Fall OCI Harley and Redline

[tmf2]

My bike has about 4000 miles on its Redline 20/60 oil. I'm about ready to change it again for its winter sleep. Can I just run this clean oil in the spring until I reach the 5k miles or in the fall if I change the oil filter again in the spring?

Dennis

 

[Roadkingnc]

Change the oil and when you get it out in the spring run a normal oci

 

[ammolab]

Put clean oil in for the "sleep" and run that oil on wake up to your normal OCI.

 

[Robenstein]

If you only had 1k on the oil in it, Id say leave it since it probably has plenty of TAN and TBN left in it. But at 4k its a little more iffy. I only have 2,800 on my oil in my Triumph on a 6k factory reccomended OCI, but I am putting fresh oil in it for its winter hibernation.

 

[BigCahuna]

Here's something to think about. Guys worry if not changing their oil will do something to their motors. What about the bikes that are stored for years with used oil in them, get started and ran without any problems what so ever.Or guys that buy the most expensive oil on the market so their bike will be well "protected". Only to sell or trade their bike 2 years and 5k miles later, and never see any benefit from over paying for a qt of disposable oil.Can anyone explain that logic to me?.,,

 

[JetStar]

I used to change the oil in my bikes before winter so that they were stored with fresh oil. I don't do that so much anymore, if its within a few hundred miles of the OCI, then I'll go ahead and do it. Otherwise I'll run the OCI. For me, they only sit for about 4 months, I'm probably more concerned about making sure the tanks are full. These things will probably outlast me.
My Suzuki sat in a garden shed for 16 years with old oil in it. When I cracked the cases open everything was fine, including the ball and roller bearings. No corrosion. The bores showed rust, but after 16 years an oil change before storage wouldn't have helped.

 

[CentAmDL650]

When replacing the oil for winter storage, I would run the new oil for a trip or two so that it circulates throughout the engine before putting the bike in hibernation. Some acid residue may be left behind in the passages and the film of the old oil which does not drain out with the during the change. Circulating the new oil will mostly mix the acid residue into the new oil and leave whatever oil that then remains in passages and on surfaces significantly more diluted of the acid and give an extra improvement in protection against corrosion.

Might also want to think about adding a gas preserver like Stabil or StarTron to keep the gas from going bad, and perhaps a UCL like Redline SI-1 or MMO to protect against corrosion in the fuel system. Same deal like the oil, run some through before storing to get the benefits distributed through the fuel system/ manifold & heads. And of course top off the gas tank so it absorbs less moisture from the air during temperature changes.