My first oil change - I've really got no idea!

[J.M.]

Hey guys,

I think the bike's probably due for it's first oil change now, so time to loose the oil changing virginity
Bought the bike at the start of April and have just been riding it up until now, so it's been about 7 months (presuming the service before it was sold did an oil change) and about 1500-2000 miles (I've not been counting).

Anyhow, I've really got no idea of how to go about doing an oil change, so I'd really appreciate it if I could get some help I'm taking the bike in for it's MOT on the 3rd (due for the 23rd) so I'm hoping to be able to buy everything I need then

From what I understand from the brief guides I've been looking at, I'm going to have to remove some of the fairing in order to get to the bottom of the engine, and drain it from there.
Now, as I've got to dispose of it properly, I'm thinking to put it into some kind of bottle and then dispose of it after the change is done. Where do I dispose of it? From what I understand it's got to be a local authority site, does the tip count (that's only a few miles away )?

One of the most important questions I've got though: what oil to buy? Is it all the same, or do I have to match the brand that's already in there (I don't know what it is!) Is there anything I have to do if I'm switching brands (like clean it out?)

Presuming I've got the basic tools such as screw drivers, Alan keys, pliers, long-nose pliers - what else am I going to have to buy to do the oil change?

Now, encase I actually manage to pull of this intensely difficult job without somehow killing myself now that I've pried myself away from the computer for the first time in x-years, is there anything I need to do after the change? (please, please, let it be "rag it" )

Tips, information, good luck posts , they're all welcome. thanks for the help guys
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[P.addy]

CBR, unsure if yours is slightly different to the older ones...

Basically 17mm socket, set it to anti clockwise and undo the bolt on the underneath of the bike. Cant miss it. Crucial you turn it the correct way.

Remove the oil filler cap and the side where your right foot would be.

Drain all the oil out into a pan/tub and dispose of however.

1 litre of oil goes back into the CBR. New washer on the sump plug, refit, do it finger tight then just a little bit of socket/spanner. Don't go macho on it.

Re fill the 1litre of new oil into the filler cap. Clean dipstick on cap and put back in and screw in, unscrew and check level on the stick with the bike UPRIGHT

Well done, oil change master.

Just for random info.. I used either Morrisons 10w40 semi synth or Castrol high mileage stuff in the 125s. Never had an issue, CBR was smooth with them both.

I dont think you need to remove fairing though... should be able to access bolt easily.

[TheSmiler]

HOW2: change Oil & CLean strainer (Small Honda's +)

This might help you, show you the easy process and how to do it, you could also save the old oil.. put it in a bottle and then use it for the chain.
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CB125>CG125>GN125>ER5>K100RS>R1100RS>K100RS
A2 completed 23/07/15 Ready for the Golden Crisp Packet

[The Artist]

+1 to what Paddy said. Make sure bike is 100% upright, not on its stand when you measure the oil level.

[P.addy]

Link that smiler sent you to, you do have an oil strainer in there... but if im honest, its really REALLY not worth the hassle.

You have to remove all the plastic on the right hand side, disconnect the clutch cable, remove the casing, new gasket as the old one just collapses on itself and then you have to remove a lot of bolts

I never did it and I have an engine with 25,000 miles sitting in the garage still going strong.

[J.M.]

Thanks for all the help guys, much appreciated

I'm not quite sure what oil to buy (never got a manual). From the trusty Google I think Ive got to get some 4-stroke mineral oil, 10-40w?
I found this one, a friend reckons he has a discount there so I'll buy about 2 litres through him (oil change now and do another before I sell It in 4 to 5 months): opieoils.co.uk/p-725-castrol-actevo-4t-10w-40-motorcycle-4-stroke-engine-oil.aspx

Also I've read about having to replace the washer+bolt when changing the oil, is that true?
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[P.addy]

Change the washer yes, dont worry so much about the bolt.

Erm.. wouldn't say mineral oil is good. At all.

Like I said Morrisons - £2.99 for 2 litres, semi synthetic 10w40. Grey or green bottle. Works perfectly fine.

[Rogerborg]

Good stuff. Warm the engine up first to help the oil to flow out, leave it to drain for as long as possible, and yes, fit a new crush washer and do not overtighten the drain plug.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[chris-red]

[tahrey]

[P.addy]

[J.M.]

[tahrey]

Don't worry mate, it all makes sense when you do it. I've just done it step by painstaking step. Sort of like a video made out of words

Something that's irked me a lot in the past is when people have put up guides that look nice and concise and easy but there's a whole lot of little steps hidden behind each single part of their description, which someone who's coming to it cold won't realise about*

Like, when you were first learning to read and write, you had to take each letter at a time, right? Then what each strange combination of letters sounded like, and the construction of basic words. Nowadays you just look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary. It wouldn't do to just chuck a dictionary at a kid who couldn't write yet.

Yes, you can do it with just a plain adjustable spanner if you have to, and that's the source of my downfall with the honda sump nut thing. I'd gotten used to car bolts, where you can just use any old spanner, or socket bit + mini breaker bar to take them off, then put 'em back on, pulling on it fairly hard to crush the new washer and form a seal. I'd also done it that way with the bike one, not realising the difference. It stood up to this treatment the first 3 or 4 times... then sheared.

If you're careful with it and stop tightening it at the point where the metal of the collar meets the sump, you should be fine. I'm just super paranoid about it now and so do it to what the manual says!

But the torque wrench is a mighty useful thing, and twenty-one quid isn't ever so much to spend on one (huh, inflation... mine was £14.99, even though it was the same model and I bought it within the last decade). There are a lot of things which need to be done up to a particular tightness, and though you can approximate the lighter ones, you've no realistic chance for anything more than finger tight. Doing up the rear axle nut, for starters, if you want to adjust the chain tension and/or basic wheel alignment for yourself (and you will, lest you like pissing money down the drain), or after taking the wheel off to have the tyre replaced without having to give the garage an extra quarter hour's labour each time. Do that twice, and you've spent as much as the wrench costs just for the pleasure of having someone else do it for you.

(On that note, invest in a basic tool & socket set combo at a Halfords or Homebase sale; the stuff probably won't be good quality, but with enough of a reduction you'll get a lot of handy tools fairly cheap, which will last OK if you're careful, and if nothing else they count as a starter pack)

Not that I'm a hardline advocate of buying all your own tools and doing everything at home. It can be risky and even more expensive that way, particularly for rare jobs. For example, it'll take a lot for me to bother trying to DIY anything to do with hydraulic brakes in future after some bad experiences in the past. It doesn't come up that often and it's a pretty critical thing both for your own safety and keeping the bike/car at all driveable.*

There's a time and a place for such investment of time and money, and generic tools that can be used for a variety of simple jobs certainly counts. And everyone should know how to change their own oil... it's like not being able to wash your own dishes

As for the stand thing - it's OK to drain it on the sidestand, and in fact it may be easier that way depending on the relative position and bulkiness of the side and centre stands on a particular bike. But for refilling, you may want to prop it against a wall (on the opposite side to the filler) just SLIIIGHTLY leaning into it, locked in 1st gear whilst you pour and certainly when you check the level. Or have a trusted ally hold it upright. Trying to keep it upright whilst filling the oil yourself at the same time will end in tears and possibly a trip to the hospital. Checking the level when it's leant over by 15 degrees or more will give an inaccurate reading.

BTW I was writing it from the perspective of someone whose bike ONLY has a centrestand... Getting the catch tray into a suitable position with that sucker in the way is a pain in the bum. I'm considering getting the oil almost too hot to touch next time and shunting it through my biggest funnel into an old 2L pop bottle instead.


* for a fun example of both of these cases, pick up a Renault Megane (98-02) Haynes manual, and trace the method for changing the water pump. This is an involved, but far from impossible task on an older, simpler car, which is fairly simple to chug your way through after you've done it the first time... and the initial description and length of the main method as written by Haynes makes it seem that way for the Meg, too.

However, there are so many references and jumps to tasks in other chapters that have to be done along the way - some of them nesting four-deep - that to write the whole thing out would take probably 10 pages of A4, and the "spanner rating" of the whole thing goes through the roof, both in Haynes' own terms (difficulty), and in how much of one you'd have to be to attempt it at home. The gonzo tooling alone (e.g. a bespoke camshaft lock) that you'd have to invest in for a job you may have to do twice if you kept the car >5 years made it economically insensible. In prior cases, it needed a bucket, some fresh coolant, a new pump, a screwdriver, torque wrench and a couple of different sockets, and a sturdy pair of mole grips to get coolant pipe circlips on and off. Plus fingers to check the cambelt tension after getting the new pump on and adjusting its position.

The challenge is whether you can actually get through reading the entire process in a single day, without falling asleep or chucking the book across the room in confused frustration.

I gave up after about 2 1/2 hours and just let the garage have at it. Good job too - the pump was fine, but the car actually required some weirdo bit of plumbing that could only be ordered from Renault wholesale. I probably could have got hold of it and done it myself, but I reckoned they deserved the work for figuring it out.

[J.M.]

Ahh yes, that gets to me a bit too It's never happened mechanically to me before as I've not done much/any of that, but by god I hate following a computer tutorial and going "hang on, how the heck did they get there!"

I think I'll probably end up buying the torque wrench, if I do over tighten that bolt and render the bike temporarily useless then I'm going to be rather stuck with my commute Plus it'll be a handy tool to keep around There's a store in Leicester, so only about 10 miles ish, or I could be the lazy guy and order online

I have got myself a couple of tools, but nothing major really; just a few small things. Bought one of these which sits nicely under the seat along with a small hammer pocket tool which includes a knife, pliers, etc.

Hopefully be off collecting the oil + washer tomorrow, not sure when I'll be getting the torque wrench as it's too far away to fit into my free time tomorrow
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900