Dion wrote: as a ex mechanic i grew up in a time when you frequently changed oil for the simple reason that the engineering quality/materials/design and oil quality was not as it has become today.
over the years i have watched all the manufactures get into a war over whose engine can go the longest without servicing, reasoning they have the cheapest running costs etc etc.
now in a perfect world perfect things happen, how ever in difference to the norm i believe we live in a rather imperfect world, and have seen a reasonable amount of modern engines still go into production with engineering problems, and have seen problems eventuate with engines that could have been found had shorter oil intervals been done. mineral oils effective use deminishes quicker than synthetic , and a lower quality oil will break down quicker than a high quality oil (mineral or Synthetic) thats not always a price related issue
i religiously change oil every 5000ks always have and will even on modern stuff.
1 the more often you change the oil the quicker you will pick up any discharges into it, metalic primarily,but also sometimes silicon from the over zelot engine re builder and other engine debri( i once changed a bikes oil and found what turned out to be clutch fragments) but also the colour/smell can give indication if the crank is burning the oil.
any debri in a engines oil the longer it is in their the more chance it has of causing a problem significant or otherwise(and that does not matter how expensive the oil was!!)
2 certainly it is less harmful to change regular than leave for longer periods, I believe fully synthetic oils are the best lubricant on the market (for modern engines), as others have stated the older engines don't necessarily get that advantage, often it can be a disadvantage causing premature wear.
3 it has often been the case that particular oils suite certain engines more than others,so finding a oil specific to your engine should always be the issue, not just what is the best oil on the market. sometimes this means stepping away from manufacturers recommendations. i have a 2007 Honda oddssey Auto (not cvt) their is only one fluid that will work correctly with this model, all the others though are all classed as Auto Trans fluid will alter the timing of its gear change! even if your just topping up.
i found in the older forks i often moved away from spec for many reasons.
Cam chain tensioners, you could write about which one why and how to set for days, at the end of it, im not sure if i would recommend doing while engine s running with manual tensioner as i have seen to many engines come in that a guy was doing just that and came unstuck.pretty easy to do a finger adjustment as others have pointed out and start and listen, if its still in your mind a bit noisy (just turn off and repeat) really its not a huge laborious exercise. i have always set mine when engine is warm not full operating temp, simply its what i was taught and believe it strikes a good medium with cold and hot theories.
I definitely run with Kawboy in that to many people watch youtube and take it for gospel,watcher beware!! any person without having necessarily any credentials can put up whatever they want to, the difference with a site as this ?, what you have to take into consideration is the amount of people on a site like this coming to a similar conclusion from experience with the same item at hand.
as several have pointed out you make your own decision! but do the homework, as it can save you a lot of head aches and cost
anyways just wanted to get that out as sometimes i believe some of these points are over looked.
Dion
Thanks Dion - I appreciate all that. So quickly, what kind of oil do you run in the KZ13? I just changed mine and used Kawasaki SAE 10W-40 and an Emgo filter (it's the only one they had in stock that would fit the bike). But I'd be open to suggestions. I also used the Kawasaki 80W-90 gear oil for the rear diff, and I noticed it has an additive for Limited Slip - is that okay?
And on the CCT, I think my original post was misconstrued - when I said I have done adjustments with the bike running, I was implying that it was on a warm bike, engine idling (not running or riding persay) .. which sounds like what you all do?
