Dark Oil

[1kevin662]

is it normal for my oil to be balck after 3000 miles? mobile 1 synthetic 04 nomad 1500

[Vulcan Bill]

Judging from what I've seen with my bikes...Yes.

[redjay]

Oil in a motorcycle does not seem to stay "fresh" for as long as it does in a car and gets dark quickly.

[dshelly]

That's because it lubricates the transmission too. This is why Motorcycle oil is different than Automotive oil. It has to withstand the shear from the gears.

[1kevin662]

ok sounds like its nothing to worry about.. how many miles yall put on synthetic oil?

[Vulcan Bill]

Uh oh. Looks like were in for another oil thread.

[1kevin662]

no there are enough of those... yall have answered my main question about the oil getting so dark and why... i am going for 5000 miles or less for a oil change...

[Silent Sam]

I use "dyno" and some additive...I go 4000 miles then change oil and filter...

[radco]

y 2 cents.. When I switched from Dino oil to Mobile 1 the first oil change was real dark, like with dino oil.. The second was not as dark, and the rest of the changes showed a slightly darker color the fresh Mobile but not like the first change,, In short the first use of Mobile cleans a lot of crud out, so I agree don't sweat it

[jrecken]

If your oil gets dark you know your oil is working

[minst7877]

The clutches are hard on the oil in these machines. I use Rotella T-6 synthetic and still make sure the oil and filter is changed between 3000 & 3500 miles.

DC

[davidhollinger]

The clutches are hard on the oil in these machines. I use Rotella T-6 synthetic and still make sure the oil and filter is changed between 3000 & 3500 miles.

DC

+1... same here.

[ringadingh]

Thats quite normal.

[Mongo PHUMC]

Oil getting dark is discoloration due to contaminants. Engine oil today doesn't break down like oil of the past so contamination is the main concern. As an engine gets more miles on it things wear and most contamination is due to combustion and blow by. Rich fuel mixtures and/or old plugs increase contamination. Wet clutches in bikes like the Nomad also cause contamination (nothing like clutch material going through engine bearings).

I recommend to my customers to run the best oil they can afford to change regularly or even more often in some cases. As an example: Paying $12 a qt but only changing the oil every 10K isn't doing your motor any good. I would rather see someone pay $3 a qt and change it every 2500 miles.

[Vulcan Bill]

^^^^^^
What he said. Can you believe the owners manual suggests oil changes at 12,000 miles!?!? I don't know anyone who waits much past 3500.

[Teachme]

When I bought my bike was the first time it saw synthetic oil it got super dark super fast I guess cleaning out the crud.

[Mongo PHUMC]

Some oils have higher detergents than others to aid in "cleaning".