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How many miles should a motor have on it before you start using synthetic oil in it. I am guessing about 10,000 Km (6,000) miles should be safe. What do you guys think.

Triumphs and Corvettes ship with synthetic from the factory. I'd say as long as you're past the break-in period go for it.

I say 500 miles is sufficient. Now I'm going 5K miles between changes (and filter), using motorcycle AmsOil in a Honda Shadow Spirit 1100. I could probably get away with longer intervals since the oil hardly changes color, but I'd rather spend a little extra $$ and not have to worry about it.

Hammersfan wrote:How many miles should a motor have on it before you start using synthetic oil in it. I am guessing about 10,000 Km (6,000) miles should be safe. What do you guys think.

I am curious why you want to switch to synthetic. Is it for the possibility of extended oil change intervals or you are willing to pay more for a possible increase in engine protection?

ZooTech wrote:Triumphs and Corvettes ship with synthetic from the factory. I'd say as long as you're past the break-in period go for it.

I know the part about the Corvettes is true, so I agree.

plainsman wrote:I say 500 miles is sufficient. Now I'm going 5K miles between changes (and filter), using motorcycle AmsOil in a Honda Shadow Spirit 1100. I could probably get away with longer intervals since the oil hardly changes color, but I'd rather spend a little extra $$ and not have to worry about it.

Oil color doesn't tell a whole lot. If you are truly interested in knowing if you oil change interval is correct, send a sample to Blackstone Labs. They will be able to tell you how your engine is doing and can give a basis for changing your oil change interval.

Mainly the reason I like synthetic oil is that it doesn't break down as quickly and yes I might tend to go a little longer between oil changes but not much more.

Any mileage is fine. Waiting for a breakin period for synthetic is just a myth, but some engines require you not to change your oil for the first so-so miles.

Just curious, why do people recommend against it specifically during the break in?

And, just to note, all I've ever used is synthetic in my bikes. Figured higher revving engine, lack of liquid cooling, generally high performance machine needs an oil that resists breaking down as much as possible.

canuckerjay wrote:Just curious, why do people recommend against it specifically during the break in?

The concern is that synthetic oil is so much more "slippery" than dino oil that the piston rings won't seat properly during break-in causing poor performance for the life of the engine. That, to me, is a testament to synthetic oil if we're asked to use dino oil as a cylinder "polishing compound" before switching.

They say that you should typically wait untill at least the first oil change before you switch to synthetic.
As was said, the reason why they dont want you to switch to synthetic right away is because the oil is so slippery that the engine doesnt break-in properly.
Im not an expert on bikes, but I would think that synthetic in a bike motor would be a given. I would think that especially on an air-cooled v-twin you would want synthetic because of the heat that an engine like that has to endure.

I put it in with my 600 mile service and have used it eversince. I read a lot about synthetic oil for motorcycles...and learned about the very best and other good products. I use one of the top three...."Shell Rotella T Synthetic", available at most Wal-Marts, believe it or not.