[jmosser20]

Some of you may know my situation--

i just bought a 250 that had been sitting since 06. it has 10 miles on it (crashed from dealership.)

The guy says that since the bike's been sitting inside, the oil should be fine for a while.

i think that kawasaki does not put special break in oil on the 250. am I right?

what should I do? change the oil now? or ride it up to 50 and change the oil then?

yes, I know that i might as well change now, but I thought I'd ask b/c if it doesn't matter, I'd rather break it in a few miles, then change the oil in order to take out the bits of break in metal.

thanks alot guys. It'd be awesome if I heard from some people who have been in this situation and tried out or have seen oil that's been sitting.

 

[sshumast]

change the oil now... then change it again after 200, then at 1000, then normal intervals at every 2000 miles.

 

[tofuproductions]

Kind of a no brainer, but yes, change it.

 

[EmilGevor]

Kind of off topic but how often do people change oil on bikes? and whats the best to use?

 

[glock_19]

If you have to ask, change it. Changing the oil is one thing I never hesitate to do on any vehicle.

 

[nevada]

it wont hurt a thing to ride it to the specified 600 mile mark. or whatever it is for the 250.

most people change their oil WAY too often.

 

[EmilGevor]

it wont hurt a thing to ride it to the specified 600 mile mark. or whatever it is for the 250.

most people change their oil WAY too often.

Change oil every full gas tank? REALLY?

 

[slev]

No. I change mine every 5000km and that's about it.

 

[nevada]

Change oil every full gas tank? REALLY?

huh?
this is the first oil change. i dont know the timeframe for the 250, but 600 miles is fairly standard for the first service.

and are you getting 600 miles to a tank? REALLY?

 

[EmilGevor]

sorry i must of misunderstood. I was wondering how often do bikes require to change oil. I never owned a bike so no clue about it.

 

[nevada]

sorry i must of misunderstood. I was wondering how often do bikes require to change oil. I never owned a bike so no clue about it.

most do it around 3,000 i think.
for MY bike, the manual states every 7500 miles.
ive never gone that long, i usually try to hit close to 3k. but if i go over, im not worried. without having the oil tested you never really know, but even at 3k, most people are changing it early.

 

[EmilGevor]

most do it around 3,000 i think.
for MY bike, the manual states every 7500 miles.
ive never gone that long, i usually try to hit close to 3k. but if i go over, im not worried. without having the oil tested you never really know, but even at 3k, most people are changing it early.

I would of imagined that changing oil on bikes would be more frequent since oil in bikes is used to lubricate clutch as well right? how does 2000 mile intervals sound? and is there oil specially for bikes or regular car oil works?

 

[nevada]

I would of imagined that changing oil on bikes would be more frequent since oil in bikes is used to lubricate clutch as well right? how does 2000 mile intervals sound? and is there oil specially for bikes or regular car oil works?

do a search around the site, specifically the OIL/LUB section.
2000 is likely way too soon. some people do it tho, but its really just a waste.

 

[chuckbear]

Depends how long it's been sitting. It's a good idea to change your oil every 6 months or so, regardless of mileage, as oil breaks down over time due to the acids and junk (technical terms) in the oil.

That said, with the bike not even broken in yet and only 10 miles on it I'd leave it until the 600 mark like nevada suggested and swap it then. You'll be fine.

 

[EmilGevor]

bike i am purchasing has 8500 miles on it so Its been broken in long time ago.

 

[JYC]

oil should be changed once a year or X number of miles, whichever comes first according to the factory manual

your biggest worry is going to be dirty carbs if there wasn't any stabil added to the gas before storage, and unless you had a tender attached it probably has one hell of a dead battery

i would also check tire pressure, and make sure your brake lines aren't decomposing/nothing is living inside the bike... lol

 

[2fiddy]

Yeah, I'd just go ahead and ride it until you hit the 600 mark and then change the oil. I change it every 3500 miles.

 

[chuckbear]

bike i am purchasing has 8500 miles on it so Its been broken in long time ago.

I was responding to the OP...

 

[glock_19]

Is there oil specially for bikes or regular car oil works?

The answers to this question will vary wildly depending on who you ask. I've never been shy about spending more for what I believe to be a quality oil. I use Mobile 1 4T in my bike. Runs about $10 a quart around here, but hey the 250s don't even take 2 full quarts so it won't break the bank.

Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W-40

 

[slev]

Do NOT use regular car oil in your bike. You need oil that is JASO MA certified... this is because of the oil being shared between the engine and the clutch.

Regulat car oils generally have additives in them that make them "more slippery", which will do the same thing to your clutch - and that's a very bad thing.