Oil Change. First report in!!!

[1olbull]

If you want to know the cold hard truth about what's going on with your oil and if your filter is effective, there's only one way to go. Drop the $28 (or less in a bulk buy) and get your oil analyzed by Blackstone Labs (or equivalent). Anything else is a guess.

A friend of mine (running full syn) did this several times on his V2K.
At 5K, 7K, 10K between oil changes. His particulate count was way below the threshold, see below.
I would think that with our engines (cleaner running than a V-Twin) 10K is appropriate.
I did change oil after the first and second 500 miles, then at 2,000, 3,000 and 10,000 miles and every 10K since.
No engine/trans issues for me so far . . .
Particle Count Test

 

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

Remember that not EVERY particle that could be in your engine is magnetic. DO NOT use the "cleanable" oil filters. The micron holes sizes are too large. Changing your oil at 5k miles or annually is a good thing. Changing the final drive annually is also good. It is only about 6 oz. of fluid. Be sure to remember the final drive drain plug only torques to 15 NM.

 

[JamiePT]

If you want to know the cold hard truth about what's going on with your oil and if your filter is effective, there's only one way to go. Drop the $28 (or less in a bulk buy) and get your oil analyzed by Blackstone Labs (or equivalent). Anything else is a guess.

Thanks for the info on Blackstone. That is exactly what I am gona do.

I'll do the oil Change, take a bunch of pictures, and send in the old oil to be tested.

I'll post the whole thing here.

It may take till the end of the summer for me to get the 5K of miles.

 

[sonny]

Wow. I change my oil every 5,000 mile with Mobil and with a Wix filter. All of which I can get at O'reilly's auto here in Henryetta Oklahoma. More than likely changing the oil more often than need be. Really do not give a #hit one way or the other. Done did it on the last couple of bikes I have owned. Considering the miles I ride and conditions we ride under it works out rather well. 5,000 miles is give or take about 2 and a half months.

 

[ThisGuy]

Thanks for the info on Blackstone. That is exactly what I am gona do.

I'll do the oil Change, take a bunch of pictures, and send in the old oil to be tested.

I'll post the whole thing here.

It may take till the end of the summer for me to get the 5K of miles.

Looking forward to it.

After seeing them praised in every engine-centric hobby/profession I've read about, and lots of research, I use them for every oil change in every vehicle. They will also test about any kind of (vehicle!!) fluid you send them… tranny, diff, power steering…

There's two major reasons it's worth it to me. First, they can help customize your oil change interval. Lots of people up the interval to 5k, but if their oil is tested and Blackstone says it's still good to go longer, you're doing absolutely nothing but throwing away money. I wish every maintenance item on the bike could be so easily tested and verified. Come to think of it, I'll have to see if they test fork oil.

Second, short of tearing apart & inspecting every piece of the motor, there's no better way to get an early indication of many problems. I've read many accounts of people getting their results back with a message like, we're seeing X, so you should check Y. Then repairing Y becomes a matter of preventive maintenance instead of a catostrophic failure. And there may have been no other way to know there was a problem brewing. Well worth the cost to me!

 

[Rocket Geezer]

Personally, I change the filter twice as often as the oil. Unless the engine runs hotter than normal for some reason, then the oil goes too. Think there is any problem with that?

 

[BillyIndiana]

Seeing how we have a thing called winter here in Indiana I always change my oil at the end of the riding season usually in late November. Yes I get them out through the winter when I can, but as the days get shorter it is not the cold, but the dark.

Anyway I just don't like the thought of last season's oil sitting all winter long.

Plus it gives me that one on one time I need.

 

[ThisGuy]

Personally, I change the filter twice as often as the oil. Unless the engine runs hotter than normal for some reason, then the oil goes too. Think there is any problem with that?

No problem, I've had Blackstone mention that as an option in one of the reports for my truck. But in a way it wasn't that they were recommending a filter twice as often. In that case they were saying the oil was doing ok for a 15,000 mile interval between changes, but I might want to consider a filter change half way. So kind of saying, regular filter changes, extended oil changes.

The good thing about all this is there's no downside for the motorcycle. It might be better, can't be worse, and you're only out a $10 filter. I have a suspicion if you had the oil tested halfway through, that's probably what they'd say… no need to do that, but it definitely won't hurt if you want to!

 

[ThisGuy]

Seeing how we have a thing called winter here in Indiana I always change my oil at the end of the riding season usually in late November. Yes I get them out through the winter when I can, but as the days get shorter it is not the cold, but the dark.

Anyway I just don't like the thought of last season's oil sitting all winter long.

Plus it gives me that one on one time I need.

Yes to all of that. As I've been planning my annual maintenance calendar, most of it will be based on the riding season, not mileage. Mileage provides the upper bound, so if I find myself likely to exceed 10,000 miles in the year, I'll do an oil change & a couple other items halfway through in July. But mostly everything will happen in the winter to both minimize downtime during the season, and as you put it, get some one on one time to carry me through the winter.

For the next few years I probably won't be close to 10k/year, so nearly all the maintenance will be done far more often than mileage would require.

 

[ThisGuy]

Lots of people up the interval to 5k, but if their oil is tested and Blackstone says it's still good to go longer, you're doing absolutely nothing but throwing away money.

Is it bad form to quote oneself?

I've been thinking about this and wanted to clarify. If your goals are optimal maintenance or to spend money only on what really makes a difference, it's unnecessary. If the oil and filter are doing their jobs, changing them early doesn't get the job done better.

HOWEVER! If the goal is to spend an enjoyable hour with the bike turning wrenches and feeling good about how well you take care of her, then by all means change the oil every month if you want!

I'm not going that route for engine oil changes, mostly because the tests take out all the uncertainty, and can tell me if there's work that needs done to better protect the motor.

Where I am personally going off the deep end is with bevel box oil. I'm not going to have it tested, because the only thing I could do in response to the test is change the oil more frequently. I don't need a test to tell me that. It uses such little oil that for less than the cost of one test, I can buy a bottle of the best stuff made once/year, and change the gear oil every two months through the riding season. Total overkill, but other than lubing the splines, it's the only thing I can do to take care of a very expensive part. It takes little time and money and makes me feel good so… why not! Whatever spins your beanie.

Sometimes, as in my earlier post, I state things too harshly and steamroll the bigger picture. Gotta quit doing that…