Data wrote:Using a vacuum pump sucky thingy is probably why your oil is going so discoloured after so few miles, giving the impression it needs changing early. In fact, it's probably ok, even semi syn oil is probably fine at 3k even if it's really black. Colour is no indication of whether the oil is ok or not. It's just being tainted early (and probably going really black quite early) by the left over oil in the engine from not doing a full drain down by removing the sump plug. It makes a big difference if you do a full drain down by removing the sump plug with the oil warm and just let it drain and stand for 10 mins. And moving the bike from side to side before putting the plug back in gets quite a bit extra out too. That really is the only way to get virtually all the old stuff out. Don't forget that old stuff in the bottom of the engine often contains some of the nastiest stuff in it and it can harm your engine. Those pumpy sucky things are not meant to be used as a permanent solutions to do oil changes as it does let too much bad stuff build up in the engine. You'll find the new oil will stay cleaner longer by not using it. Your experience is typical of someone using the pumpy sucky thing.
The Joyride200 certainly requests oil every 1000 km, as I switch bikes quite a bit I'll have to wait until 10,000km now to check the GTS300's light
It came on at 9,000km but then it would, wouldn't it!
I do remove the sump plug now and again to check the filter on a drain, it's never caught anything TBH. I ran my bike in the motoman way so I've got a very good ring seal and need no oil top-ups between changes. I mainly use the dipstick-onto-a-rag test for oil colour.
The JR200 is GY6 based and therefore has quite a small oil capacity so I prefer to change it more often. The GTS has a much bigger sump and I'd be happier to leave that oil in longer, it's just ease of calculations if I do both bikes at the same intervals. I'm quite happy with the vacuum pump, it doesn't really matter if it leaves a little especially with synth. There was a long term car test in the US and they found with fully synth the amount of oil changed by replacing the oil filter regularly was enough to keep the oil analysis happy. I have litre markings on my (cylindrical) pump container and I get out the stated refill amount so any left must only be a few cc.
By using full synthetic BTW I get a lovely clean engine after 9000km:
because unlike traditional oil it doesn't break down into varnish and lose viscosity. I can only use this as the clutch is external, normal bikes and the X10 would slip their clutches. A dealer put semi-synth in my JR200 and it may have been my imagination but it lost some of the 'pep', which was restored when I replaced it with fully synth again. Fully synth oil is orders of magnitude tougher than regular and semi-synth oil, without a clutch to bother why would I use inferior oils when I can have less wear, less dirt, better cold performance and better mpg?
If you are going to stretch an oil interval do it with fully synth. My Mobile1 0W40 has been in these two bikes for the last 7500km (not used for running in!) and they get hammered on the motorway every day and the engine still runs like a swiss watch.
As for mpg I get about 75-80 from the GTS300 and about 80-95 from the JR200, usually because the JR200 is a little slower so wind resistance (power into wind is a cubic law) is less. Touring France on the GTS300 at 90-100kmh (D and N roads) got me into the 90s I think, I was getting 320km per tank easily with spare left. The GTS300 motor is a fantastic thing, so relaxed and smooth. Also the variator is balanced - something the JR200's one doesn't appear to be, or at least not visibly.
The new GTS300 appears to rev higher, I had to go to 19g sliders on my GTS300 to stay safely out of the rev limit zone for relaxed cruising, I guess that's where it makes its extra power. Even with 19g sliders my GTS still pulls harder than a Burgman 400 up to 70mph ;D