Oil Change Intervals

[kawapower]

My Z1000 uses Motul full synthetic oil, manuel says change at 1000kms/12,000kms so no change of oil or filter for 11,000kms is this okay? should it be changed more often?

[skybluestu]

Personally I'd do it at 1k, 3k, 6k, 9k, 12k etc etc but if you don't fancy doing it that often then every 6k would be a good idea and change the filter with every oil change too.

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[BigBikeBKK]

Filter cheap, engine expensive. I recommend change of filter with every oil change.

[commande]

I recommend to always change the filter with every oil change - in general, the oil change interval in the book is okay to follow (and it keeps your warrantee valid if you have Kawasaki dealer do it) unless you race your bike a lot which breaks the oil down a lot faster, if so you change it more often.

[kawapower]

I recommend to always change the filter with every oil change - in general, the oil change interval in the book is okay to follow (and it keeps your warrantee valid if you have Kawasaki dealer do it) unless you race your bike a lot which breaks the oil down a lot faster, if so you change it more often.

No I don't race the bike, it is used everyday but only 5 to 10kms, once in a while a longer journey, I will get them to change the oil and filter at 6000kms, I would not be happy leaving it until 12000kms, I hope it will be easy to get them to do something extra than what it says in the manual, they seem to want to stick to the manual no matter what. I took my Suzuki in for service 200kms before it was due they were adamant I came back when it reached the correct mileage!!

[BigBikeBKK]

I recommend to always change the filter with every oil change - in general, the oil change interval in the book is okay to follow (and it keeps your warrantee valid if you have Kawasaki dealer do it) unless you race your bike a lot which breaks the oil down a lot faster, if so you change it more often.

No I don't race the bike, it is used everyday but only 5 to 10kms, once in a while a longer journey, I will get them to change the oil and filter at 6000kms, I would not be happy leaving it until 12000kms, I hope it will be easy to get them to do something extra than what it says in the manual, they seem to want to stick to the manual no matter what. I took my Suzuki in for service 200kms before it was due they were adamant I came back when it reached the correct mileage!!

You're the paying customer, right? Suggest you be MORE adamant and insist they give you the service you require.

[wana]

I recommend to always change the filter with every oil change - in general, the oil change interval in the book is okay to follow (and it keeps your warrantee valid if you have Kawasaki dealer do it) unless you race your bike a lot which breaks the oil down a lot faster, if so you change it more often.

No I don't race the bike, it is used everyday but only 5 to 10kms, once in a while a longer journey, I will get them to change the oil and filter at 6000kms, I would not be happy leaving it until 12000kms, I hope it will be easy to get them to do something extra than what it says in the manual, they seem to want to stick to the manual no matter what. I took my Suzuki in for service 200kms before it was due they were adamant I came back when it reached the correct mileage!!

You're the paying customer, right? Suggest you be MORE adamant and insist they give you the service you require.

Kawasaki wont service a bike prematurely ,they stick to the manual and if you go in for your 1000 km service at 970 km they will refuse

and tell you to come back next week

Yamaha are a bit easier to deal with ,they will service if your within a coupe of 100 km of the service interval in the manual

[JeffreyMcCollum]

I recommend to always change the filter with every oil change - in general, the oil change interval in the book is okay to follow (and it keeps your warrantee valid if you have Kawasaki dealer do it) unless you race your bike a lot which breaks the oil down a lot faster, if so you change it more often.

No I don't race the bike, it is used everyday but only 5 to 10kms, once in a while a longer journey, I will get them to change the oil and filter at 6000kms, I would not be happy leaving it until 12000kms, I hope it will be easy to get them to do something extra than what it says in the manual, they seem to want to stick to the manual no matter what. I took my Suzuki in for service 200kms before it was due they were adamant I came back when it reached the correct mileage!!

You're the paying customer, right? Suggest you be MORE adamant and insist they give you the service you require.

Kawasaki wont service a bike prematurely ,they stick to the manual and if you go in for your 1000 km service at 970 km they will refuse

and tell you to come back next week

Yamaha are a bit easier to deal with ,they will service if your within a coupe of 100 km of the service interval in the manual

I have never had a problem with my local Kawasaki shop. Tell them what I want and they do it. I like to stand right there and watch. Not that I don't trust them but to learn more about the bike

[JonnyF]

I recommend to always change the filter with every oil change - in general, the oil change interval in the book is okay to follow (and it keeps your warrantee valid if you have Kawasaki dealer do it) unless you race your bike a lot which breaks the oil down a lot faster, if so you change it more often.

No I don't race the bike, it is used everyday but only 5 to 10kms, once in a while a longer journey, I will get them to change the oil and filter at 6000kms, I would not be happy leaving it until 12000kms, I hope it will be easy to get them to do something extra than what it says in the manual, they seem to want to stick to the manual no matter what. I took my Suzuki in for service 200kms before it was due they were adamant I came back when it reached the correct mileage!!

You're the paying customer, right? Suggest you be MORE adamant and insist they give you the service you require.

Kawasaki wont service a bike prematurely ,they stick to the manual and if you go in for your 1000 km service at 970 km they will refuse

and tell you to come back next week

Yamaha are a bit easier to deal with ,they will service if your within a coupe of 100 km of the service interval in the manual

I've serviced my Ninja a couple of thousand kms early because it had been so long since the last service (I was riding other bikes that period) and they just did it, no questions. Afterwards they just advised me there was no need to bring it in early next time. Which dealer was this?

[wana]

I've serviced my Ninja a couple of thousand kms early because it had been so long since the last service (I was riding other bikes that period) and they just did it, no questions. Afterwards they just advised me there was no need to bring it in early next time. Which dealer was this?

^the HQ on rama 9

[BigBikeBKK]

I recommend to always change the filter with every oil change - in general, the oil change interval in the book is okay to follow (and it keeps your warrantee valid if you have Kawasaki dealer do it) unless you race your bike a lot which breaks the oil down a lot faster, if so you change it more often.

No I don't race the bike, it is used everyday but only 5 to 10kms, once in a while a longer journey, I will get them to change the oil and filter at 6000kms, I would not be happy leaving it until 12000kms, I hope it will be easy to get them to do something extra than what it says in the manual, they seem to want to stick to the manual no matter what. I took my Suzuki in for service 200kms before it was due they were adamant I came back when it reached the correct mileage!!

You're the paying customer, right? Suggest you be MORE adamant and insist they give you the service you require.

Kawasaki wont service a bike prematurely ,they stick to the manual and if you go in for your 1000 km service at 970 km they will refuse

and tell you to come back next week

Yamaha are a bit easier to deal with ,they will service if your within a coupe of 100 km of the service interval in the manual

Nonsense, Kawasaki service my bikes when I tell them to. Period.

[BigBikeBKK]

I've serviced my Ninja a couple of thousand kms early because it had been so long since the last service (I was riding other bikes that period) and they just did it, no questions. Afterwards they just advised me there was no need to bring it in early next time. Which dealer was this?

^the HQ on rama 9

I get all my Kawasakis serviced at Rama 9 and they have never had a problem doing an unscheduled service for me.

[JonnyF]

I've serviced my Ninja a couple of thousand kms early because it had been so long since the last service (I was riding other bikes that period) and they just did it, no questions. Afterwards they just advised me there was no need to bring it in early next time. Which dealer was this?

^the HQ on rama 9

Same place they serviced mine early without batting an eyelid. Weird.

[TongueThaied]

I'm with Tony; change the filter every time.

Something I did not see discussed was this business of using a full synthetic in a new bike. A full synthetic is more slippery than a mineral oil, hence lower wear and its benefit. However, you WANT wear as things seat during the break-in period. While the bike may complete its initial break-in fairly rapidly, there is a school out there that strongly suggests putting 20K km on the bike before switching from mineral to synthetic. Every BMW mechanic with whom I discussed this in the US was adamant on it being better to wait on the full synthetic.

I have not seen a Thai mechanic that did not insist that a full synthtic is the best thing for your bike right out of the crate. Personally, I dont think the have any idea what they are talking about, and I don't listen to them. Never been to Rama 9.

I have also seen so much bullshit and neglect that I do all my own service now. If I have to stand over them and watch them like a hawk and demand the use of torque wrenches and give the the torque specs, I might as well do it myself. Again, don't know about Rama 9, but the Kawa shops I have dealt with seem to have no idea that cables should be lubed, and they seem to think the proper way to service wheel bearings is to simply replace the whole assembly. Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe most of the procedures set forth in the Kawasaki shop manual are there for a reason, but don;t try to tell a Thai mechanic that (except maybe Rama 9).

Edited May 10, 2012 by TongueThaied

[BigBikeBKK]

I'm with Tony; change the filter every time.

Something I did not see discussed was this business of using a full synthetic in a new bike. A full synthetic is more slippery than a mineral oil, hence lower wear and its benefit. However, you WANT wear as things seat during the break-in period. While the bike may complete its initial break-in fairly rapidly, there is a school out there that strongly suggests putting 20K km on the bike before switching from mineral to synthetic. Every BMW mechanic with whom I discussed this in the US was adamant on it being better to wait on the full synthetic.

I have not seen a Thai mechanic that did not insist that a full synthtic is the best thing for your bike right out of the crate. Personally, I dont think the have any idea what they are talking about, and I don't listen to them. Never been to Rama 9.

I have also seen so much bullshit and neglect that I do all my own service now. If I have to stand over them and watch them like a hawk and demand the use of torque wrenches and give the the torque specs, I might as well do it myself. Again, don't know about Rama 9, but the Kawa shops I have dealt with seem to have no idea that cables should be lubed, and they seem to think the proper way to service wheel bearings is to simply replace the whole assembly. Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe most of the procedures set forth in the Kawasaki shop manual are there for a reason, but don;t try to tell a Thai mechanic that (except maybe Rama 9).

Which dealer gave you such shoddy service? Would be good to know so that the rest of us can avoid them.

Quality of work and adherence to the service manual seems to vary widely from one dealer to the next.

In my personal experience, Rama 9 in Bangkok and the dealership in Chiang Mai do excellent work, by the book.

FYI, Rama 9 recommend semi-synthetic, not full synthetic.

I've heard terrible stories about shoddy service from the dealers in Pattaya and Phuket and the one time I tried the Kawa dealer on Ramkamhaeng (REAL Motorsports) I was NOT impressed as they didn't have the proper tools to do a very basic job. (Though in their defense, they had just opened for business and were perhaps not quite up to speed at the time).

I've heard that the dealers in Nakhon Sawan and Udon Thani are quite good, mixed reviews about the Kawa shop in Korat...

Edited May 10, 2012 by BigBikeBKK

[TongueThaied]

I'm with Tony; change the filter every time.

Something I did not see discussed was this business of using a full synthetic in a new bike. A full synthetic is more slippery than a mineral oil, hence lower wear and its benefit. However, you WANT wear as things seat during the break-in period. While the bike may complete its initial break-in fairly rapidly, there is a school out there that strongly suggests putting 20K km on the bike before switching from mineral to synthetic. Every BMW mechanic with whom I discussed this in the US was adamant on it being better to wait on the full synthetic.

I have not seen a Thai mechanic that did not insist that a full synthtic is the best thing for your bike right out of the crate. Personally, I dont think the have any idea what they are talking about, and I don't listen to them. Never been to Rama 9.

I have also seen so much bullshit and neglect that I do all my own service now. If I have to stand over them and watch them like a hawk and demand the use of torque wrenches and give the the torque specs, I might as well do it myself. Again, don't know about Rama 9, but the Kawa shops I have dealt with seem to have no idea that cables should be lubed, and they seem to think the proper way to service wheel bearings is to simply replace the whole assembly. Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe most of the procedures set forth in the Kawasaki shop manual are there for a reason, but don;t try to tell a Thai mechanic that (except maybe Rama 9).

Which dealer gave you such shoddy service? Would be good to know so that the rest of us can avoid them.

Quality of work and adherence to the service manual seems to vary widely from one dealer to the next.

In my personal experience, Rama 9 in Bangkok and the dealership in Chiang Mai do excellent work, by the book.

FYI, Rama 9 recommend semi-synthetic, not full synthetic.

I've heard terrible stories about shoddy service from the dealers in Pattaya and Phuket and the one time I tried the Kawa dealer on Ramkamhaeng (REAL Motorsports) I was NOT impressed as they didn't have the proper tools to do a very basic job. (Though in their defense, they had just opened for business and were perhaps not quite up to speed at the time).

I've heard that the dealers in Nakhon Sawan and Udon Thani are quite good, mixed reviews about the Kawa shop in Korat...

I really tried to avoid the ID. I really like Nakhon Sawan Kawasaki. Khun Surasak, the owner, has accomedated my every whim. It is a great place to buy a bike or parts and accessories, though parts usually have to be ordered. But his service people don't seem to have any training. They apparently don't have a Thai language manual (Is there one?) and can't read the English one. They have a torque wrench, but NEVER use it. If you come in for a periodic service, they do not use the check list. They change the oil, filter and air cleaner, but ignore the cables and other small things that will cause you a problem if not maintained.

I finally started to catch on when I thought my arthritic hand was getting so bad that I could hardly squeeze the clutch. I had about 22,000 km on the bike by that time. Then I thought, wait a minute, and checked it out. Though I had had all my scheduled service done on time at the dealer, the cable had never been lubed; it was bone dry, even a little crusty. I lubed it and it was like new again. Ditto for throttle cables. When I went in for the 24K service, I watched them like a hawk. They never even looked at the cables.

Last time I was in, I wanted them to change front and rear tires and have them balanced at Nakhon Sawan Goodyear (because they can't do it and nobody in Phit'lok will do it). They didn't know how to take the front and rear wheels off at the same time. I had to show the guy how to do it with the front stand they were selling upstairs. When they put the wheels back on, no high temp grease applied to the seal lips, as directed by the manual. No torquing. They reused the bent up old cotter pin on the rear axle. I didn't say anything; I just smiled, said thanks and redid it all when I got home.

The "techs" speak zero English and if I stand over them and guide them every step (vis-a-vis torquing, grease, threadlock, guide through the checklist, etc.), we can get it done. But it's not worth it. First of all, it probably irritates the shit out of them, though they never show it (it would irritate me if I was the tech). But moreover, its easier to just do it myself and skip the trip to Nakhon Sawan -- or wherever.

I cringe at the thought of letting them do a valve adjustment. If the valves end up burned, guess who will be left holding the bag?

I haven't used Korat, but I have a friend that has. On MORE THAN ONE occasion, when they finished, there were a couple of screws left over. One time they lost an aftermarket trim piece he had put on. He did not realize it was gone until he got back home. This does not instill confidence.

I was under the impression that all Kawasaki "big bike" dealers would give a 10% discount to big bike owners on Kawasaki genuine parts. Chiangmai Kawasaki refuses to do so, which I find irritating, though maybe I'm being petty. We're not talking much money, but I believed that was the deal.

Rama 9 is simply too far away. The one time I tried to use them for something, the waiting list was too long and I had to go home.

So if I am on the road and need something, I go in. But for routine service, I just don't trust any of them and have found that it's just better to do it myself.

If you're riding a 110cc Honda around town, it probably doesn't matter so much, but if you are blasting down the highway at over 160 kph, swinging through the twisties or just riding way out in the middle of nowhere, like I was last week, it is nice to know your wheels are properly fastened to the bike and the clutch cable isn't going to snap.

Again, I hate to dis Nakhon Sawan Kawasaki because you can't find a better guy than Khun Surasak. They also usually have all the bikes IN STOCK -- no waiting. I just wish I could have confidence in their techs.

Well, enough. I'm at 36K. Gotta go change the plugs.

[biggie371]

Has anybody had any experience of the service standard at kawasaki in Khon Kaen?

thanks

[BigBikeBKK]

Has anybody had any experience of the service standard at kawasaki in Khon Kaen?

thanks

I thought their grand opening was today, no?

[biggie371]

Khon Kaen grand opening? they've been open months, at least 6, if memory serves

me correctly.....