Keeping up on your motorcycle oil change is critical if you want long life out of your bike.

A motorcycle oil change it is as easy as going out for a ride. Maybe not as fun, but it is easy.

Okay, so we all know about he big oil arguments between petroleum based oils and synthetics. I'm not going to waste your time with that. I've used both and frankly, I can't tell a difference.

As I had stated on a previous page, the price of oil is going up. It's mid 2008 and I just paid $5.00 a quart for a petroleum based oil which blew my mind. Well that's the change of the times I guess.

Even with the price of oil going up I would still encourage you to change your oil as recommended by your bike manufacturer. Usually this is at 3,000 mile increments. Also change the filter at each oil change as well.

Doing your own motorcycle oil change as I said is quite easy. Start up the engine and let it warm for a few minutes. Don't run it too long or the oil will be too hot to handle. Put your bike up on it's center stand or a good solid platform or center jack. (I point my bike slightly downhill too so the oil runs towards the drain plug which is upfront).

So with the engine warmed up, be sure to turn off the engine and then crawl under with your wrench, a rag and a pan big enough to hold all your oil. You did check the manual to see how many quarts it would take, right?

Unscrew the drain plug and let the oil run out into the pan. Wipe down the drain plug and set it aside. Once the oil has run out to a trickle, grab a filter wrench and remove the oil filter. Make sure the oil pan is under the filter to catch all the oil from the filter.

Now that all the oil is pretty much out, replace the washer on the drain plug and then put the drain plug back in the engine. Tighten to the specified torque and then wipe up any drops of oil.

Pull out the new filter and get some fresh oil on your finger. With the fresh oil, wipe the "O" ring seal on the filter with the oil and get it good and wet. This will help seal the filter. Now screw on the filter and tighten it hand tight. If your grip is weak, it's okay to give it a quarter turn with the oil wrench once seated. Be careful not to tighten it too much.

Now comes the fresh oil. Open up the filler hole on the engine, normally where you check the oil for the proper level, and use a funnel to pour the oil into the engine. I stop about a half quart shy of the amount it says to service it. Now crank the engine and let it run for a bit. This gets the oil into the filter and all the ports and tubes.

Now shut the engine back down and fill it with oil a little at a time, checking the fill level as you go. Fill it to the proper level and you're good. Now what to do with all the old oil.

Well, I take the old oil and pour it back into the quart bottles and take them to an oil service center like Jiffy Lube or a local gas station. Most of the time they will let you dump such a small amount as long as you're not saving up ten gallons of oil in the corner of the garage then hitting them all at once!

There, now get your helmet and your best friend and hit the road! And don't forget your next motorcycle oil change.

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