Detailed Guide: How to do an oil change (Honda hornet CB600)

[bikertomm]

Or how to service your own bike. Pic heavy! Honda CB600 2007 Hornet used.

So, I’ve decided it’s time to do my first ever how to. I feel it would be good to help someone, even if it is just 1 person in a year..

This guide is aimed at someone who’s never done it before, and I hope it helps to inspire some confidence; as you really can service your own bike and it is very satisfying to do correctly.

Don’t be put off and worried if you have never done it before. So long as you can use a socket set and some common sense, you’ll be fine. To those of you who are good around a spanner, you will likely know all of the below already; I’m not intending to teach anyone to suck eggs!

Disclaimer: Don't start your bike without any oil in it!

So.. It’s that time of year that’s great for getting your bike running as good as it possibly can, so why not treat it to an oil change?

In my case it’s only been about 2500 miles since the last one, however that was 14 months ago. So here goes:

Some dealerships will charge up to £100 for an oil change. I got the correct oil (4 Litres of Castrol Power 10-40W) aswell as a K&N oil filter for £37 delivered. Now that is decent value for money!

So, here’s how I do it:

Step 1 – What you will need

A socket set (12mm I believe the sump plug is)

https://i.imgur.com/KPya8ITl.jpg

Oil filter wrench.

https://i.imgur.com/8AltQ57l.jpg?1

Seriously. Ebay it. This was like £3 and is the best thing I have ever bought, the previous owner/ironman must have used something to tighten the last one on as it was completely seized to the bike. I bought most tools available for removing oil filters (rubber types, chain types ect) Nothing comes close to the grip and leverage this provides, and it makes removing oil filters a complete walk in the park. Get one.

(If your filter is still proving difficult spray WD40 or similar around the edges for a couple of nights before, start the bike for a minute and try levering it again.)

Oil, obviously. Make sure this is the right type by checking in your manual / google. Most 4 strokes are 10-40W, IMO, be sure to buy bike specific oil to avoid any problems. Also be sure to know the capacity of oil you need in litres. For my bike, this is 2.8 litres of oil when you change the filter aswell.

Oil filter. Again, bike specific, get OEM ones from your dealer delivered / look online or get the K&N substitute which is what I decided to try this time. Those decals!

https://i.imgur.com/EYHQm8fl.jpg

A funnel – Get these in the poundshop or some tesco’s etc.

Always good to have some handy old rags you don’t mind ruining.

Newspaper for floor protection, if you care about where you live (or old curtains, etc.)

Latex gloves! 20 for £1 at poundshop.

You will need an old oven tray or container of some sort – anything, old lunch box, you name it so long as it has a 4ish litre capacity.

Some old containers or milk cartons to empty old oil into, obviously, dispose of the oil properly and not down the drain!

Top tip: Get some tin foil. Steal some from your mum, whatever.

This means that when you get the oil filter off, the oil will seep onto the tin foil and run into the draining tin no problem at all, and saves covering your downpipes in oil.

Step 2 – Gear up!

Once you’ve gathered all your bits and are ready to pretend you are spanner monkey in the pits for F1 for the next 40 minutes, give the bike a quick ride. Some people reckon just starting the bike for 5 minutes works fine, others prefer to go for a ride. I am one of those people. Go for a bimble around the block just to warm the engine up and get the oil nice and ‘liquidy’, this makes it want to come out quicker than your first time.

(Tip – Don’t ride it too long like I did. Oil becomes very hot..)

Step 3 – Drain that shaft..

Get your bike positioned correctly, my manual states to be on the normal side stand. Get your old container ready to drain the oil into and position it under the bike/sump plug.

Find your sump plug if you haven’t already. This is the bit you undo and the oil will come gushing out.

It’s usually located at the lowest point of the engine, underneath or off the front in my case. It looks like this:

https://i.imgur.com/rQJ5Xnxl.jpg

Before doing anything involving the sump plug I usually ‘break’ the oil filter seal just to make sure it will come off. So get your oil filter wrench and just make sure it will undo, e.g. break the seal gently anti-clockwise. Then leave it as it is, we’ll come back to that in a minute.

Do the same again to the sump plug, ‘break’ the seal using the socket wrench.

Now you know both bits can undo and come off, the game is on.

At this point, just as everything is draining/dripping off nicely, a top tip is to undo the filler cap to help the flow of the oil out.

https://i.imgur.com/OfYixKIl.jpg

Now, get your gloves on, (take care as it could be hot) and keep undoing the sump plug (anti-clockwise) until all of a sudden it will want to drop and oil will come gushing out. Once the sump plug is loose, you can just use your hands to undo it. Try not to drop it into the pan of oil but if you do it’s no big deal just fish it out and put it on a clean bit of cloth nearby. Or a sock..

https://i.imgur.com/kN69Upxl.jpg

Now, from this point on just let the majority of the oil fill up your pan. As the flow eases off and becomes just a dribble, it’s time to take the oil filter completely off.

Remember that tin foil I said you’ll need – now’s the time! Do this with it under your filter.

https://i.imgur.com/a4MPu1Hl.jpg

Then simply unscrew the filter (as already used the wrench to loosen it) In some cases you may still need to use the wrench for a few revolutions to get it off easily.

The remaining oil that splays out from the filter will just go down the tin foil and into the old container now full of oil.

https://i.imgur.com/1IiQhVvl.jpg

You should now have something that looks like this:

https://i.imgur.com/NFeq4n2l.jpg


Now, stick the kettle on or have your lunch – drain every last drop. I left mine for just over 20 minutes.

Step 4 – Disposing of the old oil

Now most the oil is all drained, you are left with a big pan of warm oil. I find it’s a good idea to get this out the way, before stepping on it and having it fling up like a rake all over the back of your legs and driveway. (Yes, this happened..)

Find somewhere and lay out a load of newspaper or whatever. Get your old container – the bigger the better and use your funnel to pour it all in gently.

As you can see, I made a bit of a mess of this old ladies face..

https://i.imgur.com/HRZHAdMl.jpg

Now your bike should look like this, with no oil in the way. (I chucked another container underneath while I emptied the majority out)

https://i.imgur.com/1dfGugGl.jpg

Step 5 – Tighten sump plug up

So, your bikes empty and ready to have the new oil put in. You know how much you need to put in from reading the owners manual.

Now all the oil has drained out, wipe the sump area with a clean-ish rag (making sure no grit goes near it) and it’s time to put the sump plug back in. Some people put grease on the thread before going back in & replace the sump plug washer. Some even replace the entire sump plug – usually around £7 or so – magnetic ones are available online for picking up any swarf in the engine, though this is something I’ve never used!

I haven’t ever replaced my sump plug, purely because it seems to do the job well and has a washer built into it. So long as you tighten it up correctly, you should be okay to re-use it.

Put the sump plug on gently making sure it’s ‘square’ to the surface so you don’t cross thread it. Tighten with your hand as far as you can, and then get the spanner wrench on it to tighten it. Important: Do not overtighten your sump plug. There is no need for it and you could cause a costly repair. Simply do it up relatively tight, perhaps one hand strength on the wrench. Whatever you do don’t hang off it.

So that’s your sump back in. Now it’s time to put the new oil filter on.

Step 7 - New oil filter time & fingering..

Putting the new filter on is really easy, there's just a couple of things to note.

Most filters will come with a rubber band type seal around the edge, or even have it built in. To put the new oil filter on, (get those gloves back on!) take some of your new oil and put a couple of drops onto your finger.

Then, rub around the outside edge rubber seal coating it in a nice fresh layer of oil. Like this:

https://i.imgur.com/X0dLB2Bl.jpg

And just for good measure, lube up your hole. (And cover the threads on the oil filter in oil.) Like so:

https://i.imgur.com/OB1jAQ9l.jpg

Now it's simply a case of giving the mounting a quick wipe down with a clean cloth:

https://i.imgur.com/VRq1Ffpl.jpg

And line up the oil filter, and screw it on gently.

Top tip: Only ever screw your oil filter on hand tight. Don't be tempted to use the wrench, there's simply no need.

Get a good grip on it and just do it up tightly.

And voila, your filter is on, and your sump is done up.

https://i.imgur.com/OW8t5Ggl.jpg

Step 8 - Fill her up!

For this part you just need your nice new oil, and your funnel.

As you know how much you need to fill it up, use the indications on the bottle to work out how much needs to go in. Don't get carried away and overfill it. Do it in intervals if you need to, but get it close to the required amount.

https://i.imgur.com/0lBI9R3l.jpg

Some bikes have sight glasses, mine does. So it needs to be held up straight and then you can see between the min/max marker that the oil level is correct.

Other bikes have dipsticks, so check it using this.

Once you've put in near enough the right amount, do up the oil cap and you now have permission to start the bike back up. This is so the new oil has a chance to circulate and more importantly fill up the new (empty) oil filter. Only let your bike run for about 30 seconds to a minute.

Now check the levels again, and top up any more necessary taking it cautiously. Repeat this until you have the level correct!

Step 9 - You are done - Just make sure it runs fine!

Once you are all done and happy with the level, just start the bike again and make sure there's no leaks coming from the filter or the sump plug. Don't panic at any smoke coming up, this will just be from where the old oil has hit the exhaust and is burning off.

All good, go out for a ride and check it when your back. Happy days!


https://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o520/bikerrtomm/20130820_192911_zpsce017205.jpg


I hope this has helped someone save some money and learn something new, I owe this forum something anyway!

Any questions let me know.

Cheers, Tom.
____________________
07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[Islander]

Remove the filler cap before you start to drain the oil. It'll flow more freely.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

You can fill the filter before you put it on. The new oil is thick as it's cold, so you can pour a bit into the new filter then quickly spin it on and you won't lose any.
____________________
My Flickr

[bikenut]

looks as if the filter has an anti drain valve/diaphragm, so fill filter and allow to "soak", also you could prime to oilway via the centre threaded stub "hole" somewhat before spinning the filter on.

Torque wrench for the sump plug?

when all ready to start engine, kill ign ( remove plugs and cover holes so sods law is defeated, make sure nothing ( nothing ) goes down the plug holes ) and whiz engine over in short bursts, with a rest period between bursts, so oil system is filled and turns the oil light off, then start engine etc.....
____________________
nuts about bikes

[Pol Anorl]

Great guide, this is why we need a how to section
____________________
GOOD GAME BODYGUARD: https://i.imgur.com/8WePGgf.jpg
20:30:37 Pyro.: I don't sort of like men, I take every advantage to choke on dick.
Jewlio Iglesias: You live in Liverpool - Chances are, the front door has already been kicked off the hinges

[CaNsA]

PRO-TIP

When posting images hosted on imgur that are fucking huge, add a single l to before the .

eg:-

https://i.imgur.com/0lBI9R3.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0lBI9R3l.jpg


This will resize them and stop the BCF auto fit to screen thing from warping them.

[Ste]

[bikertomm]

Cheers guys & cansa for the image tip! Looks much better now.

Hope this is of use to someone anyway, maybe it could be chucked in the sticky if deemed good enough?


____________________
07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[bikertomm]

Cheeky bump before winter arrives! Hope it helps someone.. anyone..
____________________
07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[bikertomm]

Time to get your bike running fresh for Spring & Summer bump..
____________________
07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[dspr]

Such an awesome how to post! Really helped me out a lot. I found this post about which oil to use too, thought it might help some others out so I'll leave it here

https://www.mxstore.com.au/blog/helpful-advice-handy-tips/what-oil-should-i-use-in-my-motocross-bike/

Thanks again for the post!

[Wevsky]

[Ariel Badger]

Wear nitrile not latex gloves, some oils will harden latex causing it to split.
Consider lock wiring your sump plug into place.
____________________
Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[bikertomm]

Bump, spring is upon us chaps.

Also, was looking for these pictures as my Hornet will be up for sale shortly if anyone was interested.

Cheers.
____________________
07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!