Hey Been reading up an a 08 or 09 as a Track bike. Seen a few mentions of high oil usage. Is this an issue apart from just keeping the levels topped up?
Yes there were a few probably due to not being run in correctly, mine never used a drop but I ran mine in quite hard just keep topping up, even with worst case I doubt you'd need to top up during a track day as I believe the worst case consumption was a litre in 1000 miles.
Do they make good track bikes? The old reviews suggest they do but the garages seem full of R1s and Gixxers.
Lots of people seem to think they do, on other forums they seem to get recommended a lot as an awesome track bike, but it depends what you're looking for, and your budget! Have you come across the trackdayriders forum? (http://www.trackdayriders.co.uk/tdr/forum/forums.html) loads of helpful info on everything track related on there.
I used mine on track, I use the 2017 as well, both primarily road bikes so just tweaked the suspension, personally I think they make a better track bike than the equivalent year R1 or Gixer, the blade certainly handles better than the R1 and is more nimble, rag them both round Cadwell and see how you feel Although I could only properly compare against my 2003 R1 (Full track bike ) as I rode them back them to back My bro in law had a 2009 R1 and that looked a bit of handfull round cadwell compared to my 09 blade
My 08 used to burn a bit of oil. That dramatically changed (to better) since I started using the RockOil XRP 5w30 oil.
I must be lucky, my r9 never needs a top up between oil and filter change this gets done every 3500/4000 miles
I do recall reading at one time about a problem with the 2008 - 09s that caused oil burning. Members might find this interesting. Note added comments at the bottom of the page also: http://classactionlawsuitsinthenews...n-ring-engine-oil-class-action-lawsuit-filed/
Ahhh... the first comment brings back memories... "Honda claims 1 quart of oil per 1000 miles is acceptable", being 1 quart here 1/4 of a gallon, which is roughly 0.95 liters. When I first heard about this problem, I went to an Honda dealership to check if my bike was one of the "unlucky" ones, since she was burning a bit of oil. I found out later that this was because I was using the wrong oil (10w40) instead of the recommended 10w30. Btw, mine would burn 1/2 liter every 2000kms, give or take. Anyway, the guy from the dealership said the exact same thing, but in kilometers. It's perfectly normal for the bike to burn 1 liter of oil for each 1000km. Anyone who's not completely fucking retarded (pardon my French) knows that that is plain bullshit. According the the Owner's Manual, you're "required" to change oil every 12.000kms or 12 months. Top up, bike uses around 3.5 litres. Burning 1 liter per 1000kms... just do the math.
In Portugal warranty was extended to 5 years, instead of the usual 2. However, they never recalled the bikes. You would have to go to the dealership by yourself and report the problem.
The 08/09 using oil issue was definitely oil rings that were modified on later models mate I assure you.
There may always be one off issues with oil usage due to poor running in , specific mechanical problems, over filling etc but the 08/09 issue was rectified from 2010 onwards unless it was an 08/09 registered in '10
I searched for ages to find a result and couldn't find any further reference because Google is clogged with forum questions about the oil problem.
