Do you change your oil based on miles or time?

cos_fz1

cos_fz1

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I bought a 2008 FZ1 about a week ago, love the bike. The bike only has about 2000 miles on it. The only oil change has been at 600 miles. The manual says the next oil change should be at 4000 miles or 6 months. I don't know when the oil change at 600 miles happened. I am wondering if I should change the oil based on the 6 month suggestion or wait to be closer to 4000 miles?
 
cos_fz1 said:
I bought a 2008 FZ1 about a week ago, love the bike. The bike only has about 2000 miles on it. The only oil change has been at 600 miles. The manual says the next oil change should be at 4000 miles or 6 months. I don't know when the oil change at 600 miles happened. I am wondering if I should change the oil based on the 6 month suggestion or wait to be closer to 4000 miles?
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If your not sure about the 600 miles change, or if it even happened, I would change it now and start fresh. That 600 mile flush gets rid of alot of particles that broke in from the new engine. It would be cheap insurance to do so.
 
Miles for the season and I always end the season with a change so acidic oil doesn't sit all winter in the bike. :D 2500 - 3000 miles between changes using Rotella T6 and a new Pure One filter.
 
Is it ok to mix synthetic and dino juice? I forgot I had an extra quart of Amsoil from my last oil change and I bought Castrol Oil 4T for my new stuff. I bought 5 quarts of the Castroil 4T (even got a $10 discount). So including the filter (Bosch 3300) and 5 quarts of oil, includiing tax was only $17.66 :D
 
I am going to regret putting the Bosch 330 filter on I can tell. I may have trouble having room enough to get it off, not much room between the header and the filter. Have to figure that one out before the next oil change.
 
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You should change your oil at least once a year so the bike doesn't have to over-winter with crudded up oil sitting in the crankcase. Otherwise, I change at the recommended intervals. And, unless you absolutely have to, don't mix oils than may have conflicting chemcals in them. You never know how a chemical in one may may interact with a chemical from another.
 
Yesterday while at Walmart I went to the automotive section to see how many oils were motorcycle specific. Not one of the oils had something on the front label stating it was for a motorcycle (or I missed it). I did some looking on the web to see how to determine what oils can be used in a wet clutch application and wonder if what I found is what you look for when you buy an oil for your bike? Specifically, do you look for the JASO-MA standard. I looked at the Castrol 4T product I just used and noticed that is has the JASO-MA certification on the back.

This what I found from wikipedia:

Motorcycle oil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The vast majority of modern motorcycles use the same oil to lubricate the engine, transmission, and (with the exception of bikes with dry clutches, such as Ducatis and some BMWs) the clutch. Normal, "car-derived" motor oils are designed just for engines, but were historically suitable in motorcycles. However, some of the latest American Petroleum Institute, or API specifications are completely unsuitable for motorcycles with wet clutches. Representative organisations of motorcycle manufactures, particularly Japanese Automotive Standards Organization, or JASO, work with lubricants manufacturers to create "motorcycle-specific" standards for oils, and the relevant oil companies then develop and test oils which are specifically made for motorcycles and in return, they have two different products with the same chemical content.

Clutch lubrication
Energy Conserving (EC) oil can cause wet clutches to slip

Many motorcycles have a wet clutch, where the clutch plates are immersed in oil. Some oils make the friction plates in the clutch slippery so that the clutch doesn't engage properly when shifting gears, or the clutch slips when the engine exceeds a certain torque. Some oils contain friction reducing chemicals. One element of the JASO-MA standard is a friction test designed to determine suitability for wet clutch usage. An oil that meets JASO-MA is considered appropriate for wet clutch operations. Oils marketed as motorcycle-specific will carry the JASO-MA label. A properly specified motorcycle oil will still allow for the appropriate lubrication and cooling of a motorcycle clutch, whilst maintaining 100% of the drive to be transmitted by the clutch, even under arduous operating conditions.
 
You posted what I was going to answer. I look for the JASO-MA on the label. I use the Rotella T6 and really like it. I change my oil every 3k-4k or 6 months which ever comes first, usually it's the 3k. I'll also change my oil as soon as the shifts start feeling different. I bought the T5 once, it's the blended synthetic, and that didn't make it 1,500 miles.
 
I do it depending on miles or riding style. If there are track days, change before the track day and after. I might be too anal. Since we have wonderful snowy winters, the bike gets stored for about 3 months, I change the oil before taking it back out as well.
 
theWolfTamer said:
You posted what I was going to answer. I look for the JASO-MA on the label. I use the Rotella T6 and really like it. I change my oil every 3k-4k or 6 months which ever comes first, usually it's the 3k. I'll also change my oil as soon as the shifts start feeling different. I bought the T5 once, it's the blended synthetic, and that didn't make it 1,500 miles.
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Thanks wolf, that is what I was wanting to know.
 
I'd say change it, it's in inexpensive.

My rule of thumb is to change oil pretty much right away when I buy a new-used vehicle. That way I know what's in there and I put the vehicle on schedule for regular changes.

Then I have to remember when to change it. Your post go me thinking and I don't recall when I change the oil last. Last summer I suppose. :doh2:

That said my car uses it's computer to calculate when to change the oil, I love it. Once I get down to 2% remaining I take it in. I usually get about 8,200 miles out of an oil change for the car.
 
You should treat your bike just like your car...
-highway miles....every 5-8k should be OK
-city/stop and go...hard ridding...every 3-4k
-less than 4k a year...change it once a year
we ride year round in florida, soooo for starters I change all the bikes oils on my christmas break and anything else.
-my XJ550 (hooked up to a sidecar)...less than 1k a year...at x-mas only
-my VMax (which I ride the most) every 3-4 which works out to x-mas and just before summer
-the FZ (which I ride just to keep the carbs from gumming up) at x-mas and when I get back from the week at the Gap (around june)
Ridding style also matters....on the Max and FZ I ride hard, and guaranteed redline & triple digits at least once...even to the store...sustained high rpm eats up the oil in both those bikes.

Just my opinion..............
 
I go by miles AND time. I won't use oil that has been sitting in the bike for over 3 months unused (Unless its fresh from a winter storage routine), and on normal dino oil I won't go past 2500 miles, Synthetics no longer than 4500 miles.
 
cos_fz1 said:
Is it ok to mix synthetic and dino juice? I forgot I had an extra quart of Amsoil from my last oil change and I bought Castrol Oil 4T for my new stuff. I bought 5 quarts of the Castroil 4T (even got a $10 discount). So including the filter (Bosch 3300) and 5 quarts of oil, includiing tax was only $17.66 :D
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From Amsoil's FAQ page: "Are AMSOIL synthetic motor oils and petroleum motor oils compatible?
AMSOIL synthetic motor oils are fully compatible with all petroleum motor oils, and there is no danger in mixing the two. Mixing AMSOIL and petroleum oil, however, is not a recommended as a general practice. Performance and long drain intervals will be sacrificed and the oil should be promptly changed, at maximum, within the next 3,000 miles."
 
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