2500 miles for changes, wow. I am glad I never read it. LOL.

Just went and looked at my oil change log, I have been changing at 3000k -4200 miles have sent the oil in for analysis several times and comes back fine.

 

FWIW. Auto Zone takes oil and has what you probably need to change it in their lot. Google them and see where they may be around your target change times. Just a suggestion. Oh, pack some aluminum foil so you can run most the oil into a pan from under the filter.

 

Thats some good info, did you have any specific reason why you sent the oil in, to get analyzed?

 

Because the 124 cost me a lot, i was using redline oil and wanted to make sure everything was going smooth so i sent samples in during the first 20k miles, I no longer send oil samples in. I run the bike pretty hard, solo and two up, never under 3k rpms at speed, Have 50k on it now. I do use some oil.

 

Change it before you leave and don't sweat it. Just check it carrying a qt with you.
Synthetic oil and a clean burning FI motor can easily take 5K and 20K on a filter would be no big deal.

 

For me I don't change oil on trips. I had 206,000 miles on my Sportster when the engine died and even on 2+ week long trips of over 10,000 miles I'd wait until I got home. Did an oil analysis at each change after I hit 100K and the oil was coming back fine. I was (and still am) running HD Syn 3

I get it if you have a relatively new engine, do what you need to do in order to be comfortable. I'd find an Indy shop somewhere along your route and have them change it.

 

If you're changed fresh before heading out, a few extra miles (even a couple of K) are all good IMO if you're waiting to get somewhere where you can do it properly and comfortably yourself. From the looks of the outpouring in the HDforums, you look like you'll be able to secure a spot within your comfortable mileage anyway. Good luck and safe travels!

 

Now, an oil thread I can relate to. Of the two main types of bikers, cruisers and tourers, we’ve always been tourers. Unless commuting, a 4 day jaunt is about my shortest. 7-10,000 mile trips are our norm. Therefore we often find ourselves 5000 miles into a ride and not halfway home. I have always just done the auto parts store or family home driveway oil change.

Typical, I’ll find an oil recycle auto store, purchase a cheap oil pan, drain the oil, refill, and recycle the oil and plastic oil pan. A few places have had one I could just use, but older staff are getting rarer. I don’t worry about the filter, I don’t worry about the tranny, I don’t worry about the primary and I don’t send my oil in for analysis. If anything needs analysis, my wife says it me. The EVO went over 115,000 and this bike will as well.

Now I understand those who are **** about it, I’m not. I’m a northern tier rider, high heat is 90, when it’s humid, it’s raining. The temporary 110 dry heat or the oppressive 95 hot humid waiting for the thunderstorms to form are not my typical weather. Now, if I lived in a hot dry, dusty place, like the southwest or a hot humid sweat making place like the east coast, Florida on to Texas, I’d probably give it more thought. But my two weeks or so passing through on your best two lanes has yet to task me or the bike.

So I think it matters where you live as that has a direct effect on the conditions your oil sees. When I toured (1970’s) on my ironhead, I just looked at the oil, rubbed it between my fingers, smelled it and that determined when I changed my oil. Back in those days, prior to auto stores and recycle, we just spread the used oil on the gravel drives. Okay, Greta, we cared about the environment, it was just a wise use of waste products back then.

So, I understand both approaches. I enjoyed the discussion on a different “oil” thread. I just got out of work, it’s my first cup of coffee and this has been my rant on the only social media outlet I am on. The end.

 

Five years is probably too long to go without an oil change!