Oil Change Timing ?

[JTWY]

I've always changed my oil right before spring riding season . ( I've always lived in the north ) Question is , how soon before spring riding should it be changed ?
My bike is parked in my garage ( it's unheated ) on a charger / maintainer with SeaFoam mixed into a full tank of gas . I'm afraid if I change the oil now ( just got a new ALTRider Skid Plate in , but want to wait until I change my oil and filter before installing it ) I may get condensation in it before spring riding season gets here because of the temperature fluctuations this time of year . Warmer days and cold nights ) .
Any motorcycle technicians on this site with an opinion on this subject ?
Thanks for your time.

JT

P.S.
I do have a wood/coal stove in my garage that I light from time to time when I want to work in there . The garage is also connected to my house and has a door leading to the kitchen , so some times I light the stove when the temps outside drop below zero and leave the kitchen door to the garage open to save on the home heating bill .

 

[LubeSuppliers.com]

HI JTWY,

I live in the North as well. Just got a foot of snow last night and this morning... :-[

The best time to change oil is actually before you put the bike into storage. As you ride some of the additives in the oil become neutralized or used up. This (along with contamination from outside particles or wear metals) results in the oil needing to be changed. Some of these additives are very useful for storage preventing things like rust or corrosion. Good new oil, designed for motorcycles, will have additives specifically intended to protect the engine during storage. You'll get the best protection when the oil is new.

Even in a climate controlled building, an improper PH level often found in used oil can cause more corrosion issues than a little moisture. This is especially true with cheaper oil that have a lower total base number (TBN).

Keep in mind that the engine goes through far more severe temperature and humidity changes during a day of riding, being turned on and off, changing elevations, etc...

Seasonal temperature changes are gradual and will have little affect on the buildup of condensation in the engine - keep it out of direct sunlight as this would result in more rapid temperature changes. Condensation will form on the outside and inside, if you don't see moisture on the outside of the engine, you won't have it on the inside.

Either way, put in a quality 100% synthetic motorcycle specific oil before storage and you'll have zero issues with corrosion inside the engine.

When you're ready to start riding in the spring, you already have new oil in the engine and can simply take off! ::001::

Good luck!

 

[JTWY]

HI JTWY,

I live in the North as well. Just got a foot of snow last night and this morning... :-[

The best time to change oil is actually before you put the bike into storage. As you ride some of the additives in the oil become neutralized or used up. This (along with contamination from outside particles or wear metals) results in the oil needing to be changed. Some of these additives are very useful for storage preventing things like rust or corrosion. Good new oil, designed for motorcycles, will have additives specifically intended to protect the engine during storage. You'll get the best protection when the oil is new.

Even in a climate controlled building, an improper PH level often found in used oil can cause more corrosion issues than a little moisture. This is especially true with cheaper oil that have a lower total base number (TBN).

Keep in mind that the engine goes through far more severe temperature and humidity changes during a day of riding, being turned on and off, changing elevations, etc...

Seasonal temperature changes are gradual and will have little affect on the buildup of condensation in the engine - keep it out of direct sunlight as this would result in more rapid temperature changes. Condensation will form on the outside and inside, if you don't see moisture on the outside of the engine, you won't have it on the inside.

Either way, put in a quality 100% synthetic motorcycle specific oil before storage and you'll have zero issues with corrosion inside the engine.

When you're ready to start riding in the spring, you already have new oil in the engine and can simply take off! ::001::

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice , I'll do that next year. ( end of this year )
So to be clear on this , will it matter any if I warm the bike up now and then change the oil and filter ? Or should I just wait a couple more months and change it right before spring , then change it again right before putting it away for winter ?
Also , I plan on switching to synthetic oil this year .

JT

P.S.
I know what you mean about the snow , we have more on the way. http://www.weather.com/weather/alerts/localalerts/82801?phenomena=WS&significance=A&areaid=WYZ099&office=KBYZ&etn=0002

 

[LubeSuppliers.com]

I would go ahead and warm it up now and change oil & filter.

Then change it again next fall - unless you ride a lot and need a mid-season oil change. Either way, change it again in the fall.

I would do the Rear Drive Lube once a year also. I've changed mine a couple of times and it always looks like it got water in it and I'm glad to get some fresh lube in there...

 

[JTWY]

I would go ahead and warm it up now and change oil & filter.

Then change it again next fall - unless you ride a lot and need a mid-season oil change. Either way, change it again in the fall.

I would do the Rear Drive Lube once a year also. I've changed mine a couple of times and it always looks like it got water in it and I'm glad to get some fresh lube in there...

OK , thanks for the advice . I appreciate it . I'll stop on the way home tomorrow and pick up the supplies I need .

JT

 

[markjenn]

Provided you change it once/year or so (or less than 4K), I doubt it makes much difference, but as others have said, changing it BEFORE you put it to bed is probably preferable to waiting until you wake it up.

You're not going to get significant condensation or oil contamination with the temperature fluctuations in your garage with the bike just sitting. (It's the fluctuations between ambient and engine operating temperature, as well as the high amounts of moisture from rich running during wamup, that fill our crankcases with water.) So there is no point to changing the oil before winter, storing the bike, and then changing it again in the spring. If you change it in the fall, just fire it up in the spring and ride the season on the same oil. Fresh oil doesn't go bad sitting in a crankcase.

If you've got one-year old oil in the crankcase now, change it at your convenience. I don't think it matters whether you start it up before or after you do the change.

Most know this, but it bears repeating - the key to keeping water out of your oil is ride the bike long enough to evaporate it. The worst thing you can do for water problems is to periodically start the bike, bring briefly to temperature, and then shut it down. Every time you give your bike a good long ride, you're essentially boiling away any residual moisture in the oil since the last time you rode.

- Mark