Cool, thanks to all for your input

 

Bikes have the same personalities, quirks, and abilities that people do, plus it's great fun to 'get attached' to your moto-companion. They really are alive once you get to know them, and once you do that, if you get a good one and take care of it, they respond by never letting you down. It all begins with the oil changes...

 

Well if your drain bolt is in a rear corner then you kinda want the bike tipped a little towards that direction, otherwise you may leave some old oil in the pan. Sitting on the rearstand the bike will be angled forward slightly. Personally I would never drain the oil with the bike on a stand, especially my stand since it's a piece of crap and makes the bike lean to the right, lol. If you fill it with the bike on the stand and go by the level in the window it'll be off too... gotta be upright and level on the ground. My drain bolt is in the left rear of the pan, so I leave it sitting on the kickstand and it works perfect for getting the most oil out of the pan. There's also some oil that will drain back into the pan after you take the filter off (you're releasing a slight vacuum when you take it off), so I always drain it and put the plug back in finger tight, change the filter and then take the drain bolt out again and a little more oil drains out then tighten everything back up. I'm a little **** about stuff though, but that's the way I do it

 

How in the heck do you put 21112 miles a year on your car plus over 35000 miles a year on your motorcycle?? That is over 56000 miles a year at $3.00 a gallon equals a butt load of money spent on gas and tires. Holy crap thats7+ sets of tires a year. I don't know anyone that has$6000-$7000 a year in a budget for tires and gas. Plus I didn'tthink of ll the mainenance items.1.75 oil changes a month just about.

 

Do it yourself, gives you chance to have a peruse over that part of the bike as well. Your probably going to put a better quality oil in & get the quantity right as well. Just dispose of your used oil thoughtfully!

 

I just changed the oil on my '05 600RR a little while ago and it was a piece of cake despite trying to get the oil filter out through the fairings. You may get a little oil on the plastic but it's no big deal and to me it's easier than taking the fairings off and taking the coolant reservoir off as well. I change the drain plug washer every other oil change.