oil and filter change

[willbo]

After looking up this quite thoroughly I feel I could do this myself. But I'm not 100% sure on which oil filter or oil would be best.  Just out of curiosity, which do you blokes use?

[Andy M]

Filter: Either Suzuki or K&N. I like the latter as you don't need any special tool to change it.
Oil: Any brand I've heard of fully synthetic. Last lot was Castrol.

This is because I'm doing 5000 mile changes still in the warranty and want a chance if I get in a fight.

If I was doing the 3000's outside warranty it would be any filter I'd heard of (Hi-flow is fine as sold by Wemoto) and any branded semi-synthetic. Halfords etc. just buy their oil from whoever is selling cheapest on the day, there is no technical difference and you know where they live.

The only ones I'd avoid is anything from your local Chinese scooter stall or on e-bay with funny names.

You'll struggle to find bad ones to be honest.

Andy

[hookie]

Any recognised brand of filter (Suzuki, Hi-Flow, K&N, Vesrah, Filtrex etc.) will be fine. As has already been said avoid unbranded ones as you have no guarantee of their quality.  A socket or strap removal tool is worth getting if you plan to do this regularly plus spare copper sump plug washers, although you can re-use old ones if you anneal them first. If changing the oil at recommended intervals a branded semi-synthetic is fine. For extended change intervals a full synthetic would be better. I won't pay the inflated prices for motorcycle specific oils and use car oils and have been doing so on loads of bikes for years with no problems. Also good to use a torque wrench to correctly tighten the sump plug- over tighten and risk stripping the thread and under tighten and risk it coming undone....

[willbo]

Many thanks    il order a genuine Suzuki filter as that's what's on it and buy some semi synthetic 10w 40 oil. Just need to get a filter wrench while I remember too

[Redsoul]

Same as others have said really...k and n filter and halfords semi.

[Descolada]

Remember to plan ahead, what happens if the sump plug washer is knackered. I tend to change mine each time I have the sump bolt off. Remember to put a bead of fresh oil around the rubber seal of the new filter.

[willbo]

Cheers. Sump plug washers added to list now too

[Jacko]

Regarding the work, you'll have it all done in ten minutes and wonder what all the fuss was about.

Get a filter socket if you can, they come in different sizes so get the right one, it makes removing the filter a lot easier. You'll always have it then, because after doing it once you'll be doing your own changes all the time. ;)

[iansoady]

I won't pay the inflated prices for motorcycle specific oils and use car oils and have been doing so on loads of bikes for years with no problems.

You do have to be careful that it doesn't have friction modifiers (SJ rated) as this can cause clutch slip. Otherwise I agree, however oil is relatively cheap and I'm quite happy to pay for Silkolene etc.

[Juvecu]

+1 for Filtex filters and Halfrauds 10w/40 semi synth motorcycle oil.

Your oil filter should never be on so tight that you can't get it off by hand. Doing it up that tight could distort the rubber seal to the point that it can leak. Spin it on until it bottoms, turn it another 1 to 1.5 turns by hand, don't tighten it like you would a bolt.

[hookie]

Getting the oil filter correctly tightened is important. The Suzuki handbook (for the 1000) says it should be tightened two full turns after the neoprene seal on the filter makes contact with the housing on the crankcase. It then tends to tighten with time, hence the need for a removal tool. Under tighten it and there is a risk of it coming undone and spewing oil all over the under side of the bike (and rear tyre!) and possibly reducing oil pressure to the engine resulting in terminal damage to it's bottom end. I've known it happen, so a bit of care when replacing and checking for leaks afterwards is time well spent. Regarding car Vs bike specific oils. There is a potential problem, more so with full synthetic car oils and possible clutch slip, but I've never had a problem on the rare occasions I've used them and have had friends use them on out and out sports bikes without problems as well. Using them, if you chose to use it on a 650 Vstrom is unlikely to cause any problems.

[greywolf]

How much to tighten a filter depends on the brand. The Suzuki filter has a large cross section O-ring of relatively soft material. It needs a tool to be installed and removed properly since it is the only filter I know of that specifies two full turns after contact. Less than two turns on a Suzuki branded filter is incorrect and may be troublesome on rare occasions.

Other brands typically specify 2/3, 3/4 or one full turn or sometimes hand tight. Do not use two turns on aftermarket brands. Follow the filter manufacturer's instructions. They are sometimes even printed on the filter.

Make sure the old O-ring hasn't stuck to the engine. Use extra light if need be and run a finger over the mounting surface to be sure. Coat the new O-ring with oil to prevent it from bunching up, tearing or sticking to the engine.

[iansoady]

Interestingly, the V-Strom filter looks very similar to the one on my Triumph Tiger 955i and that had a tightening torque of 12Nm specified - which is not very tight at all. The 2 turns stated in the Suzuki literature do seem a lot.

[hookie]

Just to add more confusion to this whole debate about tightening oil filters, I had a look through various manuals and a number of car and bike filters in the garage. A couple of filters had no info at all. A Vesrah one for the Vee (and Wee) stated 1.5 - 2 Kg-m torque (if you can still find it on your torque wrench) which is about 15-20 Nm. Another said tighten according to manufacturers specs. The Haynes manuals said either hand tighten only or two full turns in the Suzuki TL/DL book. Being a generally simple soul I just tighten any filter as tight as I can with two clean oil free hands, run the vehicle to get it good and hot and then check it again by hand and look for any leaks. Touch wood I've never had one leak or come undone in more years than I care to mention.

[Jacko]

Yeah, every oil filter I've ever fitted, car or bike, I've done hand tight and they've been fine.

My Astra specifies hand tight. The other bike specifies 20NM - hand tight. I once had one that was 1, 3/4 turns with one hand tied behind your back, on a mildly damp Tuesday morning in February - hand tight.

[carlos]

Changed the oil filter and oil yesterday.  The filter (an original Suzuki one) was a real pain to unscrew... has gone trough the winter and the paint was all flaking and rusted.
Of course  the filter  removal tool  did'nt work  just slidding  arround .  Needed to use  a filter wrench  to take the bastard out which deformed the filter case. I thought  the  dealers put 200mml extra oil on the last service when I bought the bike when I measured how much oil I collected .
Hand tightened the new filter, but it went only one turn and a half. The last half turn needed some persuation  with the removal tool, wich it managed to work ... added 270 milliters exactly to the engine  and started the bike ... after 3 min the line was close to the bottom  mark so added another 200ml to take it to the top level ...
Took the bike  out for a spin after  and noticed some oil on the rim of the filter  maybe I used too much oil when I smeared the gasket ... cleaned it and rode again ...   no apparent leak  but I will keep an eye on it  
the oil in the engine was not that bad  so thinking of keepping it for chain maintenance ... scotoiler maybe  ?
KN filters from now on .

[Juvecu]

Engine oil flings a lot, I used it in a Tuturo oiler before and it was a PITA to keep clean. Buy a litre of chainsaw oil if you want something cheap that's also got good cleaning and anti-fling abilities for your chain oiler.