Oil Question

[Tcspencer211]

How black should my oil be after 2,000 miles? And if anyone know what weight oil should go into a 07 Shadow Aero 750? I was jsut told by the dealership that they put 10W40 into the bike.

[John Hopkins]

The color of your oil will depend on several things, oil can be black for several reasons, if the old oil was dirty the residual oil in the engine and maybe the oil filter then within a few minutes the new oil will soon discolor..if the rings are worn or broken the oil will get burnt..and last but not least if the oil has deturgent cleaners in it then it could have cleaned years of ingrained dirt from the inside of the engine...

And 10w40 is fine to use in your engine..

John.

[Ramie]

My oil never stays clean for long and I even flush some clean oil through it before I put the drain plug back in.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Motorcycle.com Free App

[gat803]

The color of oil has very little to do with how dirty it is. Depending on the manufacturer, some oils will turn black after the first time you heat them by running your engine up to running temp.

If you want to know how much of the additive package in your oil has been used up, do a UOA. A Used Oil Analysis will, for just about the cost of one owner done oil change tell you exactly what's going on with your oil and engine.

Blackstone Labs

[LannyNguyen]

If it runs fine, you're good. If it's only 2000 miles, it should be like a dark syrup colour.



Anyways, I always forget, when checking the oil level, does the dip stick have to be screwed in, or just rest?

[Da Skipper]

Just rest the dip stick.

[Chillable Red]

And, if I may add, when checking the oil the bike needs to be in the upright position. Not on side stand.

[gdb069]

Oils change color through dirt and sometimes heat and also start out different colors. The oils I use, now Rotella T6, go in golden and drain out golden so it may help to post the brand. If this was a Honda dealer it was likely Honda Pro GN-4 Honda oil and should not be black within 2000 miles. When were the previous oil change intervals? The dealer may not have done a complete change so old oil may have darkened the new. If concerned, I would flush with some inexpensive oil until clean and then check the color every gas fill and note any color change.

G.

[C.W.]

Caution: NEVER SCREW OR UNSCREW THE DIP STICK WHILE THE BIKE IS RUNNING! IT WILL GRAB THE STICK AND EAT IT FOR DINNER!

[MikeTes]

I've read that you should NOT use standard automotive oil, expecially one that has "energy conserving" noted on it. That oil supposedly has additives which are not good for motorcycle engines.

I use Mobile 1 4T 10w-40 motorcycle oil.