Oil Change Intervals

Quick question: Will I be hurting my 93 K1100LT on my 6000 mile/8 day trip if I do not change the oil? About 3500 of the miles will be spent on the interstate. The remainder on secondary/fun roads. I plan on changing the oil a few days before hitting the road. I was thinking about trying synthetic for the first time because I heard people typically run on them longer between changes.
Any feedback would be helpful.

You won't be hurting your bike at all, since the oil is almost always going to be warm/hot with little condensation buildup developing overnight. Just leave it.

jdiaz said:

You won't be hurting your bike at all, since the oil is almost always going to be warm/hot with little condensation buildup developing overnight. Just leave it.

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What he said.

I would suggest not trying synthetic for the first time for this trip.

I have head that synthetic can be "slippery" enough to go where dino has yet to travel, i.e. past the rear main seal.

Has anyone else heard this? Is there any DATA?

Thanks,

Rob Nye

I'm a 3K change person, but BMW recommends 6K for an oil change.

If you have time, pick out a dealer and see if they'll let you change in the parking lot of thier shop.. Most used to let you as long as you purchased the filter from them... They would even take care of the waste oil..

Since they're all "boutiques" now, I don't know if that is still possible.. Actually, I'm suprised that they even work on bikes anymore..

Paper said:

If you have time, pick out a dealer and see if they'll let you change in the parking lot of thier shop.. Most used to let you as long as you purchased the filter from them... They would even take care of the waste oil..

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Twice now I've changed oil in a dealer parking lot while on the road. Once was at Hansen's in Medford, Oregon and the other time was at Two Jacks in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Each time they sold me the oil, crush washer, and filter and lent me a filter wrench, rags, and drain pan. That way they don't have to squeeze you in the service schedule (always busy in the summer), and you get underway quickly.

Synthetic or dino?

The excess mileage will not be a problem -- particularly in view of the type miles you will be putting on the bike. If you are concerned about consumption, throw a quart in the road kit and take with you to top off if needed.

Like Rob, I've heard the talk about synthetic seeping past seals that dino would not breech. But I've run synthetic in three successive K bikes and have never had a problem with leakage.

My thought is that if syn does leak, it is simply revealing a seal that was already going bad.

Re: Synthetic or dino?

RickM said:

My thought is that if syn does leak, it is simply revealing a seal that was already going bad.

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However, right before or on a long trip is a bad time to discover that problem.

Well, yes, I agree with that. His discretionary approach is to stay with his current oil until after this trip is over.

Rule of thumb: Right before a long trip, don't "fix" something that is working fine ...

So along with the others, I would say take the "change the oil in the parking lot" route if you want to err towards caution.

Synthetic or dino?

I agree that the synthetic should not leak, and you should use it if you like it. Some of the advantages are:
1) Better protection in really warm or really cold climates...

2) if you dont change your oil til 6000-7000 miles it should be ok. Synthetic oil does not break down like conventional oils, but you still need to get the moisture and dirt out.

3) Less wear and tear on your engine components, pistons, rings, etc,etc.

I am in Florida and was in Arizona prior, and always felt i needed the extra protection due to the extreme weather, hot in summer (100-115) and cold (30's-60's)in the winter.

If you have this kind of weather you really need it. If your just dealing with 60-90's then you probably don't. If you change your oil every 3000 miles, you also probably don't need it.

Just make sure that the motorcycle has been through the break in period before switching, which can be as many as 18,000 miles on some BMW's I'm told.

Just my opinion, but I've done some research on this...good luck.