Looking for opinions on when to do the first oil change?

[LALoner]

My Owners Manual for the 2024 F3-S says the first oil change/inspection should come at 3000 miles. To me, that seems like a long time on a new engine prior to an oil change. I would think that there may be many mini pieces of metal in the oil from the new engine break-in that should be removed sooner than 3000 miles.

What do y'all think?

[bikerchris1270]

What harm can be done by changing it early? I did my first oil change at 600 miles.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

What harm can be done by changing it early? I did my first oil change at 600 miles.

.... After buying my 14 RT I drove it home from Ill. to Vermont about 1500 mi. First thing I did was change the oil... ( to a full synthetic ) ...WHY ... Any debris inside that engine is going to show up in the first 500 mi. .... so get rid of it.....good luck ...Mike

[slhanks004]

I changed mine at 1000 miles. My purchase included a few oil changes, so I took it to the dealer at 3000 miles.

[AndysF3S]

I did my new 22 F3S first service at about 2000 miles and was reminded by the dealer service writer several times that it was not required until later. It was last October and I wanted some fresh oil and filter, OEM battery warranty etc. before storing for the winter.

I agree that the first oil change should be sooner especially since the transmission shares the same oil. JMO

[JayBros]

As a contrarian, my point of view is since I am not an engineer, and even if I was one, I didn't work for the Rotax company designing their engines and therefore I see no reason to think I'm smarter than the Rotax engineers. Ergo, the 3K initial oil change for the 1330 ACE engine was satisfactory for me and that's when the dealership did it for me. Since then I've routinely done my own.

Again, from my contrarian point of view, many of us SpyderLovers gang have made a sufficient number of trips around the sun to also be considered residents of the Kingdom of Old Farts who grew up in an era when the manufacture of internal combustion engines was absolutely Neanderthal compared to todays standards. As such, there's no real reason to believe things are the same as they were in the dark ages.

[racoon]

I'll be using the maintenance schedule intervals in my Operators Guide, especially as I paid for a service plan with the dealer that covers the cost of all services recommended by the manufacturer for the first 36 months.

As for changing the oil early, no, it won't hurt the engine. Just your pocket, and cost of recycling the extra oil and filter.

[ARtraveler]

Opinions will vary, but let's remember to keep the replies friendly.

If you remember the 998's, we were told to change the oil early on that one. I believe it was 650 miles. ??? It blew my mind when I took it in, had it done, and they said "that'll be $350 please." The 998's also were known to burn a little oil between changes.

When the 1330's came out in 2014, initial oil changes were at around 3000 and then every 7,500 or so or ONCE a year whichever came first. Forgive me if my numbers are not exact. I have not done that for almost a year now and I no longer have a manual to look at to verify.

It surely does not hurt to change the oil earlier if you are into that. As long as you follow the suggestions in the manual, you will always be right on.

[2dogs]

My Owners Manual for the 2024 F3-S says the first oil change/inspection should come at 3000 miles. To me, that seems like a long time on a new engine prior to an oil change. I would think that there may be many mini pieces of metal in the oil from the new engine break-in that should be removed sooner than 3000 miles.

What do y'all think?

Don't overthink it. Follow your owner's manual because it's a manufacturer's guide to proper maintenance and the longevity of your machine. Remember other people's suggestions are only opinions. Some are good and some are not so good.

[racoon]

Many years ago I had a new engine built for a 1967 VW.
VWs of that era had a 4-cylinder air cooled engine with only a metal mesh oil screen, and no oil filter.

The builder finished assembling the engine on an engine stand, filled it with oil, hooked the carburetor up to a small bottle of gasoline, and then started the engine.
He let it run for about 60 seconds, then turned a valve to shut off the flow of gasoline, and when the engine stopped running he changed the oil and cleaned the oil screen.

The CAN-AM engines are significantly more complex than an air cooled VW, and have an actual oil filter to trap stuff we don't want circulating in our engines.

I'm going to trust CAN-AM to know what's right for my Spyder.

JM2C

[LALoner]

Well , It looks like the majority opinion is to follow the book . I will put my fears away and await the 3 K milage .

I thank all for the insight .

[BajaRon]

Well , It looks like the majority opinion is to follow the book . I will put my fears away and await the 3 K milage .

I thank all for the insight .

Any of the options offered will do you fine. You're probably wasting your money to change oil sooner than 3,000 miles. But if it makes you feel better, the cost may be worth it.

[PMK]

As can be read, opinions here are wide and varied.

Like many, but not all, these 1330 setups utilize a shared oil system. The engine oil is also the oil for the wet clutch and gearbox. Because of this, an early oil change should be refilled with the lesser quality BRP oil. The filter should be changed also since it has trapped particles in it.

That said, the cylinder, which are Nikasil plated, can require a realistic time to burnish pistons, and bed in piston rings. Unfortunately, the straight cut gears begin to self destruct the instant it gets run. Over time, those sharp edges on the gears wear or chew into the mating gear. Same with the primary and clutch driven gear.

On our Spyder, a 1330 powered machine, the original oil was run for about 2000 miles. At that point, I accomplished an oil and filter change, utilizing the Can Am oil change kit.

I wanted a less slippery oil until break in was comfortably accomplished. Oils that are really good can create concerns of not getting the rings to seat.

So for 3000 miles or so, our Spyder ran Can Am oil. The second oil change, and every oil change since has been with Mobil 1 10w40 motorcycle oil.

Even though broken in with oem type oil, as more miles were logged on the Mobil 1, at about 5000 miles, the engine had fully bedded in and freed up.

I prefer this type of break in, with the interim oil and filter change to remove debris, but letting the lower quality oil ensure the cylinders, pistons, and rings, are ready for good oil.

I also decided that from the next, and soon to be accomplished oil and filter change, I am going back to the oem Rotax filters. Ran a HiFlo last oil change and decided saving a few bucks was not within a good comfort zone for me.

I also accomplish oil changes each 5000 miles. Certainly could go a bit more, but the calendar time factors in.

[tibadoe]

As long as you go by the OM -- you should be good. With that said I did the first oil & filter change @ 800 miles.

[baxter]

Reason for owner's manual......

[fredgal]

Just had mine done at 3200 miles, 3 years old - $450.00 including PA inspection! But I'm good for another 6000 miles. 4th year with my F3L, zero problems, love my Spyder.

[LALoner]

Decision having been made, I just ordered a full oil change kit from Baja Ron. I will hold on to it until it is time for the oil change according to the OM. That should only be another month and one half at the current ride rate.
As an aside, I also ordered the "ultra (anti) sway bar. Now to figure out how to raise the bike high enough to remove and install it.

[BajaRon]

Decision having been made, I just ordered a full oil change kit from Baja Ron. I will hold on to it until it is time for the oil change according to the OM. That should only be another month and one half at the current ride rate.
As an aside, I also ordered the "ultra (anti) sway bar. Now to figure out how to raise the bike high enough to remove and install it.

Surf the site here for a myriad of ways to lift the Spyder. From tailgates to ATV lifts. I did my BIL's with a cheesy little floor jack and a lot of cribbing. Though I had 2 brothers and the BIL to hold it steady while I was under it. Not recommended!