A slippery subject…

Nothing fishy here, folks!

I noticed a thread on one of the Internet forums the other day about the need to immediately drain and replace the oil on a new CSC motorcycle when you take delivery.  It’s not necessary.

In the early days when we first started importing RX3 motorcycles, we drained and replaced the oil the RX3s shipped with from China as part of the setup process.  We stopped doing that when I toured the production line in Chongqing with a specific focus on their engine installation area.   Zongshen puts 10W-30 Shell oil in every new motorcycle as part of the production process (and that’s a high quality motor oil).   What you’ll see on the Internet are the self-proclaimed experts who talk about the Chinese using “fish oil” in new bikes (along with other inane comments).  I can’t speak for what other Chinese manufacturers do (nor can I speak for what other Japanese, Italian, German, Austrian, or US manufacturers do), but I can tell you that I’ve spent a lot of time in Chongqing and I saw no evidence of fish oil on the Zongshen manufacturing campus.  No fish bones, no fish heads, no fish smell, no….well, you get the idea.  There’s nothing fishy on the Zongshen manufacturing campus, folks.

If you want to replace the oil in your new motorcycle, we’re more than happy to sell you oil, but you don’t need to replace your engine oil until the first scheduled maintenance.  Our guidance is to check your oil level before every ride, and replace the oil in accordance with our Service Manual and our online maintenance tutorials.