[Kevin]

Hey guys,

I am really happy that I found your forum. It looks awesome!!!

I already found some useful information about my bike. Three days ago I bought Z1000 '05. The bike is just incredible (uploaded few pics of it ). Very comfortable, easy to ride ... I am in love with that machine!

Since I don't know where to ask this I will do it here. (I would like to apologize to all administrators in advance if I am doing it wrong!)

One thing I really need to know, and I will highly appreciate your help, can somebody tell me how to check the mileage of the bike? I mean, I know that it is currently at 25k, changed the oil, but I don't really know how to check when it is time to change it again

I know my question is really really really stupid, but ... This is my first Kawasaki and to be honest my first bike ever, so ... your help will be appreciated!!!

Thank you in advance guys!!!

 

[notabiker]

if you want to pamper your new baby as i do, change the oil and filter at least by 3,000 miles. i do my oil change with full SYTH oil between 1,500 and 2,000 miles. a motorcycle engine works hard for a living. frequent oil changes prevent oil leaks, the seals stay soft and pliable. i have owned many motorcycles and i never had a oil leak or engine break down. enjoy the new bike.

 

[Kevin]

Hey, notabiker, thank you for the advise! I fully intend to do exactly what you said. See, the problem is that on the dashboard it's not shown the mileage ... and because of that I do not know when to change the oil again May be it would be better if I upload a picture to show you exactly what I mean. However, I guess I should somehow pull this info from the Menu or something like that ... Any suggestions will be more than welcome

 

[jrick56]

i used to do that too. but kawasaki suggest every 7500 miles. i switched to lucas 20w50 full synthetic at 7500 miles. 4qts and filter $50.00. i'm going to follow the book for a while.:screwy::screwy::screwy:

 

[zephyrboy738]

There is no way I would go 7,500 miles in between oil changes. I change my oil every 1,000 to 2,000 miles depending on how hard I ride, plus if you are using a synthetic oil why are you using 20w50 all you need is 10w40?

 

[jrick56]

am a litlle nervous my self but if they say it's ok it must be. why would they tell that if they would have to warrantee the engine. am still debating how i will handle this.:screwy::screwy::screwy: it's very hot here in the summer that's why 20w50.

 

[Kevin]

Guys, I do appreciate that you are sharing your experience who changes the iols of his bike when It is important for me to know that, it really is, however ... the real questions is how am I supposed to keep track of the miles if they are not shown on the dashboard? Is there some other indication when it's time to change the oil? How do you keep track of the miles you drive?

P.S. 7500 miles between oil changes?! That's a lot even for a car ... Here in Bulgaria we change the oil of our cars after 5000-6000 miles. The motorcycle is a lot more delicate machine, should be treated a lot more careful ... personal opinion! On the other side, if the book says so ...

 

[ridingswitch]

Going from memory the oil change interval for the 2010 is 600 miles, and then 3700, and I dont remember after that.

 

[kawtoy_77]

Welcome!

 

[underdog]

Full synthetic oils last much longer then the old dinosaur oils. However, the dirt remains the same after all these years and is still suspended in the oils. My BMW M3 manual says 15,000 miles! I've been doing that for about 103,000 miles now with no problems at all. As for my Zed, I start looking for new oil around 3k and always get-er-done before 4,000. Unless you are eating off the inside of the engine you'll never know the difference. If you odometer isn't registering I'd start by replacing that or getting it fixed so you can tell when all your maintenance needs to be done and you'll even know when you need to fill up with gas again.
Do you have a service manual? It does come in a .pdf form so you can download it and use it on your computer. You should be able to find one on here somewhere. If not, PM me (if I can get it working again) I'll help you find one.
Welcome

 

[notabiker]

changing the oil often is like giving your lady Flowers. it is cheep and the rewards are remarkable.
the factory says 7,500 miles becouse they feel nothing bad will happen. after the warrenty runs out do they care if the engine lasts 20,000 or 50,000 miles. NO
all the brands of motorcycles must keep the oil changes to a minimum to sell bikes. the oil is the life blood of the engine.if your kidneys were not filtering properly you might not die but you also might not feel so good.if somebody else changes their oil at 7,500 miles fine. me i like clean, good oil in my toys. when i had a drag car the oil got changed every other time out to the drag strip. 9 QTS with maybe 10 miles on the oil. my little 377 inch small block ford had over 300 8,000 RPM runs on it without a problem. the pistons looked like they could go another 300 runs.

 

[kawtoy_77]

I use dino oil, its Caterpillar 15/40. I change it every 2,000 miles even though I am constantly told I am wasting my money. I feel its cheap insurance for the longevity of my motorcycle.

 

[Kevin]

Thank you guys for all the information about changing the oil! I personally prefer to change it more often like every 2000-2500 miles. As kawtoy_77 said - "its cheap insurance for the longevity of my motorcycle".

@underdog - I managed to find the service manual for Z1000 in .PDF format. It is quite big ... 515 pages or something like that. Thanks anyway. Appreciate it!

May be is a good idea to go through the manual very carefully and if I have any questions I will address them to you guys. I count on you, as people with a lot more expirience than me, to help me learn to treat my machine the way it deserves so we can have thousands of miles together

 

[zephyrboy738]

Keep an eye on the oil glass, if its clean its OK if its black change it or every 2-3 months which ever comes first:dontknow:

 

[MarkLind]

fellas I just found this, the funny thing is the guy that sells me my oil (amsoil) said to double the factory recommended intervals....ain't happenin'. Man I worry too much to go 15k without changing.

I usually go 5000 between on mine. I like keeping it simple and easy to remember. The problem is I ride so damn much that stuff gets expensive haha!

 

[z-eins]

i change my oil around 2500 miles with 10w-40 mobil 1 4t. For me a bike needs to be changed in shorter intervals due to the fact that people will ride hard, therefore using the oil more to its extent.
amsoil is pretty good, i would recommend it. i used that for my first oil change and then decided to go for mobil