Here's looking forward to you getting some hot days to go riding!
Is there a best time to switch to synthetic oil?
- Thread starter Jgelack
- Start date
Originally Posted by Bonz
Here's looking forward to you getting some hot days to go riding!
Its been a bit of a challenge last summer and hopefully not again this year. Since moving south 13 years ago, we had drought and hot 95+ heat 5/6 months out of the year for 10 years.
For the most part we still get the heat, though off to a cooler start this year, cool to me is a daytime high 80 to 90 degrees.
The change is the last few years, its been tricky planning things because of rain. More so last summer, hope not again this summer. Heck, in the last less then 2 weeks we got 10 inches of rain over around a 7 day period, maybe we will get it all done for good now.
I dont let an afternoon thunderstorm govern a trip but all day thunderstorms is another story. Wife and I and I by myself have rode through late day thunderstorms maybe 50% of a return trip from the beach all summer, except for the worst of the worst ones I dont mind a shower to cool down as I ride but I dont hope for them either, I have never stopped the bike for one, just keep my head down and slow and steady.
)
Here's looking forward to you getting some hot days to go riding!
Its been a bit of a challenge last summer and hopefully not again this year. Since moving south 13 years ago, we had drought and hot 95+ heat 5/6 months out of the year for 10 years.
For the most part we still get the heat, though off to a cooler start this year, cool to me is a daytime high 80 to 90 degrees.
The change is the last few years, its been tricky planning things because of rain. More so last summer, hope not again this summer. Heck, in the last less then 2 weeks we got 10 inches of rain over around a 7 day period, maybe we will get it all done for good now.
I dont let an afternoon thunderstorm govern a trip but all day thunderstorms is another story. Wife and I and I by myself have rode through late day thunderstorms maybe 50% of a return trip from the beach all summer, except for the worst of the worst ones I dont mind a shower to cool down as I ride but I dont hope for them either, I have never stopped the bike for one, just keep my head down and slow and steady.
)
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Copy that, alarmguy!
Got out for a while yesterday, 45 min ride each way on the interstate, 2 up to a Harley dealer. Place was like a ghost town, never saw it so quiet, kind of scary, we went to quite a few stores yesterday, not much around as far as products or people. Very sobering.
Anyway, it was only in the low to mid 80s, nice riding day and should not be posting this yet because I wont know until we get at least into the mid 90s.
Oil temps ran exactly at HD spec of around 230 maybe better said less then 235. I just cant know what that means yet except if we add 12 degrees in air temp to that it may bring me to the 247 range.
I never really checked the temp on cooler days like yesterday so I am only guessing what it may mean.
Warmer temps on the way though! Yeah ... thing is, now the bike competes with the boat so whatever ... (wife really wanted the boat last year)
Anyway, it was only in the low to mid 80s, nice riding day and should not be posting this yet because I wont know until we get at least into the mid 90s.
Oil temps ran exactly at HD spec of around 230 maybe better said less then 235. I just cant know what that means yet except if we add 12 degrees in air temp to that it may bring me to the 247 range.
I never really checked the temp on cooler days like yesterday so I am only guessing what it may mean.
Warmer temps on the way though! Yeah ... thing is, now the bike competes with the boat so whatever ... (wife really wanted the boat last year)
Originally Posted by Bonz
It doesn't take long to get rings seated, you come back from your first ride a running it up the RPM scale and down the RPM scale and they've pretty much done what they're going to do. For that matter if the bike is "new" from the dealer, if it has gone on any test rides you know it's already been run hard. Even with 10 miles on it. Chances are if you have ever taken a bike on a test ride you have done that. Keep in mind if it's a brand new engine, it isn't just the pistons and rings and cylinder walls that are breaking in, gears are breaking in, the valve train is breaking in and everything in between is breaking in.
But with respect to the thing we think of most that would be the piston rings mating to the cylinder walls.
The key is to keep them under load whether acceleration or deceleration. That expands them out against the cylinder walls and pulls oil up under deceleration which is greatly appreciated by the rings and cylinder walls in the initial miles. I would run a conventional oil or factory fill because the first OCI will be short. After that switch to whatever you want.
Not sure if you are going to be breaking in an engine, but that is my regimen when I've installed pistons and rings and it's trouble free.
Yeah, that's pretty much what I did. First ride was about 20 miles with lots of acceleration, then engine braking back down, and repeat. Second ride was about 30 miles of the same thing. Both rides I stopped at the halfway point and let the bike cool down. I dropped the factory fill after the first 50 miles and refilled with conventional. Stuck with the conventional at the 600 mile service. The bike is now at 1400 miles, so I'll go the remaining 600 miles, drop the conventional at that point and refill with synthetic. Thanks for all the great advice guys!
It doesn't take long to get rings seated, you come back from your first ride a running it up the RPM scale and down the RPM scale and they've pretty much done what they're going to do. For that matter if the bike is "new" from the dealer, if it has gone on any test rides you know it's already been run hard. Even with 10 miles on it. Chances are if you have ever taken a bike on a test ride you have done that. Keep in mind if it's a brand new engine, it isn't just the pistons and rings and cylinder walls that are breaking in, gears are breaking in, the valve train is breaking in and everything in between is breaking in.
But with respect to the thing we think of most that would be the piston rings mating to the cylinder walls.
The key is to keep them under load whether acceleration or deceleration. That expands them out against the cylinder walls and pulls oil up under deceleration which is greatly appreciated by the rings and cylinder walls in the initial miles. I would run a conventional oil or factory fill because the first OCI will be short. After that switch to whatever you want.
Not sure if you are going to be breaking in an engine, but that is my regimen when I've installed pistons and rings and it's trouble free.
Yeah, that's pretty much what I did. First ride was about 20 miles with lots of acceleration, then engine braking back down, and repeat. Second ride was about 30 miles of the same thing. Both rides I stopped at the halfway point and let the bike cool down. I dropped the factory fill after the first 50 miles and refilled with conventional. Stuck with the conventional at the 600 mile service. The bike is now at 1400 miles, so I'll go the remaining 600 miles, drop the conventional at that point and refill with synthetic. Thanks for all the great advice guys!
There's not much different than you can do than that, well done. Not excessive like I've seen guys talk about changing every hundred miles for the first six hundred miles or stuff like that.
Thanks for all the advice guys! I think I'm gonna try the Motul 300V in the R6. It seems to be a very popular choice for people doing Trackdays. There must be a good reason for that! It seems the only down sides are the cost and the short oci's, neither of which I mind. I do plan on also trying the Mobil 1 racing 4T with another bike I have, a standard/sport bike that is strictly ridden on the street, as this also seems like a well regarded oil. Thanks again for all your responses!
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That's what you call using your dipstick, Jimmy! Sounds like you have a good plan moving forward based on the use of your different bikes.
You can run synthetic from day one. Many vehicles come factory filled with synthetic oil. Personally I would do as JohnnyJohnson and use synthetic after running through the factory fill. No sense wasting perfectly good oil. Contrary to popular belief, synthetic oil does not have a higher film strength than does conventional. The benefits of synthetic are stable viscosity at extreme temperatures (with improved pumpability), resistance to heat/breakdown, resistance to shear, anti-sludge/cleaning power, others.
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
Now, because Costco has it for about $24 for 2 5 quart jugs.
True, but that oil is designed for cars/light trucks and I would not use it in my motorcycle. I don't think Costco carries motorcycle oils, although it appears some warehouses carry Rotella 15w40 which is not a "motorcycle oil" but meets the specs of JASO MA/MA2.
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
Now, because Costco has it for about $24 for 2 5 quart jugs.
True, but that oil is designed for cars/light trucks and I would not use it in my motorcycle. I don't think Costco carries motorcycle oils, although it appears some warehouses carry Rotella 15w40 which is not a "motorcycle oil" but meets the specs of JASO MA/MA2.
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