What kind of oil?

[AY4B]

The Dealer Mechanic told me yesterday that spyders use about quart of oil every 1000 miles. Then he said if I didnt use their oil, I would end up spending thousands on repairs later, especially if I had the SE5 transmission. Was that a fear tactic or is there something just as good or better without spending 12 bucks a quart? My Spyder was about 12-14 ounces low 800 miles after the 600 mile service. I had it up yesterday and it was leaking out the plug and around the service cover. If it used a quart every 1000 miles, wouldn't I smell it burning ?

[Orange Spyder Man]

what year model is your Spyder ? if its a 1330 engine ... go back and tell your dealer mechanic he is full of BS... the new 1330 engines do not use any oil..

as far as using BRP oil.. I will not use it.. its too expensive for a blend.. (part regular & part synthetic probably only 10 % synthetic) . I will use 100% FULL SYNTHETIC OIL IN MY SPYDER..
check your owners manual.. and what ever oil you decide on make sure its listed in your manual..

I plan to use Castrol FULL SYNTHETIC racing oil.. 10W50 ... its has a SL rating which is an approved oil according to the owners manual by the way you can order the above oil from Amazon ... cheaper than buying BRP oil from the "stealers"

osm

[bmccaffrey]

Don't know what u have.
I have the 998 and about a quart in between oil changes. They are known for that.
Quart every 1000 seems excessive . Using there oil scam :gaah:

[cmungen]

read the book, many spyder riders do not know how to check oil and then overfil. its amazing how many have tohave oil sucked out because they are over full and spitting the excess out or into the air filter box.
read the book.

carl

[jcthorne]

Since you appear to have an ST with the 998 V-twin, some oil consumption is normal with that engine. A quart between oil changes is pretty normal. Not a Quart per 1000. The spec for the oil is in the owners manual and BRP oil is acceptable but NOT REQUIRED. The specs for what you need are in there. I use Valvoline full synthetic motorcycle oil and its far less than 12 a quart and available at WalMart and most auto parts stores. THere are others that are fine too. Read the manual and follow it. Not the dealer selling you overpriced oil.

[Chupaca]

any oil meeting the specs in your manual will do the job. The twins do use oil but not at that rate and it gets better after the break in period. I get the brp oil change kits online. They come with 5qts semi synthetic oil all filters o rings and crush washers needed for the chang. For the sm5 runs about $65.00....:thumbup:

[Highwayman2013]

Only check your oil when the engine is hot, after a good long ride. I pull in the garage shut it off and take my gear off then check the oil. It does not have to be to the full mark, right in the middle of the range is fine. if it is toward the bottom of the stick add an ounce or two and check again. Get in the habit of checking after a good long ride and you will see how much it uses. Mine uses about 3/4 of a quart in 4,600 miles. Been using BRP oil but thinking of switching to another brand. I buy the oil change kit from the dealer.

[AY4B]

He specifically said a quart every 1000 miles and 4800 to 5000 between oil changes. That would be 5 quarts usage between changes. I have a 2014 ST limited. They did the 600 mile service. Im thinking I will do them from now on. Ill just learn from you guys. If I can manage a sway bar change, I'm sure I can handle the oil change.

[AY4B]

Only check your oil when the engine is hot, after a good long ride. I pull in the garage shut it off and take my gear off then check the oil. It does not have to be to the full mark, right in the middle of the range is fine. if it is toward the bottom of the stick add an ounce or two and check again. Get in the habit of checking after a good long ride and you will see how much it uses. Mine uses about 3/4 of a quart in 4,600 miles. Been using BRP oil but thinking of switching to another brand. I buy the oil change kit from the dealer.
The owners manual says to get the motor to operating temp. Thats what I did. It went up 4 bars on the temp gauge and wouldnt go any higher. I shut it off, pulled the stick, screwed it all the way in and checked the level. It was just about an eighth inch over the low line. The book says .5 quarts between the low line and the full line. I figured it was 12-13 ounces low. I just put in 8 using a measuring cup. Checked it again and it was still below the line but about where I want to run it. m concerned about the oil leaking. It could be that they over filled it. My Truck gets over filled my techs regularly. They dont let it all drain and then put what the book tells them to put in.

[AY4B]

Ill use their oil until its time to change again. Ill make sure what I use is up to their specs.Ive found a couple of threads on the subject and there are choices out there. Those choices usually run around 8 to 10 dollars a quart for full synthetic.

[JerryB]

Hi AY4B

Re: The Dealer Mechanic told me yesterday that spyders use about quart of oil every 1000 miles.

Horsepuckey #1.

Re: Then he said if I didnt use their oil, I would end up spending thousands on repairs later, especially if I had the SE5 transmission.

Horsepuckey #2.

And people wonder why I have a built-in disdain for all dealers of any type of vehicle.

:yikes:

I truly wish that BRP would provide independent mechanics a decent discount on parts so that they would be more interested in servicing Spyders.

Yeh, I know; it ain't goin' to happen.

C'est la vie,

Jerry Baumchen

PS) And my all-time favorite is the 'Factory Trained Mechanics.' So just what factory did they get this training at?

PPS) I might just be in a crummy mood tonite. nojoke

[jcthorne]

He specifically said a quart every 1000 miles and 4800 to 5000 between oil changes. That would be 5 quarts usage between changes. I have a 2014 ST limited. They did the 600 mile service. Im thinking I will do them from now on. Ill just learn from you guys. If I can manage a sway bar change, I'm sure I can handle the oil change.

Good Plan!

[Mazo EMS2]

You can certainly change the oil if you can swap the sway bar out. I used Shell Rotella T-6 full syn in my last bike. I may try that in the Spyder next time I change the oil. My upcoming oil change will be a freebee from my dealer, as a credit for a minor glitch in the sales transaction. But, I always had great luck with the Shell oil, at $19 a gallon, and available anywhere.

[finless]

My 2011 RT uses about a quart every oil change which is 4600 miles. Using a quart every thousand does not seem right!!!
If your going through that much, something is not right.

As for oil, I am using Amsoil that I get from Baja Ron. Great stuff.

Bob

[WEB-WVR]

finless: What weight of Amsoil are you using ? And is it motorcycle specific ? I used Amsoil in my l;ast MC and was happy with it.

AY4B; I just got the same Spyder you did....there will be a learning curve here I am sure.


Everyone; I have changed oil on MCs before....pull the plug, change the filter and fresh oil in. The Spyder :spyder2: appears to be more involved then that. ?:dontknow: I dont have a lift and due to my age, it is painful on the knees....is it fair to say that an average non-mechanic Joe with good common sense can change his own oil ? $250.00 at the Dealer seems excessive... so I may want to do this myself.

Thanks for the advice ! :thumbup::clap:

[OJ UK]

"http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/images/icons/icon6.png FWIW....in the UK.


This post is a UK specific post.
In the UK synthetic oils for motorcycles are formulated differently to synthetic oils for cars. They use different friction additives.
If you use a car type oil in a machine with a wet clutch the additives can cause clutch slippage. Don't ask me how I know!***
A set of clutch plates fitted is an expensive penalty.
Now you'd think that returning to a motorcycle oil would cure the problem but it doesn't. Once the plates have been exposed
to the additives present in a car oil they remain contaminated and must be replaced, once again this depends on the specific additives.
To my knowledge there are no cars that have a wet clutch. So a synthetic oil designed for a motorcycle engine is formulated with this fact in mind.
I have no idea what additives are present in an oil in the US but I would however think that they have at least similar properties.
Just my twopence worth!"

Thus: If Can-Am specify a part-synthetic for the Spyders with the V-Twin motor then any similar oil which equals or exceeds
the makers spec.....it'll be fine. Yamaha (In the UK) also specify semi-synthetic in their big V-Twins. But don't make the very common
mistake of thinking that a full-synthetic oil is going to be better merely because it's all synthetic.

*** OK....I'll come clean! In 2007 I owned a Yamaha MT-01. A 1700cc V-Twin motor in a sports frame and I ruined the clutch by
using fully-synthetic oil for six months. The clutch slip got progressively worse under power and I toddled along to my dealer.
The workshop manager listened while I explained the ever worsening situation. Took the top off of the oil tank sniffed it and said
"You're using fully-synth. aren't you?" I nodded. "Don't!" he said. "You can have it back tomorrow when I've replaced the friction plates!"
Clearly keeping some of these Hi-Tech bikes on the road is a bit more involved than old British bikes like the Nortons
which I used to build!!

The MT-01 was never sold in the US......the motor in the Warrior was considerably different.
For those who want to see one here's a pic...click on it!
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=106300&stc=1

[WEB-WVR]

"http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/images/icons/icon6.png FWIW....in the UK.


This post is a UK specific post.
In the UK synthetic oils for motorcycles are formulated differently to synthetic oils for cars. They use different friction additives.
If you use a car type oil in a machine with a wet clutch the additives can cause clutch slippage. Don't ask me how I know!***
A set of clutch plates fitted is an expensive penalty.
Now you'd think that returning to a motorcycle oil would cure the problem but it doesn't. Once the plates have been exposed
to the additives present in a car oil they remain contaminated and must be replaced, once again this depends on the specific additives.
To my knowledge there are no cars that have a wet clutch. So a synthetic oil designed for a motorcycle engine is formulated with this fact in mind.
I have no idea what additives are present in an oil in the US but I would however think that they have at least similar properties.
Just my twopence worth!"

Thus: If Can-Am specify a part-synthetic for the Spyders with the V-Twin motor then any similar oil which equals or exceeds
the makers spec.....it'll be fine. Yamaha (In the UK) also specify semi-synthetic in their big V-Twins. But don't make the very common
mistake of thinking that a full-synthetic oil is going to be better merely because it's all synthetic.

*** OK....I'll come clean! In 2007 I owned a Yamaha MT-01. A 1700cc V-Twin motor in a sports frame and I ruined the clutch by
using fully-synthetic oil for six months. The clutch slip got progressively worse under power and I toddled along to my dealer.
The workshop manager listened while I explained the ever worsening situation. Took the top off of the oil tank sniffed it and said
"You're using fully-synth. aren't you?" I nodded. "Don't!" he said. "You can have it back tomorrow when I've replaced the friction plates!"
Clearly keeping some of these Hi-Tech bikes on the road is a bit more involved than old British bikes like the Nortons
which I used to build!!






Good info. and I agree....applys here in the USA also. Brand is of personal choice, make sure you use the correct weight and motorcycle specific oil (standards similar to BRP). I am new to the Spyder so my advice is based on nothing at this point :joke:. I think I will switch to Amsoil and will find out the specific type from others here.

In my last 2 wheeler, I know some owners had problems (as I have read here too with the Spyders) with oil getting sucked into the air box...some attributed it to overfilling and it was also more noticeable with the use of synthetic oils, some switched back to non-synthetic and that sucking problem stopped.

Comments .......? :thumbup:

[finless]

finless: What weight of Amsoil are you using ? And is it motorcycle specific ? I used Amsoil in my l;ast MC and was happy with it.


This is what I have been using (photo). After my 600 miles service which they used BRP oil, I did some research and talked to Baja Ron. I used this on my 5200 and my 9600 oil changes. So this is what I went with. Ron also sells the oil change kits with filters and crush washers kind of like a package deal. He has Amsoil drop ship to your door.

I have run Amsoil in my RC airplane 2 stroke gas engines for years and SWEAR by it. So I am no stranger to Amsoil. Good stuff in my opinion.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=106303&d=1430076754

Bob

[BajaRon]

The owners manual says to get the motor to operating temp. Thats what I did. It went up 4 bars on the temp gauge and wouldnt go any higher. I shut it off, pulled the stick, screwed it all the way in and checked the level. It was just about an eighth inch over the low line. The book says .5 quarts between the low line and the full line. I figured it was 12-13 ounces low. I just put in 8 using a measuring cup. Checked it again and it was still below the line but about where I want to run it. m concerned about the oil leaking. It could be that they over filled it. My Truck gets over filled my techs regularly. They dont let it all drain and then put what the book tells them to put in.

Not sure how you brought your Spyder up to 'Operating Temperature'. But there are a few things that are important.

It is not good to idle your Spyder (or any vehicle) for a long period of time.
Coolant will come to operating temperature even at idle. And it will come to operating temperature (under any condition) long before the oil will come to operating temperature. Especially if you are not riding the Spyder. At idle, the oil may never come to operating temperature.
To get the Oil Temperature to 'Operating Temperature' you need to ride your Spyder for at least a few miles AFTER the coolant temperature is at 'Operating Temperature'.
If the oil is not at operating temperature you are not getting an accurate reading, regardless of what your temperature gauge says.

I check my oil level at the end of a ride or at a gas stop during a ride. This way I am sure that my oil is at operating temperature (which is really what the manual is referencing). Checking at the end of a ride works great since if you don't find a puddle of oil on the floor you know it's going to be the same when you get back on.

[WEB-WVR]

This is what I have been using (photo). After my 600 miles service which they used BRP oil, I did some research and talked to Baja Ron. I used this on my 5200 and my 9600 oil changes. So this is what I went with. Ron also sells the oil change kits with filters and crush washers kind of like a package deal. He has Amsoil drop ship to your door.

I have run Amsoil in my RC airplane 2 stroke gas engines for years and SWEAR by it. So I am no stranger to Amsoil. Good stuff in my opinion.



http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=106303&d=1430076754

Bob



Thank you very much ! I think that is what I will use also ! :bowdown::thumbup::spyder2::clap:

[DrewNJ]

Personally, I think a lot of people's excessive oil usage is from trying to constantly run the reservoir at the full mark and it being drawn into the intake.
I change oil at the 3k-3.5k mark and am never more than 1/4-1/2qt lower than where I started.
My "full" level is no more than 1/2 way up the hash marks. I'm usually at the bottom range of the marks at change time.
I do 4qts on my sm5 for a change.....no more.

[coz]

I agree. I've been using valvoline full syn. For the last three years. Four quarts only, each change. It uses about a pint between changes.

[BajaRon]

Personally, I think a lot of people's excessive oil usage is from trying to constantly run the reservoir at the full mark and it being drawn into the intake.
I change oil at the 3k-3.5k mark and am never more than 1/4-1/2qt lower than where I started.
My "full" level is no more than 1/2 way up the hash marks. I'm usually at the bottom range of the marks at change time.
I do 4qts on my sm5 for a change.....no more.

You can do it this way and it does seem to alleviate the problem. Hard to argue with success.

It just seems to me that the engineers set the oil level (volume) where they did for a purpose. I figure the lower you start, the sooner you get to the 'Too Low' point. So for those of you who would like to fill their Spyder to the 'Full' mark. All you need do is correct the engineering error in the crankcase vent system which is the reason oil gets sucked into your air box.

It's cheap, easy and permanently corrects the issue.

There are several ways to do this. But this is the way I did it.

Bajaron's oil catch can (http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?18008-Bajaron-s-oil-catch-can&highlight=catch+bajaron)

You can skip several steps by simply inserting a plug of open foam air cleaner material in the existing hose if you want to go really simple. I don't like that approach because you can't see what is going on in your 'Catch Can'. But I've been told it works fine.

[finless]

Personally, I think a lot of people's excessive oil usage is from trying to constantly run the reservoir at the full mark and it being drawn into the intake.
I change oil at the 3k-3.5k mark and am never more than 1/4-1/2qt lower than where I started.
My "full" level is no more than 1/2 way up the hash marks. I'm usually at the bottom range of the marks at change time.
I do 4qts on my sm5 for a change.....no more.

I might agree with you but on my Spyder I get to the bottom of the dip stick after about 1,000. Yes I do fill it to the max mark when that happens.

However with that said, when I took my air box out this weekend, there was ZERO and I mean ZERO oil in the box.

Since my 600 mile dealer service, I in fact have been consistently burning just under a quart in 4,600 miles. Now maybe filling it to max caused some to get burned off and if I only filled it to half I might have burned less? But it is using more than you are seeing.

Bob

[900Dave]

I will just repeat what others have said. Dont idle to bring it up to temp, that did not work for me. When I first got mu ST I did the same thing added over a 1/2 quart because it looked low. I went for a ride and checked when I came back and it was waaay over full. Had to suck it back out.

I change my own oil not that hard. I use the BRP kit just because it is easy, everything in one box. I only use about 1/2 quart between oil changes. Maybe not even that much. Your dealer is full of sh******.

[AY4B]

Thanks everyone for your input. I took it out today and checked it. It was overfull by about 5 ounces. I used a syringe type tool that I use to mix gas and oil. I could pull out 2 ounces at a time. That means it was really just 3 ounces low which is about right from what you all say.