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Is the oil bad yet?

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  • #1

    Is the oil bad yet?

    I know you are supposed to do an oil change when the bike comes out of hibernation, but I'm curious why. I changed my oil back in mid-late october, and the bike sat from mid december til now. I'm going to do an oil change, but the question is how long can I wait?

    I'd like to put a full synthetic in the bike, but nobody around me stocks Castrol or Mobil. I'm heading up to Iron Pony this weekend, and their Castrol GPS is on sale for 7.50 a liter, which is better than what i find online, plus no shipping charges, and cheaper than what hte local dealership is charging for ACTevo. Can I get a 300 mile ride in before I change the oil? If not, I'll just put some cheap stuff in there for now and get the good stuff after the ride, but I'm a little short on monies right now, so I'd rather not do two oil changes in rapid succession
    None of us are as dumb as all of us.....

    “To do what ought to be done, but would not have been done unless I did it, I thought to be my duty.”
    -Robert Morrison

    "    well, i havent beat katana hero on expert level yet chris" -katanawarrior

    "I believe in the free speech that liberals used to believe in, the economic freedom that conservatives used to believe in, and the personal freedom America used to believe in"






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  • #2
    i'd say your fine. I think it has something to do with acids in the oil. Also remember oil is to be changed every 3k miles or 3 months which ever comes first. Those numbers and time frame might be off. I use valvoline and have no problems. Around 2 bucks or so a quart. Let me know how iron pony is, i have bought parts from them on ebay and thought about venturing up there my self. maybe depending on when and the weather, we can meet up there. let me know.

    actually i think i can hit 35 up to cincinnati. don't know need a map.

    “Programming today is a race between software engineers stirring to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the universe is winning.”

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    • #3
      there are a good number of us heading up there this weekend, a meet and greet. Check it out in the midwest forum. Should be fun. Meeting there at 11am i think?
      None of us are as dumb as all of us.....

      “To do what ought to be done, but would not have been done unless I did it, I thought to be my duty.”
      -Robert Morrison

      "      well, i havent beat katana hero on expert level yet chris" -katanawarrior

      "I believe in the free speech that liberals used to believe in, the economic freedom that conservatives used to believe in, and the personal freedom America used to believe in"






      Comment

      • #4
        The reason the factory recommends an oil change has to do with how left-over gasoline by-products in the oil, plus the sulfated ash already in the oil react when combined with water (in the form of condensation during storage). The combination can form sulfuric acid, which eats metals, particularly the softer metals used in some of the transmission components, as well as denigrating the oil itself.

        Most modern motorcycle oils have very good formulations that help stop the sulfuric acid from forming (part of the larger JASO-MA rating standard is a very low cap on sulfated ash content).

        I would put some fresh oil in each spark plug hole (about a teaspoon's worth), rotate the engine over a few times by hand, reinstall the plugs, prime the carbs and then just fire it up. Let it run for about 5 minutes, then shut down and look in the oil window -- if you see any bubbles or frothing, then you really should change the oil before you put any serious load on the engine. If there's no frothing or bubbles in the oil window above the oil, you're probably good to go.

        Cheers,
        =-= The CyberPoet
        Remember The CyberPoet

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        • #5
          Originally posted by The CyberPoet
          I would put some fresh oil in each spark plug hole (about a teaspoon's worth), rotate the engine over a few times by hand, and then just fire it up.
          Hey CP how do you turn it over by hand? Can you elaborate a bit for me?

          Thanks
          R.I.P. Marc

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          • #6
            You can put it in gear and turn the rear tire, or the method I'll probably go with is pull the signal generator cover off and put a socket on the signal generator and rotate.
            None of us are as dumb as all of us.....

            “To do what ought to be done, but would not have been done unless I did it, I thought to be my duty.”
            -Robert Morrison

            "            well, i havent beat katana hero on expert level yet chris" -katanawarrior

            "I believe in the free speech that liberals used to believe in, the economic freedom that conservatives used to believe in, and the personal freedom America used to believe in"






            Comment

            • #7
              i think it is easiest to turn the engine over using the rear wheel by putting it in the top gear.

              “Programming today is a race between software engineers stirring to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the universe is winning.”

              Comment

              • #8
                Could be, I've got to put a new gasket on the signal generator cover anyway though....
                None of us are as dumb as all of us.....

                “To do what ought to be done, but would not have been done unless I did it, I thought to be my duty.”
                -Robert Morrison

                "                well, i havent beat katana hero on expert level yet chris" -katanawarrior

                "I believe in the free speech that liberals used to believe in, the economic freedom that conservatives used to believe in, and the personal freedom America used to believe in"






                Comment

                • #9
                  Originally posted by goldkat
                  Hey CP how do you turn it over by hand? Can you elaborate a bit for me?
                  Originally posted by philwecksr
                  You can put it in gear and turn the rear tire, or the method I'll probably go with is pull the signal generator cover off and put a socket on the signal generator and rotate.
                  Phil hit it on the nose. The two ways are:
                  1. put it in gear (1st works particularly well for this, best torque advantage to free stuck cylinders) and rotate the back wheel, or push the bike back and forth a couple yards a few times;
                  2. Or to use the signal generator as you would for a valve adjustment (turning it with a long wrench).

                  As long as you have the spark plugs out, there is no real resistance to the movement of the pistons and components except oil-starved components (you're not working against the volume of the cylinder to compress it).

                  Cheers,
                  =-= The CyberPoet
                  Remember The CyberPoet

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                  • #10
                    6th gear is what I do when I wanna turn it by hand . MUCH easier to turn that way . Gotta turn it MORE to get more revs of course , but the mechanical advantage .....
                    I am a fluffy lil cuddly lovable bunny , dammit !



                    Katrider's rally 2011 - md86

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