keithu

BTW, check your owners manual for viscosity recommendations. 15w-50 is only recommended for very hot temperatures, I believe. 10w-40 is recommended for most common temps.

Full synthetic is probably not a good idea at 600 miles, but after 1500 miles or so it will definitely have better longevity than non-synthetic oil. The fully synthetic Rotella T that vespadaddy recommended is a great choice; full synthetic, safe for wet clutches, and very cheap. I'm about to do my 600 mile oil change with Torco T-4 10w40 dino oil, but when I hit 1500 miles I'm switching to Rotella.

Fram filters have had quality problems for decades. I can't say I'm surprised to read yet another horror story. Thanks for the list! I'm glad to see that Yamaha has stuck with this industry standard size. Interestingly, the longer version of this filter is also used on many cars (Mazdas, Mitsubishis, probably others).

I have an HJC Symax. I bought it ~10 years ago, wore it for three years, then put it in a sealed storage container along with the rest of my gear. It seems fine but I will likely replace it very soon. This was my first modular helmet. The Shuberths were new in the USA at the time, but they just didn't fit my head. Likewise with Shoei's modulars, which was weird because I had always worn Shoeis RFs since the 1980s. I tried on a Skorpion modular helmet at the dealer yesterday and it had the same problem as the Shuberth and Shoei I tried years ago: The chin bar contacts my face, hard. I guess I have a caveman chin or something. Hopefully I can find an HJC dealer soon to try on something new.

I'm wearing Aerostich Combat Touring Boots. Great on the bike, and they don't leak a drop. Kinda crappy to walk around in, though. I wore Rockys for years, they are great boots. Sure, they're not motorcycle specific but they're not exactly patent-leather wingtips, either. Before that I wore Navy flight deck boots, back when they were all-leather. I crashed a couple times in them, including one 80mph low-side. The boots protected my feet and ankles just fine.