How Often Do You Change Your Oil?

[trapezeartist]

Judging by the comments on numerous posts in this forum, there are widely varying ideas of how often gearbox oil should be changed. That's also reflected in many adverts for secondhand bikes. So I thought I would try to get a better handle on the subject:

How often do you change your gearbox oil?
What is the reason for choosing that interval?
Which oil do you use?

[al_orange]

Every 10 hours

Arbitrary number but it does look like it needs changing at that point

Expensive stuff - Nils or Elf

 

(TRS 250 RR)

[guy53]

+ - 10 hour with Motul Trans Oil 10 W 40 in my ST 250. I'm a very ordinary rider but I like to have a fine tune bike. I don't see any degradation in the oil when I change it, the clutch for me is just right, meaning not too grabby oy slippery. Beleave it or not, I can find the neutral easily anytime.

Guy

[totty79]

How often do you change your gearbox oil?
Twice a year on a bike used every 2 or 3 weekends. I don't have an hour meter but the running time per change is probably under 25 hours.

Clutch feel and oil colour indicate when a change is required. Very slight clutch drag creeps in and the oil darkens.

What is the reason for choosing that interval?

A general environmental personal consumption based avoidance of excessive waste.

The oil has a very easy life compared to the other applications that it's used in, and it's used in them for tens of thousands of miles. On a 2 stroke it's not contaminated by combustion byproducts, and forces are lower.

Which oil do you use?

The above is based on 300v.

Now using nanotrans and the change interval may differ.

[ChrisCH]

I don't know the usage but about the same as al_orange - 10 hours - at a guess.  Three or four weekends of practice and a trial - ish.  The same as him the oil looks as if it has had some wear and noticeably smells a bit different.  I am sure it would last longer but it is not a big or expensive job.

Oils - Nano trans in the Beta (it is really noticeably better for cold stick) and light gear oil (Putoline) in the TRS.  In the Beta I use half a tin (500ml) so you get two changes per tin.

[technowaldo]

About every 2 years at this rate 

[pschrauber]

Everey two years for the gear box oil, I use mosly ELF HTX 740 have never seen any discoloring too no "items" or metal residue, but I am not a rider that uses the clutch often.

To the suspension depending of type and travel between 4 to 6 years,

Disk brakes and their reservoir and brake lines every second year, together with a very good spooling.

[biffsgasgas]

Every three rides and on GasGas its type F atf if it had not been converted to Autotrac transfercase fluid. I find standard ATF to be hard to find in europe but that is usually because of the lack of those transmissions. 

--Biff

[larry s. k.]

Hi , when racing , every major race when possible , 2 cycle , 4 cycle when app , my Honda for trail once a year , what I do 

[marky dee]

Hi , normally every  month 1....., or 2 , I look on the color of oil.... , if i have a glass to see...!!!, Nils en winter Elf HTX 740....

[breagh]

Being Scottish it would be bad form to over do the oil changes. If you're light on the clutch  which I am I think every few months would be sufficient on one of these horrible modern plastic toys.

I've done 4 out of the last 5 SSDTs and the oil  has always been fine for the week and you can imagine how hard it's working compared to your average trial.

I run synthetic atf which is cheap and cheerful as the dealers a pal but I feel "real" oil gives the transmission a better feel though I'm probably imagining things.

 

[trapezeartist]

According to the owner's manual, Beta recommend an oil change every 40 hours. Presumably other manufacturers say something similar. It looks like most of you guys think they are wrong.