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A Full Guide to Changing Your Motorcycle Engine Oil

A Full Guide to Changing Your Motorcycle Engine Oil

Changing the engine oil of your motorcycle is one of the most basic maintenance that you regularly have to do. Making regular oil changes will definitely maintain your ride’s performance at a high level and will always be top-notch.

When dealing with car maintenance and oil changes, doing work on them is increasingly the job of a professional. But with motorcycles, you’ll be surprised by how easy it is and how you can actually change your engine oil in the comfort of your own home.

With just a few tools and your owner’s manual, you no longer have to go into shops to get your oil changed. For the specific step-by-step, here’s how to properly change the engine oil on your motorcycle.

Step One: Have the tools ready

Before we get going, you have to make sure that you have the proper tools to perform engine oil changes. For starters, the basic tools needed are a socket wrench, torque wrench, funnel, drain pan, and a rear paddock stand. The paddock stand is optional if your bike already has a center stand.

You will also need some old rags and make sure that you’ll read the owner’s manual first so that you’ll be able to locate the drain plug. It varies from motorcycle to motorcycle.

Step Two: Prepare the Engine Oil

Of course, we wouldn’t be able to perform an oil change without the engine oil. Using your owner’s manual, you’ll be able to know what type of engine oil is appropriate for your motorcycle.

It is recommended for a lot of motorcycles to use fully-synthetic oil. But like mentioned, consult your owner’s manual to make sure that you’ll put the right engine oil to your motorcycle.

Step Three: Warm Up the Engine

Before you open the drain plug and drain the used oil, it is recommended that you warm up the engine. By warming up the engine for a few minutes, the oil becomes warm. This helps the flow of the oil become easier when draining.

But if your motorcycle is air-cooled, do not warm it up. Let it sit there idling for 30 minutes. When you warm it up, you run the risk of damaging your bike.

Step Four: Drain Used Engine Oil

Now comes the exciting part. We’re now going to drain the used engine oil. To do that properly, pick up your socket and torque wrench. Make sure that the socket wrench is the correct size for your drain plug.

You also have to make sure that your motorcycle is on the center stand or on a rear paddock stand. Put a drain pan below your drain plug and carefully put the wrench on the oil plug and gently open it. Once you feel that the drain plug is already loosened, just use your finger to fully open it. This prevents your wrench from damaging the drain plug.

You can now also remove the old oil filter and clean the surface up before installing a brand-new filter.

Step Five: Install Oil Filter

Once the flow of oil has stopped and all the used oil is already drained, you can now install a new oil filter. Apply a little amount of oil to the O-ring of your filter as it allows the installation to be easier.

Install the oil filter by hand, and turn it until you feel some resistance. After installing a new oil filter, you can now put the drain plug back into place by hand. By only using your hand in tightening the bolt, you prevent the wrench from damaging the threads of the drain plug.

Step Six: Add the New Engine Oil

We are now almost done! We’re going to add now the new engine oil to your motorcycle. But before you get all excited about pouring in the new oil, read the manual first to know the exact amount of oil that you should put.

Carefully open the engine oil screw. It is located on the engine. Position the funnel and make sure that it fits properly, leaving no room for leaks. After that, gently pour in the oil in the funnel and make sure that you will just put the exact amount of oil in your engine.

Step Seven: Check your Work

Once you’re all done pouring in the new engine oil, check the bolts and nuts and make sure that there are no leaks and loose threads.

Open your motorcycle as well and let it idle for a few minutes to warm up the new engine oil.

After that, slowly tap your back as you have done an incredible job in changing the engine oil of your motorcycle by yourself!

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