Oil Changes........

[Somthngfrce]

I am the "Newbie". I bought a 2004 XB12S yesterday from a private owner with 5k on it and was thinking of doing my own oil changes with Castrol R1 synthetic. The previous owner just dropped it off at Harley for oil changes. It currently uses Harley synthetic. How easy is it to get to the drain plug, etc....

 

[MPea3]

Very easy. First remove the Torx screws holding on the chin fairing, and carefully lift it away from the bike. Make sure you don't lose the washers off of the screws.

Draining the oil is to me the only challenging part. The drain plug is easily removed from the bottom of the swing arm, and with the bike on it's sidestand I'm careful to hold a pan to collect the oil so it doesn't get on anything. Replace the drain plug.

The filter is a bit trickier, I put a piece of cardboard between it and the engine to keep oil off of things while I remove it. Then I fill the new filter 2/3 full with fresh oil, (don't forget to lubricate the gasket/o-ring)and replace it, and refill the swingarm with 2 quarts of oil.

One last double check, replace the fairing, and fire it up. Look for leaks and listen for expensive sounds, and if all is well, send Beth out for a quick ride around the block. Check the oil level, top off to the correct level, and it's done.

About 20 minutes and under $30 and it's done.

 

[Somthngfrce]

Sweet....I had a Honda I just sold prior to this bike and that one was cake! Thanks for the info. It's greatly appreciated.[cool]

 

[LeFox]

Castrol R1 synthetic.

somthngfrce,

castrol is good oil, but it's not made for the buell.
you're engine will run smoother with the standard hd synthetic oil.
i've used castrol too, but i wanted to see what the difference was and tested the hd-syn.
castrol is better for high-rev engines, it's just too thin for the buell

 

[Somthngfrce]

10-4...Good to know. Glad I decided to join this forum. No one would have told me that. Thanks![cool]

 

[mrdozer2you]

Royal Purple synthetic is what I run....seems good.

 

[zombieBUELLer]

+1 on the royal purple .. but then we could all debate what brand of oil is better.. right?



just dont use cooking oil [smirk]

 

[MrOrange]

castrol is good oil, but it's not made for the buell.

Castrol makes the Act-evo V-Twin 20w50 that is good stuff. Check It I tried the Castrol 4T 20w50 four stroke motorcycle oil, but I get a lot more engine noise when I used it. The T4 oil is $4.00 a quart vs the Act-evo at $7.50 a 1.25 quart bottle. I have not tried the HD oil and at twice the price I do not think that I will ever will.

 

[LeFox]

i knew i should have changed that to "castrol r1 oil is good oil but not made for the buell"

[smirk]

 

[Somthngfrce]

Wow, so many oildm not enough time!I just picked up the new bike from having 2 new Michelin Pilot tires on and the teh. told me to look into Belray Oil. Seems like two many things out there. I appreciate all the input from all. Guess I have some homework to do, after I put some miles on the new tires.

 

[Somthngfrce]

So many Oils. After all the reading, comparison and looking at the Harley Syn3 price, decided to use AmsOil in lieu of the Syn3 that was Originally in the bike. Seems to be comparable plus hisandhersbuell wrote that AmsOil seemed to run the bike a little cooler thus the fan not running more often. I am a fan of the fan, but also living in Florida where the temps.are currently 94 degrees, I am all for a cooler running bike .

 

[MrOrange]

Somthngfrce check out this article. It is a bit dated but it shows why car oils are not a good idea for bikes. Hell, car oils are not a good idea for some older cars even.

 

[Somthngfrce]

Nice!......I had an argument with some old school bike guy who used car oil for his harley. Granted he's been doing it for a long time (mobil 1), it's formulated for a car not necessarily for a bike. I ended up with AmsOil vtwin 2o50, but he was trying to talk me into his method. Now I have evidence. Thanks MrOrange.[cool]