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What Oil and Oil filter do you have in your Bandit?

Joined
Jul 25, 2009
Messages
58
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0
Location
Austin, Tx
First Name
Cesar
Last Name
Moreno Hernandez
Hi all,

What Oil and Oil filter do you have in your Bandit?
If it's Synthetic Oil, how often do you change it?

...I won't ask "why" since we're pretty close to Christmas, and peace is a must for this season...

Ride safe and thank you for your answers.
 
Without checking to see what weight I have traditionally been using, I bought a couple gallons of Castrol 4T (for motorcycles) 10-40 weight yesterday. I also picked up a couple Purolator (ML16818) oil filters while at Pep Boys, as both the SV and the Bandit take the same filter.

I've used designer-name oils, Am$oil, Semi-Synthetic, Synthetic, even Rotella Synthetic for diesle engines.... Returning home (after 30 years of being away from it) to Castrol has helped to make me feel warm & fuzzy about the oil I worshiped as a young biker. And I'll be darned if my gear box works quite well with it, the bike has yet to complain, it's inexpensive, and readily available virtually anywhere.

Castrol and either Mobil 1 or K&N filters..... STAY AWAY FROM FRAM FILTERS they are THE worst, made of cheap cardboard and poor valves.

By the way, I change my oil based entirely on whether I feel my oil is contaminated or not..... NOT mileage, nor the passing of a certain amount of time. Contamination via condensation from sitting too long and/or radical temp' changes while being stored, riding in dust storms for miles & miles, running hard & fast under VERY hot conditions, commuting less than ten miles then turning the engine off only to commute home and turn the engine off (oil not given enough time to warm up and burn off contaminants), etc.

Oh and ...... you gotta fight for individual rights, freedom, liberty, and "peace" (this season). Former hippies now politicians, and radical Liberals believe in unicorns, puppy dog tails, "entitlement", 'talking it out', and peace through positive affirmations and visualization (i.e., not working for it)..... The United States, it's "Leaders" (there are none), and 'men' need to grow a set, and not simply whine for "peace". Rant off.

Go change yer oil with ANYTHING suitable for motorcycles, and don't depend on "how long" or "how far".... instead exercise independent thought and decided for yourself if your oil is terribly old, contaminated with moisture or dirt, burned, or abused, THEN change it out with something new.
 
Hi all,

What Oil and Oil filter do you have in your Bandit?
If it's Synthetic Oil, how often do you change it?

...I won't ask "why" since we're pretty close to Christmas, and peace is a must for this season...

Ride safe and thank you for your answers.

I use Castrol 10-40, the filter I get from Walmart a Fram PH6018. Used the same stuff in my old 1200 Bandit, never a problem with using oil or wear (that I could tell)..Changed ever 3 to 4 K miles (depending on my memory).
Last change..oil was 12.99 (5 quart jug..cheaper than 4 individual quarts) Filter was 8 bucks
 
I use Wix filters or stock.....Oil, Shell Rotella 15W40.

+1. I buy Wix filters in bulk for my truck and the bike online and just grab a jug of Rotella whenever I'm in Walmart. Cheap and easy. So far so good.

trey
 
Guess i'm different, I always use a OE filter, but my oil changes according to my mood. Right now I'm using Mobile 1 4T. Don't know what I will use of the next change.
 
Shell Rotella 5W40 syn. with a Suzuki OEM filter.

Quite honestly I'm starting to think that under normal street-riding conditions you could run pretty much any oil in the Bandit and it will do just fine...
 
By the way, I change my oil based entirely on whether I feel my oil is contaminated or not..... NOT mileage, nor the passing of a certain amount of time. Contamination via condensation from sitting too long and/or radical temp' changes while being stored, riding in dust storms for miles & miles, running hard & fast under VERY hot conditions, commuting less than ten miles then turning the engine off only to commute home and turn the engine off (oil not given enough time to warm up and burn off contaminants), etc.

Go change yer oil with ANYTHING suitable for motorcycles, and don't depend on "how long" or "how far".... instead exercise independent thought and decided for yourself if your oil is terribly old, contaminated with moisture or dirt, burned, or abused, THEN change it out with something new.

Fitty,

I must say that your method of determining when its time to change oil is too say the least a little out there to me, and one should at least know if there oil is terrible old by knowing when was the last time it was that they changed it, and no offense but I know of no one that has the ability to be able to determine just how bad their oil is contaminated with moisture or dirt, if it is burned or abused without sending it out for an oil analysis, or to determine all of these things by simply looking at the oil through the sight glass.

So this is why the factory specifies an oil change schedule based on mileage, and to say that you can determine when to change your oil based on the laundry list of feelings and conditions you propose to be able feel or sense to me is a real stretch of the imagination, that is unless you have perfected some sort of a mind meld that you perform on your Bandit. Just saying. :rider:
 
HiFlo filter and Mobile 1 oil. Change it generally between 4000 and 6000. Depends where I'm at and what I'm doing. :-)
 
Oil =
1350.jpg


Filter =
genuine-suzuki-gsf1250-bandit-oil-filter-gsf-1250-5417-p.jpg
or
hiflow_hf138_lrg.jpg


Change interval = 5000kms or 12 months which ever comes first
 
The K&N oil filter with the nut on the end is AWESOME easy to change.. :clap: (and it's a good filter)

I've tried many oils:

Amsoil
Mobil 1
Rotella
Suzuki

They all seem about the same to me.

I change between 3000 and 5000, depending on my mood.... :rider:
 
Yo MetrickBandito,
Whas your poison, 'cause you musta been hit'n again before posting again.

I thought I could butcher postings (ramblings) with poor spelling and run-ons, but YOU my friend have bettered me again. (By the way, my poison is either red wine, rum & coke, whiskey & water, or straight up JD... what's your's?)

And I beg to differ with you.... it doesn't take an oil analysis to know that (YOU ferinstance) live and ride in an area surrounded by sand, or (you ferinstance) live and ride where the temp's can get crazy hot, or (you ferinstance) park where it can get insanely cold at night and HOT the following day, again & again. It doesn't take an oil analysis to know that a high speed run at over 120 mph for an hour at a time may have compromised one's oil.

If YOU wish to subscribe to the notion that mileage, and mileage alone, is the ONLY determining factor for deciding when to change one's oil..... then by all means, don't bother yourself with any needless thought to the conditions (or abuse) your oil has been treated.

They say oil is at it's absolute best for no more than about 2,000 miles, recent rantings by some folk now insist that oil changes performed TOO OFTEN is bad for an engine, and some studies have suggested that recycled oil reprocessed has outperformed fancy synthetics and designer-name oils.
All that I was suggesting in my post, is that people take the initiative to think for themselves and change their oil when they think it needs to be replaced or has been abused/contaminated.
All things considered, if I'm running a semi or synthetic (under ideal conditions) I'll change out my oil every 6,000 miles.... and have been known to go 25,000 miles (Amsoil/BMW). With dino-sludge (under ideal conditions), I change it out every 3,000 miles... the filter every 6,000 miles. If the bike sits for any length of time during the changing of seasons/temps, I disregard the mileage and change it out regardless. If I'm running down to Lancaster through the desert at blatantly illegal speeds to have a beer (or wine, or rum, or gin, or well... you get the picture) with my Bandito Brethren, I'll be changing it sooner than 3,000 miles. If I ride to work daily a mere ten miles, and then home ten miles, and virtually nothing more, I'll change that stuff out much Much MUCH sooner than 3,000 miles.

Common sense, not Gospel (how do you spell gospel/gosple?)

(You should see what I see when I use the Vulcan mind meld grip on my kitties....)
 
Fitty,

There was no alcohol involved when I wrote my post.

Now I'm really confused as you first stated and I quote,

By the way, I change my oil based entirely on whether I feel my oil is contaminated or not..... NOT mileage, nor the passing of a certain amount of time

And now in your last reply you reference using mileage many times in your reply as when to change your oil. Sort of hard to get rid of that mileage thing isn't it. ;-)
 
Again, OIL discussions have caused people to be 'less than friendly' to each other...
I propose oil-related topics be banned from the forum - unless we ALL agree that Rotella is the BEST OIL IN THE WORLD!
No, no, no, 'just kidding...
 
Rotella Synthetic was WONDERFUL in my FZ1..... for about 1,800 miles. Because it (used to be) VERY inexpensive, I just changed it out at 2,000 miles before the *CLUNK* at 1,800 miles continued to get worst and annoy me more. But since it's gone up in price and not so easily found, and I have mixed feelings toward it since trying it in the Fizzy.

It's odd how my recent conversion to an age old staple, 'Castrol'..... has reduced the whole oil thang to the "KISS" principle.
 
Regarding the Fitty / Metrick discussion:

Certainly mileage isn't the ONLY factor to consider. That's why car makers specify both a 'normal' and a 'heavy use' oil change interval. Ride in lots of dusty conditions, or lots of stop and go, and yeah, oil can get dirty faster.

Some cars, including most new BMWs, don't even have a recommended OCI any more. The computer monitors engine hours, speed, time spent idling, temps (engine, not ambient, as outside temp has no real bearing--it's oil temp that matters), etc. and lights a dash light when it's time for a change. In light use, btw, those BMWs frequently go close to 20K miles before the light comes on.

Anyway, for most uses, changing every 3K, or even 5K miles is probably excessive, but it leaves a safety margin. And, (my personal opinion), unless one keeps detailed records of your riding it's probably pretty hard to have a good "feel" for when to change if you ignore mileage.

And, unless your bike sits a LOT, I wouldn't worry about temp changes and condensation in the oil. As soon as you get that oil hot, all the water boils off anyway. And while Fitty considers the argument that too frequent oil changes are bad to be "ranting", it's well documented by UOAs. Here are a couple of engineering studies that show why...

paper 1
SAE Technical Paper 2003-01-3119. This paper is from Ford Motor Company, and shows that wear rates drop to 1/10th that of new oil after 50h of constant use (figure 5000 miles). The engine aged oil also runs at a friction rate of 10-15% less than new oil.

paper 2
Characterization of Anti-Wear Films formed from Fresh and Aged Oils

From this paper, the initial oil change film on the parts has a high degree of carbonate, formed from the Calcium in the oil as part of the TBN package. As the oil ages, the Calcium is depleted, which then causes the calcium film to disappear as it reacts back into the oil. Magnesium seems to have the same affect.

In fairness, those papers are some 4 years old, and it appears the manufacturers are changing the calcium compounds in their oils and adding boron compounds to address this. Newer oils may lessen the effect, but I've seen nothing to indicate they've eliminated it.
 
I use Mobil 1 10W-40 from Walmart changed every 5K miles

Used to be that a full synthetic (mobile 1 in particular) had issues with clutch engagement (slipping) due to high levels of moly. I actually used it in my 1200 for a time or two, and noted no problems. Went back to castrol when I became poor :rofl:
I guess the modern clutches (hydraulic actuated) have higher spring pressures. I remember my 850 slipping until I bought stronger clutch springs.
Any thoughts ?:headbang:
 
Used to be that a full synthetic (mobile 1 in particular) had issues with clutch engagement (slipping) due to high levels of moly. I actually used it in my 1200 for a time or two, and noted no problems. Went back to castrol when I became poor :rofl:
I guess the modern clutches (hydraulic actuated) have higher spring pressures. I remember my 850 slipping until I bought stronger clutch springs.
Any thoughts ?:headbang:
I have run it in all three of my bikes with no issues.
 
Rotella Synthetic was WONDERFUL in my FZ1..... for about 1,800 miles. Because it (used to be) VERY inexpensive, I just changed it out at 2,000 miles before the *CLUNK* at 1,800 miles continued to get worst and annoy me more. But since it's gone up in price and not so easily found, and I have mixed feelings toward it since trying it in the Fizzy.

It's odd how my recent conversion to an age old staple, 'Castrol'..... has reduced the whole oil thang to the "KISS" principle.

You mean the gear engagement clunk? Mine going into 1st from neutral is at times annoying.
speaking of clunk..1st to 2nd is a bit clunky...but after that seems ok..riding my son's GSX-R 1000... now his gearbox is sweet. A really slick shifting unit
 
Used to be that a full synthetic (mobile 1 in particular) had issues with clutch engagement (slipping) due to high levels of moly. I actually used it in my 1200 for a time or two, and noted no problems. Went back to castrol when I became poor :rofl:
I guess the modern clutches (hydraulic actuated) have higher spring pressures. I remember my 850 slipping until I bought stronger clutch springs.
Any thoughts ?:headbang:


Suzuki like most manufacturers of motorcycle with wet clutches recommend not using motors oils labeled as energy conserving, as they can effect engine life and clutch operation (clutch slipping).

I have know some people who have run regular car motor oil in their wet clutch bikes with no problems, but I have also known people who have experienced clutch slipping when they put
regular car motor oil in their wet clutch bike. So to be safe I would say it probably best to avoid
oils with an SH rating on the label which signifies it as an energy conserving oil.

No oil was changed before it was dirty or harmed or abused in any manner, nor was any alcohol consumed at any time during the writing of this post. :rofl:
 
..... and I'm NOT posting noth'n,
'cause the Kahlua & brandy in my coffee this morning has not successfully been offset by the oatmeal and my scrambled egg sammich. I better increase my mega C dosage and eat a couple more Omega 3's.

(BUT..... anybody wanna venture a guess why this inexpensive Castrol 4T seems to allow the transmission in BOTH of my Suzukis to snick into gear with no *CLUNK*, grind, or drama? I mean, better than the fancy synthetics I've been using?)
 
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