TomInPA
Well-known member
Walmart in Norwalk Ohio. Trip from Sacramento, to Ocean City MD via great roads. Oil change before heading to the U.P. of Michigan.
DIY Oil Changes While On the Road - Suggestions?
- Thread starter rjrettig
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C&C
Well-known member
If you are close to an oil change do it before you leave, otherwise I would just wait till I got back.
Take an oil filter with you since it's the one thing that might be challenging to find in BFE.
1. Head to a Wall-Mart or other place and get your oil
2. Head to a car wash and drain your oil down their catch pit
3. Swap filters
4. Top up with fresh oil
et vioala!
1. Head to a Wall-Mart or other place and get your oil
2. Head to a car wash and drain your oil down their catch pit
3. Swap filters
4. Top up with fresh oil
et vioala!
I've only done three mid-trip oil changes so far. Bandon OR on the YZF-600R, Del Rio TX on the R1100RT-P, and last November 1st in Etowah TN on my new 2012 FJR during my fly-n-ride from FL to CA. Being a brand new bike, I didn't think extending the OCI would be a good idea. Before leaving the dealer, I bought 5 quarts of Yamalube 10W-40 and a filter. I normally use Mobil 1 15W-50, but I figured I'd use Yamalube until switching to synthetic at 5000 miles. I found that it's a tight fit getting 5 quarts of oil, a filter, and some tools into one side case. Luckily I was travelling light and my clothing and toiletry kit fit into the other side case.
I left Clearwater FL at 5am and rolled into the Advance Auto Parts in Etowah about an hour before sundown with 642 miles on the odometer. Dumb luck that. It was 42 degrees, so I had to keep my gear on to stay warm. I bought the drain pain, funnel, Mobil 1 75W-90 gear oil, blue towels, etc. After draining the engine and gear oils, I dumped the oil into the recycling tank and left the pan, funnel, and towels there in case anyone else might need them. I guess I'm a bit anal-retentive, since I had my torque wrench and fresh crush washers with me...helps give me the warm-fuzzy feeling. After cleaning everything up, I was off to the hotel for a much needed Sonic burger and beers from the liquor store across the street. Small towns can be so convenient. And the bonus was having a nearly empty side case for the rest of the trip to CA.
I normally use a 5000 mile OCI, but for a longer trip I don't worry too much about going a little over since I'm using a good quality synthetic oil.
I left Clearwater FL at 5am and rolled into the Advance Auto Parts in Etowah about an hour before sundown with 642 miles on the odometer. Dumb luck that. It was 42 degrees, so I had to keep my gear on to stay warm. I bought the drain pain, funnel, Mobil 1 75W-90 gear oil, blue towels, etc. After draining the engine and gear oils, I dumped the oil into the recycling tank and left the pan, funnel, and towels there in case anyone else might need them. I guess I'm a bit anal-retentive, since I had my torque wrench and fresh crush washers with me...helps give me the warm-fuzzy feeling. After cleaning everything up, I was off to the hotel for a much needed Sonic burger and beers from the liquor store across the street. Small towns can be so convenient. And the bonus was having a nearly empty side case for the rest of the trip to CA.
I normally use a 5000 mile OCI, but for a longer trip I don't worry too much about going a little over since I'm using a good quality synthetic oil.
Ain't no other.
Try it, you'll like it.
Try it, you'll like it.
Twigg
Just an old, bald man!
I thought I read somewhere here that the oil change interval in the European Manual was 6000 miles anyway ... Did I miss read?
I may just do that. I have the same bike. If your clutch isn't slipping, it's a fair bet mine won't either.
Auburn
Well-known member
Post your anticipated route. Pretty sure someone who may be somewhere near it will offer to have you stop in and do any maintenance that you need along the way. The assistance list also lists people who are willing to help in that capacity too.
I have had many people ship tires to my house and show up to change them during their trip, and do their oil, and whatever else they need. kind of a pay it forward thing.
I have had many people ship tires to my house and show up to change them during their trip, and do their oil, and whatever else they need. kind of a pay it forward thing.
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DaJuice
Well-known member
I've not done the Walmart thing, but that would be my plan if I needed to do it on the road and couldn't find a friend along the way. There is a good article in the winter 2013 issue of the IBA mag wrote by Bob Rippy and Josh Mountain (Nutjob/RiderX). They had oil analyzed before and after the 2013 IBR by Blackburn Labs. For the synthetic oil Josh ran during the rally in his '07 FJR they told him to stick to an 11,000 mile oil change interval. Take that info for what it is worth as it relates to your trip, but if it were me, I'd not worry about it.
Edit: If you go the Walmart Route... it was suggested to me by Behmer to use a foil pan like you'd cook a turkey in rather than springing for an actual oil pan.
Edit: If you go the Walmart Route... it was suggested to me by Behmer to use a foil pan like you'd cook a turkey in rather than springing for an actual oil pan.
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escapefjrtist
Searching for Dry Roads
For an on the road oil change, why bother with the filter? Although we [some, most, all?] change the filter every time, the Periodic Maintenance Chart still shows filter replacement every other oil change. One less thing to worry about on the road and once won't hurt the engine...
--G
--G
FYI: Mobile 1 has been used in FJRs since they hit the US shores. They trick it to avoid anything with friction modifiers. That means no lower viscosity and especially nothing marked 0w[something]. The friction modifiers can lead to clutch slip. 15w50 is close to what Yamaha recommends (outside of the various Mobile 1 Moto oils).
Avoid them if they have this label on them (disregard the viscosity reference since we're talking about the lower rocker).
Avoid them if they have this label on them (disregard the viscosity reference since we're talking about the lower rocker).
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Pterodactyl
Well-known member
There was an article in Iron Butt magazine within the past year or so about oil mileage. The authors, two IBR riders, rode the entire event without changing oil, and then had their oil analyzed. One was an FJR the other was an RT. I do not recall the exact numbers, but the lab said the oil in both bikes was still satisfactory after finishing the rally and recommended a 9000 mile service interval for the FJR. Taking your bike 7000 miles on a trip without an oil change is not a risk.
The main problem with conventional multi-viscosity oils is the "viscosity improver" additives that are required to obtain that viscosity/temperature stability. I know that this is counter-intuitive, but an oil that has a larger spread between the first and second number actually maintains its viscosity better when heated than an oil with a smaller spread. Those VI additives are not as robust as the base oil and they will break down and shear in the transmission over time and then you end up with a much lower viscosity oil than what you started out with.
Typically, synthetic oils achieve their spread in multi-viscosity via the synthesis process, not by using VI additives, so they are not as prone to thinning, or shearing (in the transmission) over higher mileages, hence their ability to be used with increased change intervals..
"Energy Conserving" oils come in all different ranges of viscosity ratings, but typically you do see them in the lighter weights as the energy loss is lower with the lightest possible oil. They also contain friction modifier packages that improve the "Energy Conserving" properties. It is those friction modifiers that are incompatible with a wet clutch motorcycle. You need friction in the clutch.
Mobil1 makes an oil rated at 0W40. They call it their "European Formula". It doesn't have any friction modifiers, so it could be used in an FJR. But unless you plan on spending a lot of time starting the bike in sub-zero temps, the 0W part of that oil is pretty much wasted. I've never had the least bit of trouble starting an FJR, even at below freezing temps, with a 15Wxx rated oil.
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and.. the 15w is much closer to the Yamaha spec'd 20w.
Current oil specs from FSM:
The 15W is actually right in the middle of their recommendation. If 15Wxx is OK and xxW50 is good, then 15W50 is fine.
jmgrif
Well-known member
A few years ago a friend and I rode across Canada to Newfoundland then zig zagged back down and across the US. Eventually arriving back home having done 25,500 kms. We did all our oil changes at m/c dealers every 5000 kms and most let us use their parking lots etc and only charged for the products we bought from them. We did a tire change in Kansas where the service manager loaned us his truck so we could go get breakfast while he had the tires changed! With very little exception, I have always been served well by bike shops regardless of brand identification. I would be inclined to change oil and filter prior to going on this length of journey.
Top_Speed1
Panama Canal Crosser
I know most Walmarts are oil change friendly, but, back 25 years ago or so, we went to a NAPA outside of Vero Beach FL, they set us up with a pan, strap wrench and socket/ratchet. They took care of the old oil as well, we did buy the (new) oil & filter from that NAPA store (yes, even back then they had one to fit my Seka!). 
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BkerChuck
Second hand vegetarian
Regarding the earlier post suggesting using a car wash drain pit. In many areas, local ordinances may require the water be recycled and draining your oil there could get someone in some pretty serious trouble! Probably not a good idea!
Twigg
Just an old, bald man!
Lots of oil goodness there ^^^
There is a bit more. As Fred said, the lower number in the spec applies to "col-starting". 15W is fine for most of us, people who live in igloos might want to consider 10W or a sump heater.
As for the viscosity enhancers .... they are long-chain hydrocarbons, and when subjected to the high shear stresses in a motorcycle transmission, they become short-chain hydrocarbons, and cease to work. This also happens in the much tougher (than car engines) diesel engine environment, where compression ratios can be over 20:1 and the stresses on large bearings is much higher.
So diesel engine oils do not use viscosity enhancers, they achieve the multigrade rating by blending different base-weight oils. This, by happy coincidence, also makes them suitable for motorcycle engines, and as truckers generally don't like being ripped off, they tend to be rather cheaper than almost the same oil in a bottle with a picture of a bike on it
There might be a minor difference in the composition of detergents, etc, but the oil meets the spec so it is quite good enough.
The implication of the above is simple .... If you are desperate, and need oil NOW, then you can pretty much put anything in and safely run your FJR. Oil is oil, and the specs relate to the extremes of its performance envelope. You can put Castrol GTX in your bike if you want, the key is changing it as soon as is practical. Your bike will not disintegrate nor will you crash in flames and die.
Motor car multigrades will deteriorate faster than the recommended oils. That has implications mainly for the service interval, rather than being an indicator of how quickly your engine will wear out. So if you are in a fix, adding, or replacing your oil with something weird you bought at a gas station, is just fine ... for a while. Deteriorating, by the way, is how many miles it takes before your 40W oil has become 30W, a whole grade lower. That should be no less than the service interval for the normal oil. With a viscosity enhanced oil in a bike it could be maybe 1000 miles, rather than the normal 4000+.
Your clutch might slip a bit. In reality this is mentioned by everyone who writes about friction modifiers. In practise I have never heard of it being a real thing, but it is a theoretical thing. Again, just be careful. Your clutch can handle 150 hp. If you need strange oil in an emergency, don't make it handle 150 hp. How hard is that
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