When do you change oil?

[Beehive Bedlam]

Yamaha the people who designed and built the bike say change it every 6K and oil filter every other change.

Arm chair experts say every 3/4K with the filter every change.

Bike is an FZS Fazer 600 - 51 plate I bought it in April this year with just 23,001 on the clock it came with some service history but not a lot and old MOT certificates.

I did the first oil + filter change shortly after with just over 24K on the clock.

Second oil change and just the oil at just under 28K filled it back up with halfords own 10/40 motorcycle oil.

It has just passed 32K I am thinking of leaving it until 34K before I change it again which will make it 6K since I last changed it.

The bike is a work horse and everything in between I plan on running it into the ground. What I am asking is changing the oil more often than not a waste of time and money?

Over to the oil arm chair experts.

[RhynoCZ]

Every season, or every 5000 miles and I always change the filter, since it's cheap and easy to do so.

When I buy a motorcycle/car I always change the oil and filter.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[barrkel]

Change more frequently with cheap oil is better than less frequently with more expensive oil, if minimum internal wear is your goal. Though IMO if you keep to the standard schedule you're unlikely to see problems caused by internal wear, especially if you're not constantly redlining it.

I change oil at least once a year before I tour, but I have gone a thousand miles over schedule (9k before change) once on a long tour, second of the year. My scooters have a light that nags until you reset it, they get changed at 4k. I change the filter every time and use fully synthetic in all my bikes. Mostly because I don't want to spend the time doing more frequent changes; I have to work outside, and drag my tools back and forth.
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Bikes: S1000R, SH350; Exes: Vity 125, PS125, YBR125, ER6f, VFR800, Brutale 920, CB600F, SH300x4
Best road ever ridden: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2MhNxUEYtQ

[robertw95]

I use halfords semi synth, changed along with filter every 3.5k. My thinking is why bother scrimping on a filter that costs £5 may aswell just do it at the same time
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07 Dt125r, sv650s k8, zx6rr 04

[Kickstart]

Hi

Change the filter with the oil. Filter is cheap so may as well.

Oil wise, tend to go with the manufacturers interval.

All the best

K
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