Acids in the oil?

[redkat06]

Guy I work with is a LONNNGG time member of GWRRA and he said that if i had the bike stored over winter without running it periodically acids will have built up in the oil and it would severely limit engine life if i ran it with that "stored oil" in there. Advised to change the oil before running it, any truth to this?

[woobie]

From what I've read is that with used oil mositure causes it create sulfuric acid in your engine and that can eat up the internals over time.

Some people change thier oil at the end of the season and again at the start of the next season. Others I know change it at the end and come spring just run it with the winter oil in it until it's due for a oil change.

[tzortn]

Yes, it is true that as oil breaks down it creates certain acids that can accelerate engine wear. Many people recommend that you change the oil before storing the bike then changing it again after it has been sitting. Often people will use cheap motorcycle oil to store the bike then drain it and add fresh higher quality oil.

[redkat06]

oh well its gonna rain anyway and snow next week but today was beautiful so i was just jonesin, i'll wait till i get the K&N oil filter n some good oil n just change it before i ride

[md86]

Yeah , after time , used oil+moisture can create H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) . Unused oil won't create acid as readily , but it CAN still build up a little while sitting for a few months .

[The CyberPoet]

One of the reasons I'm always telling people to seek out JASO-MA rated oils is that they are very low on sulfated ash content by spec, which means they form less sulfuric acid than oils high in sulfated ash content (diesel oils are often very high in sulfated ash). In Katana's and other Japanese motorcycles, the sulfuric acid tends to go after the milder metals in the tranny before it does serious damage to the engine components; that tranny damage is part of why the JASO-MA specification was created in the first place.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[KatGemini1975]

What are the oils with this "JASO-MA" specs? And how much are we talking?

[BobKat2002]

You may have seen this...

By Ron Ananian



In it, he contends that leaving the existing oil in the vehicle over the storage period isn't a bad idea, but whatever you do...
Do Not Start The Engine Until You've Changed The Contaminated Oil
You do not want to the acidic oils to contaminate bearings and seals.
I have always made a practise not to start the engine at all during the storage period, and faithfully change it prior to to usage.

It's the cheapest thing you can do to prolong the life of your engine.

[The CyberPoet]

What are the oils with this "JASO-MA" specs? And how much are we talking?

Most better motorcycle oils will be marked "JASO-MA" and the list includes:

almost all Catrol 4-stroke motorcycle oils (at least in the USA), including ACT/Evo, Castrol GPS, etc.
all Mobil 1 motorcycle oils (MX4T, V-Twin -- any Super Walmart store)
all Motorex 4-stroke motorcycle oils (any CycleGear store)
etc, etc., etc.

Expect to pay $3.50 a liter for cheap JASO-MA spec motorcycle oils, about $8-$9 a liter for the top-of-the-line stuff like the Mobil 1. Just be careful about a bit of deceptive labelling on some oils -- if it says "meets friction requirements of JASO-MA", it is not the full suite of requirements; the oils that meet all the requirements will have the JASO-MA logo or state "meets or exceeds all JASO-MA specifications".

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[The CyberPoet]

I have always made a practise not to start the engine at all during the storage period, and faithfully change it prior to to usage.

The only advantage to starting your engine during storage is if you do it religiously and always let it get up to full operating temp (so that the oil will boil off any water content before it can build up to any significant amount). For people living in very cold weather climates (where the odds of going riding are virtually zip across the whole winter), it makes little sense to start it. On the other hand, in those same circumstances, it does make sense to over-fill the crankcase (all the way up to the rim) to reduce the amount of airspace -- which will reduce the amount of condensation that can form.
As always, a dry location is best

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[BobKat2002]

...and heated!