First DIY oil & oil filter change with minimum tools

<Beggars Can't Be Choosers>

Disclaimer: This is a record of my first DIY oil & oil filter change. It is by no means professional work and strictly for the purpose of record keeping only. Lengthy post and photos intensive.

And so it goes, one of my objectives in riding is to be able to do as much maintenance on my bike as I could. The reason is obvious: I will be on my own during my trip and there's only me whom I can depend on. (of course, it would help me to cut down the running cost of owning the bike as well)

The very first step would be the very basic oil change. And so I got myself these tools and replacement parts.

 An oil change pack. Basically just a carton box filled with waste paper, could have made one by myself but since this is the first time I figure I would just buy one. In Japan waste motorcycle oil could be discarded as combustible waste. (it does burn don't they)

 An oil filter for the BMW F-serires. This is labelled as for F650GS but there are a countless of number of users in Japan who replaced this on their F700GS so it should not be an issue.

 This is how it looks inside the package.

 Oil filter removal wrench. Hope this will remove the original filter fitted on the bike.

 The drain nut seal. I have no idea if this is the right one but based on the knowledge shared on the internet among the Japanese users this little ring does the job well. So here it is.

The back of the package tells the measurement of the seal.

I know I should have a socket wrench with an adaptor socket that fits the drain nut on the bike. Well beggars can't be choosers. This is all I have so it will have to make do. I will use the 10mm hexagon wrench. I tried to fit it into the drain nut, it does give some slack when turning the wrench. Does a proper socket wrench have the same issue? (if someone can point that out that would be helpful, thanks)

And I should have a torque wrench as well. But then again, I don't have that so will have to improvise. What I did was to put a line across the nut surface and the engine block, so that I can later use it as a guideline to know how much I should turn the nut when tightening it. Not accurate I would say, but well it will have to do.





And the job begins. Lifted the bike on center stand and warmed it up. Unscrewed the dipstick to let air in, then unscrewed the drain nut with the L-shape hexagon wrench. And the oil came pouring out. While waiting for the oil to drain, I tried to open the oil filter with the oil filter wrench. Guess what? I failed to do that..... The filter wrench wouldn't fit into the filter. So I need another solution. Anyhow, I guess Lara can't wait for another 3000 km before the next filter comes along.

 And now filling her up with new oil. Replaced the dipstick screwed tight and warmed up the engine. Checked dipstick to see if the reading is correct. Yes it is! Total oil filled in is about 2.9L.

And now the dreaded part of maintenance. Oiling the clutch label.
I don't know how to do this really. I searched on internet and went fishing for the relevant youtube clips showing the how-to on the topic.

First, I loosened the clutch cable adjuster. Then, I removed the side mirror and the clutch lever assembly as per photo.

I do not plan to clean the cable as I did not know how to do it properly, so I just took the short cut by spraying the chain oil inside the clutch cable hose. The oil worked its way down out at the other end, and once I confirmed that I stopped injecting chain oil.

And then I fix everything back the same way, just the opposite of I took them apart.

The clutch pull feels much smoother now, although not necessary lighter.

Here is my first oil change and cable oiling! I am glad that I did it. The next step would be chain adjustment and air filter cleaning.
















Wish me luck!

Cheers,

CK

Maintaining The Chain The Right(?) Way

<I have been doing it the wrong way all this while>

After the last ride my chain was getting filthy all over again. It is black (which I suspect is due to the grease meant for protection of the chain ) and there seemed to be dirt in the creaks of the chain links.

I do not know if the looks of the chain is detrimental to the actual performance but I figure if I could wash it well enough for the chain to show itself (along with any unusual stuff stuck in there), then I could at least say I have tried to access the situation and give myself peace of mind.

So I went ahead and bought the chain lube. Finished the previous little bottle I bought last time.

And this is the combination of the chemicals I used. A chain cleaner from Kure, and a chain lube from D.I.D., they are both japanese brands.

I sprayed the chain cleaner the way I would do when I apply chain lube on the chain. That was how I did it in the past and I did not think there was any problem. I do recall I applied too little cleaner last time, so this time I applied an amount quite liberally onto the chain, thinking that should do it.

See? There are droplets of dirt mixed with the cleaner from the chain!
But wait a minute. After a 10 minute wait the stain on the carton box did not increase at all. Which is to say the chain remained dirty! By now I realized I am not doing it right. Not this time, certainly not the last time as well.

So I changed course. Instead of just spraying the cleaner the way I did with lube, I put on a pair of rubber gloves, take a piece of cloth in my left palm and sort of hug the chain inside the left palm, then spray the cleaner well and long enough for me to actually see the dirt drips away from the chain.

So this was the way it should be! And now the chain looks good.

I am glad that I realized my fault and corrected it in time. Never too late to learn. I am a happy man! Next venture is oil change and chain adjustment.

Cheers.

Regards,
CK

Way Too Expensive For The Tire Replacement and Oil Change!

< A Premature Death of My Anakee III >

I would expect at least 10,000km out of my stock tire but I got it changed anyway. As I have posted in another blog entry, it was due to the air leakage at the same spot where I patch up the tire last time.

I guess some people would keep using the tire, or get the tire patched up from the inside of the tire and get on with it, in the hope of squeezing more life out of the tire.

I would like to do the same very much, however, after weighing the risk and the cost of a tire replacement, I have decided to change the tire.

And it cost me a small fortune. Really? USD270 for a tire replacement?? And another USD140 for an oil change that didnt come up the oil filter?

Dear readers please tell me how much you have spent for a Anakee III. Knowing a lower price from you will definitely hurt me more but I need to know just the same.

I somehow think there is so much hidden cost or unnecessary “value added” for these imported brands of tire. 

(I am living in Japan hence Michelin is an imported item)

Can anyone recommend me a Bridgestone tire??  :-)

On a side note, I have decided to do the oil change myself from now on, although I have never done it my whole life. Dear readers, my Lara is a 2015 model F700GS. Can you please tell me what are the tools that I need to do the oil change? The drain nut looks to be the allen type. 

Thank you and wish me luck!

Cheers.

Regards,

CK

Having An Active Volcano As Neighbor

< Never a neighbor this angry >

I believe all of us live our lives exposed to a variety of external elements - dangerous elements - I might add. It could be various kinds of pollution, or hazardous human relationships or natural disaster.

I am lucky enough living in the prefecture of Hiroshima where really few typhoons hit us in a year and there is no fear of tsunami or major earthquake (speaking comparatively in Japanese standard). However, things are not that good for people in Aso. There has been an eruption a few months back and to this day there are still plenty of aftershocks that threaten to scare the tourists away.

The close proximity between the volcano and the human settlements blew me away. I do not have a lot of photos to show you but I did manage to take this video with my cellphone. (pardon my english)

The only major road linking the town to the surrounding cities collapsed with the rumble and there is no word as to when it will be restored. Rumor has it that the state government does not have the budget for a large scale restoration and locals are quite pessimistic about reopening of the said road, and have somewhat resorted to using alternate back roads.

It saddens me to see an otherwise beautiful place being destroyed by natural disaster. However, there is no denying that such is the "cost" of living in this wonderful country. I will let you to interpret freely and make your own judgment of what I said.

Last but not least, one of my riding destinations is the FUKUOKA. It could be dangerous going there but I will do it nevertheless.

Cheers.

Regards,
CK

Calling For A Tow Truck For The First Time

There She Goes...

I guess all riders would go through this one time or another during their riding career – getting the bike on a tow truck.

It happened to me last week, on the second day of the three day getaway trip. I was so excited to ride but had to cut short the whole trip because of this.

Frustrated I was, but I did not let it cloud my day for I understand it is always better to get such experience early on the career rather than later.

The problem came from the patch job I did for my last puncture. 

Apparently air leaks from the same spot after some 2000km since I patched up the tire. It must have been my poor workmanship that caused this so I have no one to blame. I tried to repair the same spot but after 4 failures to revive the tire, I resorted to calling a tow truck to get to the nearest dealer for a tire change.

The arrangement didn't take too long but the time for the truck to arrive took hours. Stranded without mobility was definitely not fun but the circumstance presented itself to me as a lesson.

There were two things I learned from episode:

     1.     It might do me good if I were to use tube tire for my long way round trip. It could be a pain in the ass when a puncture does happen, but I figure at least I can change the tube and wouldn't be left hopeless once a repair of tubeless tire turns south.

    2.     The unexpected will happen during the long way round trip. Instead of facing such irregularity for the first time on the trip, better to experience them now and learn to be patient and do something helpful, rather than just sitting there sourly.

I used my time to see the bikes go by, talk to fellow bikers and, guess what, read! (I have a kindle handy with me all the time)

Finally the tow truck came and I rode shotgun to the dealer.

Too bad the dealer that I went to didn't have any tire for replacement. They patched up my tire and sent me away, asking me to ride no more than 100km/h on my way home.

So there you go, riding on a way-less-than-perfect tire to cover some 300 plus km on highway.

Thanks to this absence of new tire I learned how to “nurse” the tire so that it wont break down half way.

All in all I wasn't thrilled to have my trip cut short, but I was thankful nevertheless to have had a chance to prep myself, no matter how trivial it may seem.

Cheers,

Regards,

CK

Getting The Right Gear

<Fashion does not seem to be fit the riding theme>

Form over function has always been my motto when it comes to motorcycle clothing.

It wouldn't be fair to the community if I were to attribute this attitude to the fact that I started my motorcycling from a Harley. Although I suspect it must have had some bearing to my choice of gear.

Anyway back to the topic, I did a long road trip last weekend. 

I spent 12 hours covering some 400 plus kilometers on regular road, not wanting to spend on the toll charge.

Rain was my best mate in this 12 hours, be it regular rain, drizzle, shower, storm or pouring of water. The only time when the rain let up was the time I took this photo, right in front of the underwater tunnel that connects the mainland Japan to the Kyushu Island. 

The toll would have been exorbitantly high in my home country, but here in Japan a complimentary USD1 is all it takes for a bike to travel through the tunnel. The tunnel is called Shimonoseki Tunnel.

I managed to arrive at my hostel with a completely dry torso and limbs, although some amount of water did pass through the waterproof lining of my boots and as a result my feet were damp from the moist, otherwise there was not any violation by rain water. Similarly my fingers were indeed wet, but far from soaked.

All in all, I was very pleased with the choice of gear I brought with me this time, and I guess they would very likely set my standard of motorcycle clothing.

The rain wear costs me USD70. 

It’s way cheaper than name brands from the motorcycle makers and it gets the job done.

Gone are the days where I ride and pray that the sky doesn't open up with me. I would want to be seen in a rain coat rather than feeling sorry for myself for being wet and cold.

Similarly, gone are the days of wearing leather gloves. They are pricey and without the necessary protection against the elements and hazards, if compared to fabric product at the same price range.

Although I am still very fond of leather wear, I made a promise to myself not to sacrifice looks for function.

I wore a T-shirt underneath and a leather jacket over it on my way home. That was a totally wrong set up because the temperature dropped from a pleasant 20C degree to 8C degree at night.

I was convinced based on my last experience that no matter how many more pieces of shirt I top up on the current one, the cold air will still find its way in. That was the time I put on my rain wear. 

Lo and behold! All wind was shut out and I was traveling at 110km/h in 8C degree for a total of 300KM, no problem whatsoever.

Function over form. My new standard.

Cheers.

Regards,
CK

The Award-winning Japanese built R Ninety

The dealer from whom I bought my bike from sent a postcard inviting me to their renewal opening party. The main event of the party is of course not just checking out how the shop floor has changed but the 4 R-ninety built by Japanese customized builders. You could check them out by yourselves. Enough words.

This isn't anything new. Just their regular used bikes floor. Man I wish I have the cash and the parking space! haha.

A very nice touch of marketing here. They gave me a whole cake for souvenir even though I didnt spend a single cent in the shop. Guess I will have to go back and buy something next time.

Cheers.

Regards,

CK

My version of Suzuka 8-hours!

< Suzuka 8-Hours >

Have you heard of the Suzuka 8-Hours race? It is an annual summer event at the Suzuka Circuit. As the name implies, it is an 8-hour endurance race that gets the enthusiasts together from all over the country.

It is a scorching hot event in the biking world in Japan. Too bad I have not had the chance to go see the race myself. I imagine it must be very enjoyable, and so my minds drifted away....

Wait a minute! I can do my very own Suzuka 8-Hours!! The plan is simple. I will ride non-stop for 8 hours starting right from my home, to a place... erm..... to whichever direction you point me to, and then I will photograph the place I stop my bike at the end of the 8th hour.

How's that for a blogger-reader bonding session?? :-) I sound so silly.

But really, I think that could be fun. OK, here's the Japan Map.

I am at the flagged dot. Which way do you want me to go? the direction with highest vote will be the direction I am going to.

Ok i have to be realistic as well. I will have to stop for fuel and toilet, but other than that, I am riding my bike!

Looking forward to your input.

Bye for now.

Cheers.
CK

< Outside of Metropolitan – The Real Japan >

Japan is famous for her cities and infrastructure, anime and manga. To me, Japan’s beauty lies in her beautiful scenery and wonderfully maintained road, because I am a rider.

 

Last Sunday I went to a famous seaside located in the Shimane prefecture. (prefecture is similar to the idea of a state)

The beach is nicely hidden and tucked away from the city, accessible only from the back roads. The name of the beach is Kotogahara.

 

However, the place was not flooded with tourists nor local beach-goers. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday, but there were really only very few tourists.

There was no picnic, BBQ, sun-bathing or beach volley-ball at the beach. Just people sitting there enjoying the breeze or couples strolling the beach.

I couldn't even hear anyone speaking, actually. All in all, it was a peaceful and blissful time.

 

However, as much as I would like to keep the beach all to myself, I must admit that is a very selfish idea. In fact, I believe I have witnessed the problem that is haunting the whole of Japan. There are just not enough people on this land, on the big scale of things.

For one, people are so concentrated in the cities, resulting in rural areas losing their populations to the cities. Other than that, a low birth rate also be contributing to this declining of population.

 

I had to ride through a stretch of tiny road with houses lining up on both sides of the road. 

I have to say that it was a sorry sight to behold. The houses are old, most of them seemed to be have not been occupied for a long time.

Yet, you still see how this place was once vibrant with wealth and life. Along the two sides of the road, there was a Porsche, an antique Volvo and another high end vehicle sitting quietly in their own garage. Yet, I am sitting in the waiting room of this now-vacant little museum, looking out at the empty street, sipping the bottle of water and listening to the noises coming from a TV set from a faraway house.

I am no politician nor scholar, i don't know how to solve this problem. In fact, I don't even know if this is a problem. But one thing for sure, I will be back.