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First oil change on "new" XJ - Looking for some general advice!

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by aholeinthewor1d, Jun 27, 2022.

  1. aholeinthewor1d

    aholeinthewor1d New Member

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    I am now the owner of a "new" 1980 XJ650G Maxim. I got the bike about 2 weeks ago from a family member for free! Him and his friend got it from the friend's coworker for $200 supposedly. They were going to give it to my brother in law but he ended up finding another bike so I jumped on it! This is my second motorcycle but my first "project motorcycle. I've been on these forums every night since I've had the bike.. reading, searching, saving links, etc and it's amazing how awesome of a community this is.

    The bike is actually in really good condition and you can tell it was pretty well taken care of. I've rode it for the past 2 weeks but I really want to change the oil and plugs this week and start going through some maintenance. Naturally I read for hours and hours on here about oil but I'd still like to get some opinions from people who know way more than I do.

    From what I can see it seems a very popular option is Rotella T4 15w 40. Pretty sure that's what I ended up using in my 09 Ninja 250. Before I decide I wanted to get some opinions on the best oil seeing as how I don't know what was done to the bike. I don't know if the starter clutch or anything else was rebuilt and I don't know when the last time the oil was changed is (or what kind was used). I am in eastern PA so it gets hot and humid here in the summer. I don't have any plans to ride when it's cold out. I can't see myself wanting to ride even if it gets down to 50ish Fahrenheit. Most of the riding will be in 60 degree weather or warmer (very hot here).

    Without knowing what has been done to the bike what would my best oil weight option be for now? Is the Rotella 15w40 my best bet? The only thing I can say (could be normal) is that this engine gets HOT on the highway. The other popular options I see are Valvoline 10w40 and Castrol 4T 20W50. Not concerned about price or where to get it from I just wanna get what's best for now.

    Thanks to anyone who read my rambling! Can't wait to dive into the XJ some more!!

    tl;dr - which oil weight? :p
     

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  2. Dan Gardner

    Dan Gardner Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I would suggest sticking with the Rotella T4 15W-40. Can't go wrong.

    If I were you, I would change it again in a week or two if it looks or smells funky. That way you can be sure to flush all the funk out.

    You will also want to make sure all the pieces are there - o-rings, spring, washer, crush washers. The gory details are here:
    https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/oil-filter-assembly-install-detail.130464/
     
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  3. Jetfixer

    Jetfixer Well-Known Member

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    Agree with Dan G on the oil .DO NOT use synthetic these engines were not designed for this clearances are not as tight as modern engines . They can also cause problems with the starter clutch or so it seems. Be careful removing the oil filter housing bolt has a nasty habit of getting rounded off , personally the two Secas I have I bought the spin on oil filter upgrade from xj4ever, about 100$ worth every penny and if you ever want to go back to the stock set up easy to switch back . Cheers
     
  4. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    Nice looking bike! Use the Shell Rotella but since you have no idea how old the oils is and how much crud may be in the mix, add some Seafoam to the existing oil and run it for 100 mi. before doing the oil change. Follow the instructions on the container.
     
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  5. aholeinthewor1d

    aholeinthewor1d New Member

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    Thanks! Yea I can't believe how good of shape it's in. I've obviously heard of seafoam but never needed to use it for anything. What exactly would the benefit be to putting it in now, riding for a while, then changing oil? Thanks!!
     
  6. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    The Seafoam is used as a cleaner and may help to remove sludge that may be in your oil. It is more commonly used as a gasoline additive.
     
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  7. aholeinthewor1d

    aholeinthewor1d New Member

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    Thanks. I was actually thinking about changing the oil now and then changing it again in a few weeks just to be safe. Since I'm changing it twice should I just add the seafoam after the first oil change? Guessing it would do the same thing
     
  8. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    I would do it now and you would probably only need one oil change.
     
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  9. aholeinthewor1d

    aholeinthewor1d New Member

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    This is the correct stuff right? I was gonna pick it up at Walmart today when I get the oil.
     

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  10. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    That's it.
     
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