There is nothing wrong with changing the oil in a VTX with it straight up and down on a lift or stand. If true that this drains less old oil than leaned over on the sidestand, the difference is insignificant and will not affect engine longevity. It is much easier to change the oil when the bike is lifted and the much reduced wear and tear on your body compared to trying to reach under a VTX bike on its sidestand makes it greatly preferable to changing the oil on a lift or stand.
I didn't say there was anything wrong with doing it on the lift, but that's not how the front drain plug was designed to drain. Not sure how there's "wear and tear" on my body when I slide the drain pan under, lay down on my side to pull the two plugs and filter, let it drain for a few minutes and then reinstall the plugs & new filter...for a total of less than 5 minutes. I mean, yeah, getting up and down is tougher as we get older, but even on the lift, you still have to get down there to see the plugs and filter to r/r them. And yes, the amount of oil isn't much, but I want as much out as I can get...all while having to do the least amount of work as possible. Getting the lift in place correctly, raising and lowering the bike & removing the lift just adds more time (and possibly some mishaps if you goof up)...all of that is eliminated with the way I do it (and the manual even tells us this is the way to do it).
I'm sure he'll get it done either way.
