Was chatting with a mate the other day who has an 04 Softy and hardly ever rides the thing and he asked me about oil changes.  He wanted to know if he still needed to change his oil even though he had only done 2500klms in 12 months!!  Fucking disgraceful effort i told him  - you don't deserve to own your harley i said - but anyway got me thinking that i actually didn't know the answer.

I told him that I would just change it no matter what klms at an absolute minimum every 12 months even if he only did 100klms in that year.  Is this right though?  Does he need to change it if he hasn't racked up the klms?  Does oil loose its velocicity after a certain period of time?

G'day Wazza-in-oz, you should change your oils at the recommended service intervals just to be safe no matter how little or much you ride. The oil can loose its lubricating properties in time. So when you go for a thrash after not riding the bike for a long time and no oil changes it may/will cause some damage. The longer the oils sit there, the worst it will be for the engine.

But it's one of those things like a timing belt in a Cruiser or any vehicle for that matter. You might replace it after getting to the 100,000 k's with no problems. But they could snap at 60,000 k's or thereabouts. Some vehicles have been known to still have their original belt well over the 100,000 k mark or recommended replacement time.... 

I guess it depends what's the bike worth and how much money you have for the "just in case times"?????

 

My 2 cents

 

 

 

 

I just checked my service manual (1340, 95 softail) and it doesn't say anything about time frames - it just says replace oil every 8000klms. I service my bike every 6 months anyway regardless of klms, but maybe my mate is right. Maybe i over do it. Looks like you only need to change it every 8000??

cant change oil enough imo .... if you can do it at home every 4-5000k's with ease then do it. ur investing in ur motors future

 If you've got approx $20K invested in a bike then a 30 buck oil change every six months is a minor investment and should be a no brainer.

I agree with everyone. But i wanna know now at what point does oil start losing its viscosity. I know its a no brainer to do the oil change every 6 months but i wanna have an answer for my mate.
I've got another mate who is currently working overseas for two years and comes back every 4 months or so. When he comes back he starts his bike up just to get the oil moving around the engine and then goes back overseas to work for a while. What about him? It'll be about two years before he changes his oil in his bike but he wouldn't have done hardly any klms either?

Well I suppose I will add my opinion too, even though theyre like arse holes, we all have one.
I only use the best quality oil, ya get what ya pay for after all. If good stuff goes in you will get good stuff out. If ya know what I mean. I am currently using fully synthetic oil in my 99 softy (recomended for bikes over 5-8 years old depending on KMs of course)i can use it in all three holes, a product such as screaming eagles HD oil is suitable for the lot. I personally change my oil every 8000 km and filters every 16000. When Im not on two wheels im usually driving something big that runs on Deisal and I think the old rule applies to HDs as well as trucks. Clean air, clean fuel and clean oil and they can run for ever. If your bike has had clean air, oil and fuel and regular services as required, meaning your engine is not baddly worn or dirty you should be able to let her stand idle for a shit load of time before you would need to change the oil. On the other hand if shes a well loved but tired old girl oil changes become more critical. If in doubt pull out the dip stick and check the oil in the tank for deterioration. Dont just go by colour, the manufacturers of oils put shit in there to make the oil discolour and look old so you change oil more often. TEX

Mix new oil with old oil and the carbon in it will start breaking it down even if you are not using the vehicle. Your oil in an uncontaminated condition as in the container it comes in will last for years but once it is in touch with the residual oil in the engine it will start to break down. Changed as recommended it is cheap insurance for your engine.

Awesome info ACF-50, I will let him know.

Tex Mack i guess with what you are saying my mate is right and that he doesn't need to change his oil just because of the time frame. So effectively if it takes him three years to do his 8000klms he doesn't need to change the oil for three years?

Yeah yeah I've read the replies.  Let me get one thing straight.  I CHANGE MY OIL EVERY 6 MONTHS regardless of how many klms i do.  My mate was arguing with me about why he doesn't need to change his oil.  He reakons you only need to change your oil every 8000klms or whatever your manual says - regardless of how long its been in there.  I DISAGREE with him but wanted to come back at him with some factual info that would prove him wrong. 

It makes sense to me to change oil every 6 months because as others have stated its cheaper than a rebuild and if you have forked out $20K for a bike why wouldn't you?

I guess at the end of the day i will just argue with him again about what i believe and when his bikes shits itself and needs a rebuild before mine i will be happy to pick him up from the mechanics and let him ride bitch on the back of my bike wearing a bright pink helmet saying "I was wrong and my mate was right".

 Wazza,

at best mineral Oil is about 100 Million Years Old, so if in a clean sealed  environment then you would expect it to last another 100 Million years.So your mate is right not to change his oil if it's been sitting an a clean sealed environment.

Unfortunately engines are dirty horrible places, and when you add moisture into the equation (starting motor occassionally) you will get  oil that mixes with crap.

Then you have crap oil that can damage a motor, doesn't matter if it's done only 2K's, it will become sludge over time.

Awesome answer once again ACF-50. I'm gunna explain it that way to him.

yeah im of the opinion the more you change the oil the better - id reckon no more than 3 months or the kms if u make it before the time frame.

when i was racing/ riding dirtbikes id change oils after every ride - especially my fourstroke - small price to pay i reckon.

All of my road going vehicles EVERY 5000KLM or 3 MONTHS religiously.
In our dragbike the 1st thing i do when we get home from the track is drop the oil, even if it's only done 3 runs.
Fresh oil is good oil, OLD oil is CRAP that is just waiting to damage your engine.

Take into account environmental but most importantly climate changes specially if you go through the four seasons. I.e. Moisture and condensation that will build-up.

Not worth taking the chance for a small price to pay when you change fluids regularly.