Red said:
Fred... Honda has always recommended the first change on the Wings at 600 miles until the '01 model. I wonder why it was changed? Ideas?
My guess would be that this was done not by the engineers, but by the Bean Counters who want the bike to appear to need very little maintenance. They (Honda) have started doing the same thing on some of their cars, increasing maintenance intervals so they can advertise lower maintenance costs through the life of the vehicle. It seems to be a fairly common practice these days as more manufactures are trying to advertise the first tune up isn't due till 100k miles. To that, I say HOGWASH.
Chrysler and Toyota have had a rash of engine oil sludge problems in the heads of some of their engines, and the first thing they ask folks who bring in an engine that has sludge problems for a warranty claim is how often they changed the oil. While they advertise a 8K mile oil change interval, if you read the fine print in the owners manual, it specifies a much lower interval for what they call "Harsh driving conditions" or "Heavy Use". The definition of heavy use is anyone who drives in dusty conditions, or in stop and go traffic, or does any towing or high speed driving, or frequent short trips. That pretty much covers anyone who drives. So in reality, everyone should be using the shorter "Heavy Use" interval, which is between 3 - 4 K miles depending on the manufacturer.
I can guarantee you that you won't do any harm to your bike if you change the oil too often (unless you strip the drain plug out

). I can't say the same about not changing it often enough.
Do what you like, but when I spend close to $20K on a motorcycle, you can bet I am not going to wait till 4K miles to do the first oil change. Engine metals may have advanced in recent years, but to my knowledge, no one has made a bearing surface that doesn't flake off metal during the break in process. Look in your oil pan the first time you change the oil and see for yourself the shiny specks in it.