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0il change

177 Views 15 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  dhorton8950, 
VTX Is Here
I'm looking to do my first oil change on my motorcycle because I'm having trouble finding a decent mechanic. I have a 2008 Honda VTX 1800 f. I've been looking at a way to center the bike while I work on it but I don't have the money. So here's the question how high of a piece of wood would I have to have to put under the kickstand to center the bike? I don't have anyone to measure while I hold the bike upright.
All answers are welcome and thank you for your response in advance.
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Be VERY careful with putting something under the kickstand to "center" the bike. When upright or close to upright, a stiff breeze can knock it over to the side opposite the kickstand.
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Fulkrum
A piece of 2x6 probably. Really it will depend on how deep/tall? your drain pan is.
You could change the oil with nothing under the kickstand if your drain pan fits under.
Slide the pan under, take the oil drain plugs out, sit on the bike and stand it up, let the oil drain out, put it back on the kickstand, change the filter, put the drain plugs back in.
If your drain pan is shallow enough, raising the bike is just a luxury.
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MPD193
Drain plugs are on the kickstand side, so you should lean your bike that way. Invest in a shallow drain pan or get a disposable aluminum roasting pan from the grocery store. Drain plugs, as well as the oil filter are easily accessible when the bike is on the kickstand.
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Until just recently I had always used a large aluminum roaster pan to catch the oil from my oil changes. They work great. I do have one piece of advice if you use these. Place the pan on a piece of cardboard slightly larger than the pan and slide the cardboard and pan around together. The aluminum in these pans is thin and if you slide it around on the concrete garage floor, it will develop small pinholes over time. Putting it on the cardboard and sliding the cardboard will eliminate this problem.
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VTX Is Here
First of all thank you all for your advice. I was just watching the video again and it's hard to tell but can you get to the drain plug with the kickstand down? Or is the drain plug above the kickstand and easily accessible?
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PaXman11
VTX Is Here said:
I'm looking to do my first oil change on my motorcycle because I'm having trouble finding a decent mechanic. I have a 2008 Honda VTX 1800 f. I've been looking at a way to center the bike while I work on it but I don't have the money. So here's the question how high of a piece of wood would I have to have to put under the kickstand to center the bike? I don't have anyone to measure while I hold the bike upright.
All answers are welcome and thank you for your response in advance.
Click to expand...
There are 2 drain plugs, both on the bottom, and one in front of the other bya couple inches. Don't over-tighten. I use an old plastic dishpan that I cut the top nearly half, off. Pick up a couple pairs of ratchet straps, from Harbor Freight or ? loop them around the handlebars and the other ends to whatever is available: railings, rafters, posts, ?? These are cheaper than a bike lift + stand, although you can build your own stand. Once the bike oil and filter have been changed, from the upright position, lean it on the kickstand, and note on the dipstick where the level is, and using a small file make a mark to check it whenever you need to.
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VTX Is Here
PaXman11 said:
There are 2 drain plugs, both on the bottom, and one in front of the other bya couple inches. Don't over-tighten. I use an old plastic dishpan that I cut the top nearly half, off. Pick up a couple pairs of ratchet straps, from Harbor Freight or ? loop them around the handlebars and the other ends to whatever is available: railings, rafters, posts, ?? These are cheaper than a bike lift + stand, although you can build your own stand. Once the bike oil and filter have been changed, from the upright position, lean it on the kickstand, and note on the dipstick where the level is, and using a small file make a mark to check it whenever you need to.
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You'll never believe I just got off the phone with my brother and he said the same thing about the straps. Problem is it's so crowded in the garage by the walls that I don't have anywhere to screw in something to hold the straps. But you brought up an interesting thing how can I build my own stand? Thanks again for your response
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Fulkrum
VTX Is Here said:
can I build my own stand
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Do a google search for DIY Motorcycle Jack. The top couple results will be for YouTube videos that show how to make a "jack" out of two pieces of 2x8.
It's cheap and easy, I made one and used it just to try it out. It works but it's obviously not as nice/easy as a product designed and manufactured for the job.
This is just an example image I grabbed off of Google, I don't have any pictures of the one I made.

I've seen plans online for DIY tables but never tried to build any mostly because all the plans Ive seen use a ramp to get the bike up on the table instead of a jack mechanism like commercially produced tables use. Pushing a 750lb+ bike up a ramp is not in the cards for this guy.
To reiterate: It is not necessary to jack the bike up to change the oil.
I kept my eyes open watching FB Marketplace until an actual motorcycle jack popped up for less then $50 and snagged it.
I only use it when I absolutely have to, I find it a tad sketchy putting the bike up on and taking it down off of the jack. It's rock solid while it's on it though.
I continued to watch FB Marketplace and snagged a Harbor Freight Motorcycle lift Table for $200, admittedly it took me a couple years to find a deal I was willing to jump on.
I should have paid the money years ago, the table is a game changer. Makes working on the bikes so much nicer on the knees and back.
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Do a search here on the Cafe for homemade bike stand. It is made from about three 8' long pieces of 2x4 lumber, some long deck screws, and some nails. The bike is rock solid while on this stand. You can pull on the bike a lot while on this stand and it is very secure. Of course, you need a motorcycle lift to get the bike up high enough to put this stand under the bike. I have the cheap (~$75 ) motorcycle jack from Harbor Freight. I do all my oil changes on one of the aforementioned wood stands that I built and it works great. You just need to make sure to position the stand so that it is not in the way of either the oil fllter or the drain plug(s).
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VTX Is Here
Fulkrum said:
Do a google search for DIY Motorcycle Jack. The top couple results will be for YouTube videos that show how to make a "jack" out of two pieces of 2x8.
It's cheap and easy, I made one and used it just to try it out. It works but it's obviously not as nice/easy as a product designed and manufactured for the job.
This is just an example image I grabbed off of Google, I don't have any pictures of the one I made.
View attachment 246346
I've seen plans online for DIY tables but never tried to build any mostly because all the plans Ive seen use a ramp to get the bike up on the table instead of a jack mechanism like commercially produced tables use. Pushing a 750lb+ bike up a ramp is not in the cards for this guy.
To reiterate: It is not necessary to jack the bike up to change the oil.
I kept my eyes open watching FB Marketplace until an actual motorcycle jack popped up for less then $50 and snagged it.
I only use it when I absolutely have to, I find it a tad sketchy putting the bike up on and taking it down off of the jack. It's rock solid while it's on it though.
I continued to watch FB Marketplace and snagged a Harbor Freight Motorcycle lift Table for $200, admittedly it took me a couple years to find a deal I was willing to jump on.
I should have paid the money years ago, the table is a game changer. Makes working on the bikes so much nicer on the knees and back.
Click to expand...
I found a decent one on Amazon for $60 I think it's safer than making it out of wood. Thank you for your response I really appreciate it. Izzy PS I just pulled the bike out of the garage and I see where the bolt is and you're right it can be done with the kickstand down.
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V
Your bike, your rules. Just be aware that the homemade ones from wood cost way less than $60 and are extremely strong. Stronger than most cheap metal ones I have seen.
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PaXman11
VTX Is Here said:
You'll never believe I just got off the phone with my brother and he said the same thing about the straps. Problem is it's so crowded in the garage by the walls that I don't have anywhere to screw in something to hold the straps. But you brought up an interesting thing how can I build my own stand? Thanks again for your response
Click to expand...
I already had a Harbor freight lift, so with the bike up at its maximum lift point, I took some rough measurements. There were several fellas that had posted their plans and even pix, but I'm a DIY guy or even backyard architect/ mechanic. I had tons of 2x4 scraps left over from a roof job, so I measured 3 times, cut twice. Yeah, I was winging it, but it took me maybe 2 hrs. and a box of 3" deck screws. Ain't winning any woodworking contests but it's solid as a rock. Use search for DIY bike stands, you should be able to find something. I have a 24 x 24 pole barn w/ cement floor, so I looped my straps around the 2nd floor joists. The center part of the barn is 10' between the joists, I designed it so I could pull a full size car in to work on it if I had to.
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MPD193
I have a harbor freight jack and a harbor freight stand and still change my oil on the kickstand on the ground, but that's just me. I also change my differential oil on the ground on the stand and I fill the differential oil on ground on the kick stand. Why make it harder than it has to be?
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PaXman11
MPD193 said:
I have a harbor freight jack and a harbor freight stand and still change my oil on the kickstand on the ground, but that's just me. I also change my differential oil on the ground on the stand and I fill the differential oil on ground on the kick stand. Why make it harder than it has to be?
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Diff. oil is supposed to be filled on the KS, fill to the opening level.
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dhorton8950
VTX Is Here said:
I'm looking to do my first oil change on my motorcycle because I'm having trouble finding a decent mechanic. I have a 2008 Honda VTX 1800 f. I've been looking at a way to center the bike while I work on it but I don't have the money. So here's the question how high of a piece of wood would I have to have to put under the kickstand to center the bike? I don't have anyone to measure while I hold the bike upright. All answers are welcome and thank you for your response in advance.
Click to expand...
Don’t worry about the bike angle while in the kickstand, there are 2 drain plugs. One of the plugs is on the bottom surface of the oil pan. The second is on the side surface the oil pan, allowing the oil to completely drain from the oil pan even when on the kickstand.
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