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Old February 15th, 2017, 04:48 PM   #1
kawasaki
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Should i do oil change now or once riding season starts again?

my ninja 250 has been in storage for about 3 months now (2more months to go)
i was just wondering if i should do the oil change now or i should wait once riding season comes?

if i did to it right now all the oil would just be sitting at the bottom of the draining so it would drain easily right ?

thanks for looking have a good day
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Old February 15th, 2017, 05:31 PM   #2
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Generally it's advised to get an engine at least warm before draining the oil. I like to do it after a ride when things are stirred up good. But I really doubt if it matters a ton in reality.

Depending on the conditions it's stored in, there could be some condensation of moisture inside the engine, so there's an argument for waiting until after a short first ride of the season to change the oil. Mix it all up and dump it.

But it's more important to change the oil and filter at regular intervals recommended by Kaw than to worry about exactly what time of year you do it. And ask 10 people, you'll proabably get 11 different answers.
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Old February 15th, 2017, 05:38 PM   #3
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Doesn't really matter. If you've got nothing better to do, go ahead.

In future, the best way to go about it is to devote half a day to storing the bike at the end of the season. Add stabilizer to the gas, go for one last nice ride, change oil, top off the tank (if you're storing in a cold place, to avoid condensation), hook up the battery tender and put it on stands if you've got 'em.

In the spring, it'll start right up and off you go.

I've learned through experience that it's wise to park the bike before the weather turns nasty. Nothing sucks worse than doing the winterization bit in the middle of a cold, gray, rainy November.

For some years now I've made a habit of parking the bike on Halloween. Yeah, I miss a few nice days of Indian Summer, but I never get caught that way. Wait later and you've got the run-up to Thanksgiving and Christmas to deal with. In the spring, I fire it up when the clocks change.
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Old February 15th, 2017, 05:44 PM   #4
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I'm in Manitoba and my bike as been put away for a couple months for winter.

I just wait until the riding season starts and fire the bike up for about 30 minutes to warm everything up then change the oil and filter. I usually do 1 filter a season (beginning) and 1-3 oil changes depending on mileage.
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Old February 15th, 2017, 05:48 PM   #5
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Quote:
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For some years now I've made a habit of parking the bike on Halloween. Yeah, I miss a few nice days of Indian Summer, but I never get caught that way. Wait later and you've got the run-up to Thanksgiving and Christmas to deal with. In the spring, I fire it up when the clocks change.
I guess your secret lair is in a colder climate than north central North Carolina. My motorcycles don't normally stay parked more than about a week at a time, even in mid-winter.
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Old February 15th, 2017, 06:14 PM   #6
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15 - 18 inches of snow a few days ago. I'm in Connecticut.

I'm also more of a fair-weather rider. I have no problem riding in the wet (even on the track) but it's a PITA so not really worth it to me. And in winter the roads here are loaded with salt.
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Old February 15th, 2017, 06:20 PM   #7
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Yeah, I grew up and lived in the DC area for about 40 years, so I know salt. The only thing worse than the northeast for salt is living at the coast.
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Old February 15th, 2017, 06:26 PM   #8
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Ok cool thanks i guess i will wait for riding season to come around start up the bike for a while let it cool down then do the oil change before i go for a ride
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Old February 15th, 2017, 06:34 PM   #9
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Well, the idea of warming it up is to get things mixed up, and also to make the oil thin so it drains quicker. I'd go for a ride, come home and drain it, possibly letting it cool first just enough so I don't get burned working on it. But as Captain Obvious and I said, it really doesn't matter much.
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Old February 16th, 2017, 09:36 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adouglas View Post
Doesn't really matter. If you've got nothing better to do, go ahead.

In future, the best way to go about it is to devote half a day to storing the bike at the end of the season. Add stabilizer to the gas, go for one last nice ride, change oil, top off the tank (if you're storing in a cold place, to avoid condensation), hook up the battery tender and put it on stands if you've got 'em.

In the spring, it'll start right up and off you go.

(SNIP)
I agree that this is the best procedure.

You want clean oil for storage. Warming before changing the oil is the best idea, for the reasons TJ mentioned.

Synthetic oil has advantages for storing, as well as in normal use. Mainly it won't oxidize when exposed to air like conventional oil and it has properties that make it adhere to metal better as well. Both are going to prevent corrosion when sitting.

Rotella T6 (Group III synthetic) is generally a good cost-effective choice for the Ninja.
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Old February 16th, 2017, 10:43 AM   #11
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In the Kaw triples world, there is evidence that synthetic oil does not protect internal engine parts from rust during storage as well as dino oil. We've seen rusting of crank bearings, for example. It's not conclusive, but there is a fair amount of anecdotal evidence.
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Old February 16th, 2017, 12:59 PM   #12
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so the rotella 15w-40 is best for when i do my oil change?

also i got the bike in the middle of winter and had it towed over to my house so i couldlnt really ride the bike to warm up the oil i did start it add fuel stabilizer and top off the gas tank
the previous owner said he did do a oil change 2k km before but i dont know what kind of oil he used or if he even did do the oil change so i just want a ease of mind and do another oil change just incase
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Old February 16th, 2017, 01:18 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kawasaki View Post
so the rotella 15w-40 is best for when i do my oil change?

also i got the bike in the middle of winter and had it towed over to my house so i couldlnt really ride the bike to warm up the oil i did start it add fuel stabilizer and top off the gas tank
the previous owner said he did do a oil change 2k km before but i dont know what kind of oil he used or if he even did do the oil change so i just want a ease of mind and do another oil change just incase
Rotella T6 is 5W-40 - and what you want for the Ninja.

As a preventative measure, I would drain the floatbowls now to get the gas out.

I'd also personally drain the tank and refill with fresh gas before trying to start it.

How does the oil look? At this point, if the oil looks OK, I would probably wait until it's riding weather to change it.

If the oil looks really bad and you are planning to do a second oil change, I would go with the standard Rotella T 15W-40 first and do the T6 second. No need for the more expensive synthetic the first time around. I'd only do a double change if it was really bad though.
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Old February 16th, 2017, 01:23 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple Jim View Post
In the Kaw triples world, there is evidence that synthetic oil does not protect internal engine parts from rust during storage as well as dino oil. We've seen rusting of crank bearings, for example. It's not conclusive, but there is a fair amount of anecdotal evidence.
Never heard that.

That would be more of an issue with the additive package (corrosion inhibitors) than the oil itself.

I've stored engines in damp environments for years with fresh synthetic, and after pulling a valve cover and inspecting the cams found them to be rust-free.

Some oils have more rust inhibitors than others - conventional or synthetic.
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Old February 16th, 2017, 02:17 PM   #15
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Actually, one theory is that the varnish that forms with long term storage and dino oil is the protective coating that stops rust.
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Old February 16th, 2017, 02:18 PM   #16
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thanks for the help everyone
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Old February 16th, 2017, 03:34 PM   #17
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Actually, one theory is that the varnish that forms with long term storage and dino oil is the protective coating that stops rust.
I have one old engine that didn't have synthetic oil in it during long-term storage (had fresh conventional oil), and there were rust spots on some of the steel internal parts, so I'm not buying into that theory. The engine had never been run with the conventional oil in it, yet it looked dirty upon removal. I'm speculating it's very oxidized. It's got synthetic in it now.

Clean synthetic oil is going to provide the best protection from corrosion, from everything I have learned about oil. I'll admit - I'm kind of an oil snob, and run Ester synthetics (Group V) in some of my favorite engines - just cuz.
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Old February 16th, 2017, 03:45 PM   #18
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I'm just mentioning the anecdotal evidence we've seen, not saying that rust can't occur with dino oil. There have been a couple guys who found rusty roller bearings on their crankshafts after long term storage with full synthetic oil, for example, yet cranks with a little brownish varnish on the bearings were rust free.

I'm the opposite of an oil snob, running $12/gallon Walmart TC-W3 2-stroke oil in my H2 and Valvoline VR1 in my 4-stroke non-roller cam motorcycles. Maybe you and I just remember the good stories about our chosen oils.
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Old February 16th, 2017, 03:45 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jkv45 View Post
I have one old engine that didn't have synthetic oil in it during long-term storage (had fresh conventional oil), and there were rust spots on some of the steel internal parts, so I'm not buying into that theory. The engine had never been run with the conventional oil in it, yet it looked dirty upon removal. I'm speculating it's very oxidized. It's got synthetic in it now.

Clean synthetic oil is going to provide the best protection from corrosion, from everything I have learned about oil. I'll admit - I'm kind of an oil snob, and run Ester synthetics (Group V) in some of my favorite engines - just cuz.


so the best oil to use is synthetic 5w-40 as stated above?
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Old February 16th, 2017, 03:54 PM   #20
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Here's some Ninja 250 oil information: http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Preferred_Brands
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Old February 16th, 2017, 04:32 PM   #21
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so the best oil to use is synthetic 5w-40 as stated above?
Yes - use Rotella T6 5W-40 (blue bottle). I've used it in some of my cycles for quite a while, as have many members here.

It's not THE best, but it's significantly more than adequate (and safe on all levels) for the Ninja or most other cycle engines.
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Old February 18th, 2017, 08:43 AM   #22
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ok so i checked my oil from the sight glass and the oil looked very dark should i still wait for summer to come around or do the oil change As Soon As Possible?
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Old February 18th, 2017, 09:20 AM   #23
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Whatever's easier for you. There are much more important things to stress about.
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