Throttle Junkies Anonymous Step
All riders that view riding as a way of life understand the importance of maintenance in regards to your machine, to ensure top performance as well as getting a long life out of your machine; regularly changing the oil is detrimental. Tired of spending in excess of fifty dollars once a month or less (depending on your riding habits)? Or tired of spending at least and hour at the dealership for such a small amount of work? An oil change on a Japanese superbike is much easier than that of what the dealership lets you in on. For a fraction of the cost, you can change your own motor oil at home with a few simple tools and a little mechanical know-how. First we will start with the tools and supplies required for the small task of changing your oil, and then we will provide a step-by-step guide to ensure your success with this easy money saving procedure.
There are very little tools and supplies required when doing such a simple maintenance task of changing your oil on your superbike. Depending on the make and model of your bike the size of the tools needed may very (but only by a minuscule amount). One of the first but not necessary things needed when changing the oil on your superbike includes a rear stand. A rear stand holds the bike up write without leaning on the kickstand which allows for more room when completing any task on your bike. Other supplies that will be needed include, an oil drain pan, some shop rags/ paper towels, oil dry (for the floor if you are messy), a funnel (medium sized), metric Allan wrench set, and either a metric open box wrench set, or a metric socket set. Depending on your make and model, around four quarts of oil, as well as a year/ make/ model specific oil filter. Your proper oil and filter can be purchased at any of your local motorcycle dealers or via the internet. Any of the other supplies/ tools can be purchased at any local hardware or automotive shop. And a means of disposing of the used oil properly; additional information will be provided below.
Acquiring the supplies/ tools needed is the difficult part, the first time purchasing the needed tools may be a little more expensive than you thought, but it will pay off within a few of successfully changing your oil from home. Start by clearing out a clean workspace, some bikes allow access to the oil drain plug as well as the oil filter without removing and of the body panels. In the instance of your make and model doing so, skip the procedure of removing body panels. In the instance of your bike needing the body panels removed to access your oil filter and drain plug, use your Alan wrenches to begin removing the right side body panel. After removing the right side body panel, you should have the ability to access the oil filter (which is mounted in the front of the engine case behind the headers), and the oil drain plug (which should be located on the very bottom of the engine case). Before removing the drain plug or oil filter, start the bike and let it idle until it reaches operating temperature. After the bike reaches operating temperature, turn off the bike and place your oil drain pan under the drain plug. Use your open ended box wrench or socket set to loosen the drain plug. Once the drain plug is loose enough to turn by hand, remove the drain plug and let the oil drain into the drain pan. Be extremely careful due to the temperature of the oil. Let the oil drain for around five minutes to ensure that the excess used oil has been drained. Install the drain plug by hand to stop any dripping and wipe off the bottom of the engine case. Next move the drain pan forward below the oil filter, remove the oil filter (turn counterclockwise) and set the filter open end down into the drain pan. Allow for the excess used oil to drain from the oil filter shaft. Wipe off any excess dirt around the oil filter seal to ensure proper installation of the new filter. Open your new oil filter (keep rubber seal clean), dab your finger in the new motor oil and smear an even amount around the rubber seal of the new oil filter. This helps the new dry seal to properly adhere to the engine case. Install the oil filter onto the oil filter shaft by turning it clockwise. Tighten the oil filter lightly until it contacts the engine case, and then tighten the filter 1 and a half turns for proper seal pressure. After tightening the oil filter, tighten the drain plug to about ten pounds (be sure not to ever tighten the drain plug) it will cause a major headache. After completing the previous steps, remove the drain pan from your workspace to make sure that it is not accidentally dumped over. Clean around the drain plug and oil filter of any spill-over used oil, and place oil dry on the floor if necessary. Prior to re-installing any body panels, fill the engine case with manufacturer’s recommended oil. Manufacturers usually tend to recommend 10-40 weight motor oil. Be sure to read your owner’s manual in regards to the amount of oil needed to properly run the engine. To fill your engine’s motor oil, remove the little cap (counterclockwise) located on your engine’s crank case cover. On some makes/ models this can be done straight from the oil can, in the instance of not being able to reach the oil filler whole, use a medium sized funnel to assist in the pouring of oil. Be sure to follow your owner’s manual in regards to how much oil you put in the crankcase. Running the engine with more than the recommended amount of oil may lead to damage of the motor, and its seals. After filling the engine with the proper amount of engine oil, be sure that the oil filler cap has its o-ring, and is clean before re-installing it. Only hand tighten the oil filler cap. Clean up any excess new oil that may have spilled when filling the crankcase. When all previous steps have been completed, start the bike and let idle prior to installing any of the body panels. Watch for the oil light on the dash to go out, as well as check for any leaks around the oil filter or drain plug. In the instance of there being no visible leaks while the bike is running, turn off the bike, you have successfully changed the motor oil in your superbike. Now begin the process of installing your side panel, you’re almost ready to ride! In regards to the used oil, you must properly dispose of the oil due to strict government regulation of this caustic substance. The government has mandated that all automotive shops and stores accept used oil. One way to transport the used oil is to use empty milk jugs so the oil does not spill when in transportation to the automotive store. I’m sure that there are other ways, be creative, but please, not at the expense of our environment.
