Winter and Oil

Will it hurt anything to wait and change the oil in the spring.

I don't think it won't hurt if you wait. Lots of people "say" that "acids" contained within dirty motor oil will eat away at your engine if you don't change it before it sits for a long period. I don't buy into that.

If I haven't accumulated mileage at the point where winter starts; and my bikes go in for semi-winter storage (I occasionally ride during good days in winter), I don't worry about changing the oil.

Ditto . . . most of our engines are running Synthetics and they are less prone to breakdown during storage like the fossil oils.

I too run mine throughout the winter when it's not freezing out.

I change mine when they need it.

Reality ChecK Please!!

85% of your Rocket's oil sits in the tank on the left side of the engine. The remaining 15% is sitting in sumps. The winter oil issue is for bikes that use wet sumps (like most Japanese bikes). There your crank shaft, clutch and other sundry bits are sitting in a oil bath with acids and water from combustion will cause damage to the parts they are in contact with. Since your engine and transmission are lubricated with a pump, the residual oil left at shutdown is all that is there for the next start-up. As long as you change your oil at the specified frequencies, there shouldn't be enough acid or water in the oil to remain in contact with the lubricated surfaces to damage them while in storage.

If you change your oil and just let the bike sit (don't run it afterwards) 100% of the fresh oil never touches any of the running gear. So if you opt to change it for winter (not here to judge), just make sure you run the bike afterwards to get the new stuff on the parts you're trying to protect.

atomsplitter said:

Reality ChecK Please!!

85% of your Rocket's oil sits in the tank on the left side of the engine. The remaining 15% is sitting in sumps. The winter oil issue is for bikes that use wet sumps (like most Japanese bikes). There your crank shaft, clutch and other sundry bits are sitting in a oil bath with acids and water from combustion will cause damage to the parts they are in contact with. Since your engine and transmission are lubricated with a pump, the residual oil left at shutdown is all that is there for the next start-up. As long as you change your oil at the specified frequencies, there shouldn't be enough acid or water in the oil to remain in contact with the lubricated surfaces to damage them while in storage.

If you change your oil and just let the bike sit (don't run it afterwards) 100% of the fresh oil never touches any of the running gear. So if you opt to change it for winter (not here to judge), just make sure you run the bike afterwards to get the new stuff on the parts you're trying to protect.

Click to expand...

reference the comments you made (which I highlighted in bold font);

So as long as your changing your oil on schedule, there's nothing to worry about regarding contaminants.

Right? I only ask that question to your statement above. I believe I've already answered it with my reply to the OP.

willtill said:

atomsplitter said:

Reality ChecK Please!!

85% of your Rocket's oil sits in the tank on the left side of the engine. The remaining 15% is sitting in sumps. The winter oil issue is for bikes that use wet sumps (like most Japanese bikes). There your crank shaft, clutch and other sundry bits are sitting in a oil bath with acids and water from combustion will cause damage to the parts they are in contact with. Since your engine and transmission are lubricated with a pump, the residual oil left at shutdown is all that is there for the next start-up. As long as you change your oil at the specified frequencies, there shouldn't be enough acid or water in the oil to remain in contact with the lubricated surfaces to damage them while in storage.

If you change your oil and just let the bike sit (don't run it afterwards) 100% of the fresh oil never touches any of the running gear. So if you opt to change it for winter (not here to judge), just make sure you run the bike afterwards to get the new stuff on the parts you're trying to protect.

Click to expand...

reference the comments you made (which I highlighted in bold font);

So as long as your changing your oil on schedule, there's nothing to worry about regarding contaminants.

Right? I only ask that question to your statement above. I believe I've already answered it with my reply to the OP.

Click to expand...

Correct. If you want to ensure no damage to parts from water or acid, drain and refill the oil tank, that's the only part that would be affected long term. The miracle of dry sump technology.