changing the oil

[homer2000]

hey friends

just wondering how come you should change the oil every time you get back from a ride or a couple of rides

[Lcpl0331]

cause it only holds a quart.

[zorroz]

I have changed it every 1000km as per owners manual. Still running with 240hrs on it. Go figure.

[ears2244]

Peace of mind perhaps...

[byggd]

These thumpers beat the crap out of oil! An oil change is cheap insurance.

[squid]

I change my oil every other ride .

[Tile Guy]

when u guys say every other ride, how many hours do u ride every time u go out? or how many miles? i normally do 40 mi. sometimes 70mi.

[byggd]

when u guys say every other ride, how many hours do u ride every time u go out? or how many miles? i normally do 40 mi. sometimes 70mi.

That's about the same amount of miles I ride and change it every three rides.

[IBLucky]

Me too, I ride between maybe 50 to a hundred and some each time I ride, and I change it every other ride. And change the oil filter after the forth change, and it gives me piece of mind that it has new oil in it. that way when I ride the hell out of it I don't feel bad.

[WR450FGreg]

.

I change both the oil and filter in mine every third ride (rides usually 120-140km total).

I also have magnetic drain plugs in it for extra insurance.

I'm with byggd: Oil is cheap insurance!

Greg

[baksideDisaster]

every 60-100 miles, usually every other ride unless i'm on a multi-day trip far away from the garage. mainly cause it's easy and gets me stoked for the next ride, it's like some sorta ritual.

[KennyMc]

Between 300 - 400 miles. I use pure synthetic Maxima 4 Extra 15W-50W along with a magnetic drain plug.

[Aka.Goose]

I only change it so often because the yz gear oil is the same as the engine oil, and gears tear down oil viscosity, and clutches leave friction plate wear, and I don't like the idea of that tearing up my cylinder head...If I had a honda I'd probably change it half as much...

[face_plant]

1000 mi.street or 250mi off road

[BajaFool]

I change my oil ever 300 miles, that's about twice a frequently as the Yamaha specification. I clean the Scotts metal filter every other oil change and I have a magnetic drain plug installed. As for oil, I use Maxima brand Maxum4 SynBlend SAE 10W40.

I agree with the logic of others that have already posted on this subject. These bikes carry only the minimum oil necessary to operate. They share the engine and transmission oil. The clutch material contaminates the oil as the plates wear and meshing gears shear and degrade the additives that make the oil do its job of protecting, lubricating and cooling the engine. Oil is cheap when compared to rebuilding an engine.

Several years ago, I had a lengthy one-on-one discussion with Dick Lechien, co-founder of Maxima, regarding which oil I should use in my 2003 WR450F. I posed the question to him, "If you owned this bike, which of your oil products would you use in it?" His answer to my question was the oil that I currently use in my motorcycle, Maxum4 SynBlend 10W40. When I asked him why not pure synthetic oil, Dick told me that pure synthetic is what they recommend for competition roadracing. He would not recommend synthetic oil for offroad use and for motorcycles which share the oil in the clutch/transmission and crankcase. I figure that he knows more about oil that most any of us on this forum and he can put anything he wants in what he rides, so why not listen to his advice.

Oh, and I have coffee every Friday with the other co-founder of Maxima Oil and he is on the same page as Dick Lachien. I think I have picked the correct oil for my Yamaha motorcycle and the riding conditions for which it was designed.

If however, you choose to use another motor oil in your motorcycle or use an oil change interval that is different than that specified by the manufacturer, consider this thought. The manufacturer of your motorcycle spent a lot of money to have an engineer or perhaps a group of engineers determine the best oil specification and the oil change frequency for your motorcycle. The manufacturer wants you to enjoy your motorcycle and at some point, he would like for you to purchase another motorcycle from him. The manufacturer did not, I'm certain, provide guidance to the engineers to develop an oil specification or an oil change frequency for your motorcycle that would cause the engine to fail prematurely, thus ensuring that you would tell everyone that the manufacturer's product is unreliable.

Bottom line, at least follow the manufacturer's oil change schedule. At least use the oil the manufacturer recommends. If you choose to not use the manufacturer's motor oil, ensure that you use a motor oil that meets or exceeds the manufacturer's oil specification listed on the container.

[tribalbc]

Depends how abusive the riding is.

I will change my oil after one 3hr hare scramble or a few days on the track.

But if it's just casual trail riding, I'll easily go 8-10 rides before a change.

Otherwise I would be bankrupt with oil changes riding 4 days a week

[TommyTheKid]

the book sez:

initial: 600 mi / 1000km

Then:

1800 mi / 3000km or 3 months

3000 mi / 5000km or 6 months

(rinse and repeat)

That led me down a *very* bad path of maintenance. I am now replacing my bottom end (crank shaft rod and bearing), my piston, rings and cylinder after like 14 months of ownership. I would suggest changing your oil every 200-500 miles at a MAXIMUM. More often if you ride hard in dusty conditions (like a group ride or race). Of course it the book also says that a factory trained specialist should service the air filter at those same intervals, which is a crock. Does someone have reasonable maintenance specs for this bike anywhere?

~tommy

[chris_TTR250]

I change my oil roughly every 500kms (approx 300miles?) and the air filter get cleaned and re-oiled every ride. I check the value clearance every 1000kms.

I know lots of people that do this they use good quality semi-syn and the bikes have performed faultlessly.

[roor]

what causes you to have more oil even when you have not added any additional oil

[atitagain]

the book sez:

initial: 600 mi / 1000km

Then:

1800 mi / 3000km or 3 months

3000 mi / 5000km or 6 months

(rinse and repeat)

That led me down a *very* bad path of maintenance. I am now replacing my bottom end (crank shaft rod and bearing), my piston, rings and cylinder after like 14 months of ownership. I would suggest changing your oil every 200-500 miles at a MAXIMUM. More often if you ride hard in dusty conditions (like a group ride or race). Of course it the book also says that a factory trained specialist should service the air filter at those same intervals, which is a crock. Does someone have reasonable maintenance specs for this bike anywhere?

~tommy

That is NOT what my 07' lists. It states after break-in and then every fifth or 1000km which equals 621mi. I just wanted to clarify this for others who may not have a manual.