Oil Change and Shifting Gears Issue for GZ250

[nkommineni]

Hi,

I own 2003 Suzuki GZ250 from last 2 months. I drove around 1500 miles on that. I make oil changes to my car regularly, but when it comes to motorcycle oil change I never did it. The oil looks dirty, so I thought to change oil & filter. I went to Advance Auto Parts store to look for oil filter & oil. The closest I found was for “250CC-GS250 (1980-1981)” of Fram filter CH6000 and oil is 10W40.

Can anyone tell me is that Fram CH6000 oil filter is any good for GZ250? And what about 10W40 oil, the manual says use 10W40, any suggestions on that ? Please let me know is there any online website , that you can order oil filters and what that filter model is ? (I live 60 miles north to Atlanta, GA. Any stores around this area? )


Another question is , some times when I shift gears, I feels like it got stuck and I have to slam the gears, does anyone got that problem ?

Is 10W40 oil has impact on how gear system works ? Is there any better oil ?

[Water Warrior 2]

Welcome to the "How To" section. Where to start ?? Hmm, first, oil is the life blood of your bike. 10-40 is recommended but other oil weights can be substituted for various riding conditions. Check your owners manual to be sure. Never, never use an ENERGY CONSERVING oil. These oils have additives that will do harm to the clutch eventually. Nor do you want to add an oil additive, same result, dead clutch. Any oil that is 10-30, 5-20, 5-30 etc will be an energy conserving oil for a car. You can use car oil that is not energy conserving, many riders do. Presently using car oil in two bikes with no problems. The actual additive package differs a little from car and bike oil but not something to worry about.
We use Amsoil Synthetic 10-40 in both bikes with great results. Oh yes, it isn't cheap but you don't need a lot of it either. Will be trying out Amsoil 20-50 M/C oil in the future just to see if there might be a significant difference.
Poor shifting, change the oil. Motorcycle transmissions love clean, fresh quality oil. The oil will break down with use and shifting can be a real pain. The 250 has a sweet tranny and should not hang up if everything is adjusted right and the oil is clean. Over the years the only transmissions I had or saw hang up were using a cheaper oil or a lighter oil than specified.
As for a filter, most filters will do the job of stopping the junk circulating in the oil. Fram has a bad reputation for some reason but I used them for years on cars/trucks with good results and no breakdowns. All filters probably meet a minimum specification set by the manufacturers of our bikes.
So just do the oil and filter change and ride it. The bike will probably shift smoother and make you smile. Other riders will wade in with their choices of oil too. That is a good thing too. More info to work with. Ride safe.

[Dupo]

One tip, dont buy CAR oil. Buy oil made for motorcycles! Car oil will break down much faster than motorcycle oil. You CAN use car oil, but expect to change oil more frequently.

Filter, not sure which one the gz needs anymore. But, you can get one at the local suzuki dealer or if you have a Cycle Gear near you.

[jonathan180iq]

I use the suzuki oil filter $6-8 and any proper weigh motorcycle oil. DUPO is right. Car oil breaks down faster but it's not too bad. I mean, if you change your oil regularly and don't ride too hard, car oil will work fine. Just, as everyone else has said, stay away from the additive stuff.

[Badbob]

The specification in the GZ250 owners manual is for an automotive oil.

Some interesting reading.

The surprising truth about motor oils - Does using the most expensive oil do a better job than the least expensive oil?
http://www.xs11.com/stories/croil96.shtml

Motorcycle Oils vs. Automotive Oils
http://www.xs11.com/stories/mcnoil94.shtml

[nkommineni]

Hi all,

Thanks for your replies. I went to local Suzuki dealer, and i found Amsoil Synthetic 10-40. As for the filter, they are out of K& N 136 filters(http://www.knfilters.com/search/prod...px?Prod=KN-136). Probably i will be getting them next week.


Thanks.

[Sarris]

Brother, the only thing that makes any difference is the API (American Petroleum Institute) specifications for the motor oil. Really, modern motor oil is oil, is oil, is oil. IF, by some chance you want to go 7500 miles on your oil, there are oils rated for that. BUT, being that Suzuki recommends 3000 mi oil change intervals, why would you use anything more than the MANUFACTURER recommends? Synthetic is a waste of money unless you want 7500 mile oil changes. At 3000 mile intervals it's a "motorcycle" rated 20w/50w for me here in centeral Florida. I always try to use Suzuki 's filter.

Sorry, I don't buy the hype.

[Badbob]

Originally Posted by Sarris

Synthetic is a waste of money unless you want 7500 mile oil changes.

Changing to synthetics in my GZ250 produced dramatic results. Shifting was much easier immediately and improved steadily for several hundred miles. This bike had always been stiff. Several other GZ250 owners have had similar experiences. If I'm on a trip I'm not concerned about oil changes. Riders riding to Hooters once a week for bike night might not be concerned with this.

Hype? There is lots of it. Quite a bit of this comes from riders who don't read the manuals or do their research. I'm concerned with performance and convenience. The bike works better with synthetics and I get the to change the oil when I'm ready to change the oil. The shifting alone is enough reason for me/ I have used synthetics for many years in my vehicles. In spite of the hype there are many valid reasons to use them.

I started using Mobile 1 when I lived in North Dakota and needed to start my car when it was -40F. After one winter I was hooked. My car would start better than cars equipped with 1200 watt tank heaters.

[Sarris]

Bob, you can waste your money any way you want, but the truth is, that the manufacturer of your bike says 20w/50w every 3,000 miles. Do you purport to know more then Suzuki? You may have experierenced some value due to your extreme climate conditions, but doesn't Suzuki have a extreme climate recommendation? Again, it' not synthetic.

I just feel like I'm geting a bad deal changing 10,000 mile oil thats 4 times the price of normal oil every 3,000 miles. And brother, I DO ALOT of oil changes. I've put 15,000 miles on my 06' HD Street Glide in 9 months, & 6,000 on my '06 HD Sportster in the last 6 months. I have just 8,000 on my '05 GZ since it's purchase new in Aug '05.

I respect your opinion, but it does not make synthetic oil use right for me, nor is it recommended by Suzuki. The dealer wants your money & would sell you dog shit in a can if you'd buy it. As I said, I don't buy the hype.

Let me give you the HD experience. The Owners & Service Manuals says 20w/50w deisel rated oil & filter every 5,000 miles. The dealer says synthetic every 2500 miles. The greedy bastards want to do it twice as often as recommended, at 4 times the price of regular oil. On top of that they over emphasize any actual benefit you may get, so why bother?

Just my opinion, no hard feelings.

[caroledee1]

Take a look at the oil filler cap on your gz250. 10W40. I run synthetic in my vehicles. My 96 Ford Ranger with 280,000 and my 00 gz250 with 7600 miles. Premium synthetic reduces friction which results in cooler operating temperatures. The gz250 being an air-cooled engine benefits from this. Extended change intervals. The additives that reduce engine corrosion and wear. I don't put it on my cereal in the morning but I sure use in my vehicles! :2tup: