Wilsons Sandbox

"Looking at the site glass" is only a basic visual indicator. It doesn't mean you need to change the oil. For various reasons the oil gets black, (blow by, etc) but recognize it is still doing its job, and although it may be black within a few hundred miles, the oil is far from breaking down and will do its job far longer. as Devon said, you can go by the book. (or go earlier.) I made that statement many posts ago, but qualified it with saying something to the effect that this was "rediculously often", and was something I liked to play with as part of the "motorcycle hobby of testing various oils". In in no way suggested that the accepted method for determining change intervals for a klr rider should be the site glass. It is just a visual indicator of how much pollution your oil has collected. I have heard people state that the oil in the glass gets black very quickly - within a few miles to 1000 miles. What exactly is the key driver of blackness, I will let an expert answer. Again, this is "ridiculously often" in my case 6 - 800 miles. This is not advice for anyone to follow. Ever talk to someone in Europe where they are told the can run 20 - 30,000 km or more between oil changes. It makes me think we in the us have been brainwashed. I am sure their oil runs a long time doing its job and looking quite black. Again, use your best judgement. Todd Chaska MN A16 03 F7