Quik backdrop - riding buddy picked up a garage queen, '06 Honda 1100 Vtwin. Low mileage and well maintained. Previous owner kept meticulous log on it, down to noting every time air was added to tires. Rather serious injury (not bike related, thankfully) apparently grounded the guy in early 2016 to the point where his riding days are done, and the bike sat in the garage.
He started it and let it idle, warm up, that sort of thing, every couple of weeks, and from what I gather, it took 16 months to go through the 4 gallons of petrol in the tank. The bike had a new battery put in in early 2016, and the guy kept a trickle charger hooked up to it the entire time it was garaged.
Anyway, my friend rode it over, after giving it a fill up of fresh petrol and a can of seafoam, and we're going over the log book. It notes that the last oil change, filter change, and new spark plugs on that bike was about 10 days before his injury - oil used Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 and NAPA Gold filter. Odometer says it had just under 200 miles on that oil. I took it for a spin, it handles nice, shifts smooth, no indication of anything wrong.
The question posed to me was whether I'd do an oil change. My compadre also rides Honda V twins and uses the T6, etc, etc., so it didn't seem an off the wall question. My first reaction was "heck no" - only a couple hundred miles on it, it's like new oil. Then I got to thinking, yeah, couple hundred miles on the oil, BUT, it's been sitting up for nearly a year and a half.
Any used bike I've ever bought where there wasn't some sort of log kept, first thing was to change the oil and filter. Despite this anal retentive logbook, I'm doubting my own advice and logic . . . so I'll throw this out to others here.
Given that situation, and that we're approaching cooler riding weather, would you change the oil and filter before resuming packing the miles on the bike?
Thanks in advance . . .
He started it and let it idle, warm up, that sort of thing, every couple of weeks, and from what I gather, it took 16 months to go through the 4 gallons of petrol in the tank. The bike had a new battery put in in early 2016, and the guy kept a trickle charger hooked up to it the entire time it was garaged.
Anyway, my friend rode it over, after giving it a fill up of fresh petrol and a can of seafoam, and we're going over the log book. It notes that the last oil change, filter change, and new spark plugs on that bike was about 10 days before his injury - oil used Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 and NAPA Gold filter. Odometer says it had just under 200 miles on that oil. I took it for a spin, it handles nice, shifts smooth, no indication of anything wrong.
The question posed to me was whether I'd do an oil change. My compadre also rides Honda V twins and uses the T6, etc, etc., so it didn't seem an off the wall question. My first reaction was "heck no" - only a couple hundred miles on it, it's like new oil. Then I got to thinking, yeah, couple hundred miles on the oil, BUT, it's been sitting up for nearly a year and a half.
Any used bike I've ever bought where there wasn't some sort of log kept, first thing was to change the oil and filter. Despite this anal retentive logbook, I'm doubting my own advice and logic . . . so I'll throw this out to others here.
Given that situation, and that we're approaching cooler riding weather, would you change the oil and filter before resuming packing the miles on the bike?
Thanks in advance . . .
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