Yes I searched but did not get a precise answer on my question;

Change oil with only motorccle oil.. got that part (not a question really - truly a personal choice)

The real question I have is (bought my gs used so no user manual);

how often you have to change it ?
I ride 116miles a day to work and back + weekends. mostly highways and byways...
I rarely crank it over 7K rpm wize (cause I have no need for high revs)

also I am located in Texas, would a higher than 10w40 beneficial ? (ie I use 20w50 in my jeep), because the heat is ovber 90+ in summertime.. (heck its spring and its near 80F already).

any thoughs ?

Where the hell on here did you come to the conclusion to only use MC oil   That's BS half this board uses regular Dino oil of some sort, just the shaZam! you put in your car ( GTX, Walmart special, whatever )  I change my oil with 10w40 GTX every 3k miles along with a new filter.  If I'm riding hard I'll change the oil out midway between regular changes

Suzuki says to change the oil every 4,000 miles. A lot of people seem to do it every 2,000 - 3,000 miles. I figure you can't go wrong following the manufacturer's recommendations, however since the bike is air cooled and shares oil with the tranny and engine, it does stress oil. So do whatever you feel comfortable. I'm planning every 3,000 which is split in the middle of suzuki and rabid oil changing types

Using MC oil is highly debated, that's the kind of statement that can start up a flame war so watch out... Personally my bike has 3 quart's of $1.19 napa branded generic car oil...

Quote from: spcterry on May 16, 2007, 09:32:55 AM
Where the hell on here did you come to the conclusion to only use MC oil   That's BS half this board uses regular Dino oil of some sort, just the shaZam! you put in your car ( GTX, Walmart special, whatever ) 

well that wasn't my question now was it ?

I decided to put MC oil well because I want to, this based on personal decision (much like it is yours not to.).

Quote from: spcterry on May 16, 2007, 09:32:55 AM
I change my oil with 10w40 GTX every 3k miles along with a new filter.  If I'm riding hard I'll change the oil out midway between regular changes

Thank you that was sort of an answer I was looking for.

Quote from: debtman7 on May 16, 2007, 09:39:26 AM
Suzuki says to change the oil every 4,000 miles. A lot of people seem to do it every 2,000 - 3,000 miles. I figure you can't go wrong following the manufacturer's recommendations, however since the bike is air cooled and shares oil with the tranny and engine, it does stress oil. So do whatever you feel comfortable. I'm planning every 3,000 which is split in the middle of suzuki and rabid oil changing types

Sounds like if suzuki says every 4,000 miles, then this I will do, maybe a little earlier, but 4000 miles is not many months for me, 116 miles/day * 5 days  = over 500 miles / week... thats 2K miles a month... I dont think I want to change it more often than every other month personally... thanks

Quote from: debtman7 on May 16, 2007, 09:39:26 AM
Using MC oil is highly debated, that's the kind of statement that can start up a flame war so watch out... Personally my bike has 3 quart's of $1.19 napa branded generic car oil...

Wasnt looking to start a debate on oil type I have edited the message to reflect this.

Anyone using heavier than 10w40 in summer time (anyone from the south)??
Can I use 20w50 in the engine (as per rating of >100F temps...unless I am mis reading this)
or 10w50 perhaps ? I jus dont want to blow the gasket on the girl I need her to save $$$ on daily drive to work.

But you did say

Quote from: pbureau69 on May 16, 2007, 09:28:06 AM

Change oil with only motorccle oil..

And that is not a fact. You stated it as if thats what the board says to do.

The "oil question" comes up every 2 weeks on here. IMO its up to you.. put in whatever you like.. you can use synth, dyno, whatever.... The GS is a very durable bike and its not picky w/ oil.

As far as the weights. The manual states that diff weights for higher/lower tems is fine for the GS  I dont have my manual here at work, but if you need the weights and temps that they sugest PM me 

if you do decide to use the 20w50, would you mind updating this thread with any gas mileage changes ?

i'm betting you keep an eye on it, since your commute is a good distance.

i also wonder if you're using any windprotection --- windscreen ?

thanks!

OK..

home from work and 1 beer down so here is the oil/temp guide from the GS Manual

It states...  USE SAE 10W-40 .. If not you can use the following

temp / Oil

14F-104F+ =20W-50
0F - 104F+ = 15W-40 or 15W-50
-4F - 104F+ = 10W-40 or 10W-50
-4F - 86F = 10W-30

Quote from: scottpA_GS on May 16, 2007, 02:47:42 PM
It states...  USE SAE 10W-40 .. If not you can use the following
<snip!>

thank you, so I could use 20w50 (like my jeep does).... almost all year long... humm...  (doubt they make that weight in mortorcycle oils... yeah yeah I know Castol GTX does :lol)

Looks like 10w50 would be for all around the year though....

Quote from: ohgood on May 16, 2007, 01:49:26 PM
if you do decide to use the 20w50, would you mind updating this thread with any gas mileage changes ?
i'm betting you keep an eye on it, since your commute is a good distance.
i also wonder if you're using any windprotection --- windscreen ?

I keep a log of all refills... dont you ? (grin)

10w40 MC oil using 93 Gas... I get 58MPG ~ 175 Miles per 3.0 Gallons pretty constant since I have been using the bike everyday. (have not pushed it to see 5 gallons... but if constant I guess I should be able to get to 290 Miles on 5 gallons to keep ~58MPG average.... (I am used to gazing up ~ 200 miles.. old habbits) of course the temps are 60-88F right now, when it its > 100 I am sure this will drop to 50MPG

Ill keep you posted.

Dude, if you're commuting that much, save yourself some $$ and just run 87, like the manual says to. It's what the bike is designed for.

Quote from: NiceGuysFinishLast on May 16, 2007, 04:39:08 PM
Dude, if you're commuting that much, save yourself some $$ and just run 87, like the manual says to. It's what the bike is designed for.

* NiceGuysFinishLast dons a flame suit.

heeeyyyy you back on the road yet ? with those matching leathers

Yep, bike runs better than ever. New sonic springs up front in the new forks, custom dual headlights, it's a blast. Still haven't had the leathers shortened though, gotta do that soon. Also gotta lose some weight so the pants fit better.

I'm on the road about as much as you   But mostly just by choice, I get bored and go riding Every 3-4k is fine just keep an eye on the level and color   Dark brown is fine but black is bad and if it sparkles your f%&ked   Get the cheap Fram filters at autozone instead of Suz filters.  Fram is like 4-5 bucks and I don't even want to know what Suz wants

As it has been frequently pointed out, oil matter is something like religion. Everybody has his or her own belief. So this is just my personal opinion.

(Q) How often do we have to change it?
(A) It depends on the property of oil. Basically, every 2K miles (3K kilometers) is recommended, if I use regular oil. As far as I know, all MC oil is in this category. If I want to change my oil less frequently, I use paraffin-based petroleum oil. It requires every 6K miles (10K kilometers) to be changed.

(Q) Would a higher than 10W-40 beneficial?
(A) It depends on where I live. Suzuki determined oil viscosity by testing GS in Japan (mainly at Shizuoka), where it has milder temp than southern U.S. I am in Florida and thus I use 20W-50.

Quote from: HGD00727 on May 17, 2007, 12:12:28 AM(Q) Would a higher than 10W-40 beneficial?
(A) It depends on where I live. Suzuki determined oil viscosity by testing GS in Japan (mainly at Shizuoka), where it has milder temp than southern U.S. I am in Florida and thus I use 20W-50.

thanks

I used 15-50 Mobil 1 full synthetic in my 97 GS500E for 50k miles and it progressed from reg to mid range to premium gas as the carbon built up over the miles to prevent gas knock, ie pinging, under full throttle on hot days as all four of my previous Hondas did on 20-50 oil in the summer.

Changed to the Delvac or Rotella 15-40 heavy duty oils on the 97 GS and have used the same in the 02 GS and both now run cooler and knock free on reg gas year round here in NE Ohio.  No more 15-50 or 20-50 oils for me, I'll use the 10-40 or 15-40 oils.