Conversation with a Suzuki Dealer

Last weekend it was time for another oil change in the Bandit. At about 68k I stopped using Chevron Delo 400 in the Bandit and switched to a "Senior diet" of Motul 3000 10w-40. Not that I don't trust Delo 400. I think it's probably fine. But, as the Bandit gets older I realize he's not going to last forever and the bike's longevity is more important than saving 20 bucks on an oil change (at least I think so, I haven't done the math). Also I read a post (mebership required) on Maximum-Suzuki about a guy with a '97 Bandit who found a valve in his oil pan at 75k. Needless to say his motor was toast and with 73k on my '01 I found this troubling.

I'd heard that switching to 20-50 can be beneficial for older motors so that was on my mind as I rode to the local dealer. As I was staring at the oil shelf contemplating my options the sales guy asked if he could help with anything. So I told him I was thinking about switching my Bandit to 20-50 due to his age and mileage. So he asked about the mileage, and I said "75k," figuring he'd go pale with shock. Well he didn't. He said, "75k is not a lot of miles on that motor." He proceeded to tell me my Bandit was maybe about 25% into its life if I took good care of it, air cooled or no. He advised me to keep doing whatever I was doing and not change the type of oil I was using. "And don't sell the bike, it's worthless. Just ride it and enjoy it."

The sales guy had a few more things to say, among them that he thought Japanese MC engines were built to more rigorous specifications than the average commute car which will go 200k or so. "You wouldn't get rid of your truck if it had 75k, would you?" he said. He thought 300k was not an unreasonable expectation. He said he'd seen a Kawasaki 1500 with 300k in the shop for a tune-up, and it looked and ran fine.

I know the Kawasaki 1500 is a liquid cooled twin so I don't know how relevant that is to my air-cooled Bandit's lifespan. And I know that all the bikes in the garage use more oil than the truck that has 115k, 40k more than any of the bikes. The sales guy obviously wasn't trying to sell me a bike so I appreciate his honesty and I'd like to believe him. I just don't know of any Bandit motors with as many miles as mine. My friend Mark's blew at 60k although he blames the shop that worked on it. I guess time will tell.