. . .Just to reiterate, this is NOT the factory fill--I've changed the oil once at about 600 miles per the manual. The manual actually specs 7500 mile OCIs for this bike, which is the longest OCI I've seen recommended by a m/c manufacturer. When the Valvoline comes out, it will have about 4500 miles on it. . .well within the recommendations of Kawasaki.
I don't mind changing the oil on my bike. . .but on the other hand I don't want to be wasteful to my wallet or environment. If the manufacturer says 7500 mile OCIs are OK (on dino no less), then going to 5000 mile OCIs seems a good compromise between conservative maintenance and economy in my opinion. If the UOA comes back with good numbers with the Valvoline, then the Mobil 1 I put in should not have a problem going to 5000 miles IMO. If the numbers for the Valvoline are REALLY impressive, I may just continue running that oil because of it's lower cost.
That being said, I expect the Valvoline to be pretty much used up, but if the TBN is still high enough at 5000 miles, the shear-drop within reason and the wear metals are within normal ranges, how could a more expensive oil do better? I'm also considering using Rotella 15w-50, at some point for a comparison, but I'm concerned about the higher 15 weight when the bike normally uses 10w-40 (I ride year 'round when I can).
--Rob