Chaging Oil for Winterizing

[BrianZ]

The oil does indeed break down over time even when the engine is not running. Yes it is slower but it does break down. That means that you wouldn't have to change your car oil at all if you weren't put 5000kms on it in two years.

There is a good chance that the new oil you buy in the spring has been sitting in a wharehouse or the dealer shelf since last season.

Consensation is the real issue, not oil shelf life.

I've taken apart many engines that have sat for years (sometimes outside) with filthy black oil in them and the internal parts are undamaged. The only damage I've seen is cylinder and valve rust caused by moisture getting into the cylinders. A better approach is to forget about the oil change and spend your time and money fogging the engine.

[RecKLeSS 600]

You can read all you want, but you're still going to do it the way you believe is right. Stop over thinking the process. lol

[954RR]

I always change the oil and filter before storage. I use cheap *** Crappy Tire motorcycle specific oil with an OEM filter, come spring I dump the cheap oil and put in the good stuff. I leave the filter on as it's new and it makes changing the oil nice and quick.

[inreb]

If I'm not going to run an engine for 4-6 month and it's stored in a cold shed whatever, a lot of times I'll go the extra mile and completely fill the engine with cheap oil. Pull the valve cover and slowly pour it in, completely filling the motor to the brim. Don't try to turn it over.

[08CBR1000]

The oil does indeed break down over time even when the engine is not running. Yes it is slower but it does break down. That means that you wouldn't have to change your car oil at all if you weren't put 5000kms on it in two years.

Who said anything about leaving it in for 2 years? I think we are only talking 5 or 6 months but thanks for your intelligent input!
Change the oil now and it will be fine for the spring. No worries!

[shaneriley]

I got the impression from a previous post that the oil does not turn acidic over time without running it in the engine. Simply stating a point. Please, take it easy!

[SNKYRIDER]

Not having fresh oil for winter will not cause your bike to melt in the off season.

You guys that are doing a fresh oil change at the end of the season and then replacing it as soon as the season starts are wasting your money IMO.

I agree 100%

[Vlad]

First off yes, i've looked over many winterizing guides but that's what caused my question.

It seems to me that you haven't looked enough or didn't look at those written by people that know what they are talking about.

Some say change the filter and oil before, and others say before and after. Even had one guy at the shop tell me only after but he's an idiot.

None of the above. Change it when the change is due - everything else is a waste of time and money.

[DaveG]

I put in some cheap oil and run it to mix it up and run the clean oil through the filter.
I then fill it up to the brim to protect the gears.

In spring I replace oil and filter.

[bitzz]

Why do you people have such a hard time admitting that MAYBE, JUST MAYBE the people that design motorcycles know something that you don't.

... for the most part they are.

Your bike comes with an operators manual. RTFM. Don't listen to know nothing twits on the internet, like me, READ THE F*#%IN' MANUAL.
When your bike breaks down, is our buddy VLAD going to pick up the warranty? I doubt it. The manufacturer might. Why not listen to the manufacturer's recommendations.

For all you geniuses that say they don't winterize their bike and they don't SEE any difference... well, you're not that bright.
You can't SEE the damage, it is internal. Until you take the motor apart you won't see it.
Leaving contaminated oil in the crankcase WILL eat away the main and big end bearings. THAT IS THE TRUTH.
If you ever held a main bearing in your hand you would KNOW how soft BABBIT, the stuff shell bearings are lined with, is. It is mostly LEAD.
The acids in the oil eat the soft BABBIT, increasing the bearing clearance, reducing oil pressure, increasing the chance that you spin a bearing and ruin your crankshaft.
So it doesn't cause your bike to MELT, just the main bearings.
Oil is cheap and re-cycleable. Change your oil if you want the motor to last.

I used to be 17 years old and thought I knew everything too.
A sign of maturity is realizing how much you DON"t know.

[bitzz]

I got the impression from a previous post that the oil does not turn acidic over time without running it in the engine. Simply stating a point. Please, take it easy!

Oil turns acidic when you combine the by-products of combustion with water from condensation.

You don't run the motor you get no by-products of combustion and no condensate, ergo no acidity.
The definition of acid is water+salts <BASIC GRADE9 SCIENCE

[Vlad]

Your bike comes with an operators manual. RTFM. Don't listen to know nothing twits on the internet, like me, READ THE F*#%IN' MANUAL.
When your bike breaks down, is our buddy VLAD going to pick up the warranty? I doubt it. The manufacturer might. Why not listen to the manufacturer's recommendations.

Just which part of "change it when the change is due" don't you understand? Looks like you are the one who needs to RTFM and tell us where does it say to change oil in the fall and in the spring, fill the crankcase to the brim with cheap oil and other ingenious maneuvers we've read here. You are right at one thing though, no one should listen to you. I don't care if they listen to me, but like to call it what it is.

[inreb]

Just which part of "change it when the change is due" don't you understand? Looks like you are the one who needs to RTFM and tell us where does it say to change oil in the fall and in the spring, fill the crankcase to the brim with cheap oil and other ingenious maneuvers we've read here. You are right at one thing though, no one should listen to you. I don't care if they listen to me, but like to call it what it is.

It's very easy to get condensation inside an engine that is sitting in cold storage 4-6 month. I have an antique bike I don't use for long stretches of time. Call me a fool but I like knowing ALL the surfaces are soaked in cheap clean oil. I even pour it in the cylinders.

[Mercaholic]

[QUOTE=strictlye;1101906]I change it before and after.

Are you saying that you change it in the fall and replace it (new oil) again in the spring?

[Brian P]

I've stayed out of this thread because it's a question that has been asked before.

You know what I do and have always done for 20 years?

I change the oil in the bike according to the scheduled number of kilometers since the last oil change (my scheduled number is less than what the shop manual calls for, but you get the idea). Winter happens whenever it happens without regard to the oil change intervals. This strategy has never done me wrong. I have had occasion to look inside the engine of my track bike a few times, and there has always been zero evidence of condensation, corrosion, sludging, or anything of the sort. The street bikes, I have no idea, because I've not had any reason to take the engines apart.

And as a result of this ... I was out riding today, while all you folks fretting over your winterized bikes weren't!

[Triple]

I've stayed out of this thread because it's a question that has been asked before.

You know what I do and have always done for 20 years?

I change the oil in the bike according to the scheduled number of kilometers since the last oil change (my scheduled number is less than what the shop manual calls for, but you get the idea). Winter happens whenever it happens without regard to the oil change intervals. This strategy has never done me wrong. I have had occasion to look inside the engine of my track bike a few times, and there has always been zero evidence of condensation, corrosion, sludging, or anything of the sort. The street bikes, I have no idea, because I've not had any reason to take the engines apart.

And as a result of this ... I was out riding today, while all you folks fretting over your winterized bikes weren't!

All good advice. I started off worring about winterizing my bikes and going to town doing everything on the "to do" lists circulating around this forum. Over time, I got more and more relaxed, until now, I simply change the oil when it is due for its next scheduled maintenance. Other than that, my bike stays on a battery tender and I make sure to add some fuel stabilizer over the winter months. That's it. Mind you, I have a plastic gas tank, so I don't bother worrying about keeping the fuel topped up. I never had a problem, so I don't worry any more.

Do you think modern motorcycle engines are so bloody delicate that they can't handle having "old" oil sitting in them for 4 to 6 months? Please.

Spend your time and effort finding reasons to play hooky and get out and ride that thing until the first dusting of salt! That engine will probably out last most other components on your motorcycle!

[vince492]

It's more a question of rust...but, change your oil/filter, it will be done for next year!

I,m crazy on rust, i fill to the top with cheap oil...but the season is not done yet

[Vlad]

It's very easy to get condensation inside an engine that is sitting in cold storage 4-6 month.

Not nearly as easy as you think.

I have an antique bike I don't use for long stretches of time. Call me a fool but I like knowing ALL the surfaces are soaked in cheap clean oil. I even pour it in the cylinders.

If that's how you like to spend your time and money, who am I to argue? Except being generally wasteful and harmful to the environment the practice you described can do no harm.

[inreb]

Not nearly as easy as you think.


If that's how you like to spend your time and money, who am I to argue? Except being generally wasteful and harmful to the environment the practice you described can do no harm.

Please tell that to my Buell and BMW Airhead transmissions, they can't seem to get with the program.
Yes, that's how I spend my time and money. It's a hobby.
I can think of many uses for clean 10w non-detergent oil. Trust me, that stuff ain't going down the sewer. Am I off your ignore list?

[Vlad]

Do you think modern motorcycle engines are so bloody delicate that they can't handle having "old" oil sitting in them for 4 to 6 months? Please.

The funny thing is that those that are obsessed with extensive and 90% needless/useless winterizing procedures are the ones that ride under 5,000Km per season and buy a new bike every couple of seasons. People are so easy to condition. You just need to put a little fear of condensation, rust, acid or god into them and they are primed to swallow any "cure" you can think of.

That engine will probably out last most other components on your motorcycle!

That's the bottom line. With regular non-anal-retentive maintenance even a moderately abused engine will outlive it's owner if it doesn't have a major design flaw to begin with. I wonder how many obsessive-compulsive "winterizers" have ever ridden a bike past the 50,000Km mark, let alone 10,000Km or more.

I like to change oil at least three times a season, but because it's degraded due to heavy use, not because it's old. In 30 years, a dozen bikes and a couple of million Km I never had an engine failure. I must be doing it all wrong.