| Author | Message | ||
     Jraice |
Just curious to see what you guys are doing. Post mileage for interval, oil/filter type and type of riding. | ||
| Froggy |
Wasn't there one of these threads last month? Anyway the book says 5k miles, so I do 5k miles. Buell filter, and Syn3 or Amsoil depending on what I got on hand. I ride year round in all weather, done about 20k miles in the last 365 days. | ||
| Jraice |
Thanks! Was there? I dont know (sorry guys I know I should've searched). I was planning to do 2,500 (Royal Purple in right now, planning to switch to Amsoil) but went 500 miles over and was talking to some guys about it (I4 riders but regardless) and they were saying if its Synthetic I am crazy to change it at 2,500 miles. My dad does 2,500 in his Harley, he doesnt ride it like I ride the Buell (I ride it harder). Just looking for some reassurance that doing 5000 mile intervals is safe even with harder riding. Oh and Froggy, any reason you stick with the Buell filter? Thats another thing I am wondering about. If I do 5000 intervals I am going to want a good filter in there, was just wondering how the OEM compares to most of the other filters. Oh and I am on target to be at around 20,000 from day one to day 365 as well  . I love to ride as often as I can. With work/school I dont get to ride everyday all the time (I try to) but when I am free I go on LONG rides (12 hours in the saddle Monday) and really rack the miles up. | ||
| Froggy |
About to get flamed for this, but you are just wasting money changing at 2500. It is a waste unless you are living in death valley towing boats up a mountain using your bike or something insane like that. I bought a bunch of Buell filters during a 20% off sponsor dealer sale, so I got some stocked. I think I just ran out, but at $5 or whatever they are, I don't see the point in justifying the cost of potentially damaging the engine if the dollar store filter sucks. | ||
| Ourdee |
Flamed? Whatever are you talking about? I changed it at 1k, 2.5k, & 5k. I've been using HD plain oil and Buell filters. Oil weights by the book. At 10k I'll may go to 4 or 5k intervals with synthetic, maybe not. I worked for a company that bought a Ford Ranger to run errands with. The guy prior to me put 50,000 miles on it. One day I asked about changing the oil in it. They checked with everyone in the shop and found out the oil had never been changed. Truck was still running when I left the company. How bout them apples Froggy?  | ||
| Jraice |
I am not talking about a different filter for economic reasons, I was under the impression there were some out there claiming to be "better" but I think Ill stick with the OEM as its easier to get. Going to cut my filter open (going to wait until 6500, 5000 since last change, miles) and see how it looks as well as the oil and then see if I feel a need to cut the intervals. Sounds like 5000 isnt long by any means. Just need to decide whether to bring the bike in or do the service myself  . Its the 5000 mile service. Just had an epiphany, its 5000 mile's not 5000 miles since first service (was a little late, had it done at 1540 miles) so that would mean I am due for it a little after 5000... Screw it I'm definetly not changing it early . Going to burn through another container of RP before I switch and hope it stops burning it by then!!! | ||
| Froggy |
My mother got a 99 Chevy tracker for free, turns out the engine was blown at 98k, oil was never changed. | ||
| Nik |
Engine oil/filter every 3,000 miles using Shell Rotella or similar and a Napa gold filter. Trans every 6k. I prefer to run dino and change more often. | ||
| Jraice |
Why the dino preference and why the Napa gold filter? Also guys while on the subject of trans oil. Anybody used Syn3? I was convinced by the dealer it was better then Formula+ and immidietly noticed a harder shift, bike used to shift AMAZING. One step short of my old Japanese I4 toy. Was thinking about going back to Formula+ but now am thinking Ill just do Amsoil 20W50 in both. | ||
| Froggy |
Improper oil level and chain adjustment spec will do more to your shifting than the fluid alone. | ||
| Jraice |
I would imagine... The shop I use is supposed to be one of the best but I am thinking now that I might do my 5000 mile on my own, and then bring it in for the 10,000... I am guessing the 10K is when they do fork oil etc and all the larger items, plus I like having them look over the bike. At the 1000 (1540 for me) they found a tiny torn spot on the edge of the belt. Its nice to have another set of eyes look the bike over every once in a while. | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
5k mile interval is too long for mineral oil, just right for semi-synthetics (SYN3), and early for 100% synthetics (Amsoil). In my opinion, it is better to change the oil before it starts to degrade, so I run 100% synthetic and follow the manufacturer's recommendations- this keeps the maintenance schedule simple and easy. And yes, some oil filters are far superior to others- do some research on filtration media, filter construction and by-pass valves. (Message edited by redbuelljunkie on July 04, 2009) (Message edited by redbuelljunkie on July 04, 2009) | ||
| Juniorkirk |
every 3,000 miles with Royal Purple. Love my bike too much to even think about taking a chance. | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
I change my oil every 2500. I change the filter and primary every 5000. Throwing away money if I do it at 2500? I dont think so. Its like $20. I can deal with that for the peace of mind. Thats like an extra $40 a year. I blow more than that on a night at the bar.  | ||
| Court |
The great news . . . . with the oils we have today. . . . if you can't decide and wait 5 years and 50,000 miles you'll likely find no measurable wear in the motor. I change it often . . . but mostly just to play mechanic. | ||
| Saratoga |
Delvac 1300 Super and a Wix (NAPA) filter. Gets changed at the same time the truck gets an oil change, usually around 3k. Fancy oils are a waste of money in my case because I have no interest in running extended drain intervals. I run amsoil in the primary. | ||
| Reepicheep |
At 3500 miles, I start thinking about it. At 5000 miles, I start panicing. Generally, mine gets changed at about 4000 miles (I worry a lot). (always with the cheapest full synthetic 20w50 I can find) | ||
| Akbuell |
Dino oil and OEM filters in both engines, and change at 2500mi. Formula + in the trans, and change at 5000mi. Just because. Dave  | ||
| Andymnelson |
I change mine about every 2500-3000. I run RP 2050 in both holes. While the info above is correct in asserting that today's oils can go much longer before breaking down, the thought that is missing here so far is dirt and metal shavings. It does not matter whether you oil has broken down yet or not if it's dirty. I tend to see the color change around 2500-3000 miles due to dirty oil, so that's when I change. I use Buell filters, because the only ones my local auto store stocks are Wix. I change my primary every other oil change. | ||
| Jeffroj |
Last week while changing my oil, I went to install the new filter I got from the dealer the week before, and it didn't fit, they gave me the wrong one. With the dealer closed and my bike on the stands, I headed straight to wally-world to pick up the exact same "correct" filter for 5 bucks cheaper. Walmart Oil filter: ST 4967 Just peel off the sticker and voila, you got yourself an HD oil filter. I use formula+ in the primary and Syn3 in the crankcase. I change both every 2500 because my bike gets super hot in Hotlanta, and I also like to play mechanic. I also enjoy how smooth it runs with a fresh change. | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
~4000 miles on Syn3. Depends on how black the oil is... My poor bike doesn't live the ideal life, short trips in the city, and long distance high speed trips in extreme heat. A couple of days ago I rode 140 miles back in near triple digit heat with average RPM's north of 4500x. I burned a bit of oil by the time I got back. | ||
| Court |
Cool . . . I dig an anal retentive group! Am I the only one who does all the fluids in my truck every year? Oil, trans, diff, power steering, brake, coolant . . they always try to tell me that it's fine just to suck out the transmission fluid but I feel better taking off the pan, changing all the filters and refilling. I'll bet the oil companies love us! | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Extra Virgin olive oil is ok, but the higher flash point of peanut oil makes it better for frying. The advantage to the olive oil is that it is higher in monounsaturated fats, where the peanut oil is higher in polyunsaturated fats - both good fats by the way, but I prefer monounsaturated. Either one is excellent for raising your HDL (High Density Lipoprotein levels), but olive oil has also been shown to correlate with lessening the occurence of certain cancers. The first pressing of olive oil tends to produce the most flavorful oil, with each subsequent pressing producing oil that is lighter in flavor than the previous. Olive oil is also part of a Mediterranean diet, which has long been touted as a healthy lifestyle. I've also use Olive oil to fuel hurricane lamps in a pinch. It's an expensive light source, but sometimes it is the only thing you have. You could also run olive oil in your diesel engine if you had too, but you'd need a fuel pre-heater if you plan on leaving the car or truck outside when the temps run below freezing. I'd avoid canola oil, which is a manufactured oil made from toxic rapeseed oil. There is no such thing as a canola, it's a tradename. What the hell is a canola anyway? I hope this helps. | ||
| Nik |
I ran olive oil once in my two stroke Vespa for kicks. | ||
| Clutchless |
I get bored and start pulling drain plugs, nothing gets over 2000 mi. per oil change in my garage. | ||
| Hammer71 |
You have to change the oil in these things? | ||
| Steve_mackay |
3K-4K with WIX filters and Rotella T synthetic. | ||
| Ourdee |
Years ago someone showed me a weird thing. Gasoline engine oil at 3000 miles looks dirty. They converted a truck to propane and had 3000 mile oil in it. The oil still looked new. | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
They converted a truck to propane and had 3000 mile oil in it. The oil still looked new. I have had experience with CNG/Propane generators. Their maintenance cycles are much longer than their gas/diesel counterparts. They run very clean. I have always said natural gas would make an excellent interim fuel for this country. | ||
| Mnbueller |
~5000 miles, I use Harley filters, and Harley synthetic oil. Riding style: mostly commuting 80% hwy, 20% city. Corporatemonkey - Lets just leave natural gas alone. I don't want the fuel to heat my house to go up price! We get COLD winters in Minnesota! (Message edited by Mnbueller on July 06, 2009) |
