10000 miles on Shockproof Heavy

[mikethebike]

I was converted to Redline Shockproof Heavy some time ago and wondered how long it would last between oil changes. There was talk about it lasting 2-3 times longer than regular 80W/90 and even that it would never need changing.

10000 miles on however and being a stickler for regular maintenance I decided that I should change it.

At £25 a US quart (direct from Redline UK inc carriage) it is around 3 times more expensive than Castrol.

Anyway the oil was drained and what came out was a murky pink colour but it still felt like oil and had much the same sticky consistency as the new stuff.

I reckon it would be OK for another couple of thousand miles so I'll set a limit of 12000 miles between changes from now on.

I feel better for doing it.

Just thought I'd share that with you.

[Guest ratchethack]

Mike, if you speak to Redline directly on this (as I did per previous posts -- call Dave in the Tech Dep't. at their World Wide HQ in Benicia, CA, 800 624-7958), they will tell you that Shockproof Heavy doesn't need changing a-tall -- in either trans or bevel drive!

 

That's right -- NO CHANGE INTERVAL.

 

See Redline's White Paper PDF here:

 

http://www.redlineoil.com/whitePaper/11.pdf

 

Having previously used Redline transmission lube (their original MTL) for literally hundreds of thousands of miles in 2 vehicles with MTL, which has the same NO CHANGE INTERVAL spec, for over 2 decades, I can attest to wot might otherwise easily be interpreted as a bogus claim. I change my MTL at 100K miles regardless. It comes out looking for the most part the way it looked going in!

 

However, again -- with apologies for repeating this as previously posted, when it comes to the Guzzi, I'm like you. I treat her with somewhat greater care, no doubt to the point of overkill in some situations, of which this might be one. As far as the Guzzi trans goes, I favor the Keith Richards Annual Blood Transfusion Routine:

 

"No tellin' wot's in 'ere, Guv'nah -- but 's bloody certain it ain't doin' me no good!"

 

But o' course, that's just me, and as always, YMMV.

[dlaing]

Mike, if you speak to Redline directly on this (as I did per previous posts -- call Dave in the Tech Dep't. at their World Wide HQ in Benicia, CA, 800 624-7958), they will tell you that Shockproof Heavy doesn't need changing a-tall -- in either trans or bevel drive!

 

That's right -- NO CHANGE INTERVAL.

 

See Redline's White Paper PDF here:

 

http://www.redlineoil.com/whitePaper/11.pdf

 

Having previously used Redline transmission lube (their original MTL) for literally hundreds of thousands of miles in 2 vehicles with MTL, which has the same NO CHANGE INTERVAL spec, for over 2 decades, I can attest to wot might otherwise easily be interpreted as a bogus claim. I change my MTL at 100K miles regardless. It comes out looking for the most part the way it looked going in!

 

However, again -- with apologies for repeating this as previously posted, when it comes to the Guzzi, I'm like you. I treat her with somewhat greater care, no doubt to the point of overkill in some situations, of which this might be one. As far as the Guzzi trans goes, I favor the Keith Richards Annual Blood Transfusion Routine:

 

"No tellin' wot's in 'ere, Guv'nah -- but 's bloody certain it ain't doin' me no good!"

 

But o' course, that's just me, and as always, YMMV.

The white paper says nothing about change interval.

Are they afraid to put that in writing?

My impression of the shockprook light was that I could feel an improvement when changing it after about 10,000 miles.

I suspect the heavy will last longer, probably 20,000 miles, but I only have a few hundred miles on the heavy. I prefer the heavy as it seems to shift a little better, with fewer mis-shifts when hot. Cold shifts require a firmer foot, but are smooth and are no more error prone than the light shock proof.

I suspect riding in wet humid conditions will require more changes of the shockproof.

Keep an eye on the oil level. If it increases, it could be because of water build up.

If your shift quality degrades, look to the linkage first and clean it. If the shifting is still not as good as you recall change the oil.

No rising levels and smooth shifting for the next 100,000 miles could indicate that the guy Ratchet spoke to is correct

[Guest Nogbad]

I wouldn't have any qualms about leaving RL in there indefinitely PROVIDED you can be sure that is all that is in there.

 

Unfortunately, with open breathers in the stupid position they are, and my penchant for riding in wet weather, I intend to stick with the cheaper oil and change it out at the normal interval in the trans. In the bevel I am using RLSH, simply because there isn't that much in there and it gets rid of the hassle of the separate moly product.

[DeBenGuzzi]

my next car new or otherwise is going to get the RLSH the week I get'er, that stuff is like liquid gold, and apparently more expensive than gold in the UK I think I paid $14? I wanna say, they're regular oil was $7 a quart that I put in the engine. I dunno, a lot cheaper than the UK prices.

[dlaing]

first time I paid about $14 -16 after shipping, but then Ratchet(thank you Ratchet) turned me on to a local place, Fallbrook Oil, that sells it for about $9. But they are not open Saturday (so I have to visit on day off) and I am sure if you wanted mail order the price would jump up because of shipping and handling, so I won't bother providing more contact info.

I think $9 or $20 is a small price to pay for peace of mind, and sweeter shifting

But if I had to winterize my bike and rode in wet weather more often, like Nogbad, I might look at an oil that I could afford to change every year, regardless of the low miles..

[Guest ratchethack]

Dave, FYI -- Since the first time I bought RLSH for the Guzzi, (there were at least half-dozen dealers within 10 miles back then), they've added lots more.

 

If you use their US and Canadian zip code dealer search (They provide an International search also) here:

 

http://www.redlineoil.com/dealers.asp

 

You'll get a large number of hits.

 

Today, I get 3 within 5 miles, 21 within 10 miles, and 103 within 25 miles.

 

BAA, TJM, & YMMV.

[stormsedge]

Does anyone have a good method of cleaning the eye-level on the transmission? I suspect it to be plastic and do not want to fog it, but it is filmed beyond use at the moment. Thanks. k

[dlaing]

Does anyone have a good method of cleaning the eye-level on the transmission? I suspect it to be plastic and do not want to fog it, but it is filmed beyond use at the moment. Thanks. k

It comes out really easily.

I a pretty sure it is plastic too, so to be safe I cleaned mine with oil.

I probably risked scratching it by using paper tissue, so you might want use optical lens cleaning tissue or cloth.