I did my first oil change with the Suzuki synthetic as well.  I really think the engine hated that stuff.  It was $36 down the tubes.  I bought some Rotella off Amazon for $12 a gallon and it loves the stuff!  I do drop in a bit of ZDDP as well.

Roger that on the Blue Job chzeckmate....nice to know I have it if I decide to clean her up real good for some occasion.

Drover her about 12 miles today, then home, drained oil, removed and replaced filter (looked brand new), filled with Rotella to just a tad under the "too high" mark. Bike sounds MUCH happier.

Thanks again all.

It's a matter of aesthetic preference.  Some people want their bike to look like it's never been ridden, that showroom look.  Some people like to have a little evidence that they've been twisting the throttle, like a badge of ownership.  Eh, to each his own.  

I personally prefer my pipe to at least show some heat coloring.  It's like a warning to any curious kid that says, "WARNING HOT - DON'T TOUCH!"

I made five thousand miles, still shining chrome, sitting in the driveway, revving it, trying to hear the valves, and looked down in horror,, it's Blue!
Ticked me off, eventually, I liked the look. Some months later I removed the header, sliced it up carefully, removed the inner pipe, and had a guy tig it back together. Yeah, it GLOWED red at night..
I indexed it as I cut, it fit, the welder was kinda tickled by the project and my help and putting things up, he didn't even charge me.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 08/28/15 at 18:07:57:


TIG welders are a class apart. I learned this from observing my instructors in welding school.

Stick and MIG welders are earnest craftsmen. Oxyacetylene torch welders can be some real artistes.

But TIG people are often like brain surgeons in terms of being extremely good at what they do and knowing it, and just getting a kick out of their work, whether it be stitching together sheets of tinfoil or repairing $2000  turbine blades or running miles of flawless rope-like aluminum bead. They look at their bead and look at you and just grin. And you go, darn... Because they ARE good...  

I went to TIG school thinking to get me a $75 an hour white lab coat job fixing jet turbine blades in a glove box full of argon. I applied at several aviation companies around town.

They laughed and said, Go weld up camper tops and yard furniture for five years, then come back and talk to us. I slinked away with tail between my legs, the smell of burning metal coming out of my ears. Back to gee-tar playing...  

If you can move to CA I got a job for you.

You'll be welding Ti, CRES and Inconel all day.

Seriously, I learned the hard way that the high end work on exotic metals is very hard to get. The skill, testing and knowledge required is daunting. The big earners are highly qualified, because in every case there is a lot of money and often a lot of lives riding on their work.

I ate my humble pie, and have a lot of respect for folks who can do that stuff.

Then my instructor would take my torch, run a couple inches of perfect, beautiful bead and I'm standing there thinking, you bastard...