• A few people have been scammed on the site, Only use paypal to pay for items for sale by other members. If they will not use paypal, its likely a scam NEVER SEND E-TRANSFERS OF ANY KIND.

Maintenance schedule and oil changes

michaelks

New Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2012
Messages
42
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
brazil
Visit site
I've always read that oil should not be in the engine for more than six months, because it deteriorates due to combustion residues, etc. So if you don't ride the km between service intervals in six months, you should change the oil regardless. That is what i have always done, since i ride little, only for pleasure, something like 2k/year. I just wonder with those huge service intervals, a very small fraction of users will ride 12000 km in six months, or even the 6000 km down here, so what about the oil change?
Someone like me would keep the same oil for six years !
 
I generally change oil in most of my engines in the fall (I own 20 engines of various types). The NC700X got it's 600 mile change last August, 2012. I don't plan to change it again until November of 2013, unless I rack up the miles first.

I've owned engines for many many years and always do my own maintenance. Not one single engine has ever failed due to any issue with oil or lubrication. I still use a lawn mower that's 28 years old (a Honda, imagine that!). I wouldn't worry at all about oil changes at six months. If you did it annually that would be plenty frequent. I run some of my low use engines two years on an oil change.

Greg
 
The maintenance schedule in the owners manual says every 8000 miles or 12 months. I've always heard change it every year regardless, but I don't. I have an Eagle Talon that I very rarely drive, I think I've put about 1400 miles on it in the past 3 years, and 1000 of that was intentional to break in the new engine before I went drag racing. I changed it at the beginning of the race season last summer, and probably won't change it again until the beginning of next summer (if I had raced this year, I would have changed it).
 
I changed the oil and filter at 300 miles after the break in period. I doubt I will put 8000 miles on the NCX unless I modify the seat asap. So, it will be October of 2013 when I change the oil again.
 
I once left my oil in my Shadow 1100 for 2 years. I ran a few hundred km in between.
When I changed the oil after 2 years, it still looked like new.

I think 1 year is good enough threshold. Every 6 months is an overkill.
Other factors depends on quality of oil, mileage, temperature of storage, etc.
Use common sense, I tell myself.
:p
 
Maybe the six months period adjusts for the hotter climate, bad, corrosive gasoline (20% ethanol, next year it will be 25%), that's why i also add synthetic two stroke oil to the gas.
 
The manufacturer's suggestion for service tend to be on the conservative (safe) side. If Honda is confident about the 1 year / 8,000 miles recommendation, I would feel pretty confident about it, too, knowing that the engine isn't abused nor put thru extreme conditions.

I would say, though, if you live in a climate with extremely hot summer and extremely cold winter (i.e. Chicago or Midwest), then changing oil ever 6 months might make sense. You can put in different weight oil in the spring and fall so the engine can function more efficiently in the summer and winter.
 
I would say, though, if you live in a climate with extremely hot summer and extremely cold winter (i.e. Chicago or Midwest), then changing oil ever 6 months might make sense. You can put in different weight oil in the spring and fall so the engine can function more efficiently in the summer and winter.

I live in a region where the temperature differs about 45 ºC between winter and summer. I have never changed oil between seasons, IMHO this is the reason for multigrade oils
 
Back
Top