I use Castrol Activ 4T Motorcycle Oil - 15W-50. No clutch slip, runs quiet. I leave ¼" play on clutch to allow for running temp. Only seems to slip when overdue for oil change.

Lucky1 wrote:
artybuck wrote:
I found with stock pipes it was real hard to get at the 10mm hex plug so i used to fill the tank, turn it over, top it up a couple of times til done. With the aftermarket pipes, I can now get to the hex plug - first time was really tight but using that as a fill point is much easier now. I used a kitchen funnel with hose on it - pour slowly. Much quicker - no spills. Hope this helps.

Hey brother I feel your pain. before I found out that their were drain plugs on the bottom of the bike, I would turn mine over to, but it was real hard on my mirrors so I read a few of the oil threads on here and now I no longer have a sore back after every oil change.

Booster wrote:
$280 for an oil change...are you serious? How many oil changes were done at that charge? Were you walking funny when you left?Yeah and I couldn't sit down either. The oil they put in was the Yamaha synthetic and the price of that oil on the showroom floor was $23.00 a quart X 5. That charge was for one oil change. They haven't been allowed to touch my bike for the last 18 months. After that last oil change I quit going to the dealer for anything. I did turn them into the BBB and told them I had been ripped off. They said that they had done the valve adjustments while it was there.

Oh, they did, did they? And did they recommend to you that they be adjusted? And did you authorize them to adjust them?

Hope you had at least 16k miles on it at the time, as per the manual, or they wouldn't even really have had any reason to recommend the valves be adjusted.

ahamay wrote:
Booster wrote:
$280 for an oil change...are you serious? How many oil changes were done at that charge? Were you walking funny when you left?Yeah and I couldn't sit down either. The oil they put in was the Yamaha synthetic and the price of that oil on the showroom floor was $23.00 a quart X 5. That charge was for one oil change. They haven't been allowed to touch my bike for the last 18 months. After that last oil change I quit going to the dealer for anything. I did turn them into the BBB and told them I had been ripped off. They said that they had done the valve adjustments while it was there.

Was that when the bike was new and due for the first oil change to remove the break-in oil?

The dealer did that same thing to me after the salesman told me this was a free service.
I went to pick up the bike thinking I would owe nothing and they handed me a bill for nearly $300 dollars, I bet you can guess how much crap hit the fan at that point.

I said,(actually yelled) 280 bucks for an oil change?

They told me there was more involved than just an oil change and after I told them the salesman said the first service was free they backed it off to $160 bucks. I was still pretty hot.

The other day when I needed to change to thinner oil and didn't want to mess with changing it, I took it back to the same dealer and the bill came to $54.00 with tax.

I don't know what they did to the new bike the first time, I doubt if they did anything other than an oil and filter, but I just don't know. I know they did whack me hard for the first service on the bike after break-in.

I would like to hear from someone who actually works for a Yamaha dealer as to what procedures the dealers actually do before I decide to condemn the dealer.

I've had the bike back to the dealer twice and both times the staff followed up with a phone call to see if I was satisfied with the service.

It just seems illogical to me why a dealer would risk losing all future dealings with a customer for a one time overcharge.

In fact I think I will go down and discuss this with the service manager today or send them an e-mail, its got me stumped.

River wrote:
It just seems illogical to me why a dealer would risk losing all future dealings with a customer for a one time overcharge.
It cost them more than that. I steer business from them all of the time. Several have purchased new motorcycles at other dealers. They told me that they have heard bad things about them before. Also a friend was looking for a dealership to sell his products and I sent him to another dealer that has a good reputation.

ahamay wrote:
Booster wrote:
$280 for an oil change...are you serious? How many oil changes were done at that charge? Were you walking funny when you left?Yeah and I couldn't sit down either. The oil they put in was the Yamaha synthetic and the price of that oil on the showroom floor was $23.00 a quart X 5. That charge was for one oil change. They haven't been allowed to touch my bike for the last 18 months. After that last oil change I quit going to the dealer for anything. I did turn them into the BBB and told them I had been ripped off. They said that they had done the valve adjustments while it was there.

I checked the price of our Yamalube full Synthetic today and it's $12.95/quart.

To many friends with bad dealer experiences.
If you have a pulse you can do your own oil change.
I'm 70 and still change my own oil and filter,20 minutes tops.
Cost $25.
If your engine is a little noisy put 20/50 oil it.
Shuts it rite up.