So my first oil change/valve adjust is coming up. I was wondering what oil you guys run? Should I run a Kawi filter or is there a better aftermarket filter?

 

Any quality filter should be fine. I use the hi-flo filtro myself.

I run Rotella T 15w-40. its pretty cheap, used in multi-hundred thousand dollar machines everyday and JASO MA certified.

 

Cheap tusk filter from RMAT and Rotella T 15w-40 for me.

 

How many miles are you at? You probably don't have to do anything to your valves if this is your first oil change. As for the filter, the cheaper the filter the more frequently you should change your oil. You want to look at the number of pleats. Higher quality filters will have more pleats. I use Mobil 1 synthetic in mine as it takes longer for the viscosity to break down in synthetics.

 

Well I'm only at 499 miles right now. My first valve check is at 600 miles but I'm going on a long ride this weekend in Sonora with a buddy. The oil is dirty looking and I want to get some fresh stuff in there a little early and then do my valves after I get back. I looked in the manual today and it says I need to use 10W-40 that meets all these requirements like JASO MA, MA1 and MA2, along with all the API ratings. I think for the first few oil changes I'll run factory filters and dead dinosaurs for oil. Then I'll do synthetic or blend later on.

 

According to the manual you shouldn't have to do your first value check until 7,500 miles. Not that it's going to do any harm doing it sooner, it's just not necessary yet.

 

yes do check the valves, i for one did and found one or two were out. cant be too safe with something like a brand new motor. after that you should be good for 5-7k miles. oil i run maxima syn blend and oem or k&n filters at 1-1.5k miles intervals. getting close to 26k doing basicly just those two things and one coolant flush and shes still kicking.

 

I looked in the book and I think your correct on that 7.5k inspection. The dealer told me they recommend to check them at 600 miles, with the first oil service, then the next is at 7.5k miles for the valves. I suppose I'll just check them when I get a chance around 800ish miles. I'm thinking of doing oil changes every 1k miles. I know its a lot but its cheap insurance. Plus, if I ride a few thousand a year I don't think 20 or 30 bucks every 1k miles is that expensive. Hell, I've gone 500 miles and spent 28 bucks on fuel, thats half a tank in my Jeep to go 1/3 the distance. I think regular oil changes wont be an issue.

 

I haven't gone on any long freeway rides but how does the cooling system hold up for long rides? The guy at the dealer told me the water pump is small and can't handle long durations. I'm thinking going slow, with less air flow and romping the throttle on trails builds more heat then the highway. Just my two cents.

Honestly I don't think I'll ride more then 30 minutes or an hour very rarely above 65 but knowing I can go a solid 3 or 4 hours is nice.

 

Make sure you use a motorcycle oil. I was told not to use a synthetic oil until at least 1500 mi. I use the Fram CH6015 filter. I also change my oil every 500 mi. It's cheap so might as well stay fresh.