oil change

i usually change the oil after the first 100 miles in a new vehicle/bike to get the major crud out. the dealership i bought the bike from told me there was standard oil in for break-in. the dealership i stopped at this weekend said ducati only recommends synthetic, and the bike should have synthetic in it now.

i was planning on using mobil one motorcycle (10W-40), as i use syntheic in everything after the first 1,000 miles, but am i ok using standard oil until then? mainly concerned with warranty issues if i ever had to make a claim.

what are you guys using? how often are you doing oil changes? EMGO, ducati, or K&N filters? are you doing them yourself, or letting the dealership handle everything? thanks again for the help.


Modified by quickdraw at 3:15 PM 2/6/2005

I broke my bike in and changed the oil at the 600 mile service (by the dealer). I then changed the oil again at 1500 miles and began using the Mobil 1 20-50 red cap synthetic oil. I just changed my oil the other day at 3300 miles. I use the 20W50 red cap Mobil 1 becuase its the appropriate weight, readily available (Target 4.50/qt) and has been reccomended by nearly everyone I've asked - I've also run Mobil 1 in my cars and have had developed a faith in the product. Mobil1 does make a specific motorcycle, VTwin formulation, but for it's double the cost/qt of the redcap 20-50 and to my knowledge offers no added benefit and double the price point.

I broke my rebuilt motor in with Castrol GTX petroleum based oil for the first 1000 mi. Then I switched to full synthetic. The rings seem to have seated better; there was a lot of blow-by with the original rings (the first owner used full synthetic from the beginning). I like to break in with petroleum-based oil and then switch to synthetic.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Joe B &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I like to break in with petroleum-based oil and then switch to synthetic. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Ditto

Ducs come from the factory with synthetic oil, so I'm not sure what the dealer told you. I do know that they sort of run them in at the factory, but they really only run them the equivalent of about 5 miles or so. I don't know that it's enough mileage to get the rings to properly seat, but I don't see that there would be much of a point in switching to mineral oils after the initial factory "break-in" and then back to synthetics after 600 miles. I've run synthetics in mine since new and don't have a problem. That being said, I've never had the cylinder sleeves off so I couldn't tell you much about blow-by from doing so.

As far as what oil to use, you'll get as many different opinions as replies to this post. There was a big discussion a few months ago so try doing a search. I used to use redline synthetic, but got tired of paying $10/quart. I switched to Mobil1 20/50 a while ago, partially due to the fact that I got those Pep Boys coupons making it about $2/quart, and have noticed that it actually shifts smoother than when I was using the Redline. I've always used the K&N filters, they have good filtration (claimed) and a drilled nut integrated into the bottom so you can safety wire them (if you want), and can remove with a socket. I recently saw that Mobil1 has a filter that will fit the Duc, but it wasn't in stock when I last changed the oil, so I couldn't comment on fitment/effectiveness/etc.

I think you'll get good performance out of any fully synthetic, provided you use the correct weight, and any quality filter will do the job. There are other filters that you can use, do a search and you'll find them. The only one I can remember off the top of my head is the Fram G2. I'd be careful about cheaper filters though, I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for. I've had bad things happen with Fram filters in my truck and vowed never to use them again, but I'm sure you'll find people who swear by them. A big part of it all is simply personal preference.