oil change ...how often

[dan5]

Just wondering how often you guys change your oil?

I've seen some people say, they change their oil every ride or every four hours.
Now I can understand this if your racing and your bike is modified to the max.

But me just being a trail rider that seems a little over kill. Honda recommends changing your oil every 100 hours .

So if I ride 10 times a year (if I'm lucky).
roughly 5 hours a day (just to make the math easy). That's 50 hours a year (half what Honda recommends). I should be good at changing it once a season.

Dan

[ridein'red7]

id do it every 10 hours

[rmcfadden68]

i do mine about every 10-20 hrs. feel oil see if its gritty. if so change it. me and my buddies ride every weekend and about two night rides a week and they only change theirs a couple times a year swearing that modern oil is so good that any more is overkill. their bikes are no less than 5 yrs old and no problems. i perfer high rpm in a lower gear vs low rpm in a higher gear so i just change mine more often.

[Miami_Vice454]

i do mine about every 10-20 hrs. feel oil see if its gritty. if so change it. me and my buddies ride every weekend and about two night rides a week and they only change theirs a couple times a year swearing that modern oil is so good that any more is overkill. their bikes are no less than 5 yrs old and no problems. i perfer high rpm in a lower gear vs low rpm in a higher gear so i just change mine more often.

Why do you prefer reving bike vs shifting up one to cruise?

[99400esex]

I change mine after every 4 or 5 rides, no matter how long the rides lasted. I like fresh oil. Seems to me that 100 hours is a little too long between changes

[honda400ex2003]

couple times a summer for me. i dont get real crazy since they are mostly trail riding stuff. if i am riding on a track for a couple hours it gets changed afterward. steve

[CJM]

Every 10-12 hours. This usually equates to 3 or 4 rides.

[ridein'red7]

o forget CLEAN THE COOLER too

[NacsMXer]

Usually every 2 track rides, which is about every 6-8 hours. Oil filter every other oil change. That's flogging the motor pretty good too, no easy trail rides here. I run the really good Maxima synthetic oil too, so it's probably overkill but fresh clean oil keeps my motor and I happy :D

[rmcfadden68]

Originally posted by Miami_Vice454
Why do you prefer reving bike vs shifting up one to cruise? guess i should have said all the riding we do is up hill. i see your in florida. speed aint my thing. the top of the mountain is my destination:)

[slightlybent47]

It’s not only friction that is in play here. When you change the oil you will always have some oil remanding in the motor. Then if you ride even for just a short time the carbon and other chemicals that collect in the oil will cause the oil to break down over time even if you don’t ride it. So just because you changed the oil when you parked it doesn’t mean it still good six months later. And consider that the oil is also cooling the motor as well as lubricating it. Yes oil is much better than it used to be but its cheap insurance.
I use a oil that is almost clear when it’s new and I change it when it gets dark but before it turns black. Witch is about 4-8 hours depending on how hard I ride.

[bherriman]

I change mine every 10 "ish" hours and I trail ride. Most people think that just because you trail ride your bike and don't race it, that it has a easier life. This is false. ridding the trails for a couple hours in 1st through 3rd gear not gaining any significant speed for longer than a couple seconds is very hard on the 400. You aren't keeping enough speed to properly cool the oil, causing pretty high oil temps. As most of you know OIL+HEAT=BAD. Keeping the oil temps up for sustained periods breaks down the oil. Now maybe every 10 hours is a bit early (not for me, an oil change is cheap insurance), but 100 hours is way way too long.

[Miami_Vice454]

guess i should have said all the riding we do is up hill. i see your in florida. speed aint my thing. the top of the mountain is my destination

ooo ok yea that kinda makes a huge difference since your going uphill lol

[kilgoja]

these guys are nuts...there's no need to change the oil that often...if the manual says every 100hrs then change it every 100hrs....it doesn't matter if you trail ride, race, or whatever....makes no difference...i'm like you and ride maybe 50hrs a year at the most...so i would change it every year...you could even change it every 2 years...it wouldn't hurt a thing...oil has a shelf life of like 5 years or so...so there's no need to change it before 100hrs to be honest...this engine has been around for a long time...i'm sure honda knows how often the oil needs to be changed lol

[400exshop]

Originally posted by kilgoja
these guys are nuts...there's no need to change the oil that often...if the manual says every 100hrs then change it every 100hrs....it doesn't matter if you trail ride, race, or whatever....makes no difference...i'm like you and ride maybe 50hrs a year at the most...so i would change it every year...you could even change it every 2 years...it wouldn't hurt a thing...oil has a shelf life of like 5 years or so...so there's no need to change it before 100hrs to be honest...this engine has been around for a long time...i'm sure honda knows how often the oil needs to be changed lol
If you know much about oil. Then you know that after the oil set for awhile it breaks down. and if it set to long it will also build up condinsation.

[09RappySe]

Originally posted by kilgoja
these guys are nuts...there's no need to change the oil that often...if the manual says every 100hrs then change it every 100hrs....it doesn't matter if you trail ride, race, or whatever....makes no difference...i'm like you and ride maybe 50hrs a year at the most...so i would change it every year...you could even change it every 2 years...it wouldn't hurt a thing...oil has a shelf life of like 5 years or so...so there's no need to change it before 100hrs to be honest...this engine has been around for a long time...i'm sure honda knows how often the oil needs to be changed lol

You are completely clueless about oil.

[bherriman]

Originally posted by kilgoja
these guys are nuts...there's no need to change the oil that often...if the manual says every 100hrs then change it every 100hrs....it doesn't matter if you trail ride, race, or whatever....makes no difference...i'm like you and ride maybe 50hrs a year at the most...so i would change it every year...you could even change it every 2 years...it wouldn't hurt a thing...oil has a shelf life of like 5 years or so...so there's no need to change it before 100hrs to be honest...this engine has been around for a long time...i'm sure honda knows how often the oil needs to be changed lol

I would advise you not to listen to this guy. The thing about manuals is they are great for many things, but also JUNK for many things I believe the manual also says not to wheelie or jump the quad. Who doesn't wheeelie or jump their quad at least once every time they ride? 100 hours is way too long I Don't care what the manual says. Like I said I change mine every 10-12 hours, and If I were you I wouldn't let it go much past 20 hours.

[kilgoja]

do whatever you want...it's your quad but changing your oil that often would be the same thing as changing the oil in your car every 1000 miles or something...it's not needed and it's a waste of money and resources that makes gas and oil prices go up...it's in the manual because that is when it needs to be changed...every 100hrs

people can say all they want on here it doesn't matter...i had a honda 3 wheeler and we changed the oil every 100hrs and it was regular oil...not synthetic or anything...obviously today's oils are even better....and that 3 wheeler lasted 15 years with no problems whatsoever.....so there is my proof as if any was needed...just follow the owner's manual

anything you read on the internet has to be true lol...what a joke...what do you think people did before the internet was around?....they went by the owner's manual...so you can believe what people say on the internet or you can believe what Honda(the company that designed and built your atv) says....regardless of what anyone thinks or says they don't know more about your atv than the company that made your atv does...changing your oil earlier doesn't hurt but it wastes money and it's just not needed....if you ride 50hrs a year then change it once a year...that's still changing it way earlier than it needs to be but changing it every 10hrs or so is rediculous

[99RED4X4]

rmcfadden68 - You must ride Yellow Creek.

I change mine every month or so. Probalby every 25 hours or so. As the an owner's manual would specify, "riding in extreme conditions such as dust, water, mud, high rpm, or excessive idleing, the oil should be changed more frequently"

I'm sure very few of us ride on nice grass 100% of the time at 1/2 throttle and never get the bike dirty.

Down in Yellow Creek where the hills are longer than the straightaways (are there any?) you're pretty much all or nothing!

Changing oil is relatively inexpensive (unless your using Amsoil) and easy to do. Change your oil alot!

[bherriman]

Originally posted by kilgoja
do whatever you want...it's your quad but changing your oil that often would be the same thing as changing the oil in your car every 1000 miles or something...it's not needed and it's a waste of money and resources that makes gas and oil prices go up...it's in the manual because that is when it needs to be changed...every 100hrs

people can say all they want on here it doesn't matter...i had a honda 3 wheeler and we changed the oil every 100hrs and it was regular oil...not synthetic or anything...obviously today's oils are even better....and that 3 wheeler lasted 15 years with no problems whatsoever.....so there is my proof as if any was needed...just follow the owner's manual

anything you read on the internet has to be true lol...what a joke...what do you think people did before the internet was around?....they went by the owner's manual...so you can believe what people say on the internet or you can believe what Honda(the company that designed and built your atv) says....regardless of what anyone thinks or says they don't know more about your atv than the company that made your atv does...changing your oil earlier doesn't hurt but it wastes money and it's just not needed....if you ride 50hrs a year then change it once a year...that's still changing it way earlier than it needs to be but changing it every 10hrs or so is rediculous


Haha your posts amaze me, Apparently all theese years my father and I have been building dirtbike/fourwheeler motors, and race motors for dirt track cars have been useless and we don't know what we are doing because we change the oil frequently. Maybe I need to start reading more on the internet....

[CJM]

Fact: manuals are not always right
Fact: If you dont change the oil often you wind up with sludge, which happens when the oil breaks down, which in turn will RUIN your engine.

The 400EX has a very high revving engine, your car doesnt rev out at 8k rpms all day long, the limits like 9500 RPM!
Your car barely goes over 3k rpm for any given amount of time and doesnt have awet sump engine where the motor oil lubricates everything and thus gets dirtier, it also has coolant which keeps the block cooler-a 400ex doesnt. Oil breaks down much more quickly in this type of engine than a regular car or even liquid cooled bike/atv engine.

Do what ya want, I change mine about every 10-12 hours and it costs me less than 20 bucks. big whoop, less than 20 bucks...cause the filters like 5, and 2 qts of mobil 1 are like 6/ea.

Small price to pay for piece of mine that your motor isnt full of sludge.

To those of you who say 100hrs is fine: Go ahead, I want you to ride as hard as you can for 100hrs..then go to drain the slop that has become your oil.

[honda400ex2003]

ah changed my mind not worth the breath.... do what you wish. ;) steve

[CJM]

Originally posted by honda400ex2003
ah changed my mind not worth the breath.... do what you wish. ;) steve

I wish i had the smarts to do that lol..

[dan5]

WOW

Didn't think this was going to be so hotly debated.There are definitely some different thoughts on this subject.

I probably won't change my oil every 10 hrs but I won't wait till 100 hrs either.

I used to own a XR250 dirt bike and I changed the oil on that once a season.
Had the bike for ten years and never had any problems. It was similar to the 400 in that it was an air cooled bike with an external oil cooler and also had an oil filter.I probably rode it 50 hours or so a season.

For me to change the oil every ten hours on my machine's would probably cost 75$ X 5=$375 a year, so cost becomes a factor for me.

thanx for all the feed back

[99RED4X4]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs348.ash2/62853_431326426212_650586212_5684741_2531395_n.jpg

When all you ride are hills like this, the oil gets dark real real quick! :)

[rmcfadden68]

Originally posted by 99RED4X4
rmcfadden68 - You must ride Yellow Creek.

I change mine every month or so. Probalby every 25 hours or so. As the an owner's manual would specify, "riding in extreme conditions such as dust, water, mud, high rpm, or excessive idleing, the oil should be changed more frequently"

I'm sure very few of us ride on nice grass 100% of the time at 1/2 throttle and never get the bike dirty.

Down in Yellow Creek where the hills are longer than the straightaways (are there any?) you're pretty much all or nothing!

Changing oil is relatively inexpensive (unless your using Amsoil) and easy to do. Change your oil alot! sure do also everywhere from there thru 152 across 213 all the way to wintersville in one direction and to smithfield in another

[rmcfadden68]

Originally posted by rmcfadden68
sure do also everywhere from there thru 152 across 213 all the way to wintersville in one direction and to smithfield in another funny man your dam near standing in my back yard!!! nothing is better than east coast riding

[99RED4X4]

Nice man, Just checked the map! You just ride the power lines huh?

This is my kinda riding!

[slightlybent47]

Originally posted by kilgoja
anything you read on the internet has to be true lol...what a joke...



So the post you made here is on the internet and if it’s true what you say about nothing being true on the web then that would mean that your post is crap as well.http://planetsmilies.net/not-tagged-smiley-10304.gif (http://planetsmilies.net)

[kilgoja]

well what i said came out of the owner's manual but...here's something else for all of you lmao

http://i35.tinypic.com/j8p16v.jpg

[slightlybent47]

What’s that your I.Q? Big BABBY http://planetsmilies.net/obscene-smiley-1044.gif (http://planetsmilies.net)

[kilgoja]

~cries like a little piggie all the way home~

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

[slightlybent47]

http://planetsmilies.net/obscene-smiley-1022.gif (http://planetsmilies.net)

[tri5ron]

after reading this thread, I've decided that i will start changing the oil in my lawm mower after each weekly mowing, but my quad should be good to go for at least 50 - 60 trips out to the desert.

btw, can I still use last years peanut oil,...
to deep fry this years Thanksgiving turkey ?

I mean, what the hell,.... It's only been used that one time, Right ???

[bherriman]

Originally posted by tri5ron
after reading this thread, I've decided that i will start changing the oil in my lawm mower after each weekly mowing, but my quad should be good to go for at least 50 - 60 trips out to the desert.

btw, can I still use last years peanut oil,...
to deep fry this years Thanksgiving turkey ?

I mean, what the hell,.... It's only been used that one time, Right ???



Wait just a second...you are gonna change your oil after 60 trips to the sand? THAT IS AN OUTRAGE! You should never change your oil until you've got at least 85.22449 tanks of gas ran through it and your oil is the consistancy of pudding. Why in the world would you change it before that? It's not logical to wanna keep clean oil in your machine.


As for the peanut oil only use it if you let it sit out in the sun, uncovered, for 6 days.

[tri5ron]

will my motor oil stay cleaner, longer,... If I add a couple oz's. of Dawn dish soap ???

and will Comet help to reduce sludge build-up ?

[bherriman]

You know I've never thought about trying Dawn, but I've always had great luck using 2 tablespoons of Oxyclean powder added to the crankcase every oil change.

[honda400ex2003]

Originally posted by tri5ron
will my motor oil stay cleaner, longer,... If I add a couple oz's. of Dawn dish soap ???

and will Comet help to reduce sludge build-up ?

im tryin it! steve

[tri5ron]

do I really need to run it through a coffee filter first ? ,
or will a funnel and some pantyhose work just as good ?

[honda400ex2003]

I didnt do either! man you should see the crud coming out of there now that i have taken it for a ride and emptied it again to check the results. Man i cant even believe that stuff was in my engine rotting it away. Thanks for the tip ron! I have to go refresh one more time then drain it and ill report back once again. steve

[f4iracer]

i didn't know the manual said every 100hrs thats retarded haha.

i change mine about once a month with shell rotella t 15w40

[99RED4X4]

On the serious side of things, Has anyone experimented with Seafoam in the oil?

I've done it in my trucks top end (put it in the air line) which does work!!

I've always been kinda reluctent to put in the oil though. It is guaranteed not to break **** though!

[hocman123]

i have never used seafoam on oil but i have but it in the tank once or twice to help keep the carb clean

but about the oil i think 10 hours is a little crazy but 100 hours way to long i do mine around every 20 hours and the old oil never looks grity or dirty at all

[rmcfadden68]

Originally posted by 99RED4X4
Nice man, Just checked the map! You just ride the power lines huh?

This is my kinda riding! we ride it all. most of the woods in a 40 mile radius are all the the same way. they do get easier the further away you get. do like spending a lot of time in yellowcreek. its about the most hairy ridin you can do. fact. about 7-10 people a year are life flighted out of yellowcreek and a couple a year have died. know your trail, ride with friends and stay sober!!!

[Ian400ex]

Originally posted by hocman123
i have never used seafoam on oil but i have but it in the tank once or twice to help keep the carb clean

but about the oil i think 10 hours is a little crazy but 100 hours way to long i do mine around every 20 hours and the old oil never looks grity or dirty at all
Agreed, 20-25 hours. Or for some of the forgetful people, once every other month if you aren't racing and destroying your throttle. :P

Originally posted by dan5
Just wondering how often you guys change your oil?

I've seen some people say, they change their oil every ride or every four hours.
Now I can understand this if your racing and your bike is modified to the max.

But me just being a trail rider that seems a little over kill. Honda recommends changing your oil every 100 hours .

So if I ride 10 times a year (if I'm lucky).
roughly 5 hours a day (just to make the math easy). That's 50 hours a year (half what Honda recommends). I should be good at changing it once a season.

Dan


YOU JUANTO DO IT MORE THAN THAT !!!

Originally posted by Miami_Vice454
Why do you prefer reving bike vs shifting up one to cruise?

CALLED RIDING HARD !! :mad:

I USE TO CHANGE THE OIL IN MY 250R ALL TIME SUNPRO OIL BE DA BOMB !!!! ALL TIME !!!

[tri5ron]

Baller, Lose the caps

Originally posted by tri5ron
Baller, Lose the caps


A RON LOOSE THE FLAPS !!!! ON YOUR GIRLS ABS !!!!:macho

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by BALLER440
A RON LOOSE THE FLAPS !!!! ON YOUR GIRLS ABS !!!!:macho Do you care, (or dare), to elaborate any on that ?

[Muzzgit]

Personal insults aside - which is not needed here - 100 hours is way too long.

10 hours is OK when your riding hard - dunes - racing lots.
Otherwise 20 hours would be the norm.

I do mine every 10 hours, I ride dunes a lot and I rev the crap out of it - (maybe I need a Rappy 700) but I do my missus bike less often cos she cruises, hardly revs the motor at all.

[rmcfadden68]

alright to the beginning of post. i just found my owners manual. it says every 100 miles. not hours. bud you read it wrong. try your best to do it every 10 hrs(at least for peace of mind) but as everyone agrees dont let it go over 20hrs. wheres the guy that runs rotella. im a flatbed hauler and know this product is for deisel motors. ive thought a lot about using rotella. does it get below freezing where you are? any problem with it circulating while warming up?

[250ex_dan]

what about a 250ex 08 model.
i ride mostly from 3rd to mid 4th gear to just cruise.?
i ride trails and stuff\,but not usally hard.?
anyo?ne

[rmcfadden68]

im not an expert on this,but i would think the more the better. 10-20 hrs seems fair on any unless your givin her hell all the time.. maybe once a month but definately more than once a season. 10 hrs is my perference cause by then mines gettin dark. i normally use quaker state 10w-40 non energy conserving oil.

[bherriman]

I said it once but I'll say it again just because you aren't "givin her hell" and racing doesn't mean your quad has an easy life. Most people think just because they just putt around in the trails or the field that their bike has an easy life. This assumption is false and many times a slow trail ride is just as hard on your bike as a race. The slower you go the hotter the oil gets and causes it to breakdown. If you ride a lot of trails change your oil often.

[dan5]

rmcfadden68

alright to the beginning of post. i just found my owners manual. it says every 100 miles. not hours. bud you read it wrong. try your best to do it every 10 hrs(at least for peace of mind) but as everyone agrees dont let it go over 20hrs. wheres the guy that runs rotella. im a flatbed hauler and know this product is for deisel motors. ive thought a lot about using rotella. does it get below freezing where you are? any problem with it circulating while warming up?


Actually it say's

INITIAL=100mi (150km), 20 operating hours or 1 month:R
REGULAR=Every 600mi (1000km),100 operating hours or 12 months:R

Replace oil every 100hrs

This is out of my 2008 owners manual

But I think after reading what you guys have said. I think I will change my oil more often than I was planning. Probably every 25 to 30 hrs. I know this is not as often as most. But like I said before, I had a XR250 that I changed the oil every 50 hrs and had no issues.

Thanx

P.S. on a side note how do you transfer someone,s post . do you just copy and paste or is there an easier way

Thanx again

[CJM]

Originally posted by dan5


P.S. on a side note how do you transfer someone,s post . do you just copy and paste or is there an easier way

Thanx again
You click the quote button and it will make it a quote. like I just did.

[Ian400ex]

Originally posted by tri5ron
Do you care, (or dare), to elaborate any on that ?
LOL man, that's great. He's definitely a nut.

Originally posted by CJM
You click the quote button and it will make it a quote. like I just did.
YO QUOTA !!!!!!!!!!

[CJM]

Originally posted by BALLER440
YO QUOTA !!!!!!!!!!

and the point of that was? stop spamming

[dan5]

Originally posted by CJM
You click the quote button and it will make it a quote. like I just did.

thanx that was easy

[CJM]

your welcome :) welcome to the site btw.

[rmcfadden68]

Originally posted by CJM
and the point of that was? stop spamming thank you whoever this baller440 junior member is. your all over these forums doin nothin but aggatating and insulting people and cant help but ask whats boyya mean?

[rmcfadden68]

Originally posted by dan5
rmcfadden68

alright to the beginning of post. i just found my owners manual. it says every 100 miles. not hours. bud you read it wrong. try your best to do it every 10 hrs(at least for peace of mind) but as everyone agrees dont let it go over 20hrs. wheres the guy that runs rotella. im a flatbed hauler and know this product is for deisel motors. ive thought a lot about using rotella. does it get below freezing where you are? any problem with it circulating while warming up?


Actually it say's

INITIAL=100mi (150km), 20 operating hours or 1 month:R
REGULAR=Every 600mi (1000km),100 operating hours or 12 months:R

Replace oil every 100hrs

This is out of my 2008 owners manual

But I think after reading what you guys have said. I think I will change my oil more often than I was planning. Probably every 25 to 30 hrs. I know this is not as often as most. But like I said before, I had a XR250 that I changed the oil every 50 hrs and had no issues.

Thanx

P.S. on a side note how do you transfer someone,s post . do you just copy and paste or is there an easier way

Thanx again dan5 i owe you an appology. turns out im the one who read it wrong. i now see the chart you got this from(maintenance schedule) my bad. i change it every 10 cause when i got the bike. xtended warranty company said dealer need to do inital in 10hrs so i didnt void the warranty. and it was dark when they did it and i dont get much more than 10 hrs out of it now.