Changing oil

[cuervo brazil]

what´s the difference between semi-synthetic and full synthetic between oil changes ?
I mean, how long a full one will last against a semi or mineral ?
some pleople say that GOOD QUALITY full synth will last 20.000 km (12500 miles). Is it true?

[Brent]

Hmm I would say the difference is that you pay more for synethnic..

I still change oil in the same intervals - but the full synthetic is supposed to be a better lubricant..

[Big Kahuna]

Hee Hee...

He said lubricant...

Hee Hee!

[Calkidd]

I pay $26/gal for Motul 5100 which is a sythetic blend. Full synthetic (Motul 300V) is $50/gal. For the riding I do I am going to stick with the blend and pay much less.

Anyway, I know what you are saying, yes in all reality the full will usually last a little longer. How much longer, I really don't know.

[shinobi]

changing oil every 3000 is a very wise suggestion, I use blend but thats simple cuz i use blend for everything, we had another discusion about this but i think it was on the list, something about a red top bottle????

[GregSpires]

Mobil 1 synthetic in the silver bottle with the red top. The red top identifies the 15w50 version.

By the way, according to studies (or was that Click & Clack on Car Talk on public radio) oil doesn't ever really need changing, but the filter does. The military changes the filter and tops off the oil level. But I'll keep on changing it so WalMart and the recycling center don't go out of business. ;)

[Big Kahuna]

I don't know about that, if you leave the oil in their too long it starts to break down and get real dirty. Pulled some pretty discusting black oil out of a few cars in my day. I don't know about you, but I notice the bike runs so much better after changing the oil. Maybe it's just happy!

[shinobi]

kind of like a women happy when it gets new lube, but doesn't want the cuddles afterwards :D

[cuervo brazil]

well, if manufacturers arround the world say that you have to change it, they probably are right or receive a lot of money from oil manufacturers... :eek:
I have seen some engines (cars) that never had regular oil changes, and what you can see inside is something like chocolate...urrrggggg :mad:
seriously, I know that you have to change it, but what i wanted to know is how many kms/miles you can save with a full synth instead a semi or mineral...
I am using Castrol R4 full , its expensive but i think it must give some better protection (much better in cold start, that its critical for any engine) than the others..
Off course oil filter is also important (it works as your kidney), so I change it in every oil change, and only use originals. I don´t want to have it malfunctioning at +200km/h.
Take care

[Blademan]

Unless you are joining the Iron Butt team, if you change the oil in the beginning of the season leave it for the summer and drain it after winter . . . should be good. That's what I do. Full Syn oils can go longer that petrolium based. I use the AMSoil and they say it can go twice as long. I like the stuff. Costs just under $6 a qt but I can feel the difference in shifting gears. They make filters too.

[929er]

How much oil does a 929 takes after draining the oil and the filter changed?

[Calkidd]

Just a little over 4 quarts.

[929er]

Just a little over 4 quarts.


really! :eek: i have the bike on the stand and the oil level is just right, and I only have less than 4 quarts. weird thing is after i did the oil change the bike was running ok, till later when i started the bike it stalled and restarted it and stalled for like 4 times and the last start i gased it and kept reving the engine and it was ok after that. so don't know what happened. :confused:

[CharlieHo]

When you say stand, I hope you mean a swingarm stand and not the side stand, because the oil level is supposed to be checked with the bike sitting fully upright.
BTW, I never got much more than 3.6-3.8 quarts in after a change (always changed filter too). Always kept the level dead center on the sight gauge. Over fill and she'll get a little sluggish.

[929er]

When you say stand, I hope you mean a swingarm stand and not the side stand, because the oil level is supposed to be checked with the bike sitting fully upright.
BTW, I never got much more than 3.6-3.8 quarts in after a change (always changed filter too). Always kept the level dead center on the sight gauge. Over fill and she'll get a little sluggish.

definitely on a swingarm stand. I used both front and rear bike stand, not the side stand. Meaning the bike is on an upright position. And I did replaced the oil filter too.

[Mr_Head]

I've been using Motul 5100 for 87,000+ miles. No problems at all with it. I change it between 3 and 5,000 miles, along with the filter. I used to use K&N filters until I installed the full system Akro, sport system. They don't fit with that, so went back to OEM. I buy a half dozen at a time from Ron Ayers. When I used to use the bike on the street I was averaging just under 26,000 miles a year. The bike only puffs a little smoke on hard deceleration at the track, after 95,000 miles, and doesn't burn enough to bother with in 3,000 miles.

I wish the BMW sipped oil like that.

[angry john]

carbon and burnt gasses slip by the rings a little along with some comming off the cylinder walls. thats what turns it black. as the bike gets higher in the miles this happens more and more as the rings ware down. also the bearings and gears break down the fibers that open and close to make the oil multi viscosity. there have been some real good articles in sport rider explaining the breaking down of oil and how the additives break down the acids that come from combustion. those additives can only break down so much before there spent. i change my oil based on how the bike feals the milage and how hard i ride it. 4-5000 miles is avrage on full syn castrol r4 but if i ride a track day i change it after. the heat and the hi revs takes its toll.

[exesspeed]

BE CAREFULL with fully syn, a very good friend of mine who tunes engines for a living tells me , that quite a lot of racers who have used full syn have had trouble with oil consumption due ti the bores getting glazed and changing to normal mineral oit seems to cure it, also many of his customers have had clutch slip isues with fully syn too, and changing back to a normal mineral oil sorted it, but he advised them to change it more often, ie every meet, if he tunes and builds one for road use he advises the same but to change the oil at 3000 mile intervals, hope this helps,

:D

[Matt-954]

I've been running Shell Rotella 5W40 full synthetic and a Purolator PureOne oil filter in all our bikes. The oil is $13 at Wally World, the filters are abou $5 at Pep Boys.

Here's why: http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html

[Pete]

Looking in the 929 instruction manual will tell you to change the oil and the filter every 12,000K / 7,500 miles. It does not say anything about using mineral or synthetic, but it does say that the better the oil, the longer your engine will last.

Synthetic oil is - to my knowledge - not recommended for the first few miles, as a mineral oil will make the moving parts set better and not glaze. I believe the new engines from Honda are filled with non-synthetic, after first service at 600 miles or it will be changed to a synthetic.

If you use the bike on the track, everybody I know would recommend you to shorten the intervals. If you commute rush-hour style and short trips it would be a valid point to change the oil more often.

However, I do not understand the point of going for the cheapest oil you can find. I pay $19 for a quart of synthetic, 3,6 quarts to change is $68. I change every 3000 - 3500 miles and that means 2 cents a mile in oil. Call it insurance, but I want the best oil possible in my engine. Oil or tires is not where you save money. Bad oil or bad tires can be expensive, and they can both ruin your day.

If I wanted to save money I would sell the Blade and get a Toyota. ;)

[NIHILator]

I use Honda Oil, and I change it every 3000. Bikes have more tendency to get particles of stuff in the oil pan so I play it the safe route. I also recommend using magnetic drain bolts............

[Matt-954]

The goal is superior lubrication (not saving money). I'm using oil that will provide optimum protection. The Purolator PureOne filter provides superior filtering.

Read this article and then decide for yourself if the $20 a quart motorcycle oil is really worth the extra money.

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html

I used to run Elf full Synthetic 10W40 ($17 per quart locally) and a Honda filter ($15). Oil changes cost about $85. The 954 got an oil change twice a year so the cost wasn't prohibitive.

The track bike gets an oil change every 3 track days. Next Tuesday will be the 9th track day this year (followed by the 3rd oil change of the year). Using Shell Rotella full synthetic 5W40 ($14 per gallon) and a PurOne filter ($5), an oil change is $20. I'd gladly pay for the Elf if it provided superior protection, but I don't believe it does.

I hesitated posting this. The great motorcycle oil debate is tiring. You need to do some research and use the oil of your choosing.

[gixerkiller]

bump