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Oil Change Interval

  • Thread starter Thread starter GSJim69
  • Start date Start date
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GSJim69

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How often should I change the oil on my bike?
I have not been able to find a thread on oil change interval.
My bike is an '85 GS550L.
The Clymer manual states 600 miles, but this seems really low.
 
How long do you want it to last?
And what kind of oil are you using?
What kind of riding are you doing?
600 is probably for the first change when it was new.
Couple thousand miles?
Three? More? It's really up to you.
 
The factory service manual interval is 2000 miles. I wouldn't let it go longer unless maybe with high quality synthetic oil.
 
Last edited:
I dont let my oil get past 2500 miles between changes. Aircooled motors are A LOT tougher on oil (even todays oil) than your standard watercooled motor.
 
Thanks for the quick response. I knew that an air cooled engine oil change interval would be lower than a liquid cooled engine, but 600 sounded really low.
I'll change it at 2000 miles then.

Thanks again.
 
I use Rotella synthetic and change it every 4000 or once a year. If you idle a lot or ride in dusty conditions go sooner.

Note, if you have problems with the carbs and it's running rich or poorly, this can dirty the oil faster and necessitate an oil change.
 
I use the cheap Rotela T dino oil. $10 gal. Change it every 1K -1.5K
Filter every other change
 
Really if you think about it, 10,000 miles of long distance high speed cruising is probably easier on an engine's oil than 1,000 miles of stop and go city crap. Racing, dusty dirt roads, short trips, all of it is hard on oil. Blowby, rich running, overheating, sitting idle for months and running in a poor state of tune all take their toll on the oil. Any magic mileage numbers are completely meaningless since none of these factors are taken into account. And do you really want the engine to last 200,000 miles? 100 or 200 oil changes costs a lot, at some point top end rebuilds are cheaper than numerous oil changes.
Change it when it seems like a good idea for the kind of riding you do, in your circumstances.
 
I change my filter twice a year and the oil when my shifting starts to get hard. Probably around 1.5 K.
I use Chevron 20/50 my wife gets for free from her gas station shops.
I ride very hard in a very dusty town.
 
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