How often do you change oil?

[Who Dey]

I know that you are supposed to change it every 4,000 miles but what if it takes you a full year to get that many miles on your bike? Do you let the oil stay in the bike for 1 year or do you change it every 6 months no matter what?

 

The reason i ask this is because i have heard people say that they change their oil every 6 months even if they don't put many miles on their bike because oil with age becomes acidic and can become corrosive and do damage to your engine. I'm not sure if i believe this but i have heard several people say it.

 

I have no problem getting the miles in on the Venture but my other bike i am lucky to put 2 thousand miles a year on. I have been changing the oil in it once a year. Do you think that is acceptable or should i change it twice a year? Sorry if this is a dumb question, i just want your thoughts on it.

 

I'm not mechanically stupid by any means and i used to race cars and mess with them all the time, but i have never heard of oil becoming acidic until recently. I guess i could check the PH new oil vs oil that is a year old and find out. What do you guys think?

 

Oh yeah....for you synthetic guys, i have heard that it does last up to a year before becoming acidic. I run regular oil from the dealership and not synthetic.

[jlh3rd]

i have read this in more than one car/bike/boat etc. magazine so i believe it's true....byproducts of combustion in combination with moisture that all collect in oil and due to limited use can create an acidic environment that will attack bearing surfaces.........the only way to really tell if your oil has reached that point would be to have it analyzed ......so i would at least change it once a year

[dray]

In my 1100 i change the oil first thing in the spring then every 3000 miles including the rearend one quart will do 3 changes in my rear end so its a good deal then i also change it when i put it away in the fall so it setting with clean oil for the winter

Oil is much cheaper then a motor or rear end

[Freebird]

I agree...even if I were not able to ride and got in only a few miles, I would not let the oil sit in there for that long. If you ride it at ALL...I would recommend at least two changes a year. One in the fall and another in the spring.