Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Never done a poll before, screwed this one up twice so far, so here's hoping.....

A pre-oiler circulates pressurized oil around your engine before you start it. It can double the life of an engine. It almost eliminates bearing wear and your cams would love you for ever. Slick deal all the way around... except for the weight increase on the bike.

I would put one on IF...

1. it didn't weight 20 pounds...

2. it didn't cost more than a few hundred dollars.

While it sounds like a great idea, it seems like a little more than needed. The theory is great, but.....who keeps a bike, or a cage, forever? Most miles I've ever put on a cage was about 160,000, on a '70's Chrysler 400 V-8, no pre-oiler, no known engine wear, no oil burning. My buddy now has over 100,000 miles on his BMW K100, still runs fine, only smokes a little if left on the sidestand. I think I would pass, just about any time.

I honestly don't see keeping a bike more than about 100,000 miles anyways. If I did, well, the rest of the motor besides the bearings are probably getting a bit long in the tooth and should be replaced/upgraded, anyways.

My '86 Ford Thunderbird turbocoupe has over 260,000 miles on it and it was finally starting to have wear on the cam lobes, followers and bearings. If it made it that far without a pre-oiler, I think my bike will be fine for 60 to 80 thousand miles.

You know they made some kind of oil that sticks after the vehicle stops running, so when it starts up, everything is still lubricated. Would be no good with a wet clutch on a bike though probably. I always let my bike idle for a few moments after I start it even if it's warm already. That way it gives a little time for the oil to circulate before it goes into action.

This preoiler sounds pretty cool though. I like to keep things until they die, and I wouldn't mind seeing this SV hit 100,000. I have 5 year unlimited miles warranty, and I will squeeze every last mile I can in those 5 years. If I go at the rate I did last year, I would have about 75,000 miles on it under warranty lol. Suzuki should of known better before selling me an unlimited miles warranty.

The only bad thing about keeping a bike til it dies is that it may choose to die in the middle of the Mojave desert, or in the Arctic Circle, or about 500 miles from Tierra del Fuego.