sides you have to use oil that has the JASO "MA"
rating. unless you like rebuilding motors.....

oh.... muttering a few explitives under my breath..
Not the kind of thing you want to here after spending alot of time and money trying to take good care of my machines.

I came home and compression tested my bikes,

oh.... muttering more explitives under my breath..

well, the good news is the textbook can be thrown out the window.
the books say an engine won't run below 85-90PSI compression

my xs11 is at 65-70 PSI on all 4, and still starts good, runs and drives.
my seca 750 is at 70-80 PSI on all 4, and still starts good, runs and drives.
the seca is my daily driver yet

so conventional or synthetic...... whatever!!

As long as it has the "MA" rating

(as a side note, most gas stations have shell rotella 15w40 which has the "MA" rating. so if you run low on a trip you still can use "correct" oil)

sounds like a no brainer but i had never thought about oil ratings.
so this is just a friendly note to newcomers to the world of motorcycles.

"MA" oil is the most important first step.

Happy Riding

[IanDMacDonald]

I've never really gone by the ratings. Just the rule of thumb stated on the site, which is bottom circle empty, and 20w-50.

[jwhughes3]

Modern motorcycles usually have the same oil lubricating the engine and the wet clutch. For this purpose most of the time the regular friction modified engine oils are not good enough. To make sure that the right oil is used motorcycle manufacturers usually require the oil to meet one of the JASO standards explained below.

The motor oils that meet the JASO T 903:2006 standard can be classified into four grades: JASO MA, JASO MA1, JASO MA2 and JASO MB. The classification is based on the results of the JASO T 904:2006 clutch system friction test.

In order for a motor oil to meet any of the above mentioned JASO standards it must be at least of one of the following quality levels:

API SG, SH, SJ, SL, SM
ILSAC GF-1, GF-2, GF-3
ACEA A1/B1, A3/B3, A3/B4, A5/B5, C2, C3

WalMart Supertech is SL/SJ rated which means it's automatically MA rated.

It was also ranked in the top 15 for 20w50 oils several years ago.

John

[webbcraft2150]

Pulled the rotella jug of the shelf. No MA on it. Last oil I put 15w40 rotella. Shifting seems notchy so I will go back to 10-40. Not gonna try synthetics, to many negative comments. Interesting that when I was wrenching on boats, mercury did not recommend synthetic oil on there standard engines yet all the high horsepower engines came from the factory with Mobil 1.

[MindWebs]

looked at the jug i've got sitting here, it Shell Rotella T, triple protection 15w40 and the last listed spec is JASO MA.

i was using castrol 20w40 and it did NOT work out for me...

i just buy a case of yamalube 20w40 from the old shop at 4.75 a quart when i need it. not a big price difference.

[BA80]

looked at the jug i've got sitting here, it Shell Rotella T, triple protection 15w40 and the last listed spec is JASO MA.

i was using castrol 20w40 and it did NOT work out for me...

i just buy a case of yamalube 20w40 from the old shop at 4.75 a quart when i need it. not a big price difference.

What issues were you having with the Castrol Pete?

[TopCatGr58]

Warranty and Protection Requirements
Exceeds engine manufacturer’s warranty requirements for applications requiring ILSAC GF-5, GF-4 and GF-3 and/or API SN, SM and SL
Industry Specifications and OEM Approvals by Grade

Castrol GTX

Specifications:5W-20..5W-30..10W-30..10W-40..20W-50
API SN..............X.........X...........X.........X. ............X
SM...................X.........X...........X...... ...X.............X
SL....................X.........X...........X..... ....X.............X
SJ....................X.........X...........X..... ....X.............X

I use GTX 20/50...I'm not worried.
T.C.

[IanDMacDonald]

looked at the jug i've got sitting here, it Shell Rotella T, triple protection 15w40 and the last listed spec is JASO MA.

i was using castrol 20w40 and it did NOT work out for me...

i just buy a case of yamalube 20w40 from the old shop at 4.75 a quart when i need it. not a big price difference.

Heard great things about Rotella T5 and used it up-till last season and switched to 20W-50, either Valvoline, Castrol, or Super-Tech.

[BA80]

I had clutch slippage wit Rotella.