Just a thought, but I'm thinking I wouldn't spring for the cost of synthetic if I was changing it at 500 miles! Ouch! There goes the gas money savings! lol. I don't think even the cheapest standard oil would break down that fast. I bet it looks brand new coming out. I'd recycle that oil by running it 2nd hand it in my scooter. LOL.
Has anybody ever done an oil analysis? I've heard of it, but never bothered... I'm so inconsistent that it wouldn't do me any good to know! lol. For those who are real strict about their oil change intervals, wouldn't it make sense to pick a specific oil to stick with, and get an analysis done at, say, 500, then 1000, then 1500, etc. until you KNOW where the oil breaks down? You might find that a good synthetic will get you 2000+ miles? That could save a lot of time and money once you know. If someone were to do that, it would give everyone some sort of a rough idea of how long oil actually lasts. A quick google search shows it is about $22 from several different companies. Any volunteers?