Every motorcycle uses some oil to lubricate the moving parts. However, the oil usually gets contaminated by debris and dust. Contaminated oil causes the performance of your bike to dwindle. You can always tell when it’s time to change the oil. The most obvious pointers include overheating of the engine and emission of dark smoke through the exhaust pipe. Changing the oil in your motorcycle should be a walk in the park. You don’t therefore need to visit your local mechanic to get the job done. Although some riders argue that changing engine oil is a messy affair, you can actually do it without getting your hands dirty. You only need a basin and a funnel for collecting old oil and refilling. Here are some tips that can guide you when changing motorcycle oil.
1. Prepare your Working Area
Before you get started, it’s advisable you first prepare the area you will be working on. As earlier stated, changing oil can be a bit messy. You should therefore do it in an isolated area to avoid interruptions. This means you have to do your thing outside the house, unless you want the oil to be spilled by kids and pets. Your garage is the ideal place for such a job. Besides that, you should get all the tools that you might need in advance. This helps in preventing oil spills due to overflow in the collection basin. Some of the things you might need include rugs, a basin and a wrench. You will also need fresh new oil. You can actually get genuine oil from Solomotoparts.com.
2. Use the Stand to Support the Bike
You can’t change the oil when the bike is lying on the ground. This is where the stands come into play. Most bikes are equipped with either a center stand, side stand or a rear stand. As long as you bike has one of them, you are good to go. Lowering the stand will cause the bike to be in a stable and elevated position. Once the stand is down, you can then put your basin just below the engine of the bike. This helps in ensuring that every drop of the old oil will go into the basin to avoid messing the floor.
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3. Turn the Engine on and let it Rain
Draining the oil when the engine is not running is a huge mistake. When the engine is off, the oil tends to thicken, which in return causes it to drain slowly. If you want to drain your engine faster, make sure it’s on. You should then use a wrench to open the drain bolt. If the bolt is too hard to open, you can knock it severally with a rubber mallet. Once it’s loose, you should use a piece of cloth to pick it to avoid burning your hand. The oil should start flowing into the basin right away. However, you have to be patient because it takes some time to drain to the last drop. Remember, if the old oil is not drained completely, it will contaminate the fresh oil.
4. Replace the Oil Filter
By the rule of thumb, you should change the filter every time you replace the engine oil. This is because the old filter obviously has residues of old and contaminated oil. Fortunately, changing the filter is pretty easy. You actually don’t need to use any tool to remove it. Just locate it and remove it with bare hands by turning it a little. You should then pour some fresh oil into the new filter and shake it lightly and then install it. By this time, all the old oil will have drained out of the engine. You should now put the drainage bolt back to avoid spilling the new oil. It’s also recommended you use a wrench to tighten it.
5. Refilling the Oil
This is obviously the last step. But before refilling, you should first turn the engine on. This helps in thinning the oil so that it can be distributed faster. It’s also important you use a funnel when pouring the oil to avoid spilling it on the floor. As you continue to refill the engine, you should check through the peep glass to see whether it’s rising to the recommended level. Once you are done, you should clear the site by putting everything back where it belongs. You can store the old oil in a plastic gallon so that you can use it later to lubricate the drive chain, or recycle it. Your bike is now ready for a ride.