[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by grazd

WRT engine Oil replacement Dan suggests every 1000 miles (=1600km) which is more frequent than the manufacturer recommended 6000km. It seems like a major difference. What schedule do you follow?

You know how thumb rules and round figures work!

Though jokes apart I know a few motorcyclists who've got multiple lakhs on their odo's and stick with 1.5k km's oil changes as the 1000 mile guideline was provided in the road-bike versions of various motorcycle manuals, but then they had smaller sumps i.e 800~900ml.

Personally I stick with the 2k km's per liter guideline, so if my sump is around the 1L mark I change oil at 2k intervals. Many would advise going for premium oils that would last upto 5k km's but fact remains that friction wear is not the only thing deteriorating the engine oil, you have clutch wear residue and combustion blow by, which is more for big displacement single cylinders.



As you can see, the only times I've changed early was during the initial run-in period and when I've had to prep for long rides which is also the times when I had to go a bit over the 2k mark. My factory recommended grade is 10W30 but I prefer to run on 20W50, as I use the same grade on all my vehicles which facilitates bulk purchasing(more discount!), plus the 20W50 holds better for my use, 10W30's never really went well past the 1k mark with my riding style, read gear shifts got super hard around that ball park.

Some manufacturers do recommend 5k oil change intervals but lets face the music, anyone whose ever done their own oil change would strictly vote against extended oil change intervals, from a not so quotable source I got to hear that even Bajaj test bikes had issues of severe premature component wear following the initial 10k replacement interval claims which was a reason for them to lower the claim to 5k replacement intervals which would not show obvious signs of wear in the short run.

Ultimately as I've mentioned before, you have the resources and the motorcycle is your own, its your wish to do as you please with it, just remember that if something is too good to be true then it might possibly be so.

Happy Riding.

[ashwinprakas]

Case 1:

Bajaj Dominar 400

My Bajaj Dominar 400 ABS : Rust, Reliability & Regret

Issues faced by owner: Fuel Tank rusting on a motorcycle that has only done 650 km's in 2 years, after being left idle for 2 months.

Cause for issue: Non compliance with long term storage or general usage protocols.

Cause for concern: Heedless redressal by A.S.S

[grazd]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

You know how thumb rules and round figures work!

Personally I stick with the 2k km's per liter guideline, so if my sump is around the 1L mark I change oil at 2k intervals. Many would advise going for premium oils that would last upto 5k km's but fact remains that friction wear is not the only thing deteriorating the engine oil, you have clutch wear residue and combustion blow by, which is more for big displacement single cylinders.

Happy Riding.

Thank you for sharing your experience in detail. I did some more reading and figured it's good to pick an oil based on specific usage type and local conditions, rather than maybe stick to manufacturers recommendation.

Since I tend to use my mobike for short trips and drive sedately, I am thinking of using a 10w40, and change every 2k.

[Romins]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Personally I stick with the 2k km's per liter guideline, so if my sump is around the 1L mark I change oil at 2k intervals.

ashwin, why didn't you change the viscosity grade as per the location on your GQ trip?

Duke 200 Operator Manual says:

Engine oil - 1.5L || External temperature: 0...50C || SAE 15W/50
External temperature: -10...40C || SAE 10W/40
Partially synthetic engine oil

I can stick to 15W/50 being in South India?
So I should change every 3000km if I get the arithmetic right. Correct?
Do you have any recommendation of Shell brand?

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Romins

ashwin, why didn't you change the viscosity grade as per the location on your GQ trip?

20W50 is the cheapest oil grade available with the widest operating range in the market.

Duke 200 Operator Manual says:

Engine oil - 1.5L || External temperature: 0...50C || SAE 15W/50
External temperature: -10...40C || SAE 10W/40
Partially synthetic engine oil

I can stick to 15W/50 being in South India?
So I should change every 3000km if I get the arithmetic right. Correct?
Do you have any recommendation of Shell brand?

As far as oil selection and preferences go I'd suggest you stick with what you feel is adequate.

Which personally for me would be the cheapest 20W50 oil which should be changed at strict 2k intervals as my sump size is 1L.

I've only got fresh experience with 20W50 Shell's as I've nearly forgotten about the 10W40's I'd used in the past, Shell HX3 and Shell AX5 have been working fine on my motorcycle and the price is under 300/- per liter.