Changing the Oil

[stephen365]

Hi
As I'm a biff and I'm waiting for my Haynes to turn up, I need a couple of pointers to change the oil in my 2002 sv650.
Main questions are how much oil does it take and what type do I need to buy?
Ta

[thedonal]

2300ml. It's also imprinted on the casing- think it's under the oil level window.

[Neeja]

Get some decent semi-synth 10w40 and you'll be fine.

[stephen365]

thanks both

[breakz187]

I just did mine today again.

If you get 5 litres, you can do one change without a filter, then do another with a filter change and it uses exactly all the oil up.

Dont know if that will be of any help to you but i thought its was pretty cool :D

[Dangerous Dave]

10w40 motorcycle oil, doesn't matter which brand as they all do the same thing, and as mentioned above the amount is embossed on the side next to the site glass.

[stephen365]

I just did mine today again.

If you get 5 litres, you can do one change without a filter, then do another with a filter change and it uses exactly all the oil up.

Dont know if that will be of any help to you but i thought its was pretty cool :D

good tip - ta
:smt023

[Biker Biggles]

But there wont be quite enough if you need to top up between changes or you spill any.

[Dangerous Dave]

But there wont be quite enough if you need to top up between changes or you spill any.
+ 1, always keep a little spare for topping up when needed.

[maclovin]

+ 1, always keep a little spare for topping up when needed.
does it need topping up alot ? got lowers on and find it hard to check the level

[Dangerous Dave]

No, not a lot unless something is wrong.

It's best to have oil when you find out you need some, just ask the Americans. :smt071

[Biker Biggles]

Check it regularly.If its awkward to see make a point of doing it anyway.They vary widely on oil consumption,but sods law says that if you dont check it your engine will blow itself to bits in the most expensive manner and cause you much grief.If you do a search on here you will find far too many examples of this.

[AndyBrad]

is there a difference between motorcyle oil and car oil?

[stephen365]

is there a difference between motorcyle oil and car oil?
Seen this elsewhere http://www.xrv.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=27879

[Dave20046]

Guy in the local bike shop gave me a bottle of this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350087138067
(just realised reading this I'll need more than a litre though for an sv - altohugh it's a nice freebie for topping up). However he said he wasn't sure if I'd be good for an older V-twin possibly to high tech or something...he had a good explanation anyway. Anyone have any thoughts?

[breakz187]

Mine doesnt seem to eat oil at an alarming rate. I think with changing it frequently i stay on top of any that gets burnt off.

I do check almost every other day anyway as i commute each day about 60 miles in total.

[jambo]

Guy in the local bike shop gave me a bottle of this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350087138067
(just realised reading this I'll need more than a litre though for an sv - altohugh it's a nice freebie for topping up). However he said he wasn't sure if I'd be good for an older V-twin possibly to high tech or something...he had a good explanation anyway. Anyone have any thoughts?

That is, apparently a 10W-40 Motorcycle oil that meets API SG standard, as well as JASO-MA. This means it meets the spec for an SV engine and is a specific motorcycle oil. It's fine to use, but I wouldn't think it was too high tech by any means.

Jambo

[embee]

The old wet clutch dabate goes on, and on, and on ...........................;)

There are 2 issues with bike vs car oils, one is the wet clutch compatability, which is addressed by the JASO-MA test classification, so you are informed about that on the tin. Ignore this if you wish.

The second is that bike oils do have significantly higher phosphorus (and zinc) content, which is in the form of ZDDP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_dialkyldithiophosphate)which is there to combat wear in the transmission (gear teeth etc) with high contact pressure conditions.
The levels have been reduced significantly in car oils in order to prolong catalyst life in response to legislative demands for emission compliant service life.

Some discussion here (http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Motorcycle_Oil_FAQs.aspx#FAQs2), and and here (http://www.smartsynthetics.com/articles/motorcycle_oil_technical_facts.htm)but they would say that wouldn't they?

(Edit - this (http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Files/Mobil_1_Product_Guide.pdf) is what I was really trying to find)

At the end of the day you can put whatever you like in your engine, including nothing. I stick to a well known brand motorcycle oil.