Oil change

[SAMMEH]

Is it alright to change the oil then let it sit for a bit? Today is the only time I can change it and I won't be riding until 2 weeks from now.

Thanks

[RhysTheRicer]

I don't see why not

[FUDad]

Is it alright to change the oil then let it sit for a bit? Today is the only time I can change it and I won't be riding until 2 weeks from now.

Thanks

I always change my oil right before I park the bike for a week or 2

[LovingOffroadPain]

It won't hurt a thing to let the oil sit in there for even a year.  Just know that before you ride again, change it.  Actually, I heat the bike up, warm up the trans oil then change it.  It's a more complete oil change. 

 

I go 10 hrs on each oil change, anymore than that is unnecessary unless sponsors are buying your oil.  Then who cares how many times a year you change it??

[Red Mountain Addict]

This may sound wasteful, but I change the oil on all my rigs after every ride.  When I get back from riding, I drain the case and leave it to drip everything out of it until it's time to go riding again.  Then I just add a little less than a quart and I'm good.  The way I figure it is checking your oil often enough gives you a clear indication how your rig is running and give me the opportunity to see if there are any metal shavings or contaminants in the oil.  So far it's worked out well, but again, it is a bit wasteful. 

[MT_Rider]

This may sound wasteful, but I change the oil on all my rigs after every ride. When I get back from riding, I drain the case and leave it to drip everything out of it until it's time to go riding again. Then I just add a little less than a quart and I'm good. The way I figure it is checking your oil often enough gives you a clear indication how your rig is running and give me the opportunity to see if there are any metal shavings or contaminants in the oil. So far it's worked out well, but again, it is a bit wasteful.

And expensive....literally no need to change it after every ride but to each there own I suppose.

[SnowMule]

Better to do it that way, than run the oil hard and let it sit for a while.

Used oil is slightly acidic which can wear on seals.  Ideally you'd store a bike with fresh oil in it.

 

[Mtrain730]

Am I missing some thing thing. Why would you think leaving fresh oil in your bike would be a problem. Or any other machine. Again maybe I'm not understanding this question fully.

[LovingOffroadPain]

And expensive....literally no need to change it after every ride but to each there own I suppose.

I agree. The synthetic oils I use aren't $18 a quart like some shops charge, but adding another $7 or so per ride would add up over time. And if I ride 25 times a year, would it make a $175 difference??

[Mtrain730]

I don't claim too be a crack mechanic but I do think some people get a little carried away. If you race of course your maintenance schedule is gonna be different but if you take a 45 minute trail ride and dump your oil when you get back that's just silly and wasteful in my opinion. If your on top of the other stuff your gonna re build the top end before it goes boom either way. I wonder if some people worry soo much about changing isn't oil they never even enjoy riding the bike. I usually go on a couple trail rides before I change it. If I have a race day I don't mind if I go hit the trails again before I dump the oil. I have seen friends that get a surprising amount of hours out of bikes that get very infrequent oil changes so i feel like I take pretty good care of my bike. It is after all a dirt bike it's made too be be riddin.

[Red Mountain Addict]

And expensive....literally no need to change it after every ride but to each there own I suppose.

I won't argue the fact that it's wasteful and is why I even said it was.  But like you said, to each it's own, and so far it's worked out quite well for me.  My concept of thinking is simple, the life blood of an engine is oil, and if it's just going to cost me $3 in a quart of oil to ensure my rig has fresh oil every time I take it out for a 3-4 day camping ride trip, from that perspective, it doesn't seem as expensive, but again, I will agree it's wasteful.  I was thinking on this for a while after I wrote, and the end results and conclusion was to keep doing it regardless.  Besides, my spent oil goes to a recycling center, so it's not a total waste.  I'm not sure how many miles I put on any given rig when I ride if for several days, but I can only assume it's somewhere around 100 miles maybe.  More to the point in trying to figure out the mileage, I will say at least 3 full 4 gallon tanks is what I use up.  I usually take 2 bikes out for my 2-3 day trips.  Lately I've been taking 3 rigs out so it's not so much for each, but still, I feel a lot more reassured knowing I have fresh oil in the case and rather play it safe.  Also, I ride desert where during the summer days the temp is around 100 degrees, mixed with the heat the motor produces, I've got to conclude that plays a big role taxing the oil that's in the crankcase.  But you're ultimately right, to each his own, and like I said, it's worked out well for me for years.  No breakdowns, no motor problems so I'll stick with what works.  I suppose there are a lot of variables to consider too how often to change oil.

[Red Mountain Addict]

Am I missing some thing thing. Why would you think leaving fresh oil in your bike would be a problem. Or any other machine. Again maybe I'm not understanding this question fully.

I think if you're going to store your bike for more than a couple of months, fresh oil would probably be a good idea as opposed to leaving it empty.  There is such a thing as oxidation.  Now whether it gets into a sealed motor while in storage is questionable.  I dump my spent oil after every ride, but my rides are 2-3 day camping ride trips out in the desert.  When I get home, I drain all my bikes and let it drip for a couple of days or until I see no more oil dripping, then plug it up and wait until I plan out my next trip. Just my take, but like someone else here said, to each it's own.  Many do it differently and I have to respect that.  What ever works best.  But I will say I've had the opportunity to buy clapped out bikes, and when I got them back into my garage and drain the oil, I'm never surprised to see what comes out.  Many don't take changing oil seriously enough, and it's those that usually have motor problems and can't figure out why.  Motor oil is the life of a motor.  $3 a quart is not breaking my bank anytime soon.  While this may apply to me, it's probably because I don't spend the bucks on specialty oil.  20-50 is good enough for what I ride.

[Piney Woods]

?

[MT_Rider]

If it works for you than keep it up.

[not_again]

When I get home, I drain all my bikes and let it drip for a couple of days or until I see no more oil dripping, then plug it up and wait until I plan out my next trip.

490, the very best thing to do is to dump the oil approximately 1 second after you shut off the engine rather than waiting until you get home and the bike is cold. There is a very good reason for this- the small metal that gets worn from the engine's internals settle to the bottom of the case and you don't get it out unless the oil is hot and freshly agitated with that metal in suspension. You'll be surprised at how much more metal you see by dumping hot oil, especially if you haven't been doing it that way previously.

I agree with your interval though and it's why we tend to count 'run hours' than numbers of trips on the bike. One of your trips could end up being 10-15 run hours which is a good interval and certainly not excessive maintenance. 

[Red Mountain Addict]

490, the very best thing to do is to dump the oil approximately 1 second after you shut off the engine rather than waiting until you get home and the bike is cold. There is a very good reason for this- the small metal that gets worn from the engine's internals settle to the bottom of the case and you don't get it out unless the oil is hot and freshly agitated with that metal in suspension. You'll be surprised at how much more metal you see by dumping hot oil, especially if you haven't been doing it that way previously.

I agree with your interval though and it's why we tend to count 'run hours' than numbers of trips on the bike. One of your trips could end up being 10-15 run hours which is a good interval and certainly not excessive maintenance. 

Makes a lot of sense.  I've always known dumping oil out while it's hot was better, but not for the reasons you mentioned which now make a lot of sense.  Thanks.  My concept was if the oil is hot, it would come out more complete hence is why I would just let it drip for a couple of days until I plugged it up cold.  The oil being agitated with metal makes perfect sense.  My variable though is I ride desert, and the last thing I really want to do is dump oil out there and accidently spill oil all over the place.  What I'll do for now on is run the bike after I get home and dump it hot like you said.  Thanks again for this really good tip.  I always figured the shavings would come out eventually hence letting it sit to drip, but what you said makes perfect sense.  Thinking further, you're right too about the 10-15 run intervals.  I thought about it and for a 3 day trip, I ride each bike at least 3-4 hours each day, that puts me at about 12+ hours so I guess I wasn't so wrong after all changing my oil every time I go out and ride.  Thanks again "Sand King", glad we have people like you and many others here willing to share their expertise and experience. 

[Red Mountain Addict]

If it works for you than keep it up. What oil do you use at 3 bucks a quart?

What ever is usually on sale at the auto parts.  I try to stay with name brands like Mobil, Penzoil, etc.  I draw the line  on oils that are generic and recycled.  It's more like 3 bucks and change, but I also keep my eye out for deals when they have them on larger containers like 5 quarts at under $20 bucks.  I thought about using this spent oil on my cars and rigs so I don't waste it, but I just can't pull myself to save this stuff when I see it coming out dark from my bikes. From there it basically goes into a 5 gallon container I have, then I go and take it to the recycler when it's almost full.  Some say at years end, the money adds up, but my way of thinking (and it's worked for me for years) is I'd rather spend it on oil then repairs.  Personally, I think most break downs occur in bikes where their owners don't change it often enough leading to engine problems.  So bottom line is, find the deals out there on oil.  Auto parts stores always have them on one brand or another.  Instead of buying oil in quarts, but it gallons instead,  Cheaper in the long run.  At least for me.

Edited April 19, 2014 by YZ490-DEVIL

[not_again]

You are absolutely welcome 490-Devil!

But you bring up another good point with your comment on using cheap, but name brand car engine oil. This isn't really the best thing to do. I'll explain:

 

Automakers these days are designing cars to meet ungodly low emissions ratings, we all know that. In order to keep things as clean as possible at the tailpipe, they specify engine oils that are actually pretty poor lubricators. I glanced at Wikipedia to see if they explained it well, and they did.

Quote: "All the current gasoline categories (including the obsolete SH), have placed limitations on the phosphorus content for certain SAE viscosity grades (the xW-20, xW-30) due to the chemical poisoning that phosphorus has on catalytic converters. Phosphorus is a key anti-wear component in motor oil and is usually found in motor oil in the form of zinc dithiophosphate. Each new API category has placed successively lower phosphorus and zinc limits, and thus has created a controversial issue of obsolescent oils needed for older engines, especially engines with sliding (flat/cleave) tappets."

 

We have those tappets in our 4stroke dirtbike engines. The gear teeth in our bike's transmissions need this as lubricant as well.

 

What Wikipedia doesn't mention but that I happen to know is that engine oils designed expressly for diesel engines still contain zinc dithiosphosphate. That makes these oils A LOT better for lubricating our bike's engines. Delo and Rotella are common brands of this type of oil and while not optimal in weight for air cooled (prefers 30 wt. or 20-50) or water cooled (10-30 or 10-40) kind of splits the difference with their typically 15w-40 rating. Trust me when I say that diesel-specific oil is the absolute best economy oil to run in a bike. Lots of very smart bike engine builders will say that it's the very best, bar none.

 

Did I mention that it's cheap as hell? Look for gallon jugs of it at Wal-Mart or Costco. It goes on sale and gets even cheaper.

Hopefully I didn't just start an oil discussion war.

Edited April 19, 2014 by sandlvr69

[Flagstaff]

No war yet. Agree with above post.

Mike

[Wild Alaskan]

If it works for you than keep it up. What oil do you use at 3 bucks a quart?

 

buying rottella by the gallon