@GS - I used to religiously change oil in my car for every 5K kms as per Maruti's oil change interval & once it so happened that the M.A.S.S guys told me the oil is good even after 5K kms. I accepted it with complete disbelief & cursing them for their laziness.

But I did a grueling 1835 Kms trip in 4 days upto north KA which was after some 2-3K kms clocked on the ODO. Which means, the last oil change had been done about 7-8K kms ago. Not even once I'd any issues & the car behaved absolutely great under cold, hot, highway, bad roads & city jams.

I'm beginning to strongly believe that unless & until the color of the oil turns black OR the engine tells me something is not right, I'm not willing to change the engine oil for fun. More than being expensive, I like your third point on environment.


Morons, trying to make money, that's all!!!

aargee - the color WILL turn black. This is natural and this is what I am trying to say. Black doesn't mean the oil is "burnt".

Even I believe the MT01 doesn't need an oil change every 5000Km and this is just a ploy to help the service center get recurring income. You know there are no free services if you buy a CBU in India...all paid and all costing upwards of 3000 rupees.

The user manual states that the first service is at 1000, 2nd at 10000, 3rd at 20000 etc. Basically 10000 Km intervals. But in India they want us to come every 5000Km or lose warranty.

This is nothing but THIEVERY

Listen to your machine and do what is necessary. I have the facts and the balls to back up this next statement of mine:

If you are changing oil under 5000Km then:

1. You are stupid
2. You are gullible and easily led on by unscrupulous mechanics
3. There is something dramatically wrong with your motorcycle (smokey exhaust or dropping oil levels)

Usually it is the 1st option

Are you talking about the synthetics or minerals. But GS-jee dont you think that there is a difference between a multicylindered MT01 & other single cylindered conventional indian bikes??
Well i think that the oil gets more thickened due to more and more carbon deposits in it. So using an oil for that long may cause some problems in morning starts & in proper flow of oil. Doesnt it?? Any clarifications please.
Am the 2nd one. Warranty issues.

@gsferrari: bro, it's about the roads I ride during wknds r overall dusty n bad patches...well, I use the mineral oil, so I do the oil change in 1500+ kms... of course at times, this go on till 2000+ mark also, before changing that...anyway, in my opinion, minerals are not a type to last with carbon deposits & dust particles, for a long unlikely synthetic...anyway, I agree with Aargee in one point, that I do feel the roughness of the engine/clutch/gear, before judging whether to change the oil...
IMO this is an OT we are heading to...

i don't think so.

yes. of-course it will. mineral oil.

For synthetic oil... i agree with you bout the 5000kms.
in my post at the top of the page... i've mentioned i change fully-synth oil at 7000 kms.
so does that make me 2000 clicks wiser than you?

i was talking about mineral having to be changed way more frequently.

i know the difference an oil change (mineral-oil) makes
when changed at 2200kms as opposed to 5000kms.

chalk n cheese. quite literally.


But... for a single cylinder, air-cooled pulsar... for me... 3000kms is the upper limit for mineral oil.

.

If you are running stock front and rear tyres. Then your bike should do 83 Kmph @ 6K RPM in 5th Gear. If its doing lesser then in all *probability* your clutch plates are worn out and slipping.

For most people its usually changed anywhere from 20-28K. But can change wildly with riding pattern and condition.

Oil change interval depends on how hard you are riding your and which oil you are using. Craptrol doesn't last even 1K kms. If you don't want to spend much towards Oil, get the Valvoline Premium 4T Semi-Synth Oil. Its just a little bit more expensive than Mineral oil and lasts about 2.5-3K kms.

@GS: Thanks to the 'brilliant' engineering from Bajaj the engine oil doesn't last as long as most other engines. Hence the earlier change interval.

Many posts advising to change clutch plates when problem arises. Not one addressing when its reasonable time for a change. Meaning, its not a problem yet but soon will be. I'm interested to know what kms would be reasonable on the average. I'm the type who like to change things before problem arises .

@gs ferrari.....

@gsferari sir,
wht ever my experiance is ,the indian car scenario changed a lot.
a 80 s amby or fiat 1100 used to destroy oil anything between 7500kms in patrol engines.
but at the same time the diesels are gen used to drink oil from 3k-4k.
but the scenario changed with nicer engines from 90 s onwords.
maruti 800s,1000s or others used oils for more then 7500kms.
i was shocked when i saw my dads maruti zen mpfi 02 model clocked more then 10,000kms but still when i checked the dip stick,the level was same,no drop.the biggest shock was the color.it was roughly same as a new one.
i checked my uncles new santro,it also showed the same charecter,amazing.
the 2000 model indica with idi disel engine used to black en oil within 5k and used to change in 7500kms.
diesel 2.6 lit di engine of scorpio showed the same charecter as the indica but the oil drop was very very less,even after clocking 178000 kms without any engine overhaul.
the new scorpio mhawk is having a oil change interval of 15,000 kms,and the oil level dont drop,it gets blacked though but the viscosity is maintained.

my experiance with bikes(indian) are a bit different.may be because they are air cooled and no oilfilter in the system.
my pulsar 180 ug2 which ibrought back in 2005 used to drop oil level after 1000kms.but the viscosity was maintained,i must add.days past,years past,newer bikes,newer models,newer models came out.i saw a change when i used valvoline for the first time.the oil drop was minimal.but still it needed topup.currently after shifting to motul ,the oil drop continues but the oil stays good upto 4000kms with,bit topups are required after every 1200kms.
my brothers newer bigger pulsar 220 ,easyly uses oil.no or very very less drop.also the oil stays good even up to 5k.a small top up is needed at 3k .
so i feel if the bikes having water cooling,oil filter etc the engine oil life can be extended.

When the clutch plates start slipping (the clutch may not go fully out, or takes a few seconds to go fully out) then its definitely time for a check. We have to check the plates and basket for all signs of wear and replace if neccessary.

I myself have replaced it when my Bike ODO touched around 11K Kms.. See it depends upon how the Bike is ridden also. If you are engaging and disengaging a lot, it may result in wear and tear quite often. I have seen quite a few friends of mine whose clutch plates are still intact, crossing 20K kms..

Whenever the Bike is getting serviced, its better to check with the service Engineer, whether the plate needs replacement or not. They are the best person to tell at that point of time.

P220 DTSi has reco clutch assembly, going by the standards of that company a replacement at 30K is reasonable. There is no thumb-rule for wear and tear of clutch plates. However there will be symptoms like reduced pick-up, reduced speed of vehicle as against the rated RPM (in a given gear)**
If the bike is ripped a lot then replacement has to be done earlier. Hope this helps...

(**) For instance Achiever's speed is 60kmph in 5th gear at 4700 rpm, between 25-30K odo reading the speed would be lesser say 55kmph at same RPM (in same gear)...it's time to replace !!!

Sorry to dig this back up but I use mineral oil in my MT-01 and still change every 5000 only because I HAVE to. For a single cylinder pulsar 3000 is still too early. Well - your money...our environment. You know what is best

you use mineral oil in MT 01 quite strange..i have R15 i use the SS yamaha lube that SVC pour at every service but after 1000kms and so... i feel bike becoming rough...gear shifts and all....and after changing engine oil bike again becomes smooth...what you will say on this?

Why is it strange to use Mineral Oil in the MT-01? Your reasons please?

What oil are they using in your bike? Give me specifics. Does the R15 have an oil filter? If yes - do they replace this as well?

There is some other problem with your bike if you are eating up oil at this rate...perhaps psychologically you guys have been brainwashed into this "Oil Badli Karo" movement. A good engine shouldn't need an oil change under 5000Km.

+1 on this.
If we feel harshness, most of us feel that it is because of engine oil. it is not the only reason.
Whoever feels that engine is harsh due to engine oil (less than 3000 km) ,
Get bike serviced without changing oil. You will notice that it was not because of oil. It was something else. Might be a loose chain, unlubed chain, blocked air filter.. etc.