1984 GS550ES Oil change Question

[Guest]

My Buddy has an 84 GS550ES and in the owners manual it states that he should change the oil every 1000kms...is that right?

I mean last year we put on 24000kms and he did 24 oil changes, at 5$/L of oil and the little GS needs 3L.

Seems excessive to me.

Do any other owners do this?

[tkent02]

Way too many oil changes. Dirt bikes that only hold a quart get changed that often, for a road bike it's ridiculous.

[spyug]

That's bonkers. I would suggest a minimum of 5000 km to7500 km before a change. As we have a short season and don't generally get a lot of mileage in, even commuting, one oil change per season ought to do it for most of us. For your buddy maybe 3 or possibly 4 per season but with a filter, of course.

[Marshall498]

I thought it was crazy too, but the bike after 1000kms neeeds an oil change. The clutch slips, and it runs poorly. Do an oil change and it runs perfect again. And in his Manual it says every 1000kms.

[spyug]

Well, having had one myself, I can assure you that information is wrong. If the clutch is slipping I would suggest the disks are seriously worn and need replacing. I don't see how oil can make the bike run poorly but I suspect you are still referring to the clutch issue.

Have him check the clutch basket and disks. Also what type of oil is he using? These bikes do not like synthetics and good old dyno juice in a heavier weight would be preferred.

[harley10]

I never keep a bike long enough to change the oil lol , that's my trick .

[tkent02]

Synthetics are fine If you dont get the wrong weighht..

[eil]

spyug is right, there's no way the oil change interval is 1000km. I don't have the manual for your bike handy, but most of the official Suzuki service manuals I've seen say to change the oil and filter every 12 months or 6000 km (3500 miles), whichever comes first.

If the bike doesn't run right 1000 km after an oil change, something is wrong with it.

I'd start by asking what kind of oil he's using. If he's using 10W-40 automotive oil, that would explain a lot. Modern auto oil contains friction modifiers that are bad for the clutch (in particular, make it slip). Use only expensive motorcycle oil or cheap Shell Rotella T 15W-40 (dino juice or synthetic version, either is fine). If he's been running automotive oil for 24,000 km, the clutch fiber plates may now be fully impregnated with friction modifiers meaning they need to be replaced.

[JEEPRUSTY]

Gos adjust the clutch as per the manual available on the Basscliff website
I change my oil every 3000 miles which I believ is the spec in the manual

The clutch is very easy to bugger up the adjustment of. Just a tiny bit out and its out bad.

Yah so worry about the more expensive things later as it is unlikely that you clutch is gone bad. If mine isn't after all the abuse I have heaped on it your friend's isn't either.

[Marshall498]

The bike also, around 1400kms has idle issues. It either wont Idle or it wants to Idle at 4500rpms which is rather inconvenient any ideas?

[JEEPRUSTY]

The classic symptom of an air leak.
I have had this aon two bikes and the cure was to go to cycleorings.com to get a set of carburettor intake pipe o rings. This is a business run by a member of the GST named Robert Barr.

There is an awful lot to do to keep a bike maintained. What things has your friend done?
Are the valves set properly? Are the carbs cleane etc?

[Marshall498]

The classic symptom of an air leak.
I have had this aon two bikes and the cure was to go to cycleorings.com to get a set of carburettor intake pipe o rings. This is a business run by a member of the GST named Robert Barr.

There is an awful lot to do to keep a bike maintained. What things has your friend done?
Are the valves set properly? Are the carbs cleane etc?

The carbs are squeeky clean, the valves have been set I didnt think about the intake boots I suggested exhaust gaskets.

He is finding that the bike itself is always running incredibly hot. Which would make sense as to why the bike is chewing through oil.

[tkent02]

Maintenance is a big plus. Do some.

[spyug]

Jeep is right. Intake boot O-rings or possibly cracked intake boots even cracked O-rings in the carbs. Air infiltration another common one. If it was a leak on the other side you would have backfiring on deceleration.

As tkent says......some maintenance is needed.