Our over the road trucks run 35,000 on regular 15-40.Syn.is usually left in over the road equipment for 60,000.This is normal practice.Do you think your Harley works harder than these big rigs?

 

I'm probably alone on this but I would never let the oil go that far over 3000 miles let along 5000.

I know what your all thinking, the guys a nut, synthetic oils and modern filters last a lot longer than they used to.

Well, as far as that goes I would have to agree. But its not the oil or filter that I would be most concerned with, its the additives that nutralize acids and other not so nice things that get created by the combustion process.

They are the same additives wheather the oil is synthetic or not and there is just so much of them in there. Once they have been used up, the're gone and there is no protection left.

Yes the oil will still lube the engine and the filter will keep filtering, but the crap chemicals will start building up and messing with the insides of the engine.

Done once its probably not much of an issue, but if you have the choice to change it now or wait till later, why not change it?

An oil and filter change, even Amsoil is just cheap insurance and if you weren't worried about it, why did you ask the question in the first place?

Change the oil and filter now, the worst that happens is your engine gets a little cleaner and your out a few extra bucks now. It will be worth it to know that you did right by your engine and your not going to be wondering about it later instead of enjoying your trip.

Or worse thinking about how far over you have gone instead of watching out for the idiot in the minivan next to you who's BSing on his cell phone instead of paying attention to what lane he's in.

 

Just change it before you go and call it a day or go 1600 over, changing just the filter is idiotic IMO. Syn oil does NOT last longer than Dino and needs to be changed at the same interval. People just want to keep in there longer because of what they paid for it...if you were running Dino I doubt you would have posted this question

 

That's not a very fair comparison especially when you consider that they never see 3000rpm while running on fuel oil, not gasoline.

Big diesel truck engines generate far less crap from the combustion process because of the fuel they use while operating at a fairly constant temprature for hundreds of miles, days, or even weeks between shutdowns. They also have gallons of oil in them vs the 3 quarts in a big twin with a huge filteration capacity.

Try running your bike for a week or more at a nearly constant temprature (good luck doing that with an air cooled bike engine) without shutting it down and maybe you can go farther between oil changes too.

 

I'd change it now and get a few rides in before you leave. Just so you don't find a leaky seal on your trip.
The oil should be your concern, not the filter. Besides, changing the filter is the harder, messier part of the job. If you could change the filter on the road, why not the oil?

I'd also be confident that you could do the trip without an oil related failure and probably not hurt anything. I was always taught that clean oil is cheap insurance I change mine every 2500 miles.

 

You should not rely on this forum, you should rely on yourself. What is going to give you peace of mind on your trip? If you feel confident the oil is fine, leave it until you return. I would not change just the filter, what if something were to go wrong (not sure what, but **** does happen)?

Also, oil does not magically become useless at 5000 miles. That number is very conservative to protect the MOCO from having to deal with issues and gives them an out for warranty claims.

I personally like to do changes around the 5K mark, but I would not lose an sleep of going another 1500-2000 miles if needed. But, like I stated earlier you should do what would give you peace of mind so you can enjoy your trip.

 

It's not hard to change oil and filter. It's not going to take that much more time to change your oil with the oil filter. If you need oil just change it.

 

Some people just worry too damn much. This obsessive compulsive oil disorder is ridiculous.

As for a diesel motor in a big truck, the oil is in a much harsher environment. The turbo cooks that stuff. If you have ever been around a big truck you would see that the oil gets black very quickly from soot but is still doing the job if changed at regular intervals. As for a bike, if your stuck out on the road and your oil change becomes due, don't worry about it. Change it when you get home. That motor isn't going to be destroyed.

 

+1 ...

 

If you're gonna change the filter you might as well change the oil. It takes the same amount of time to change both as it does to change the filter. Drian oil into pan, change filter while oil is draining. Put plug back in pan. Fill with oil. Start bike, run for 30 seconds, shut down bike. Check oil and top off if needed. If you need a cheap oil pan look in garbage can at parts stor and you will most likely find an empty antifreze jug. Cut one side out of the jug. lay on side and slide under bike.