Motorcycle Time
- Scott Maccarone
- Jul 20, 2020
- 3 min read
Today’s DIY has not thing to do with your house, this time we are doing basic maintenance on my motorcycle. Now, my motorcycle is a 2008 FZ1, for those of you who don't already know. Remember the type of oil, oil filter and air filter can vary from bike to bike and all information can be found in your user manual or online.
First, we will start with removing the air filter. If you have a OEM filter you will need a new one, but if you spend the money for a K&N filter you can simply remove or clean it and put is back in. K&N also supplies a recharge kit that you will use to clean and recharge the filter. (If anyone from K&N is reading, I would love sponsorship! haha)
When cleaning the filter use filter cleaner and then rinse with water. I used a hose with spray nozzle. **Pro Tip** You must let the air filter dry before moving on with the recharge.
You have a few options here, you can set it in the sun or you can use a HACK by setting a hair dryer on cool. I placed the filter on an outside A/C unit fan for a short while before it began to rain.
While you allow time for the filter to dry you can do other tasks. I used this time to change my oil. I am using Motul fully synthetic 10W 40. Again check your user manual for the type of oil you should use. **Pro Tip** Once you put synthetic oil in your bike I would not go back to organic.
But before putting in oil in you must remove the old oil. (Video above) With a flat oil drain pan you and pick up at any auto parts store. Now, locate your drain plug on the bottom of your motor and make sure you use the correct sized wrench or socket, and crack open the oil plug. Once you get it loose enough, you can use your fingers to unscrew the bolt to keep plug from dropping in the oil pan. While the oil is draining you can remove the oil filter, the oil filter should be hand tight or just over hand tight. Once the oil filter is removed but before installing the new filter I like to put a little oil on my finger and rub on the rubber gasket for the new oil filter. Once the oil is drained, replace drain plug, be careful to not over tighten.
Now you can add your new oil in.
Depending on your bike it may also hold more or less than mine, so again, check you owner’s manual. My bike holds just over 3 quarts or oil, on my sport style bike there is a sight window to for you to make sure you are running the correct amount of oil. The bottom line on your sight window is for the minimum amount and the top line is for the maximum amount. This widow reads best when the bike is straight up and down not leaning on a kick stand. Once you see there seems to be the right amount of oil in your bike, start it and let it run for 30 seconds to see how the oil looks in the sight window and add oil if need be.
Now that you were successful in changing your oil, go check to see if you air filter is dry, sometimes it can be hard to tell if it is damp. **Pro Tip** Use a paper towel to tell you how dry
it is, simply blot on the filter. If the filter is dry then use the recharge spray from you filter recharge kit. This spray is basically light oil to catch small dirt particles. Simply spray this onto the air filter, yep, directly onto the filter. Once you have done that you can put the air filter back in and button your bike back up and I would highly recommend you take it for a test ride. And your done!!! This is very basic maintenance that you should learn and can be applied to all internal combustion vehicles.
I hope you enjoyed the read and learned a few things! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions! Stay tuned for the next project! (Note, I am not a mechanic)
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