It's amazing what an oil change can do

[T.W.R]

Wow, that's way out there BIll!

So why not every fourth oil change then?

Not really way out there because the oil in your engine is usually quoted as the life blood of the engine

[imdying]

you don't have a liver transplant everytime you get a blood transfusion do you

Toothbrush every time you clean your teeth, etc etc.

They're cheap, I change them every time, but it's not the end of the world to do it every second oil change. Let's face it, bikes are often written off quick enough that they could go their entire lives with no oil changes.

[imdying]

So why not every fourth oil change then?

That could very well be fine also on many bikes. Filters are getting smaller, as are oil capacities, so the tolerance is getting less and less. Big old air cooled shit heaps will probably truck on regardless... the new BMW, less so.

[dipshit]

But why NOT change the filter?

Too much of a tight-arse?

That's the oonly reason I can think of.

For a start my bike's manual only calls for a oil filter on every third 6k change. (I will go with every 2nd one though)

And ever noticed how long the oil pressure light is on for after an oil and filter change even though you may have pre-charged the filter. 5 or 6 seconds after the engine has started perhaps.

Just doing an oil change by itself sees the oil pressure light go off in the normal amount of time.

Why change something that simply doesn't need to be changed.

I instead put the money towards using more expensive synthetic oil and changing the air filter twice as often than the service manual calls for.

[T.W.R]

Toothbrush every time you clean your teeth, etc etc.

They're cheap, I change them every time, but it's not the end of the world to do it every second oil change. Let's face it, bikes are often written off quick enough that they could go their entire lives with no oil changes.

some toothbrushes do more damage than good on the pearlies sometimes.

Though it's funny that some think they know more than the people who design & build engines
Most road bikes are recommended to change the filter every second oil change and some on the third oil change (ie: the bandit 1200 again, oil every 6000km & filter every 18000km).

[dipshit]

Though it's funny that some think they know more than the people who design & build engines
Most road bikes are recommended to change the filter every second oil change and some on the third oil change (ie: the bandit 1200 again, oil every 6000km & filter every 18000km).

Even this guy who has done his homework on oil and filters only changes his oil filters on every 2nd or 3rd oil change... http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/FilterStudy.html

[scumdog]

And ever noticed how long the oil pressure light is on for after an oil and filter change even though you may have pre-charged the filter. 5 or 6 seconds after the engine has started.

'Some' people have been known to whip the spark-plugs out of the motor when changing oil & filter.

And after prefilling new filter, fitting it and adding oil they crank the motor over until oil light goes out, fast cranking speed, no load on motor. (Of course on some bikes it may be more than a two minute job to remove plugs)

Then screw in plugs, hit the button and instant oil pressure.

But that's only 'some' people...-

[dipshit]

There's three different oil amounts generally

ie: as per a Bandit 1200

Oil change = 3.3lt
Oil & filter change = 3.5lt
Overhaul = 4.6lt

As you say roughly a 1/3 variation from a dry rebuild

Yes, 200ml difference between doing the filter or not and an extra 1.1L over that again.

Whether you change the filter or not makes very little difference as far as leaving old oil behind.

And the filter element itself is up to handling much higher mileage as far as that side of things is concerned.

[dipshit]

'Some' people have been known to whip the spark-plugs out of the motor when changing oil & filter.

And after prefilling new filter, fitting it and adding oil they crank the motor over until oil light goes out, fast cranking speed, no load on motor. (Of course on some bikes it may be more than a two minute job to remove plugs)

Then screw in plugs, hit the button and instant oil pressure.

So it is a recognised problem then.

That's *one* reason I don't do a filter every change.

It's not because I'm lazy or am trying to save $20.

[T.W.R]

'Some' people have been known to whip the spark-plugs out of the motor when changing oil & filter.

And after prefilling new filter, fitting it and adding oil they crank the motor over until oil light goes out, fast cranking speed, no load on motor. (Of course on some bikes it may be more than a two minute job to remove plugs)

Then screw in plugs, hit the button and instant oil pressure.

But that's only 'some' people...-

There are a few car engines out there that it is stated that when doing a oil change once filled and upon starting the motor let the engine build oil pressure under low pressure with the motor running at idle without any load otherwise damage may occur same can be applied to motorcycle engines as well due to the smaller size of the oil pumps & finer oil galleries that circulate oil around the engine

[onearmedbandit]

I change my engine every 5000km and keep the oil. Have I read my manual incorrectly?

[AllanB]

Seriously - unless the bike has been standing for ages there is plenty of oil on the internal surfaces to thoroughly protect your engine while the filter loads up after a change for a matter of a few seconds.

You'll find most people change their oil far more frequently than the factory recommends - ie my manual says oil/filter every 12,000 kms. I do mine every 6 or once a year whatever come first. Looking at the condition of the filters I've cut open I could easily change them every second oil change. Suzukis may be different of course, as there is a limit to how well a filter will work when full of metal

There is a Internet theory that a oil filter actually works better after X time and they should be left in for a while.

Me, I just change it with the oil. It is like undies - sure they'd probably contain little anal explosions better if they were worn for a few days in a row, but it certainly nice to wear a fresh pair.

[SMOKEU]

From now on I'm going to do an oil and filter change every 4,000km. Might as well seeing it's such a highly strung little engine.

[neels]

Rather than changing it 20% more often, you could consider spending 20% more on the oil you use, and get the same result of it working better for longer.

Might be worth a chat to a bike shop and find out what they recommend for a 20 year old engine that's being thrashed up to 18000rpm, the latest singing and dancing oil in an old engine is not always a better combination.

[SMOKEU]

Rather than changing it 20% more often, you could consider spending 20% more on the oil you use, and get the same result of it working better for longer.

Might be worth a chat to a bike shop and find out what they recommend for a 20 year old engine that's being thrashed up to 18000rpm, the latest singing and dancing oil in an old engine is not always a better combination.

I've heard from people who own CBR250s that semi synthetic is best in these engines, so I'll probably stick with the Castrol semi synthetic bike oil and change it often.