What Oil Frequency and Oil Type do you use?

[kentshaf]

This is my first Spyder. I plan to take it to the dealer for it's first 3000 mile checkup. I am wondering what frequency others change their oil and what oil type? I have used full synthetic on my last couple of crusier motorcycles.

[Mikey]

you are about to get a lot of ideas about oil, brands, how many miles to change ,ECT ,ECT!! But if you have used a full synthetic in passed bikes and they work for you then go with that. I use amsoil metric in mine, and use amsoil in most every thing I have. Welcome to the spyder word and to the site there is a world of good ideas on this site a boat load of guys that are more than willing to help you out!! Use the search engine at the top page and will fine more than you want to read. Good luck, rock on!

[Highwayman2013]

This is my first Spyder. I plan to take it to the dealer for it's first 3000 mile checkup. I am wondering what frequency others change their oil and what oil type? I have used full synthetic on my last couple of crusier motorcycles.

What year? The frequency is in your manual. I am using 10W40 Amsoil Metric Motorcycle oil in my 2016 and it holds up great. 9,666 miles on the last change and Blackstone labs recommended going to 12,000 miles on the next change. Oil and filters from Bajaron.

[Easy Rider]

Frequency: What the manual says......or a bit less if that will make you feel better.
Oil Type: Any "name brand" motorcycle oil. What you were using in your last bike should be just fine.
Mobil 1 4T bike oil is as "good" as any and readily available.

It is just a gas engine. Nothing special.

[Chupaca]

Ah...the GTO of motorcycle ownership... Always start with the Manufacturers recommendations and spec's. It will also depend on the make model and year. There is a lot on the subject here if you wish to wade through it all. But to answer the question... I use XPS (BRP brand) blend and change it depending on the ryding between 3 and 5 thousand miles.

Welcome to the spyder world and this most interesting site....

[Mazo EMS2]

Be sure to read your manual. Also, read the "Do's and Dont's" at the top of the page. Lots of good stuff in there for new owners. There are many great oils out there. It really depends how much you wanna spend on it. Just be sure to use an oil that is meant for wet clutch application. And when you wanna read til your eyes bleed, type in "oils" into the search tab in the upper right hand corner of the page....Welcome to S/L!!!

[JayBros]

Don't overthink the problem. As others have said, your operator's guide specifies the grade and API service specification(s) the oil you use should meet. Unless you have more technical qualifications than the engineers who designed the engine or the petroleum engineers who formulate the oils, it would be prudent to follow their recommendations. If you want to change the oil more frequently than the operator's guide recommends that's your money and your business. Most important, regardless of what you and every other Spyder owner thinks, feels or believes, the only real proof of how oil performs is through laboratory analysis.

[Barnero]

What year? The frequency is in your manual. I am using 10W40 Amsoil Metric Motorcycle oil in my 2016 and it holds up great. 9,666 miles on the last change and Blackstone labs recommended going to 12,000 miles on the next change. Oil and filters from Bajaron.

Do you change oil as recommended in the manual every year if you don’t reach recommended milage? 2021 RT Limited

[Gwolf]

What I use is Lucas Synthetic 20W-50 Motorcycle Oil, but I believe that any good oil that meets the standards and is approved for wet clutch applications would be OK. I know what the manual says about how long you can go between oil changes, but mine is changed every 5,000 miles like it always has been on previous motorcycles. Oil is cheap, engines are expensive.

Lucas Oils have no connection to the legendary "Prince Of Darkness" that I am aware of.

[Barnero]

Do you change oil as recommended in the manual every year if you don’t reach recommended milage? 2021 RT Limited

[pegasus1300]

Do you change oil as recommended in the manual every year if you don’t reach recommended milage? 2021 RT Limited

Yes that is what you should do. My second suggestion is "Ride more worry less" as a famous individual used to say.

[Bangorbob]

Yes that is what you should do. My second suggestion is "Ride more worry less" as a famous individual used to say.

Here's a question about mileage vs time. IF you ride a least once a week and put a couple hundred miles on the odometer, why do you have to change the oil every year? I understand if it sits for weeks on end.

[BajaRon]

Here's a question about mileage vs time. IF you ride a least once a week and put a couple hundred miles on the odometer, why do you have to change the oil every year? I understand if it sits for weeks on end.

It depends on the oil. The advice to change every year is a One Size Fits All recommendation. But the fact is, it all depends on the oil you are using. I've told this story before. But here it is again.

I put about 3,500 miles on my 2008 GS and then let it set for over 4 years. I was amazed at how much time had passed when I went to register it again. I had to replace the battery, etc., to get it running again.

I wondered about the oil, having sat there for so long in our high, east Tennessee, humidity. But I decided to just run with what I had. I put another 1,000-1,500 miles on the oil and sent a sample to Blackstone Laboratories for analysis. (I highly recommend Blackstone. Any lab will give you accurate numbers. But Blackstone goes above and beyond with personal diagnosis and recommendations. They are also very happy to speak with you if you want more detail)

I fully expected to see elevated iron, aluminum, and other elements over my previous results. (I get the oil tested every time from the start with BRP's blended oil, then switched to Amsoil on the 3rd oil change. I wanted a baseline with the OEM oil for comparison)

The Amsoil came back with flying colors in all categories. Nearly identical to all the previous tests. Sitting this long with the contaminants which build up in any engine oil with use should have shown additional wear evidence. Because sitting that long, the oil drains off the parts exposing them to moisture and rust. When you run the engine, those fine rust particles show up in the analysis. Aluminum and other parts can suffer the same due to damage created by the combustion contaminantes creating a corrosive brew.

Most lubricants, after having been run, then allowed to sit, degrade and lose their ability to properly protect an engine. Hence the recommendation to change once a year. Amsoil claims to stay on all engine parts giving them protection that most other lubricants do not. I, inadvertently, had a chance to prove them right. This is why I recommend to my customers that they change Amsoil at the mileage limit. Regardless of how long it takes them to get there. Why throw away good oil? This is also an aspect which tends to make Amsoil less expensive in the long run than less expensive lubricants.

Most people have loyalty to their oil like they do to their sports team. I understand that. I used to be a Padres fan! But my loyalty to Amsoil is 100% performance based.

If you decide to get your oil analyzed, I'd love for you to send me the results. I've had many customers over the years do exactly this. I even had 1 customer that had his oil tested every 1,000 miles between changes. He worked for a construction company and got the tests done for free. He rode a lot and brought me the results from several different brands over the years. It was very interesting to see how much the different lubricants varied in how they held up.

Have a Great Riding Season!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Here's a question about mileage vs time. IF you ride a least once a week and put a couple hundred miles on the odometer, why do you have to change the oil every year? I understand if it sits for weeks on end.

IHMO - oil isn't expensive, and it does become " contaminated " with use .... leaving the oil in over the winter lay-up, just doesn't make sense to me ..... Mike

[Bangorbob]

First off, Ron, I am sorry for you being an X Padre fan. Been there, done that. Lived in SD for 30 yrs. Anyway, I guess I didn't ask my question or statement the correct way. IF the bike is run 1-300 miles WEEKLY- NOT SITTING IDLE, using synthetic, what is the harm of going the distance vs annually? I get it that oil is cheap, but that wasn't my question or point.

[Dasmoetorhead]

It's cheaper to change oil, than it is an engine.

[Gwolf]

Where I live, there is no winter down time. I can ride just about any day of the year. Sometimes it is a little cool, early in the mornings, but even in mid-winter, I can usually ride in short sleeves by noon. Pretty much put the 5,000 miles a year on it, but I don't worry about the time thing, and just go by the miles. It rarely ever sits more than two or three days without getting in a ride. It is not just riding for pleasure either. With gas being close to $4 a gallon, if it is a trip to the bank, or picking up small parts, hardware, etc., I will ride the Spyder instead of taking the 18 MPG truck.

[Stache]

Ah, there's nothing quite as entertaining as an oil thread
unless it's a tire thread

[NateNC]

Here's a question about mileage vs time. IF you ride a least once a week and put a couple hundred miles on the odometer, why do you have to change the oil every year? I understand if it sits for weeks on end.

Oils become corrosive over time, how much is always debated and if it will affect the engine over time is also debated. I'm sure from an engine manufacturer's point of view any acidic build up is too much since they have to guarantee the motor. I change the oil on the RT around 5k because I feel comfortable with this number since BRP says 9k, also some weeks I might put on 1200 miles so having a buffer is good for me. On my motorcycles I change them at 3-4k different type of riding styles and RPM ranges. If you do a Google search on the topic it's like talking about Politics lots of facts thrown about but in the end it's a choice you have to do based on what you feel. I don't remember ever reading anything that was able to show a direct engine failure from not changing the oil within a "Reasonable" timeframe. I run Motul 7100 on all the bikes, I can purchase it from Amazon and have a common oil among them all. This gives a little freedom if I decide to change out the oil one of the bikes because of a random 1500 mile ride we decide to do.

[CloverHillCrawler]

I have been using Lamonsters oil change kit with the spectro oil and have been happy with it. But the cost at $120 for the kit is getting too expensive and the BRP XPS Kit is now at $170.

I will just be buying a filter kit from lamonster or Bajaron and getting some Shell Rotella T6 5w-40 from one of the local stores for a whole lot less on the next change. And it is on sale now for 29.99/gal. 67.99/2.5 gallons at advanced auto.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...erm=rotella+t6

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have been using Lamonsters oil change kit with the spectro oil and have been happy with it. But the cost at $120 for the kit is getting too expensive and the BRP XPS Kit is now at $170.

I will just be buying a filter kit from lamonster or Bajaron and getting some Shell Rotella T6 5w-40 from one of the local stores for a whole lot less on the next change. And it is on sale now for 29.99/gal. 67.99/2.5 gallons at advanced auto.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...erm=rotella+t6

Walmart is selling 1 gal 5w/40 full synthetic Rotella T-6 for $23.48 . ..... Mike .....check Tractor Supply they often have Rotella coupons ( 2.5 gal $60.00 )....

[Cobwebs]

What about the filter with barely used oil ? Should that be sent to the knackery or given another whirl ? They don't grow on trees you know.

[Rednaxs60]

It has been mentioned that any good oil that is for a wet clutch application and correct weight is good. Budget and personal preference play into this. If you look at various brands in stores, only buy oils that have no friction modifiers. The API donut for an oil that has no friction modifiers looks like this, the lower half is blank. A few years ago, daughter and son-in-law had a BMW X3. Recommended oil change interval, 24,000 Km. Transmission and engine oil levels cannot be checked. Convinced him to go no more than 10,000 Km. Oils cheap, BMW engines are not.

[BajaRon]

First off, Ron, I am sorry for you being an X Padre fan. Been there, done that. Lived in SD for 30 yrs. Anyway, I guess I didn't ask my question or statement the correct way. IF the bike is run 1-300 miles WEEKLY- NOT SITTING idiol, using synthetic, what is the harm of going the distance vs annually? I get it that oil is cheap, but that wasn't my question or point.

I actually enjoyed being a Padres fan. It's the politics that has soured me on professional sports. Not a losing record.

If you ride on a regular basis, year around. You'll be fine going with the mileage with most name brand, full synthetic oils. Heating the oil up on a regular basis gets rid of the moisture which is a big component in both rust and corrosion. It makes people feel good to change oil all the time. But unless you do an analysis, you really don't know if it is needed or not. Since most people use the 'Guess' method. It's better to guess on the safe side.

[Bangorbob]

Thank you Ron for understanding my question. I thought it was a very simple one. BTW, I quit paying attention to pro sports for the same. Have a great day!