Oil Change - the Good part and the Bad part

[adrianinflorida]

Originally Posted by RichInFla

I knew somebody was going to suggest changing the filter as well, I actually thought about that too !! dang...

Is it better to go with FULL synthetic rather than SEMI syn ? Also, it gets hot here in FLA, probably into the upper 90's during the summer. Would it be better to go with 20W-50 or stick with 10W-40 ?

I use 20W50, mainly because the previous owner was. That and, as you mentioned, the heat down here. Mine's pretty much a daily driver, only about 20 miles or so a day, from Beachside over to FIT and back, plus running out for lunch, all in what passes for traffic in Melbourne.

As for Semi vs Full Syn? I dunno, full synthetic is probably better, especially if you go past the recommended intervals for oil changes, I do mine at 1500 miles, and, as the manual calls for, change the filter every other oil change.

The Castrol Actevo really looked better at 1500 miles than the Castrol (Not sure which blend) the previous owner used when I changed it right after buying the bike. It was still pretty golden colored, the stuff she used (about 2000 miles, according to her) was pretty dark. Really, though the semi syn gives me a nicer shifting feel, and seems robust enough to handle the wear and tear.