Russ and I changed our motorcycle’s oil and oil filters today. This was the first time I’ve ever changed oil in a vehicle — I guess it sort of was a life goal I figured I’d never get around to — part of understanding cars/bikes more! So it was a nice way to kick off the start of our 3-day holiday weekend.
The actual work on my bike was quite simple:
- 1 ratchet-able bolt as the drain plug to release most of the used oil into oil drip pan
- 1 ratchet-able bolt underneath to release the bike’s oil pan and oil filter section
Russ helped figure out those bolts which I could confirm with a shop manual PDF. Harder was sorting out what oil and filter to get/use and getting them. I went with:
- Valvoline SAE 10W-40 Motorcycle oil (for 4-strokes; non-synthetic; ideal for wet clutches) (AutoZone/Walmart)
- K&N KN-111 oil filter (local motorcycle shop)
Putting everything back couldn’t be easier — slipped on new filter to bolt/cover, ratchet-ed the two bolts back in, and poured in ~3 quarts of oil. I was happy parts were all in good shape and aside from some relatively dirty oil, no badness or surprises for my 35 year old bike. Phew!
my first oil change
removing bottom bolt and filter
garage work overview
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