Sorry but an oil question

Hello guys was hoping for a bit of advice concerning engine oil. Have just recently bought a new Gsx1250fa which had been standing for some time, I reckon perhaps as long as 24months. I realise this is not great for any engine. I've only managed one short run (40km) and now winter is setting in (Belgium) so I will have to lay her up for another couple of months before I can start to break it in and to ride it properly. Should I change the engine oil and filter before doing so or leave it alone and just follow the service manual, take it in at 1000km's for initial sevice?

Also does anyone know which type of oil the factory use as initial fill is it mineral 10w40 or something special ? will the Suzuki dealership use fully synthetic @ 1000km first service?

any advice much appreciated

cheers

Oil is cheap insurance so change it before the lay up.
Keep an eye on fork seals when you go riding again though as they dont kast if allowed to dry out.
The dealer will use whatever oil they have unless you ask for something special. I ran mineral until 12000km and the bike was still improving at 20000km.
The Bandit doesnt need full synth but you can run it no probs.

I think they (at least Suzuki) ship the bikes with little or no oil in them and the dealers fill them when they are sold (as well as fit a bettery). I may have gotten that wrong so please fee free to correct me. If I'm right, then there is no such thing as Suzuki factory oil - as 2WA says, you get what the local dealer uses.

Yep, change it. Motul 10w40.

As 2wheelsagain says, bike still freeing up for me too at 21,000kms. Not having to try as hard to get it to pull gentle, controlled monos away from the lights. Running 98 octane ULP probably helps too....

I was going to agree with the other posters, but I didn't read your post correctly the first time. You said the bike was brand new and you've only travelled 40 kms right? If it's brand new, I wouldn't bother changing the oil. Nothing would happen to the oil if it's just been sitting around. I've used oil that I've had stored in my basement for 12 years and I never had a single problem. Just check the oil after winter and give the bike a good clean, lube the chain and other moving parts, tyre pressures and check oil seals and suspension. Get oil and filter changed at your first service, but perhaps take it in a bit early (800 kms or so). In my opinion, it isn't necessary to use synthetic oil on the Bandit as the compression ratio isn't that high to begin with. It's a good idea to vary the engine revs continuously when you are running in the bike for the first 1000kms. The first 100kms are the most critical in my opinion. A good way is to use engine braking, throttle, engine braking, throttle etc. Best to do early on Sunday mornings when there's no traffic. It is annoying to do, but you'll maximise the compression if you do this. This has worked for me with every new bike I've owned. I wouldn't go past 5000-5500 rpm though for the first 500kms, then I'd keep it under 6500-7000 rpm for the next 400 kms.

Good luck with the FA! I had a brand new one in 2010 when I was living in Japan. It was excellent after I did the Stage I modifications.

geekay007 wrote:I was going to agree with the other posters, but I didn't read your post correctly the first time. You said the bike was brand new and you've only travelled 40 kms right? If it's brand new, I wouldn't bother changing the oil. Nothing would happen to the oil if it's just been sitting around. I've used oil that I've had stored in my basement for 12 years and I never had a single problem. Just check the oil after winter and give the bike a good clean, lube the chain and other moving parts, tyre pressures and check oil seals and suspension. Get oil and filter changed at your first service, but perhaps take it in a bit early (800 kms or so). In my opinion, it isn't necessary to use synthetic oil on the Bandit as the compression ratio isn't that high to begin with. It's a good idea to vary the engine revs continuously when you are running in the bike for the first 1000kms. The first 100kms are the most critical in my opinion. A good way is to use engine braking, throttle, engine braking, throttle etc. Best to do early on Sunday mornings when there's no traffic. It is annoying to do, but you'll maximise the compression if you do this. This has worked for me with every new bike I've owned. I wouldn't go past 5000-5500 rpm though for the first 500kms, then I'd keep it under 6500-7000 rpm for the next 400 kms.

Good luck with the FA! I had a brand new one in 2010 when I was living in Japan. It was excellent after I did the Stage I modifications.

Hi the weather has remained very mild here so far since I bought the bike so I have managed almost 500km's on three seperate outings, I called with a dealership in the UK who agreed with what you were saying concerning the oil.... so I've left it alone. I've been breaking it in very much as you've suggested..... plenty of gearchanging ,varying the speed and keeping it under 5000rpm. I must say I'm very impressed with it, plenty of power low down and very smooth delivery. Apart from a slightly clunky gearchange (I'm led to believe this is quite typical) especially 3rd no complaints.

I'm currious to know what the stage 1 mods. envolved, is it something the Suzuki dealership could do or does it require a specialist?

cheers

Hi V,
Stage I involves:

Removing the airbox snorkel off the lid. Driling a 38 mm hole in the airbox lid.
Replacing airfilter with a K&N fabric filter or equivalent. Blocking off the PAIR valve with a rubber stopper to help minimise noisy popping under deceleration.
Using a Dobeck TFi or Power Commander fuel injector module. Bypassing the oxygen sensor with a resistor.
You can also change the heavy muffler with a lighter better breathing unit. I personally just kept the standard one on my FA, although I have a full Arrow system on my GSF1250S currently.

The whole job took me less than an hour and a half to do. Before the modification,the bike surged at constant throttle in traffic, and was annoying to ride in the city. After the mods, I estimate +5-7 hp and much crisper throttle action. See

http://www.holeshot.com/Bandit_1250/1250_tfi.html

You'll see diagrams and how the airbox lid should look like. If you are keen to do this yourself, then maybe go for Stage II modifications. See here.

http://www.holeshot.com/Bandit_1250/1250_tfi_st2.html

I bought my stuff off the owner there Dale Walker. He gave me the correct settings for the TFi box. You can also use a Power Commander. It is a little better than the TFi box, but costs a lot more to buy and set up, needing a dyno to get good results.

If you need any help or advice just search 'stage 2' or 'stage 1' in the search bar or just reply to me here.