Running in oil
Discussion
On a new 4 stroke bike, is the initial oil in the engine a different grade to what will be put in at the first 600 mile service?
I ask for a friend who is thinking about buying a 5 month old Rocket 3 which has been inactive since it's PDI owing to the original owners illness. He won't be able to put many miles on it before the service light comes on and he doesn't want to risk warranty problems by ignoring that.
If there is a special running in oil then if the bike hasn't done many miles at the first service presumably the Dealer will put in a similar oil which would be changed out when the running in period is complete?
I ask for a friend who is thinking about buying a 5 month old Rocket 3 which has been inactive since it's PDI owing to the original owners illness. He won't be able to put many miles on it before the service light comes on and he doesn't want to risk warranty problems by ignoring that.
If there is a special running in oil then if the bike hasn't done many miles at the first service presumably the Dealer will put in a similar oil which would be changed out when the running in period is complete?
Why would it need a service at 5 months old, if it hasn't even covered running in miles (which is usually somewhere around 600 miles)?
At PDI, it will have been filled with an appropriate oil. Your mate can ride it on that oil until the running in miles are done, then get it the first service done.
Am I missing something?
At PDI, it will have been filled with an appropriate oil. Your mate can ride it on that oil until the running in miles are done, then get it the first service done.
Am I missing something?
Ducati are the same , I had this issue with a Streetfighter V4s .
625 miles OR 6 months for the 1st service regardless of how few miles it had done Crazy tbh .
To maintain warranty I had it serviced at 6 months on 275 miles.
Ducati confirmed to me that if I did it after 6 months future warranty claims might have a problem .
625 miles OR 6 months for the 1st service regardless of how few miles it had done Crazy tbh .
To maintain warranty I had it serviced at 6 months on 275 miles.
Ducati confirmed to me that if I did it after 6 months future warranty claims might have a problem .
Every day's a school day. It's never occurred to me that there was a time limitation on the first service but I guess it makes sense as all the other services are set at however many thousand miles or 1, 2, 3 years, and so on.
Saying that, I've only ever had a couple of "new" bikes that needed running in and I've usually got the miles done in the first few weeks of ownership
Not 100% sure about this but I believe there are specific running in oils, which are usually mineral oil based, as opposed to the semi or fully synthetic we use in general. I also believe the running in oils have different additive packages in them.
If it were me, and maintaining the warranty were a concern, I'd be inclined to go and get the service done (regardless of miles covered), get the bike home, drop the oil (and keep it stored), and sling in whatever the recommended running in oil is and run that until 600miles or whatever the recommended running in period is. Once the running in period is done, drop that oil and stick the stuff you stored earlier back in (along with a new filter). Job done.
Dealership/manufacturer will be none the wiser (unless the bike were to s
t the bed in the meantime and had to go back - but that's a fairly slim risk).
Or to hell with it and just use whatever it is the dealership put in, follow the running in procedure for the prescribed mileage, and then do an oil and filter change.
Probably the latter thinking about it.
Saying that, I've only ever had a couple of "new" bikes that needed running in and I've usually got the miles done in the first few weeks of ownership
Not 100% sure about this but I believe there are specific running in oils, which are usually mineral oil based, as opposed to the semi or fully synthetic we use in general. I also believe the running in oils have different additive packages in them.
If it were me, and maintaining the warranty were a concern, I'd be inclined to go and get the service done (regardless of miles covered), get the bike home, drop the oil (and keep it stored), and sling in whatever the recommended running in oil is and run that until 600miles or whatever the recommended running in period is. Once the running in period is done, drop that oil and stick the stuff you stored earlier back in (along with a new filter). Job done.
Dealership/manufacturer will be none the wiser (unless the bike were to s
t the bed in the meantime and had to go back - but that's a fairly slim risk). Or to hell with it and just use whatever it is the dealership put in, follow the running in procedure for the prescribed mileage, and then do an oil and filter change.
Probably the latter thinking about it.
Edited by deserialisethis on Friday 21st April 22:29
deserialisethis said:
Not 100% sure about this but I believe there are specific running in oils, which are usually mineral oil based, as opposed to the semi or fully synthetic we use in general. I also believe the running in oils have different additive packages in them.
When I was rebuilding the Franken-Trumpet I spoke to an engineer at Silkolene about what oil was best for running in and he recommended using semi synthetic and changing after 500 miles.Edited by deserialisethis on Friday 21st April 22:29
It's all well and good the manufacturers specifying a time, as well as mileage requirement, but the 1st service is arguably the most important service the bike will ever have
If the oil is changed at let's say 100 or 200 miles, it would still serve to change again after another 600 or so
Things are very different to engines of old but the whole purpose of the short 1st service interval is to change oil because of potential micro debris from the mating of new moving parts
If the oil is changed at let's say 100 or 200 miles, it would still serve to change again after another 600 or so
Things are very different to engines of old but the whole purpose of the short 1st service interval is to change oil because of potential micro debris from the mating of new moving parts
Probably burnt in from when bikes were less powerful and keeping it under 4000/6000 was so slow, I tended to spend everyday with a new bike getting some miles on.
Get home from work then nip out to Stonehenge and back, 140 miles.
Got a new bike last week and I've been busy racking up miles for my pre-booked first service next week. Because of the old habit.
But to be honest it's more than powerful enough under 6000 revs and now I'm unsure why I'm mindlessly riding out most days and worrying about the weather
Looks like I'll squeeze in 650 miles by next Wednesday but what makes me laugh is that my other bike, my only one for the past few years does barely 600 miles in a year.
Don't get me wrong, I'm loving my time out exploring fav old roads but the petrol cost is wracking up
Get home from work then nip out to Stonehenge and back, 140 miles.
Got a new bike last week and I've been busy racking up miles for my pre-booked first service next week. Because of the old habit.
But to be honest it's more than powerful enough under 6000 revs and now I'm unsure why I'm mindlessly riding out most days and worrying about the weather
Looks like I'll squeeze in 650 miles by next Wednesday but what makes me laugh is that my other bike, my only one for the past few years does barely 600 miles in a year.
Don't get me wrong, I'm loving my time out exploring fav old roads but the petrol cost is wracking up
GSA_fattie said:
markymarkthree said:
Buy the bike, bang in the miles over a few days, then get the first service. Really cant see a problem.
yep that's what i didarranged the service when picking the bike up
Booked it in as part of the initial purchase session - it was a stock bike, so they only had to fit some heated grips and register it.
I realise the OP situation regards a 5 month old bike - I had a KTM 690 Duke some 10 years ago which enjoyed oil. When I sold it, I still had a spare half litre of oil which I put in a cupboard. 3 years later I bought another KTM which used the same Motorex oil. However, the sticker on the bottle says use within 2 years. I emailed Motorex & they said it should be OK if it was kept indoors in a dark cupboard, but couldn't guarantee it. Apparently this stuff breaks down over time.......
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