Originally Posted By: Scooter_man
Some people just want the absolute best for their bikes - i'm one of them (I confess).
Obviously regular scheduled OC's with dino oil probably works just fine in 95% of the cases. But, no more oil than my bike/scooters take, it's worth it to me.
No bragging rights, no showing off, just piece of mind for me knowing that I give them the best that there is. Will it last any longer? Will my effors be vain?
It's my money, does/should it matter to anyone else?
Another example = my scooters do not use oil filters, just a gravel screen. I have installed magnetic drain plugs in each of them and change the oil at 1/2 the mfg's recommended OCI. Why? It sure can't hurt without an oil filter. Will it make a long-term difference? Only time will tell.
Rob
Chances are that the machine will outlast you even with "normal" fluids and maintenance. You'd be amazed how much abuse those Japanese machines will take.
Back in the late 80s early 90s my nephew would come to camp for the summer. He would chum around with two hillbilly boys who's parent's camp was about a mile down the lake shore. My nephew had a Suzuki LT185 ATV to ride and the other boys had a couple Honda CT50s. They flogged those little bikes mercilessly. These boys were all between 12 and 13 years old. At that age, the only time they stopped riding was when they needed something to eat or ran out of fuel or had a mechanical problem. They had plenty of trails in the bush to ride on as well as over a mile of twisty/hilly/rough camp access road. Most of their riding was on the trails. One day, my nephew came into the camp to ask me to have a look at one of the little Hondas. He said it would start but wouldn't run very well.
The boys had all their machines parked up by the garage so I headed up to see what the problem was. When I started to look over the Hondas, I was shocked to see how beat up they were. Anything that could be knocked off the bike without impairing operation was gone. Anything that could be bent was. Seats were mostly duct tape and rags. Lights? What lights? Chain/sprockets rusty and badly worn, tires bald and almost flat. The engine was a sorrowful sight. Totally covered in mud, dust, grass, moss.
I pulled out a three gallon pail turned it over, sat down and had one of the boys roll his machine over. I inspected the air filter and it was, well pathetic. I doubt that it had been cleaned....ever! So off it came and went into a coffee can of solvent. Using a brush and compressed air, I cleaned off as much of the engine as necessary to inspect carb, carb boots and electrics. Boots were on good and tight and the carb was undamaged. I went to pull the spark plug and it wouldn't come out. It just kept spinning in the hole! Skip that step. I inspected the oil level. Unbelievable! These things were running on a few tablespoons of black grease.
I ended up cleaning the air filters, changing the oil, inflating the tires, lubing the chains and tightened some loose bolts. That was it. Off they went riding without any further problems. Loose spark plugs and all!
Those two little Hondas had to be at least ten or more years old and had seen punishment and neglect that is hard to believe they could have survived. But there they were, living testament to how tough they really are.
When one sees examples like that, it helps establish a "real world" perspective of reasonable maintenance. That's why I don't go over the top with obsessive compulsion to use the very best of anything. It's not necessary to ensure the machine will last and I don't need it to calm imaginary fears.