Despite nearly 100 degree days for much of this past month me and the G have fared pretty well with the heat. For myself I either wrap an chilled wet absorber around my neck, or if I don't want to get wet, a little bag of ice and I stay pretty cool. As for the G I keep her out of stop and go traffic as much as possible.
Unfortunately last night I left work to find a semi had overturned blocking the interstate and the handful of alternate routes were parking lots. I ended up going about 20 minutes at 5 miles an hour before I could get out if it and by that time I could smell burning oil  The bike was still running ok, but now I am wondering if I need to change my oil. I just changed it about 500 miles ago.
Without a temp gauge, how do you know when you are getting close to overheating?  My hubby say's that since it's air cooled its made to run hotter, but I take that with a grain of salt
Thanks for the input!
ps- it took me 3 hours get home but eventually I made it.

Hi there,
Your husband is right.
Air-cooled engines are designed to run and withstand hot temperatures. Even at the pace you were moving, there was air flowing over the cooling fins.
Change your oil only when you regularly change it every 2500 miles or so.
Use good quality oil -- I use Castrol 10W-40 GTX -- and keep your bike properly maintained with valve adjustments, etc.
Air-cooled engines are very reliable and they do run hot. They are designed thermally to take the heat and dissipate it properly.
Have fun and be careful out there.
Yours,
Trwhouse

Quote from: Trwhouse on July 30, 2008, 03:35:21 PM
They are designed thermally to take the heat and dissipate it properly.

Don't stress too much it is 90-100 quite a bit here in NC and I give my GS hell.

Mine always smells of burning oil after a hot ride, and I don't worry about it. They are tough little engines.

Just want to chime in here and give my .02 here as I just finished reading an article about oil.  American Iron Magazine Nov.05'

Dino oil is designed to work optimally upto 250 degrees fahrenheit.  Any higher temp and it starts to break down pretty quick.  For example at 260 degrees it drops down to 78% of it's lubrication effectiveness. 
At 270 = 55%
At 280 = 38%
At 290 = 27%
At 300 = 11%
At 310 = 6%  and so on. 
By the way after the oil reaches those high temps, the change is permanent and optimal lubrication of the oil is lost.  I guess this would fall into the severe duty category and would require more frequent oil changes.

In comes synthetic oil.  It's designed to work optimally upto 300 degrees before it begins to break down.

Anyway, if you're doing a lot of stop and go, maybe switching to synthetic would be a good choice.

Good luck. 

Quote from: miss kittie on July 30, 2008, 03:28:04 PM
I ended up going about 20 minutes at 5 miles an hour before I could get out if it and by that time I could smell burning oil.

Sure you were the one burning it?  If you don't notice a change in your oil level, I wouldn't sweat it.  If you notice you're consuming oil before the recommended oil change interval, then I might consider changing it early.  Aside from that, i say ride on!  I really don't think 20 minutes is a big deal.

...if by some chance you decide you need synthetic oil, be SURE it's wet clutch approved!

Yeah, don't put any oil in it that says  "Energy Conserving" on the back of the bottle.  It's too slippery and will cause your clutch to slip.

Quote from: ATLRIDER on July 30, 2008, 07:50:38 PM
...
Dino oil is designed to work optimally upto 250 degrees fahrenheit.  Any higher temp and it starts to break down pretty quick.  For example at 260 degrees it drops down to 78% of it's lubrication effectiveness. 
At 270 = 55%
At 280 = 38%
At 290 = 27%
At 300 = 11%
At 310 = 6%  and so on. 
By the way after the oil reaches those high temps, the change is permanent and optimal lubrication of the oil is lost.  I guess this would fall into the severe duty category and would require more frequent oil changes.
...

By what my oil temp gauge says, I reached 260+ °F on a ride a few weeks ago.
Does it mean I should change my oil?
Thanks
PS: No biggie in any case, since a routine change is due in a few hundred km's already.

Thanks everyone, I feel better! This bike reminds me a sturdy little pony as opposed to a sleek shiny racehorse. At the end of the day I may not get their first but I always know I'll make it home

Now if I can just get used to going 7k rpms on the freeway for extended periods of time life will be good.

Quote from: simon79 on July 31, 2008, 01:33:10 PM

Quote from: ATLRIDER on July 30, 2008, 07:50:38 PM
...
Dino oil is designed to work optimally upto 250 degrees fahrenheit.  Any higher temp and it starts to break down pretty quick.  For example at 260 degrees it drops down to 78% of it's lubrication effectiveness. 
At 270 = 55%
At 280 = 38%
At 290 = 27%
At 300 = 11%
At 310 = 6%  and so on. 
By the way after the oil reaches those high temps, the change is permanent and optimal lubrication of the oil is lost.  I guess this would fall into the severe duty category and would require more frequent oil changes.
...

By what my oil temp gauge says, I reached 260+ °F on a ride a few weeks ago.
Does it mean I should change my oil?
Thanks
PS: No biggie in any case, since a routine change is due in a few hundred km's already.

Just my opinion, but if you're running those temps on the regular, synthetic should offer you the best protection and you'd not have to think twice about if your engine oil needs to be changed or not.

Quote from: ATLRIDER on July 31, 2008, 01:17:25 PM
Yeah, don't put any oil in it that says  "Energy Conserving" on the back of the bottle.  It's too slippery and will cause your clutch to slip.

BINGO! Use oil for motorcycles,period. 

Running any good quality oil should be fine and you shouldn't be limited to oil just because it says motorcycle on the label.  I'd be looking more closely at the label for the right multi viscosity, API (American Petroleum Institute) classification upto SM, and no "energy conserving" additives. 

Right now I'm running Rotella 15w-50 which can also be used in gas and diesel car/truck engines.

just curious, what type of oil does everyone typically agree on to be the best? the gs i just bought only has 1000 miles but im thinking of changing the oil out anyway, 1 for the experience and 2 just so i know exactly when it was all done

i use car oil without probs. as far as the overheating, i did 25+ miles of slow formation riding, see my avatar, anyhoo it got so damned hot, i couldnt remove the dipstick w/o burning my hand. oil was fine, etc, no shortage, BUT i was behind 40+ otehr bikes at same speed, so i was getting hit by hot air. but its fine now.

Quote from: mistykz on July 31, 2008, 07:41:30 PM
just curious, what type of oil does everyone typically agree on to be the best? the gs i just bought only has 1000 miles but im thinking of changing the oil out anyway, 1 for the experience and 2 just so i know exactly when it was all done

None - because everybody does not agree. Listing a few of the rabid and largely religious camps (perhaps a poll is in order, not that it will tell you anything useful):

Suzuki Brand oil from the dealer
Specific brands other than Suzuki - like from actual oil companies, as opposed to a motorcycle company.
Synthetic specifically marked for motorcycles
Synthectic not specifically marked for motorcycles but not marked energy conserving.
Dinosaur oil marked for motorcycles
Dinosaur oil not marked for motorcycles, but not marked energy conserving.

Personally, based on considerable research and engineering data, I use the last one, of the house brand at the mega-mart. It has a full API seal and exceeds the specs for the GS motor.

I ride in Alabama with high temps and have been stuck in traffic a few times.  I have noticed that when I change my oil it will drip a little on the exhaust.  Maybe you had some hiding in there somewhere and finally got it hot enough to burn off.  The GS has a very reliable engine that has been in production for ever so I wouldn't worry about it but I do understand the concern.

yup +1 on te non energy conserving oil. but any oil will work, car or motorcycle. hell msot of it is made by the same people anyway. and no proof anywhere, that teh moto specific oil is any better, and TBH wiki and or youtube dont count, mainly because it can be edited by anybody. the suz is relatively non demanding of an engine, its requirements are not that great. it will be fine. jsut keep an eye on it 

Quote from: ATLRIDER on July 31, 2008, 06:54:48 PM
...

Just my opinion, but if you're running those temps on the regular, synthetic should offer you the best protection and you'd not have to think twice about if your engine oil needs to be changed or not.

Well, not on a regular basis, it was just a one-off.
Agree to your point anyway.

For another $.02, I put Castrol GTX 20-50 in my 06F, and ride it 40+ miles home every evening in 100-105 degree heat with no issues of any kind. It shifts fine, gets the same mileage, and after 1500 miles, it hasn't used a drop.