I agree with Tom. The owner's manual is a great place to start, but every owner's manual for every vehicle I've ever owned overstated the mileage.
I'm a new rider, too, so welcome to the club. I plan to change my oil about every 2500-3000 miles or at least once/season whichever comes first. I'm also seriously considering converting to synthetic, but I haven't decided for sure yet.
Owner's manual is a great place to start..but oil is cheap and owner's manuals are always overstated in mileage. Oil is cheap maintenance. I do my oil changes every 2000 kilometers. Also alot depends on how you ride it. If you push the limits do it more often if you drive sanely well you can go longer.
On what do you base these rather profound statements?
Earlier generations of motorcycles from a simpler time didn't have an oil filter, and the oil that was available didn't have a very long service life. An oil change every 1,500 miles / 2000 km or three months was recommended.
For a bike such as the CB125, which had the cam running in plain bearings, an interval of 1,000 km was essential. For a Chinese knock off of the same, with the cam running in roller bearings, the oil change interval was be extended.
Technology has improved. Oil service life is much longer now, which manufacturers can take advantage of by installing a filter to remove solid bits before they get pumped around the engine. Much longer oil change intervals can be specified, and are.
Honda do recommend more frequent changes in dusty conditions. If you do a lot of short short trips around town, or ride hard a lot shorter intervals could also be of some benefit.
Otherwise, is there any real reason not to follow Honda's scheduled changes using the oil specified?
Unless you subscribe to the conspiracy theory that they are trying to shorten the life of their vehicles..... Of course there is always someone who knows better.
I have owned four Hondas over the past 27 years, and still own two of them.
I have no idea what the milage the 1983 MB100 has done now, a much abused two-stroke, overhauled once.
The CB250RS I did over 25,000 miles on, had done about 75,000 miles (120,000 km) and was still running well without an overhaul when it was stolen.
The early 80's Honda City car had done over 270,000 km (167,000 miles) without an overhaul when I sold it in 2001, still running well; I was leaving the country.
My present ride, a 1997 100cc Honda Dream has done 194,000 km (120,000 miles), overhauled at 170,000 km.
I have just followed the recommended oil change intervals..... Make what you like of that.
