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15000 mile oil change.

trike lady said:
I'm from the old school and feel an oil change every 2500 miles is the best way to add longevity to any engine. Stop and go riding/driving is brutal, could be one reason why my 1982 S-10 lasted all those years and I got rid of it in 2005.
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Same here, I get 50 k out of my bikes with no problems or leaks and thats the truth LOL, Capital Jack:s
 
I was wondering if anyone has had their oil tested? I used to have the oil in one of my old diesel p.u truckstested years back. Testing WILL tell you if your oil needs to be changed, it can tell you what trace irons are in the oil, meaning it can tell you what is wearing.
On that Ford F350 the manufacturers recommended change interval was 5000 mles on normal drive conditions. I always used Delo oil and on one change I had it tested at 5000 miles, testing said it was ok for another 5000 miles. I went to 7,500 miles and had it tested again, test said it was ok for another 5000 miles, I went to 10,000 miles and changed it because it was starting to scare me. Testing costs around $15.00.
I don't advocate driving 10,000 miles between changes and I usually change my cages around 5K. I did the testing so that I had a good idea of what was actually needed under my usual driving habits. I change the oil in my bikes with synthetic around 5k and have never had any problems.
BTW. I still have that old Ford in my fleet and it has over 280k miles with no engine problems, and it has been run hard and abused by several employees.
 
trike lady said:
I never knew you could have oil tested (I learned something), I just changed it every 2500 miles.
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Can.

Trouble with MOST bikes is that they get a lot of short mileage start-stop-start-stop cycles running around from spot to spot. This may not give the engine (and especially the oil) adequate time to heat up and run for an extended period of time and drive out all the water. We have combustion by-products getting into the oil from the normal engine running processes, mixing with the water that develops naturally from condensation, and forming acids that attack the engine. So getting the old oil out of the engine on a schedule which may be at low mileage is important. Those folks who live in areas of higher humidity with large daily temperature swings that drop the engine temperature below the dew point need to consider this and their use pattern more than folks in arid or low humidity areas. Replacing the oil frequently even if that means low mileage is important in these situations so that the acid nutralizers that have been "used up" in the old oil can be replenished.

Many of the folks that argue about running their engine oil to higher mileage may not have considered ALL of the reasons the oil is in their engines besides lubricating the moving parts. It is up to each rider to evaluate how they use their bikes, how much low mileage running their oil gets, and consequently how often they should change their oil.

TQ
 
You're probably right 5k is often enough but it gives me the warm and fuzzies to do it every 3k.
 
gs34 said:
Of all the topics that come open, Getting into an oil discussion is probably the worst. Everyone has their own opinion on how, when, where, and why it should be done.
Very few can be substantiated by fact.
However, that does not sway folks from their opinion...
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I agree that the choice is still up to the individual. I choose to use the rough service schedule because, I ride my bike everyday, short trips of 3 miles or so of in town SoCal driving...longer on weekends when I can. When I change out my oil, it is brown amber, but was honey pale gold going in. :s

With that much IC & moisture byproducts floating in there at 3000 miles, I change the oil with my filter. When doing a lot of in town riding, my fuel mileage is also a low 33 MPG...the unburned fuel goes out the exhaust (black power deposits coat my exhaust baffles) and diluting the oil (yes, I can smell it)...yet, if I go straight freeway, fill up to fill up I can get 48 MPG...so my fueling for the most part is spot on to a bit rich, the smile on my face says that I'm pat...3,000 miles is fine by me. :D
 
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