Hey everyone, I was doing some searching and I wasnt really coming up with many answers so i thought i would start a thread. So im wondering if i should let the old oil sit through the winter while im not riding or should i change it and let it sit with fresh oil in it throughout the winter months. Also i know there are alot of posts about this but what kind of oil should i go with. I was am thinking about getting an OEM filter but possibly some honda or repsol 10W40 or even 10W50. My concern is that the 50 weight will be to thin durring the summer months, andalso at start up latelyi have been hearing some valve chatter. I know its not the CCT because i have already fixed that issue but thevalves are making some noise when they are cold at start up.The bike has around 16k on it right now and as far as i know the valves have never been looked at. I was hoping a oil change would help withthe chatter. Let me know what you all think. Thanks for the help and advise in advance.

Sean

 

Way too many opinions on this topic, but here's what I did (and will continue to do) - 10W-40 Advanced Synthetic Motorcycle Oil (MCF) oil - with a Mobil 1 M110 oil filter. (The filter catridge is a bit longer than the stock Honda one, Filtration I would think would be comparable, but better filtering area is always better)

What I found after doing my 1st change with this setup (16700 miles) - Slightly more noticable timing chain clatter - just noticed that last night - seemed like before it was only around the 4-6K range, now it's noticable around 3K as well - I may have to do the APE manual tensionser this winter. - I also noticed it was easier to shift - Not sure if it was in my head, or fact, but it feels like it.

One clarification - 10/50 is THICKER than 10/40.

I think these engines (and engines in autos as well) are built soo well that you will rarely if ever see any lubrication issues. - I run synthetic because it allows longer change times, and due to its higher flash point degrades slower than conventional oil.

 

OH - sorry - didn't answer the original question...

I've read change it BEFORE storage - supposedly as you ride acids and other harmful chemicals will slowly build up in the oil - during storage they can cause problems, corrosion, etc. - Changing it before storage is supposed to be the best way to reduce that...

 

Ditto.

I usually just change it twice a year: once in Spring and once in Fall. I usually don't put more than 3k a year on the bike so this works out well...doesn't go too long when i'm riding and doesnt sit over the winter with contaminated oil.

 

So it sounds like i may want to change the oil out before i sit her up for the winter. I was just told today that next week i will be sent to Belgium for 2-3weeks so this could be the last week of rideable weather here in Columbus, OH. So let me get this straight 10W50 actually gets thicker as it heats up. 10 viscocity at 0 deg. and 50 viscocity at 210 deg. (or some temp like that). I dont know why im having such a hard time getting my head around this oil weight, i learned all aboutthis is college and yet still second guess myself. But anyways thanks guys for the help, im going to changethe oil out this weekendwith either 10W40 or 10W50 im thinking that i may go with a heavier oil who knows though.

 

Granted, the following document was funded by Amsoil's, but briefly look at this:

http://www.amsoil.com/lit/g2156.pdf

It has some comparison's of other brands of oil.

I think changing 2x per year is not needed with Synthetic (Depending on how many miles you log) - If you're under 5K/year (Like I'm sure I will be), annually in the fall will be sufficient.

As far as the 10 at 0, 50 at 210 thing, I base how well I believe an oil will perform on it's pour and flash points - Synthetics definitely have advantages here. - the Amsoil 10/40 stats are -51F Pour point, and 453F Flash point. - standard pennzoil 10/40would be more in the range of -22F Pour and 399F Flash.

 

Yeah I agree with mycivil, if you change out and replace with synthetic every fall and put less than 5k miles on your bike a year, you can just do it the one time. After all, the oil isn't going to go bad or anything while sitting around all winter. Just make sure that after you change it to put a good run into the engine, for at least 20 minutes, otherwise you'll leave those acids they spoke of in the cylinder head and oil passageways. This process should definitely serve you well, and if you want to change in the spring again, theres no harm in that either. It just might be a bit unnecessary is all.