Metal flake in oil. When did yours stop?

[TheChairman]

Just shy of 1400 miles on my 2020 TT250. I followed the break in procedure as closely as was reasonable that is outlined by CSC. I did much more frequent oil changes than they recommend, as I don't pay for oil. Rode it 100 miles, changed the "factory" with Rotella 15w40, and have replaced at 250 mile or less intervals since. The oil is always still clean, so it's not top end/piston wear.

I'm still getting metal in my oil. Not horrible failed main bearing metal, but it definitely sparkles as it runs into the drain on my oil catch. Bike seems to run fine, a little rattly but nothing that causes me to have immediate alarm. It's getting harder to find neutral, but not impossible and not all the time.

It is enough to have me concerned, as at this mileage I should think that most of the surfaces and bearings should be well polished by now. My question is, at what point should I call CSC? I know these bikes have a long break in and are known for a little shedding so I don't want to seem overly worried about nothing. At the same time, I don't want to ignore it and have a catastrophic failure that costs me an entire engine.

I have a Blackstone UOA kit coming. For $30 it's worth it.

[Its_not_a_honda]

I have a db36 apollo 250. Never seen any trash when changing oil. I also have a Yamaha tw200. Every time I change the oil I see some flakes of trash. I change my oil frequently. The Yamaha guys say it is normal and I haven't noticed any thing as far as power or noises. They tell me it is clutch debris. I would say ride on and not worry. Some engines make sparkles and some don't.

[franque]

I'm sure it's fine, just keep riding it.

[TheChairman]

Thanks.

I'm going to do the UOA anyway because $30 is cheap enough but continue to ride normally. I'll share the results here in the thread for everyone's information.

[China Rider 27]

I too have noticed a lot of reflective particles in oil changes. I try to reduce them early on. When I break in one of these bikes I change the oil before startup, change it after 1 hour run time and again after 3 to 4 hours run time. Then maybe think about it at 250 miles. It has been said many times, and I am in the group that believes oil is cheap insurance for the cost and time to do it takes. Be interesting to see the results.

[RedCrowRides]

I'm guessing it's almost certainly clutch plate wear "sparklies" you are seeing. Even minimal wear will be noticeable visually ,it also meshes with your comments regarding occasionally having to " fish" for gears. I wouldn't over think it but of course the UOA may give you some peace of mind so go ahead with that. These bikes really dont use a lot of oil ( about a quart , or just slightly more) and a single cylinder engine has to run hard by design ,so it really doesnt take much contamination to be visible .

[Wild Dog]

Originally Posted by TheChairman

It's getting harder to find neutral, but not impossible and not all the time.

This is something normal for these engines, it will get better with use.

About the metal shaving, you should drain the old oild, using the drain plug and the "not a drain plug" plug that's under the engine.

[franque]

I'd look at readjusting the clutch, too, if you're having trouble finding neutral. These Honda designs tend not to like finding neutral unless you're rolling, too.

[TheChairman]

If it's clutch plate material, I should be able to catch much of it with a magnetic oil plug, then?

Anyone ever stuck a magnet inside of the strainer screen?

[bogieboy]

Originally Posted by TheChairman

If it's clutch plate material, I should be able to catch much of it with a magnetic oil plug, then?

Anyone ever stuck a magnet inside of the strainer screen?

if its clutch material, it will not stick to a magnet at all, as the clutch will either be flakes of aluminum from wear on the basket, or fibrous material from the clutch itself.

[ChillRider]

My zong still occasionally produces some glitter during oil changes if I delay them too much or work it too hard with the oil no longer in top shape, especially city/pillion stop-and-go riding.

No power losses so far after 4000 km with me (25K total, third-hand), but as well as it works after an oil change, with mineral oils you can really feel the oil breaking down after 500 km or so, with the clutch becoming grabby and gear shifts rougher. 600-650km is really a stretch with whatever grade of mineral oil, even 20W50 can't take it, and it really is penalizing on cold starts unless it's the middle of summer.

Semi-synthetics seem to last much longer (currently using Castrol 15W50, as I found a good deal on 1l bottles) and performing better all-around. So much better, in fact, that even after closing 900 km the oil felt good enough for another 900, but I did change it anyway, and no glitter then. I will only use semi-synthetic or fully synthetic from now on, if I can find a good deal.