After careful break in, I changed the oil on my Quad at 1100 miles....Next service will be at 6000 miles...High Boost engine....I think I'm buying insurance and peace of mind.....I could also be pissing away some money....:crying:
Well put Dr. P., It is cheap insurance that provides peace of mind.
In years past, engines came through from new with what was called break-in oil. It was (typically) just a lower viscosity engine oil that helped certain internal engine parts break-in, or wear-in, from their brand new condition and "mate" to their adjoining parts. These days I know of no major manufacturer that uses a different engine oil in their new engines, compared to what they recommend for the next oil service. During this break-in time period (again, in years past, European manufacturers would recommend returning in about 1000 kilometers=621 miles for that first oil service), as the engine parts are wearing in, there might be more small bits of metal sloughing-off, inside the engine, than after the break-in period. Also there is the possibility of bits of dirt and dust inside the engine from it's initial assembly. Also, perhaps, during this break-in period the piston rings are not sealing to the cylinder walls as well as they will be after the break-in period, and are allowing (more) small amounts of combustion gasses to pass into the crankcase and foul the engine oil. All of these factors contribute to why some folks believe that it is in their best interest to perform their first oil change at 500-1000 miles, and then, thereafter, follow a longer oil change interval more inline with what the manufacturer recommends. It might be called cheap insurance for those anal retentive folks, who want to do whatever they can to do best by their engine so that it might last forever. I'll be changing my oil and filter at the 500-1000 mile mark.