| Author | Message | ||
     Robd |
I normally change the oil in all my bikes/scooters in the fall before putting them away for the season. Last October I changed the engine (including filter) and transmission oil in my XB12X with Amsoil 20W50. Sadly, I only put on about 400 miles throughout this riding season. It's a habit for me to change the oil once a year, but with so few miles since the last change and synthetic oil being in there, is it still necessary to change it out? I feel like I should change it, but wanted to hear some opinions. | ||
| Ratbuell |
What is this "put away" you speak of...? Keep it out and ride it! I always store with old oil and change before use. Mowers, snowblower, you name it. Sits with old, gets fresh before use. | ||
| Froggy |
Change it after 4600 more miles. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I change by the miles or if I'm going on a trip so I don't have to change during the trip. I never change because the bike is going to sit in the garage a few months. What I feel is more important is to make sure the engine is run long enough to burn off all condensate before the bike sits for a few months. | ||
| Robd |
I took it for a long ride yesterday and filled the tank and added some seafoam for storage. 10% ethanol gas here in chicago sucks. I decided to keep the current oil in there for now. Thanks for the replies! Oh yeah, and now the neutral light is intermittent. It was on before I started it, then turned off when it started. Finding neutral is not a problem...just the light to indicate its in neutral is sometimes lighting. I'll mess with it over the winter....give me something to do! | ||
| Court |
>>>Change it after 4600 more miles. The new oils are amazing. Changing it any earlier . . . like it or not . . in nothing but entertainment. Don't get me wrong . . . I sometimes do the car and the bike much more frequently than "needed" but there is something therapeutic and cathartic about doing the work. Regardless of what you decide . . . you've no need for worry. | ||
| Biffdotorg |
Great advice you guys. I have the bikes and sleds in my heated garage. I worry more about the fuel with ethanol going bad than the oil. Now that oil changes are no real issue, it can be done or left. But these guys are right. Synthetic oil will outlast the bike the way some people put miles on. Now ask me about the oil changes on my Yamaha snowmobiles! OMG, is that a pain in the A$$. Oil filter is a 2 beer job in itself! But hey, it's garage time with a beer fridge close by. Who's one to deny a guy of quality time in the garage | ||
| Etennuly |
Yeah, I concern myself with the fuel storage also. My fuel remedy is to run only premium gasoline in any of my engines that are known to sit for any length of time. I have done premium gasoline, even with the alcohol in it, for years in my mowers, boat, Jeep, and other part time use vehicles. One time my boat, with it's Mercruiser 4cyl I/O sat for nearly three years without running with it's tank full of premium gas. The carb was empty, so I primed it, and it fired right up and has run fine every time for several years since. My mowers work the same. I have never used fuel stabilizers when I have premium gas. I will add a can of SeaFoam on start up if one of them runs a little rough though. I use non alcohol gas when I can. On the other hand, my wife put regular gas in her John Deere mower late in the fall a few years ago. It sat over winter without me knowing that it had regular gas in it. Before we could get it to start in spring I had to rebuild the carburetor and replace the fuel pump. That was the only season of eight years so far that it failed to just start up and run. |
