This weekend...

[Feasty]

Well yesterday I decided to do some maintenance on my XR125, it could do with an oil change, the chain tightening and the chain cleaning and reoiling.

I haven't done an oil change before but after reading lots of advice on this forum I thought it wouldn't be that difficult. My worse scenario would be to remove the plug, empty the thing out, then replace the plug, fill with oil and watch it drip, drip, drip without me being able to get a proper seal again!!

Anyhow, could I even get the bloody plug out!? NOPE! I found I didn't have a spanner that fitted, and my pliers wouldn't unscrew it either... so gave up on that idea!

Next was the chain, gave it a good clean with WD40 - bit of water to get rid of the excess crap. Put some cheap oil on and took it for a quick spin to get rid of any moisture. Then sprayed it with a waxy oil I've been using for a long time now...
So to tighten the chain. Could I release the back wheel!? Could I buggery!! Tried and tried and tried, took a hammer to the spanner but still didn't do anything. I was lifting the bike clear of the ground using one spanner!! (Well almost!).

I've now ended up spraying the nuts with oil to release them (would have been WD40 but I'd run out by that point!), so hopefully this week I'll be buying more WD40 and a spanner to fit the oil plug.

What I wanna know is how bike shops and you guys deal with these things? I know my tools probably aren't the best in the world, and that i probably don't have the right tools either! But other than spending a fortune kitting my garage out with everything I may need, any advice for doing these things please!?


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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[T1z3R]

dont use spanners!

get some decent sockets and a breaker bar.
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duck my sick!

[Feasty]

[T1z3R]

a proper breaker bar is just a long bar with a 1/4", 3/8" or 1/2" fitting on the end.
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duck my sick!

[Finglonga]

Please step away from the bike before you do more damage!

Never use a hammer on a spanner to loosen a nut, its barbaric to say the least.

Never use pliers or mole grips to loosen a nut you will only chew the head up.

Hope the spanner you was using was a ring spanner and not an open ended one.

Sockets should fit 100%, never use a size bigger because it fits but its a little loose as it will end up in a rounded off nut.

As for the oil drain bolt have you got a crush washer ready to replace the one already on there? As if you don't you will be seeing that drip, drip, drip.
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Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[Feasty]

[Finglonga]

[Feasty]

Update:

Well I got all the maintenance done this weekend and am feeling stupidly proud of myself that I managed it without anything going wrong - yet!

However, I'm puzzled. I went to my local bike shop and asked for a couple of crush washers for my XR125 for when I change the oil and they gave me these little washers that seemed much smaller than the actual oil bolt on the bike. I just assumed the bolt was big on the outside but somehow the washer would fit inside once the bolt was off.
How wrong I was! Took the bolt off, and out came a spring and filter. The bolt has a big black rubber sealing ring round it, which luckily created a good seal again once I'd drained the oil. At this point I also put new oil into the engine until it started draining out - just to make sure I got rid of as much crap oil as possible. The bike's running fine now without losing a single drop of oil!

Did I just use the filter oil plug instead of some other plug I should have known about, which is why the shop gave me the crush washers?
The filter plug was on the bottom left of the engine just behind the gear lever...

I will be asking the shop if no-one can enlighten me here, but I'm just not able to get to them for the next couple of days.


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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[Finglonga]

Usually there is a separate bolt to drain the oil and a different for the oil filter. Not sure on that model where it is.

Did you put a new filter on? You should every time the oil is changed at service intervals.
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Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[Feasty]

[Phil_P]

I've got a feeling that Honda used a ridiculously small drain bolt on these bikes, either an M6 or M8 which would have a 10mm or 12/13mm bolt head. Can't remember where it's hidden, but obviously it'll be near the bottom of the sump.

The size of the crush washers you were sold might give you a clue as to the size of the drain plug.
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It is not enough to win, others must fail.
Moto Guzzi 1100 Sport Injection '96

[Jamie S]

Xr's only have one drain plug , its on the left hand side as you sit on the bike , under the gear leaver and to the left a bit , it's a 24mm cap with a re usable rubber seal , under the cap is a spring and a gause thimble. I hope you cleaned any bits of swarf off the Thimble ?
Then it's just a case of putting the cap back , be carfull not to cross thread it , they break REALLY easily and will set you back £5 each.
If you do ever fuck the oil drain cap up , remove one of your tappet caps and put the oil drain one on the tappet and tappet one on the oil drain, then get to a garage and sort it out properly. (that is a "get you to the garage only" type bodge btw.

[Feasty]

[Jamie S]

[Feasty]

Excellent.

one last question - I've now got the old oil in a bucket, what's the best way to get rid of it - I'm assuming I'll need to take it down the tip to be disposed of properly?
Can I just put it into a used coke bottle? It won't do anything to the plastic will it?


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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[Jamie S]

[Finglonga]