Okay, I've read several articles and went through different manuals, and each give me a different story, so here it is.

If you store your motorcycle for the winter, it is recommended to change the oil prior, but do you change it again before you ride again in the spring?

Mind you... if you did a long term storage (1+ years), I would probably recommend changing the oil. 

Short-term... survey says...

I probably should...but I am going to wait until end of April or early May to change the oil...if it looks milky after a warm up I will change it right away, but I don't think I will have that issue...just make sure the fluids are at the correct levels, all cables are freshly lubed, chain adjusted and lubed (I'm puting on a new tire, so that is a must)...run a few tanks with Stabil or Seafoam to clean everything out and away you go for another season...

I'm probably wrong, so don't follow my lead...but that is what I am doing...

Later.

I change my oil not long before I put it away for the winter so old acidy oil doesn't sit in it for several months.  I clean the air filter in fall as well.  Then when spring comes I can can ride without needing anything but checking the tire pressure and the bike is happy.  

Storing your bike with dirty oil is not a good idea.  If you change it right before storing the bike you don't need to change it again in the spring, or even if it's stored several years.  Motor oil doesn't have a shelf life like mayonnaise.

I change the oil by OCI based upon milage.  I change every 5,000 miles, even on cycles with 8,000 manufactured OCIs.  I use heavy duty engine oil, either synthetic or traditional.  I find I can remember the 5000 intervals more reilably.

prs

Quote from: bill14224 on March 10, 2011, 06:30:50 PM
Motor oil doesn't have a shelf life like mayonnaise.

Are you joking....? Motor oil DOES have a shelf life.

2-3 years depending on conditions 

But hey, this is the internet, and anything goes 

Some opinions say it is okay to store with old oil in the winter, because all the stuff they add to modern motor oil is more than enough to stop any damage it would do from sitting. There is always a few nice days here through the winter, so I never have the opportunity to really do the winter storage thing.

As far as oil having a shelf life, it's already a few million years old and I have never seen an expiration date on a bottle, but I suppose 2-3 years could really bring changes on the internet .

The oil in the bottle isn't the same as the sludge that comes out of the ground  ...(I'm hoping you were joking  )...the oil will start to break down and loose viscosity, the oil companies will tell you to change it every four months but I don't see a problem waiting six...the additives and blends that they use to make a multi weight oil start to loose their effectiveness over time...also if it is sitting in a crank case, moisture from the air will start to mix with the oil (okay, it won't mix but it sits in there until the engine is started...the more heat cool cycles it goes through, the more humidity gets in there) and will also detract from the viscosity of the oil...

I just change mine near the end of the season, and again early in the season...if I ride lots I will change it mid season (at 6000kms)...don't forget to lube your chain and cables at the start of the season...broken clutch or throttle cables suck in the middle of a ride...don't ask  , but atleast they are realatively easy to change...

Later.

Quote from: madjak30 on March 11, 2011, 08:29:45 AM
The oil in the bottle isn't the same as the sludge that comes out of the ground  ...(I'm hoping you were joking  )...the oil will start to break down and loose viscosity, the oil companies will tell you to change it every four months but I don't see a problem waiting six...the additives and blends that they use to make a multi weight oil start to loose their effectiveness over time...also if it is sitting in a crank case, moisture from the air will start to mix with the oil (okay, it won't mix but it sits in there until the engine is started...the more heat cool cycles it goes through, the more humidity gets in there) and will also detract from the viscosity of the oil...

The whole 3 months or 3000 mile BS is just that... BULLSHIT. It is a money making propaganda used by mechanics and mostly oil change chains like jiffy lube to make sure the money keeps coming in even from drivers who drive less than 3000 miles in 3 months. This way they get each car and the associated cash in at-least 4 times a year even when it is used below the average expected yearly mileage of 12,000. The fear of oil going bad or degrading after the 90 day magical mark is so deeply ingrained in most folks that even a lot of honest mechanics who don't  know any better believe it. Non-synthetic oil quality will usually go down around 3-4K miles though depending on driving style and engine condition. Unless you literally sit running your engine at idle for an insane amount of time or drive in crawling traffic for almost every single mile you put on your engine, your oil will still be good way past the 3 month magic mark and the 3000 mile "critical point" they want people to believe. Just keep an eye on oil level, color and feel once in a week or two and you can run the oil till it is actually no longer doing the job properly. Myself and several folks I know do this and all my cars have over 100K miles on them.. been doing this over 10 years now.

Doesn't get any more official than this: http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Car_Care/AskMobil/Shelf_Life_Opened_Bottles_Mobil_1.aspx

Non affiliated expert opinion: http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

I usually leave the old oil in during the winter and change it in the spring.  Hopefully I'm not doing anything horrible to my engines.

Quote from: tb0lt on March 11, 2011, 09:11:55 AM
The whole 3 months or 3000 mile BS is just that... BULLshaZam!. It is a money making propaganda used by mechanics and mostly oil change chains like jiffy lube to make sure the money keeps coming in even from drivers who drive less than 3000 miles in 3 months. This way they get each car and the associated cash in at-least 4 times a year even when it is used below the average expected yearly mileage of 12,000. The fear of oil going bad or degrading after the 90 day magical mark is so deeply ingrained in most folks that even a lot of honest mechanics who don't  know any better believe it. Non-synthetic oil quality will usually go down around 3-4K miles though depending on driving style and engine condition. Unless you literally sit running your engine at idle for an insane amount of time or drive in crawling traffic for almost every single mile you put on your engine, your oil will still be good way past the 3 month magic mark and the 3000 mile "critical point" they want people to believe. Just keep an eye on oil level, color and feel once in a week or two and you can run the oil till it is actually no longer doing the job properly. Myself and several folks I know do this and all my cars have over 100K miles on them.. been doing this over 10 years now.

The only reliable way to tell what condition your engine oil is in and how well (or poorly) it's protecting your engine is with a UOA. The 'color' and 'feel' aren't going to tell you anything useful. People may change more frequently than they need to but as long as you're staying consistent with what oil you use the only thing it's going to hurt is your wallet (but if you think about it, oil, even full synth., isn't THAT expensive.) If you don't know for sure and don't want to bother with a UOA it never hurts to be safe than sorry.

Quote from: tb0lt on March 11, 2011, 09:11:55 AMNon affiliated expert opinion: http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

That doesn't say anything about how long oil keeps in your crankcase, rather how long it'll keep in its originally sealed container. Once you open it and pour it into your engine the conditions change. The site states that even originally sealed a temperature change of 10C (about 18*F) can halve the shelf life. Imagine how many temperature cycles the oil goes through in a 6 month period.

The only real way you'll know if your freshly changed oil is still good in your engine after sitting for 6 months over the winter is a UOA.

Quote from: sledge on March 10, 2011, 09:34:06 PM
2-3 years depending on conditions 

But hey, this is the internet, and anything goes 

According to ExxonMobil unused motor oil has a shelf life of 5 years, so if you can find a jar of mayonnaise with a 5-year shelf life I'll take back what I said.

Quote from: tb0lt on March 11, 2011, 09:11:55 AM

Quote from: madjak30 on March 11, 2011, 08:29:45 AM
The oil in the bottle isn't the same as the sludge that comes out of the ground  ...(I'm hoping you were joking  )...the oil will start to break down and loose viscosity, the oil companies will tell you to change it every four months but I don't see a problem waiting six...the additives and blends that they use to make a multi weight oil start to loose their effectiveness over time...also if it is sitting in a crank case, moisture from the air will start to mix with the oil (okay, it won't mix but it sits in there until the engine is started...the more heat cool cycles it goes through, the more humidity gets in there) and will also detract from the viscosity of the oil...

The whole 3 months or 3000 mile BS is just that... BULLshaZam!. It is a money making propaganda used by mechanics and mostly oil change chains like jiffy lube to make sure the money keeps coming in even from drivers who drive less than 3000 miles in 3 months. This way they get each car and the associated cash in at-least 4 times a year even when it is used below the average expected yearly mileage of 12,000. The fear of oil going bad or degrading after the 90 day magical mark is so deeply ingrained in most folks that even a lot of honest mechanics who don't  know any better believe it. Non-synthetic oil quality will usually go down around 3-4K miles though depending on driving style and engine condition. Unless you literally sit running your engine at idle for an insane amount of time or drive in crawling traffic for almost every single mile you put on your engine, your oil will still be good way past the 3 month magic mark and the 3000 mile "critical point" they want people to believe. Just keep an eye on oil level, color and feel once in a week or two and you can run the oil till it is actually no longer doing the job properly. Myself and several folks I know do this and all my cars have over 100K miles on them.. been doing this over 10 years now.

Doesn't get any more official than this: http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Car_Care/AskMobil/Shelf_Life_Opened_Bottles_Mobil_1.aspx

Non affiliated expert opinion: http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

yes 3 months or 3k use to be the rule of thumb but since there's more additives in the oil it can go longer. ONE PROBLEM THOUGH PEOPLE FORGET... not every car runs like its just out of the factory, most cars are going to have some and when I say some I mean very little BUT there still is a little blow by. so your getting gas mixing with your oil just the nature of how an engine works and the fuel mixing with the oil still breaks down the oil at a quicker rate. so 3months or 3k may no longer be the rule of them but I still wouldn't recommend going past 6month 6k miles.