I searched, but I don't know if an oil poll has been put together yet? Can the site admin do this?
I just hit 410 miles on my '09, want to do the initial oil change, and am interested to know what others are using. I know there are some threads out there which cover this, but I think it would be cool to also have a poll thread.

Cheers,
Jeff

 

A poll on change intervals or what kind of oil? i think most do.... 20-25, 100, 500, then about every 800-1000 miles... my bike has 8300 miles on it now....

 

I was originally going to change my oil at 150 miles, but was persuaded at the last minute to take part in a 250-mile adventure ride last weekend. I don't expect any issues.

I believe that both polls would be very useful, but I'm personally more interested in the kind of oilpeople use. Maybe we could setup both polls, though.

Jeff

 

i use bel ray oil... regular, no synthetic.

 

Actually you can make a poll Sherp, I think, now I can't remember because its been so long ago that I was a noob and a civilian.[8D][8D][8D] Just messing, but poke around and I'm pretty sure you can make a poll if you want, but be prepared to have the thread jacked........probably by me since I seem to do that a lot. On the oil, I used Kawichem for the first 2500 miles, then I switched to Amsoil 20/50, full synthetic, and on Friday I changed to Amsoil 10/40 since they didn't have that until now. You can never really change too often, although we are not like race bikes that seem to change after each race or series of races for the weekend. Changing oil early on is in my opinion as important as changing it every 1000 miles. I did mine at 40, then 100, and then something like every 500 miles, and now mmmm every 1000.Remember that most of the wear happens early on, and the metal filings need to be flushed. Also maybe later its ok, but I would not advise using the same oil filter between oil changes. I'm also running Amsoil full synthetic in my 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 4X4 diesel, and now have 8,000 miles on the last oil change. Its recommended that you can go to 10,000 miles then check the oil, change the filter and continue. I'm pretty impressed that the oil isn't black in my truck after that many miles. Usually in a diesel, after 200 miles it starts to turn dark. Not Amsoil baby!!

 

Have to say I agree with deej and Eric regarding the initial intervals. I just got my '07 (used) this past weekend. Had 470 miles on the odo and the original owner had just had the initial service performed so unfortunately I had no input on the short changes. I'll probably ride it for another 100 miles or so and do a change myself, where I'll change to Castrol 10W-40. Will change it again at 1,000, then 1,500 and at 2,000 will go to Castrol full synthetic (Syntec).

I'm a true believer in synthetics - after the initial wear in period - to keep the engine in a just-broken-in condition for as long as possible. And from what I've been able to learn over the years it matters less what brand you choose than it does to stick with that brand, because they all use slightly different proprietary additives and mixing can result in some interesting chemistry inside your block. Deej likes Amsoil, Bel Ray for Eric and Castrol for me. You can add Penzoil, Valvoline, MobilOne, etc to the list. Just avoid things like the Dollar General Store house brand on clearance.

One other item to consider are local factors. I live in central Florida, on a shell road. Lots of fine limestone dust to clog filters and coat chains. Daytime summertime temps of 95+. I'm a lot more worried about my oil maintaining viscosity at high temps than I am about excessive wear on cold start mornings, to the extent I might even switch to 20W-50 weight for the warmer months. Remember, a couple of quarts of good oil is cheap insurance against the cost of a new power plant

 

So many of these threads I read, I give up. [sm=partyparty.gif]

Go with a 10w-40 SH, SG with JASO MA apporved oil. And change the oil every 1k to 3k miles, or once a year. As for my prefence, I use Royal Purple MaxCycle 10w-40 and change the oil every 1k to 3k miles (depending on how I feel). I'll be using Mobil 1 4T 10w-40 next change (cheaper and much, much easier to get).

 

Started using motul 5000 full synthetic @ 5000kms. Still clean nearing 6000kms. Gear changes are smooth as silk.
Cheers!

 

Great information guys ... I'll try to figure out how to create a poll sometime this week.

It's probably a bit too high-tech for our uses, but has anyone tried using the oil analysis services at Blackstone Labs? A friend recommended them to me:

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

He tells me it helps him understand exactly how his engine is breaking in, and what kind of oil to use. An interesting read, if nothing else.

 

OK really, it's not that hard...
See the little button just to the right of "NEW POST" in the main forum?
It says "NEW POLL" just click that and voila.