Totally agree. There are so many people that know tons about oil changes and when to do them, etc. etc. etc. ... and I'm sure they all designed engines for a living for Yamaha or some other big six motorcycle manufacturer ... not. Changing at 600 is fine ... hell, changing even later is fine. LOL
Nick
Well, there are at least several reasons to reccomend changing it out soon after purchase. One, of course, is to get the initial load of metals, adhesives, gaskets bits etc. that are left over from the assembly process. Aside from Marks Team Yamaha one off special, most engines have a pretty generous load of this stuff free of charge. You wanna leave it in there, well then good for you. Two, the oil drain plug has a reputation for, um,
generous torque on it from the factory. IMHO, it's better to get it out before it's gone through a bunch of heat cycles which may, or may not, contribute to it's permanent residence in the oil pan. Many owners have removed it, and the pan threads as a bonus, on this incredibly perfect Yamaha design, more than any other machine I've ever experienced. Were they the ones who waited for a while, or did they do it early? I don't honestly know, it would be interesting to know at what mileage they did the first change, but it is a little spooky how often this has occurred. Three, the final drive on most FJR's carries quite a bit of metal from intial break in-with no filter to remove any of it. Very unfriendly to the bearings and seals back there. Is there documented evidence of early failure attributed to delaying the fluid change? Not that I'm aware of, the final has proven to be one of the tougher components on this machine. But, why delay it? To prove a point? Have at it, lemme know how how not changing it (a 15 minute job) gave you so much more riding time again. I don't hear it enough. One of the pleasures in my life is not only riding, but the care and feeding of the mount I own. Spacing out the maintainance schedule has not been
proven beyond a doubt to be detrimental to the performance and life of the bike, unless it is taken to extremes. But then, few own the bike long enough to see well down the road the results of this lack of effort. I like heading out on a road trip knowing that the best possile care has gone into my Frank---I enjoy doing it, and I have yet to have any car or bike that did not respond by providing the best possible performance as a result, consistantly and for a very long time. I cannot remember the last time
any machine I own left me, or my wife, or my kids sitting on the side of the road, if ever. Not for decades ar least. I've replaced alternators that still charged, water pumps that didn't yet leak, coolant that was still green, oil that some would take from me and use in their own stuff as drained, plugs that still sparked. But I could, and can, climb into anything I own, or have owned, and set off on a cross country trip without a moments hesitation, and thats important to me. You see, I'm a Motorhead. Do as you will, I'm the guy that pulls over when you're stranded, and gets you going again if it's humanly possible, or gives ya a ride into town, chuckling to myself as I think how much money and time you've saved only to end up in my ride. It's what I do for a living, you see......
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