Oil Burn

[rsnow]

How much oil is normal to burn between tanks of gas?  I've had my GS500F for a couple of months.  I had all the fluids replaced including an oil change when I bought it.  I have already had to add oil after about 500 miles on the bike.  I don't see an obvious oil leak and it doesn't smoke.  Is there a thread on this topic?

I am so glad I held out for this bike!  I cannot get enough!!!!

[X-ray]

There are several threads but riding style and an air cooled engine are just 2 factors. If you want some fun, try searching for oil evaporation I think. That was an entertaining if not informative thread.

[gsJack]

Quote from: gsJack on September 09, 2013, 01:22:23 PM
......................................As with all GSs oil consumption goes up with high mileage.  Best as I can remember it began using a bit of oil after 1.5 k miles after change and was down to add mark at next change up to about 30k on the clock.  By 50k miles it needed a pint or 2 between changes.  Somewhere between 50 and 100k miles it self converts from a 500cc engine into a 500cc oil pump but continues to tick right along if you keep oil in it.

[prmas]

I believe that GS Jack would agree with me that you should be using 20w50 oil at temperatures above 80F. I do.
This will reduce your oil consumption significantly if you are presently using 10w40 as Suzuki recommend.
An additional benefit is that I find the gearbox is a lot smoother with the heavier oil too.
Contrary to what just about everyone on this forum says I also run my oil level deliberately overfull, up to the top of the "flat" on the dipstick. I also do this on my Honda and all of my cars.
I have been a qualified mechanic for 45 years and I can assure you that it is better to be 300ml overfull than underfull, particularly with an air cooled engine. Remember that oil is the FIRST and MAJOR source of cooling on ALL engines.
I have NEVER seen a problem, in 45 years, on any engine from being 10% overfull.

Macka

[twocool]

If you have to add a SMALL amount of oil every 500 miles...don't worry about it.

Air cooled engines, in fact ALL engines use some oil... they have to ..

If your oil consumption gets greater and greater...that indicates a problem...

My bike would drop down to about the 1/2 mark on the dip stick...two times between each oil change...3500 miles...it did this when it was new...and it does the same now at 50,000 miles....

I'm expecting  to begin to see some increase in oil usage now with the high miles...but even that does not indicate anything more than "normal" wear...

Cookie

How much oil is normal to burn between tanks of gas?  I've had my GS500F for a couple of months.  I had all the fluids replaced including an oil change when I bought it.  I have already had to add oil after about 500 miles on the bike.  I don't see an obvious oil leak and it doesn't smoke.  Is there a thread on this topic?

I am so glad I held out for this bike!  I cannot get enough!!!!

[twocool]

Cool....we're gonna have yet another oil argument!


"If a little bit is good, then more MUST be better!

No...this is poor logic!

Yes oil cools the engine.....maybe the logic that therefore more oil will cool better seems to make sense...but it doesn't. 

1) the engine was designed to run just fine with the oil level between the full and the low mark.

2) if your engine runs at the correct temperature..over filling will not make it run "cooler"..and in fact a too cool engine is bad.

2a)  If you engine runs "hot" with the oil level in spec...the problem is NOT the oil, the engine has some other problem.  If the engine runs hot with oil in the normal range, it will still run hot if you over fill the oil!

3) the danger of overfilling an engine is that you can get the oil level up to the point where the crank and rod ends "whip" the oil...it makes foamy, useless oil.

4) OK an extra ounce or two, won't hurt anything...but neither will it help anything.

Check your oil before you ride....If it is getting toward the "low" side on the dipstick...top it up to the high mark...that's all you have to do!

Just for bragging...I got 50,000 miles....engine uses very little oil....runs at correct temp. Shifts smooth..I use spec oil..(10w 40)


Cookie

I believe that GS Jack would agree with me that you should be using 20w50 oil at temperatures above 80F. I do.
This will reduce your oil consumption significantly if you are presently using 10w40 as Suzuki recommend.
An additional benefit is that I find the gearbox is a lot smoother with the heavier oil too.
Contrary to what just about everyone on this forum says I also run my oil level deliberately overfull, up to the top of the "flat" on the dipstick. I also do this on my Honda and all of my cars.
I have been a qualified mechanic for 45 years and I can assure you that it is better to be 300ml overfull than underfull, particularly with an air cooled engine. Remember that oil is the FIRST and MAJOR source of cooling on ALL engines.
I have NEVER seen a problem, in 45 years, on any engine from being 10% overfull.

Macka

[1034am]

I dropped my bike off the roof and it still ran.
So it must be okay to do it then.
Do it.
Do it.
Do.


(Don't do it.)

[twocool]

Your logic is infallible !

Just some reading on "overfilling"..you can searchout 100's of these stories on the internet..

http://community.cartalk.com/discussion/2148839/overfilling-oil-worst-case-scenario


Cookie

I dropped my bike off the roof and it still ran.
So it must be okay to do it then.
Do it.
Do it.
Do.


(Don't do it.)

[gsJack]

On my 02 GS500 I changed oil at 2-3k mile intervals changing the filter ever other oil change.  Specs call for 2.7 qts to fill w/o filter change and 3.1 qts with.  I always put in 3 qts to fill so I guess I was overfilling by approx 300 ml every other change for 100,000 miles.  I didn't think it would do any harm, I knew it wouldn't as did Macka.  50k miles on a GS is just nicely broken in.

[Rallyfan]

I go above the hash marks also. Shifts no different I suppose, though I've never tried shifting when low on oil.

I'm using 15W-40 but wonder if I'd like 20W-50 better in the high ambient temps I usually experience.

[twocool]

Over filling a LITTLE BIT...won't hurt anything....it is also of no benefit..

I guess Jack likes to empty the bottles!

But then again, a bottle with .3 quarts in it can come in handy when you need to add a bit of oil between changes...you don't have to crack open a new bottle.

Of course changing oil more often than needed is of no benefit either...

I change the oil at 3500 miles (as per Suzuki spec.) and change the filter each time, (as per Suzuki spec).   I add 3 quarts, instead of 3.1....so I'm running 3 ounces short!  Oh my God!

Let's get somebody to put in 4 quarts or 5 and see what happens!! 

Cookie

On my 02 GS500 I changed oil at 2-3k mile intervals changing the filter ever other oil change.  Specs call for 2.7 qts to fill w/o filter change and 3.1 qts with.  I always put in 3 qts to fill so I guess I was overfilling by approx 300 ml every other change for 100,000 miles.  I didn't think it would do any harm, I knew it wouldn't as did Macka.  50k miles on a GS is just nicely broken in.

[gsJack]

I go above the hash marks also. Shifts no different I suppose, though I've never tried shifting when low on oil.

I'm using 15W-40 but wonder if I'd like 20W-50 better in the high ambient temps I usually experience.

Copied from a previous post of mine:

My tale of octanes, gas knocks, and oil grades.

I had four 400-750cc Hondas I used 10W-40 oil winters and 20W-50 summers after they had some milage on them for the 230k miles I put on them.  When I got the 97 GS new I ran 15W-50 Mobil I full synthetic for about 50k miles after break-in.  After all 5 (4 Hondas and 97 GS) got 10-20k miles or so on them getting carboned up they developed gas knock in hot weather under load so I used mid range gas in them summers to eliminate the knock.  When oil consumption increased I replaced the more expensive Mobil I with the 15W-40 heavy duty aka diesel oil and then one hot summer day I inadvertantly filled it with regular 87 octane gas and it never knocked.  And it never knocked again for the next 30k miles I put on it with the 15W-40 oil.  My 02 GS has gone all of it's 90k+ miles on 15W-40 oil and regular 87 octane gas without a single knock.

Conclusion:  A 89-02 GS500 runs cooler on 10/15W-40 oil than on 15/20W-50 oil, no doubt in my mind.  Never had a 04 or later model with an oil cooler so I can't vouch for them but I would run the same in them myself.

[Rallyfan]

Thanks! That sounds sensible.