Ten Minute Oil Change
Oct 7th, 2008 by Leo
I was shocked to find that some people routinely go to service shops for motorcycle oil changes. SHOCKED I tell you! These shops often charge $90 per hour just in labor! And they bill in half hour or one hour increments. So you’re paying a fortune for just ten minutes of labor… Okay maybe it takes a little more than ten minutes with cleanup. But the point is it’s not a big job at all, and you can easily do this on the street with tools you have around the house.
What you need:
- Oil and oil filter for your bike (most bikes can use a number of different automobile oil filters rather than the ones they sell you at the dealer, check this site for more info and a cross-reference).
- Either an [a] oil filter wrench (for around $5 at Strauss).
I prefer the ones that look like tongs because they’re good at getting filters from the side (which is how you’re going to twist it). Or if you don’t have an auto store near you, then [b] just get a pair of heavy rubber dishwashing gloves… Or [c] be a man and just twist the thing off by hand. Oil filters are supposed to be hand-tightened; but if you just can’t get it off, you can always poke a hole into the side with a screwdriver and twist it off (but this gets messy). 
Either a four quart pan (aluminum from $0.99 cent store) or a plastic drain pan from Strauss Auto (around $7). It’s nice to have the kind with a catch basin (or you can use a wire mesh strainer from the $0.99 store) so that when the drain plug falls in, you don’t have to fish it out of the oil. Anyway, if you do, the tong style oil filter wrench is good for fishing it out with a little practice.
Your main tool for the oil change a regular adjustable wrench.
And you’ll probably want a funnel to make filling the oil easier.
* If you have a motorcycle with fairings, you’ll also need the little hex wrenches to take one side panel off.
How to Change the Oil in your Motorcycle: A Step by Step
1. First warm up the engine by riding it around for a few minutes. You need a warm/hot crankcase for two reasons: it makes it easier to remove the oil drain bolt, and the warmed oil will drain quicker and more fully.
2. Put the bike on a center stand or rear stand. Side stand is okay too, but then you might want to stand it up after it’s done draining to get all the oil out of the crankcase.
*For bikes with fairings remove the right side fairing. If you’ve never done this before it’s easy once you know how, but every bike is a little different. Once you remove the bolts it’s just a matter of gently pulling the plastic pieces apart. Sometimes they are hooked into one another. Take a few minutes to get familiar with how to remove your fairings, because the sides are the easiest to remove. Once you remove it, place it carefully someplace the paint won’t get scratched.
3. Locate the drain plug. (If you don’t know where it is on your bike, check your manual or do a Google search. Generally it is right in the middle of your bike.) Figure out which way it will need to turn to open (counterclockwise when looking at its face). Take your adjustable wrench and loosen the drain plug. Make sure you’re turning it in the right direction! Sometimes it’s on pretty tight, it shouldn’t be more than 15-20 lbs of torque, but sometimes it is… Unscrew it and let the oil drain, then clean off the drain plug (and washer, some have washers along with plug) and replace the drain plug and tighten it to 20lbs or so.
4. Locate the oil filter. Remove by hand or using the oil filter wrench and let the little bit of oil in the filter drain. Take a new oil filter and put some new oil in it (about a third of the way). Screw on the new filter and hand tighten (pretty much as tight as you can without straining yourself and without tools). *Some bikes have a cover on the oil filter that needs to be removed with an adjustable wrench. No problem, just pay attention to how it comes off so that you can reassemble it with the new filter…or consult your manual or Google your bike for specific how-to’s.
5. Locate the filler cap for the oil and open it. Put your funnel in and begin pouring your new oil in one quart at a time. Most bikes take 2 or 3 quarts – Google your bike or check your manual for the exact amount. If there’s some fraction of a quart you need (like 2 and 3/4 quarts) then pour slowly and check the oil level as you go. Cold oil can be really thick and take a few minutes (literally) to show up in the crankcase.
Once you’re filled up with oil, you can go ahead and start your engine. Make sure the oil light goes off after a moment and check to see if there are any leaks. After a couple of minutes turn off the engine and check the oil level. It might take a few minutes for all the oil to drain back into the crankcase, be patient! If your oil level looks good and there are no leaks, congratulations, you’re done! Take your old oil to any auto shop (or any service station) where you bought your oil for recycling…
PS - As I’m writing this I realize it sounds harder than it is – but at the same time I understand it can be a daunting task the first time around. Do not fear. The first time at anything can seem hard. This is not rocket science, it just requires a bit of common sense. If you have the mechanical intelligence to ride a motorcycle, you have the intelligence to do oil changes and all the regular maintenance that a motorcycle requires. You’ll save yourself a fortune in maintenance costs by learning to do this yourself. Cheers!
PPS – As always it’s the regular City Bikers that make the posts worthwhile, so if you can think of any other tips for a newbie changing the oil, please post a comment! Thanks!
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