maybe i'm an idiot, but is it normal for these bikes to go through that much oil? it's definitely not leaking any, and if it is burning it it's not obvious. it's an 03 model with 40000km on it, and it gets well looked after. haven't checked the valve clearances yet, next on the list. any ideas welcome, thanks guys.

 

I think it is way way too much. My 97 uses about 100 gr of oil per 4-5000 km, and it got 40 000 on the clock.
IMHO your bike oil consumption more like FZR1000 Exup level, which is a lot. And if it is not leaking any - I guess it's time for pistons/rings/cylinders job...

 

I think it is normal. 6000 kM is 4000 miles, 1L is close to 1 quart. i think 1 quart every 4000 miles is normal, especially if you do a lot of spirited riding (high rpms). My bike uses about half a quart between oil changes and If I do a lot of spirited riding, it uses a little more and my bike has 22k miles on it. Don't worry it is normal.

 

I guess I'm retarded (just ask the wife) but I've read this several times and have yet to discover what his oil usage is. Do I need to buy some bubble gum and get a secret decoder ring?

 

:wink: it's in topic description. 1 liter every 6000 km. I still think it is too much...thou my friend's 1995 FZR1000 takes 2 liter every 4000 km... and I picking up on him for that every time he goes into "Yamaha better than Honda" routine

 

Me too.

 

6000 km is approximately 3750 miles...1 quart is appr. 0.95 liter. So, if you change oil every 6000 km your bike takes 0,47 liter per 6000....much less.

 

Ahh, the topic description isn't seen when viewed from the front page.

Yeah, I'd personally say that's high but I think Honda would not. I've read of many other bikes/models with that burn rate. My bike might burn that much but I wouldn't know since I change my oil more freguently.

 

I agree with most, you should change you oil at least every 2000 miles if you ride hard then sooner. With doing trackdays I'm supposed to change after every trackday. I usually go two though.

 

I think honda will say it is normal oil consumption. It is not unheard of for an engine to use oil between oil changes. It is normal and manufacurers always say that. For example, I know my Mercedes benz manual saus it is normal for the engine to use up to 1 liter of oil every 5000 kilometers. That's almost a quart every 3500 miles. For a motorcycle engine that revs a lot higher, it wouldn't be any different. Every manufacturer has their own tolerences and limits. I still think 1 quart between oil changes is normal.

 

It is normal for these engines to burn more oil than a car engine. The rings are thin and therefore not very stiff to reduce sliding friction. When hard on the throttle increased gas pressure behind the rings increases the ring force on the cylinder wall, sealing it up better. You will burn more oil commuting and putting around than running hard.

Another factor is that the Honda cylinders are unsupported at the top and tend to go out of round, by as much as .004-.005". The good news is they run fine like that because the bore is big. An i4 600 say, could never tolerate it.

Keep it full and run it!

 

Mine burns almost none. However I think the current service standard at Honda is no more than 1 quart every 1,500 miles. It used to be 1,000. And while it may have been raised again, it wouldn't be raised to 4,000, I can assure you.

 

Agreed.