to change oil or not?

[mark99]

I'm a proud new owner of a Ryker 900 ACE as of Oct. 4th.
It has 200 km (124 miles) and it is time to put it away for the winter.
Must I change the oil?
My Service Manager who is 'tri syllabic' only offers the comment - "It is Recommended"
Seems a waste of clean oil to me, but I've no experience at all with motorbikes.
Any thoughts? Please and thank you.

[troop]

In a word .. NO. Make your last ride one that fully heats up your oil. Add some stabilizer ( I like Seafoam) and a full tank of non ethanol premium fuel. Plug in to a battery tender. All will be good.

[mark99]

Thanks Troop. Much appreciated! You're the 1st reply, so if I get at least 5 more people who say I'm OK with existing oil, I'll be happy.
I'm all set with stabilizer and a battery tender. Just hoping for one last ride.

[Possible]

With only 124 miles on it, you should be fine leaving the first oil change until next year.

Some people will start up their vehicle and let it idle for a few minutes and think they're
doing the good thing. But unless you're going out for at least a half hour ride, don't do it.
Just let it sit until you can run it for a while, and idling doesn't count.

[JayBros]

I agree. With only 124 miles don't bother changing it and, as Howard says, don't run it at all unless you are going to do it long enough to get the oil up to normal operating temperature. The engine temp gauge on your display measures only coolant temp , not oil temp. Running it for just short times risks getting condensation in the oil which you definitely don't want.

[ARtraveler]

Don't change out the 127 mile oil. Ride it and charge up the bike for a good half hour or more. Fill the tank, add stabilizer, put it on a battery tender and forget it until spring.

Starting during the off-season is not recommend unless you can get it up to full operating temps by riding for at least a half hour.

I never did a lay-up oil change service. Always got fresh oil in the spring. 6 Spyders and almost 200K miles total. Never a problem here.

[Steve W.]

Conventional (old-time?) wisdom says that leaving 'old' oil in an engine that will not be run for a while <might> leave a drop of acid on a bearing, where it can etch in over time. That led to the practice of changing the oil before laying up for the winter.

There are also those that will go a step farther and change that fresh oil again in the spring, so they are starting with FRESH oil.

Given the better oils available today, I'm not sure that either one of those still holds true, there is certainly no need to do BOTH.

I agree with the others, get in a final ride to properly warm things up. I also recommend adding a fuel stabilizer, probably best to add it before that ride to make sure it gets EVERYWHERE. My personal favorite is Sta-Bil. I usually double-up on the dose and have had no problems. Seafoam is OK, too. I tried it for a couple of years and went back to Sta-Bil.

Make sure your "battery tender" is rated for continuous duty. Many years ago, the chargers available were simply manual chargers that could over-charge the battery if left attached. "Automatic" chargers appeared that would reduce the charge level, but could also eventually over-charge the battery. Now we have "battery maintainers" that will turn off, then monitor battery voltage and turn on if necessary. That is what you are looking for. Many brands and price levels available.

.

[mark99]

Thanks Peggy and Howard. Up here in Ontario I'll be lucky to get a warm enough day for that last ride, but yes - I will make sure to be out at least 1/2 an hour.

[mark99]

Many thanks for endorsing what others are saying.

[mark99]

More sage advice! Thanks Arkansas.

[mark99]

Steve, You are the fifth person to give me sound advice based on knowledge and experience, so thanks.
I do have Sta-Bil and a new Battery Tender Junior by Deltran The oil that's in it is 5W40 Synthetic.

I think the verdict is in. I'll store it after a good run and not change the oil.

Thanks to all who responded.

[acdcking12]

I ride my Spyder year around. But typically it is to work and back, which is about 15 minutes or so each way. I do not believe that is a bad thing for it.

[Steve W.]

I ride my Spyder year around. But typically it is to work and back, which is about 15 minutes or so each way. I do not believe that is a bad thing for it.

Depending on the temperature and speed, you may not get it up to full operating temp.

It would do your bike well (and you, too) if you were to do an extended "wind therapy" session a couple times a month to ensure you warm things up fully and properly.

.

[Peter Aawen]

I ride my Spyder year around. But typically it is to work and back, which is about 15 minutes or so each way. I do not believe that is a bad thing for it.

Depending on the temperature and speed, you may not get it up to full operating temp.

It would do your bike well (and you, too) if you were to do an extended "wind therapy" session a couple times a month to ensure you warm things up fully and properly.

.

I've gotta agree with you on that, Steve!! . And if it's a V-twin with a magneto type charging system (yeah, I know - well, I think anyway, that yours isn't one of them acdcking...but for those who DO have V-twins... ) then short runs like that probably won't be enough to keep the battery fully charged either!! In fact, even if you DO run a battery tender whenever you aren't actually ryding, frequent short runs like that will still probably be significantly reducing the potential life of your battery!! Besides, running any machine only for periods that short will really be concentrating all the damaging aspects of 'cold starts' and delivering none of the benefits of regular running!!

Even the 1330 triples with their alternators will benefit from a longer run a couple of times a month for a variety of reasons - 30 mins or more averaging 'mid or above' revs will help get everything properly warm so it can 'evaporate out' all the condensation that collects inside the engine etc AND stirring the oil up, heating it, & properly circulating it thru everything will also go a long way towards stopping it congealing in those little tight spots you don't want it to and also burning/boiling out any of that previously mentioned condensate & a bunch of the other nasty contaminants that get absorbed into & build up in the oil over time, especially during periods of frequent short runs; plus it'll help give the battery a reasonable chance of charging fairly close to full charge in the time it takes to do those longer runs, even if it's still not long enough to completely/fully charge it up; and running it long enough to achieve a 'proper warm up' as well as rotating/using everything that should be rotated/operated/used will help keep all those bushes & seals & bearing/wearing surfaces in good nick in a way those 2 x 15 min runs per day just can't - and the longer runs with their associated 'wind therapy' plus the physical exercise they entail will help keep YOU working properly too!!

I'd go far as suggesting that those 2 x15 minute runs per day actually equate to 'hard use' as far as everything is concerned, especially the oil - so that sort of usage warrants a more frequent/shorter milage oil & filter change schedule than the 'normal use' schedule detailed in the user manual!

Just Sayin' .

[oh400ex]

I just want to add some counterpoints for anyone considering a similar situation.

As mentioned above there are possible pitfalls to leaving oil that has been used even once to sit for a long period of time.
Also being that the bike is on it's break in oil there ARE metal shavings in that oil and filter. Changing the fluid and filter would get rid of any break-in particles in the oil.

Other than cost, waste and the possibility that something will be done incorrectly there is no benefit to running oil up to a change interval.
The more changes the better during break-in IMO

If this was my brand-new machine... I would have changed the oil.

Like the others, I agree that it will not matter and we are splitting hairs discussing the differences. Modern oil is built to withstand this type of season-long storage. The oil is still providing adequate lubrication etc. IMO don't pull it out and change it now but maybe after its first ride next spring consider doing it early anyway

[Greven]

Just a thought, it is not clear if you bought it brand new in October or if it was a used bike with very low milage. Depending on when the Ryker was first sold, a change might still be a good idea.
The intervall is 6000 miles OR 12 months, whichever comes first. So it could be a good idea to check it up, just so you dont void the warranty by not changing.
I am not arguing against the fact that oil with 124 miles should be considered basically brand new, and that there is no other technical reason to change it

[acdcking12]

I've gotta agree with you on that, Steve!! . And if it's a V-twin with a magneto type charging system (yeah, I know - well, I think anyway, that yours isn't one of them acdcking...but for those who DO have V-twins... ) then short runs like that probably won't be enough to keep the battery fully charged either!! In fact, even if you DO run a battery tender whenever you aren't actually ryding, frequent short runs like that will still probably be significantly reducing the potential life of your battery!! Besides, running any machine only for periods that short will really be concentrating all the damaging aspects of 'cold starts' and delivering none of the benefits of regular running!!

Even the 1330 triples with their alternators will benefit from a longer run a couple of times a month for a variety of reasons - 30 mins or more averaging 'mid or above' revs will help get everything properly warm so it can 'evaporate out' all the condensation that collects inside the engine etc AND stirring the oil up, heating it, & properly circulating it thru everything will also go a long way towards stopping it congealing in those little tight spots you don't want it to and also burning/boiling out any of that previously mentioned condensate & a bunch of the other nasty contaminants that get absorbed into & build up in the oil over time, especially during periods of frequent short runs; plus it'll help give the battery a reasonable chance of charging fairly close to full charge in the time it takes to do those longer runs, even if it's still not long enough to completely/fully charge it up; and running it long enough to achieve a 'proper warm up' as well as rotating/using everything that should be rotated/operated/used will help keep all those bushes & seals & bearing/wearing surfaces in good nick in a way those 2 x 15 min runs per day just can't - and the longer runs with their associated 'wind therapy' plus the physical exercise they entail will help keep YOU working properly too!!

I'd go far as suggesting that those 2 x15 minute runs per day actually equate to 'hard use' as far as everything is concerned, especially the oil - so that sort of usage warrants a more frequent/shorter milage oil & filter change schedule than the 'normal use' schedule detailed in the user manual!

Just Sayin' .

I actually do take it out for longer rides when I can. Went for almost an hour yesterday. Temps were in the 50F range.

Typically the ride to work is the 15 minute ride. The one home, I typically will ride longer because of errands, etc.

[gkamer]

Thanks Troop. Much appreciated! You're the 1st reply, so if I get at least 5 more people who say I'm OK with existing oil, I'll be happy.
I'm all set with stabilizer and a battery tender. Just hoping for one last ride.

With only a 123 miles on the clock when you purchased her, I'm thinking the oil should be practically brand new clean. As suggested, take a little ride to get the engine up to operating temp, top off the fuel tank, drop some fuel stabilizer in and tuck her away nice and warm.

Weather here is saying I should expect a high of 53° today. To me that's prime riding weather, so I'm hitting the road for a little hundred mile or so road trip. I love riding my Ryker and hate the thought of shutting her up for the next 4-5 months or so. So I decided as long as there's no snow/ice on the roads, I'm riding. Sub zero temps might make me reconsider, but then again, who knows.

[Tucker01]

Hello mark 99. Can am recommends changing oil and filter after initial break in period of 200 miles . Better to change early than late . Happy riding . I have a new 2022 ryker 900 sport and changed the oil and filter @193 miles. Frequent oil and filter changes will extend the life of your engine . IMO change it asap.

[pegasus1300]

Hello Tucker, in case you missed it I think Mark has probably gone through several oil changes since this was posted

BTW welcome to Spyderlovers and don't worry you are not the first to get bit with and old post. We all have at one time or another.