Oil Change

[oldgeezer]

I changed the oil and filter in my wife's 800 Intruder this weekend. Went with Amsoil 20W-50. She said the bike ran noticeably smoother. Only downside, the stuff is $8.00 a quart. Comments, Dr. Bob, others?

[inspiron]

Just curious, why did you choose 20W50 instead of 10W40?

You paid $8 per quart? Stop complaining ... when I changed my oil last month, I needed 5 liters - and paid CHF 80.00 (about $67.00) for the oil, and another $18 for the filter

[Superbird]

holy crap..... 8 bucks for 1 quart? dam iv been using royal purple its only 5.80 on base. i thought all of the suzukis used the same oil filiter.... the 6018 fram... guess not

[oldgeezer]

I went with 20W-50 due to the summertime temperatures in Texas. I'll change back to 10W-40 in the fall. I always use a Suzuki OEM filter at $12 a pop. I've been told that Fram filters are not very good quality. That may or may not be the case, but for me, why risk a $6000 motorcycle on $5 of savings in a filter.

[stp1971]

I have been told that if you don't use the recomended oil grade and if you use synthetic that the clutches will slip. Is the Amsoil or the Royal purple considered synthetic and will either one cause any adverse effects on my bike?

I am all for anything that will extend the life of the bike,, maybe pass it on to my kids one of these days. I have seen where people will put these magnetic bands aroundd the oil filter that keeps smaller particles trapped in the filter,, I wonder if they are making them for bike filters?

[oldgeezer]

Amsoil is a fully synthetic oil. My concern was clutch slippage as well, but I was assured by some folks I trust that it would not be a problem. So far, it hasn't been.

[Superbird]

i ride preety hard. Very close to the red line if not banging in to it. I have never felt any slippage with the royal purple

[themeatmanlandry]

Fram sucks. They do the bare minimum that is required to call what they make an oil filter. 'Zuk filters for me!!

<i use oem filters on my truck and car>

http://www.twocreeks.net/toby/oil_filters/index.shtml

[md2lgyk]

Not enough miles yet on my current bike to switch, but I've used Mobil 1 20W-50 in other bikes I've owned. Never a problem with clutch slippage and a lot cheaper than Amsoil.

[prekarious1]

As long as the synth is made for motorcycles you should be ok with having no clutch slippage.

Fram Sucks! I have seen a couple of them that basically fell apart after being used for 3k miles. Never used one on motorcycles though, but made the mistake in my cars when I was youngER. Though the minimal savings was worth it then.

[inspiron]

Keeping in mind that I live in Switzerland - and EVERYTHING is more expensive in Europe and Switzerland - I bought Motorex oil and a Champion filter. A 4-liter jug (just over a gallon) of Motorex 10W40 (fully synthetic, motorcycle oil) cost me CHF 68.00.

[Texas Jay]

I was at the dealer today. All of you probably know this, but the service manager was adamant about using Suzuki oil for the first 4,000 miles. After that, he said other oil is okay. He had good things to say about the synthetic oil.

I'm still learning. This was news to me.

[DaveMc]

Yes, only switch to synthetic after a few thousand miles -- between 2000 and 4000. Why? Regular oil allows the engine to break in better; you want to let everything get mated and worn in. Once all the internal parts settle into their fit, then synthetic is the way to go. It will keep the engine running cooler and provide better lubrication.

It is not true that synthetic oil will necessarily cause clutch slippage. Synthetic oils with anti-friction additives (made for cars) will cause this problem, but a proper synthetic oil with the right viscosity is good.

See:

http://www.performanceoiltechnology....etclutches.htm

and go about 2/3 down this page:

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html

[Scott58]

look at it this way A cup of coffe can run you $4 these days. $8 a quart for 2000 miles of happiness is a steal!

[POE-BOY SAMICH]

Originally Posted by Scott58

look at it this way A cup of coffe can run you $4 these days. $8 a quart for 2000 miles of happiness is a steal!

Hmmm. That's a good way to look at it.

[pneblett]

There is no problem with synthetic oil. Only problem is with energy conserving oils(synthetic or dino). The additives are what cause the problem.

Also, about waiting to change to synthetic, many high end cars(corvette, mini cooper, etc) come with synthetic from the factory, so I am not so sure about the "break-in" with dino being necessary(although I did use regular oil until 3500 on mine).

[dragbar]

I actually don't mind old threads being dug up..keeps all discussion in one area...but man oh man...you guys do some serious freaking reading when you dig back this far..hehe. Start date 4/25/05

[DrBob]

I use 20w-50 in my 800, and have for years. In fact, I buy it in bulk and use it in all three of my bikes. In the coldest months I swap to 10w-40, as 20w-50 is not good below about 14 degrees F.

I use conventional oil, but have no issues against a good motorcycle-specific synthetic oil. But as much as I ride I change my oil about once a month, so I buy a good quality conventional oil in a 5-gallon bucket and save a bunch.

Conventional oils are fine, and synthetic oils are fine. But the biggest rip off in the world are synthetic blends, sometimes called 'semi-synthetic'. These are a blend of synthetic and conventional oils. There are no regulations or industry standards as to HOW MUCH synthetic they blend in, so while most people THINK it is 50-50, most semi-synthetics have only 5% synthetic content, and some have less than 1%. Yet they charge at least 50% more than conventional oils. WHAT A RIP OFF!!!!

[wracing]

I have use Amsoil 10w40 in my S83 for over 6000 miles now, and the bike runs smooth and cooler. I change my oil 3 times a year, every 4 months. Dont run the miles that DrBob does. Just got a case, 12 Quarts of 10w40 Amsoil and 2 filters for less than a 100 dollars from the OilDoc, www.bestoil4you.com

willie

[DrBob]

Clean, fresh oil is the key to long engine life. What type you use really doesn't matter for everyday street use. My first Intruder 800 went over 132,000 miles on conventional oil. I change the oil and the filter often, never keeping it in the motor long enough for it to break down or get dirty. Synthetics can't hurt, but i have never felt the need to spend that much money.