Oil Change

If you're a thrifty soul like I am (notice I didn't say cheap), you'll want to save some dough by doing your oil change yourself. It's really easy, doesn't take a lot of muscle or time, and you can spend what you save by doing it yourself on some toys for your bike.

Having previously purchased the Honda Service Manual (I figured it ought to come in handy for more than just an oil change), I purchased my supplies to do my own oil change at 4000 miles. I bought the Honda oil filter wrench because you can put a 3/8" drive ratchet on it to loosen or tighten the filter.
It's not cheap, but it's a good one-time investment for your bike.

If you've ever changed the oil and filter in a 4-wheel vehicle, it's the same concept, everything's just in a different place. Following the Service Manual, here's what I did.

All sections italicized are direct quotes from the Honda Service Manual.

NOTE: Change the engine oil with the engine warm and the motorcycle on its side stand to assure complete and rapid draining.

    
Manual                  Supplies

Start the engine and let it idle for a few minutes to warm the oil.

Remove the oil dipstick. This provides an air gap for the oil to flow freely while draining.

Dipstick

Locate the oil drain plug. It is on the left side, at the bottom of the engine. There is not enough space to use a ratchet, so I used a 17mm combination wrench. The open end  included in your bike's toolkit will work fine.

Drain Plug

Loosen the drain plug, then place a drain pan under the drain plug. Remove the drain plug. Let the oil drain into the drain pan. Now the manual states:

With the engine stop switch "OFF", push the starter button for a few seconds to drain any oil which may be left in the engine.

NOTE: Do not operate the motor for more than a few seconds.

I didn't want the engine to start, so I pulled the plug wires first, then cranked the engine for a few seconds. Some additional oil was blown out by the engine cranking.

After draining the oil completely, check that the sealing washer on the drain bolt is in good condition and replace if necessary.

Replace and tighten the drain plug. The factory recommended torque is 22 lbs/ft. or 3.1 kgs/m.

Locate the oil filter. It is on the left side, about a foot behind the oil drain plug.
Place the drain pan under the oil filter, remove the oil filter and place it in the drain pan, then let the remaining oil drain into the pan. Here's what I ended up with.

    
Oil Filer              Drain Pan

Apply a layer of new oil to the o-ring and the threads on the new filter, then screw the new filter into place and tighten. The factory recommended torque is 7 lbs/ft. or 1.0 kgs/m.

    
Oil O-Ring              Install Filter

Fill the crankcase with new oil. A funnel comes in handy here. According to the manual, the oil capacity at draining is 2.32 quarts or 2.2 liters. The capacity at oil filter change is 2.54 quarts or 2.4 liters. I put in one quart, checked the level, the a second quart and checked the level. After the second quart, the oil just reached the dipstick. I then added just a hair more than half of the third quart, and checked the level. The level is now at the upper level mark.

NOTE: Do not screw the oil cap/level gauge when checking oil level.

The oil level cannot be correctly measured if the motorcycle is not supported perfectly upright on a level surface.

Fill With New Oil

I kneel or sit on the right side of the bike  and with the steering turned full lock to the right, pull the right handlebar grip toward me until the bike is upright. I then reinsert the dipstick and pull it back out to check the level.

Check Oil Level

Start the bike and let it idle for a few minutes to circulate the oil, checking for leaks. Stop the engine and check the oil level.

If the level is below or near the lower level mark on the dipstick, fill to the upper level mark with the recommended oil.

I then took the bike out for a short ride. I returned and checked the level again, and checked for leaks. Level okay, no leaks. DONE!

My total cost for this oil change is shown below. Taking my time, It took about an hour to complete.

The prices shown below are the regular prices at my dealer, but I get a standard 10% discount off parts and labor.

TOTAL