I was in the dealership the other day and asked the service mgr if he could look up my last service since I forgot to note the mileage.

I had a 30K service and hyd cam tensioners done at 32K with all new fluids and used Amsoil in the engine with formula+ in primary and tranny

Soooo, he is looking in the computer and says,,,"oh , you used synthetic oil" .......Nothing needed until 40K! Really? 8000 miles on engine oil?

I'm at just a tick under 35K now and was thinking about dropping the oil which would be 3K. Maybe even stretch it to 4000 miles. Are any of you guys running Synthetic oil stretching out to close to 10,000 miles ???

 

I wouldn't go that far. Fresh oil is cheap insurance.

 

That whole idea of a 3K oil change is complete crap. In "modern"(discounting Harley here since we're running 1930's technology, and by no means are modern) engines and modern motor oil, you can run 5-10K on dino fluid and be fine. That being said - my recommendation would be to check your oil for smell and sight after your "normal 3k run". if it smells burnt and looks like crap, change it. if not, ride on and check it later.

Aggressive oil changes are a waste of money, and waste of precious oil. Anyone that tells you anything else(unless they're racing and abuse the hell out of their oil) doesn't know what they're talking about.

 

One more thing to add here, time will also break the bonds in the molecules. I, personally, wouldn't run oil in my machine more than 6 months. I'm sure it'll last longer than that though.

I hope this helps.

 

I've been going at least 5K between changes since switching to Mobil 1 a few years ago without any issues. Change it twice a year now usually once in July prior to leaving for Sturgis, then again just before I put it to sleep for winter.

 

Osb is correct. Oil with 3000 miles protects just as well as new oil. This cheap insurance idea is an utter fantasy.
Now op. If you used syn 3 no way would I go 8000 miles on it. It's a synthetic blend.
I had a used oil analysis done with both amsoil v-twin and pennzoil 20w-50 auto oil.
In the case of the pennzoil I changed it at 3000 miles. According to blackstone the TBN would have allowed me to go 4500 miles.
In the case of the amsoil I changed it at just under 5000 miles and blackstone reported back saying the TBN would allow me to go to 7500 miles.
Both samples were in the heat of the summer. Both oils had sheared down to a 40 grade however wear metals were below their averages.
So if amsoil can go 7500 miles safely and pennzoil auto 20w-50 can go roughly 4500 miles I would classify syn 3 as a conventional and run it 5000 miles.
Now if you short trip often or routinely ride and the bike doesn't get to stay at operating temp for long(30 miles) you may want to consider that severe service and change it early.
Fuel dillution could become an issue. When the bike is ridden for longer periods of time the fuel that gets by the rings at start up and during warm up will get evaporated. Short trips load the oil with fuel and if repeatedly run for short periods of time the oil will become saturated with fuel. And fuel diluted oil doesn't lubricate very well.

 

I do a mix of short and long trips, more short I guess,,

For the first 1500 miles or so it was hard to see the oil on the stick, starting to "blacken" now, no dirty smell to it

 

I change the oil every 5K with synthetic. I don't think the filters will hold up pass that. Just my 2c

 

Send a sample here: http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

I use blackstone labs at least 2X a year to see my motor and engine oil on paper.

In my Acura MDX, i sent them a sample from my last oil change(dino fluid with 7K miles on it) and I quote them with saying: "This oil looks fantastic for having 7K miles on it, keep up the good work!".

 

My oil cooled turbocharged Chevy notifies me that it is time to change the oil between 7500 to 8500 miles using m1 5w30.
On the Evo Flht I change the m1 15w50 at about 5000. ATF in the primary. Royal Purple in the tranny.