tweed Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Hello All, I've got a quick question. I do not ride that much (1000-1500 a summer) and I changed the oil last summer with synthetic Respol. Looking at the site glass this morning it is near the top and amber color. Does it need to be changed, or is it a waste of money to change it after only 1200 miles? Thanks! Link to comment
Jerry Duke Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Ride it. Change the oil and filter at the end of this season. Also change the transmission and FD oil. Link to comment
AndyS Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Waste of time changing your oil. Get some miles in! Link to comment
Polo Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 What they said, but I would circulate some oil by tapping the starter a few times w/o actually starting the bike. Then, go ride. A friend who owns a plane, said that using synthetic oil is not advised because it does not stick to the metal as well as mineral oil and since airplanes spend a good bit of time on the ground, there isn't enough protection during start-up, and furthermore there may be room for corrosion to begin forming. This may be something you may consider given the time your bike remains parked. My $0.02, happy miles. Link to comment
Paul Mihalka Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 "using synthetic oil is not advised because it does not stick to the metal as well as mineral oil" I don't believe that... Link to comment
AviP Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Waste of time and money. The oil is good for this year and probably next too at the rate you ride. Link to comment
Polo Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 "using synthetic oil is not advised because it does not stick to the metal as well as mineral oil" I don't believe that... During extended periods of no-use. I'm just repeating what I was told in connection to aeronautical use. Link to comment
dirtrider Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Afternoon Tweed Repsol oil is definitely a quality oil so that allows you some leeway on oil change time/miles intervals. Rule number one -look in your riders/owners manual that will give you the miles and time period that BMW specifies for oil and filter changes on your motorcycle. OR, rule number two –is call the Repsol tec help line and ask them their recommendation on oil change intervals using the oil you used and your low mileage 6 month storage concerns. Anything the rest of us tell you is pure speculation or Hearsay without documentation or test results. My personal answer wouldn’t help you much anyway as I would never store a motorcycle 6 months with used motor oil in it (even using Repsol in a heated garage). But personally I would have no problem riding one 10,000 miles on that oil as long as the time period was not excessive. Edit: for my fat-finger typing. Link to comment
Polo Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Afternoon Tweed Anything the rest of us tell you is pure speculation or heresy without documentation or test results. Heresy or Hearsay? A typo, a slip of the tongue or the truth? Link to comment
4wheeldog Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 "using synthetic oil is not advised because it does not stick to the metal as well as mineral oil" I don't believe that... During extended periods of no-use. I'm just repeating what I was told in connection to aeronautical use. The reason synthetic oil fell out of favor for use in piston aircraft had nothing to do with its ability to stay put on metal surfaces, or corrosion control. It just did not do a very good job of keeping the lead from the fuel in suspension, particularly around the piston rings. If you have lead in your oil on your bike, you have bigger problems than when to change it. Link to comment
tallman Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Change it and quit worrying. Then ride it. Link to comment
AndyS Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Change it and quit worrying. Then ride it. Yes, and can I have the oil you took out. I'll put it in mine. Link to comment
tallman Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Remember, he said "heated" garage. Might have cooked the oil... Link to comment
Solo6 Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Nobody ever sat by the side of the road, cursing themselves for doing too much preventative maintenance. Link to comment
AndyS Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 But some folk have been cursed by partners for unecessarily consuming too much 'disposable income' and making it difficult to do other things. Link to comment
Solo6 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 True, but if you can't afford a $35 oil change (DIY) after several months of sitting, maybe while the oil goes acidic, maybe you have the wrong hobby. Link to comment
tweed Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 Thanks to all. You guys are a wealth of knowledge. I'm so glad I stumbled onto this site. Link to comment
BriSco Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Nobody ever sat by the side of the road, cursing themselves for doing too much preventative maintenance. I would disagree with this statement. I've seen too many people "fix it till it's broke". Machine didn't need anything, but they insisted on tinkering until some part or fastener was marginalized. This can result in someone sitting along the road saying to themselves "I wish I'd left it alone." Link to comment
4wheeldog Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Get out and run it! I cast my vote with this lot. Oilheads are amazingly easy on their oil (Which is counter intuitive, given their design), and oil related failures are almost unheard of, as long as you keep some in it. So ride.....Change the oil next fall, and run it some more. Link to comment
ragtoplvr Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Aircraft engines are kind of the opposite of motorcycle engines, they run at a high load, but low rpm for long periods. I never had an airplane. (that you could sit in) Same for boat engines, except the RPM is higher. I used to add a bit of Marvel Mystery Oil at about a 250 to 1 ratio to my inboard boat engine years ago to keep bores from rusting. I never had an issue, next owner, another story. As far as the oil, run it and change this winter. When you do not ride much, it is much more important to practice often to keep in shape. Just like airplanes, Pilots have to have some touch and goes to keep license. A MC rider should have to do some figure 8's cone weaves and stops before getting out on the street. HAVE FUN Rod Link to comment
Solo6 Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Nobody ever sat by the side of the road, cursing themselves for doing too much preventative maintenance. I would disagree with this statement. I've seen too many people "fix it till it's broke". I make a distinction between actual PM and tinkering until you break something. If you mess up the engine doing an oil change, either you have no clue what you are doing and shouldn't work on it in the first place, or it's already broken and you are better off discovering that at home anyhow. Link to comment
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