Oil change frequency

[ddeboer]

Hi-1983 GS1100E-Changed the crank oil about 2 years ago and since then have logged about 1200 miles on the bike since then-about 800 of those miles over the last 4 months. (new baby in the house!).

Should I change the oil before winterizing the bike even though the oil has had minimal run time?

Thankyou in advance.

[koolaid_kid]

Uh-oh. Best of luck.

[tkent02]

Change the oil and put the old stuff in your Jeep/truck/econobox/beater/KLR 650/lawnmower/Honda or other vehicle that you don't care much about.

[Guest]

Hi-1983 GS1100E-Changed the crank oil about 2 years ago and since then have logged about 1200 miles on the bike since then-about 800 of those miles over the last 4 months. (new baby in the house!).

Should I change the oil before winterizing the bike even though the oil has had minimal run time?

Thankyou in advance.

Yes change it, and like it was mentioned before, use the other oil in something that isn't all that important.

[Nessism]

Change it, don't change it. Doesn't really matter very much although I vote to change.

Diesel engine oil is a forum favorite for GS bikes; significantly more zinc and phosphorus than auto oil, and cheaper than motorcycle oil.

[Guest]

At first I thought if it were me I wouldn't change it, but then I got to thinking, all the dirt, sediment, water, and acid will sit in there for months and settle on the bottom where come spring it may just stay there in the form of sludge. Don't want that in any thickness.
Since the cost and time are minimal, I'd vote on changing it.

[koolaid_kid]

Actually, the issue is condensation build up. I generally change mine every year although I don't ride that many miles.

[Nessism]

At first I thought if it were me I wouldn't change it, but then I got to thinking, all the dirt, sediment, water, and acid will sit in there for months and settle on the bottom where come spring it may just stay there in the form of sludge. Don't want that in any thickness.
Since the cost and time are minimal, I'd vote on changing it.

Not trying to start anything here but 1) the filter will remove any dirt and sediment, 2) the oil has acid buffers so that's not a problem either.

Yea, it wouldn't hurt to change the oil, but then I doubt there will be any damage if it's left in the engine since the oil only has 1200 miles on it.

[dagreatgatsby]

I think I put on about only 300 miles on my 1100 before putting her away. That was early this year. I recently drained the oil. It was still very clean (light golden color). I actually put that oil back into the bike after straining it with a painter's straining funnel. There was a little bit of debri (mostly from the bottom of the dirty oil catch bucket). However, this oil is just to have something in there until I get the bike fixed.

So, I think it'll be okay for you to winterize it with your current oil. Just make sure to change it before you ride it again.

Edit: Wait, you put on 2000 miles. The right thing to do is to change the oil, remove the spark plugs, and add a tablespoon of oil into each cylinder. This advice is from the manual of the CBR1000RR and from a guy that doesn't follow his own advice. Good luck.

[Guest]

Not trying to start anything here but 1) the filter will remove any dirt and sediment, 2) the oil has acid buffers so that's not a problem either.

Yea, it wouldn't hurt to change the oil, but then I doubt there will be any damage if it's left in the engine since the oil only has 1200 miles on it.

Ed, I was sitting on the fence about it, but after reading your post,
I concede and would probably just leave it in.