Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Getting the GSXR Ready for Spring - Part 2

     Ok.  Here's the second part to my 'how-did' article.  I call it a 'how-did' rather than 'how-to' article because I am by no means a professional mechanic.  I am basically a writer who is good with a wrench.  I have enough experience wrenching on bikes to feel comfortable doing the things I do, and I like to document it.  So please feel free to use this as a reference, but this info should not be used in place of a service manual.  Ok, now that my legal disclaimer is taken care of, back to the oil change.   

     For this oil change I’m using Mobil 1 4T 10w-40, I used to use Suzuki Synthic but it seems like my local dealer never has it in stock, so now I just get Mobil 1 from my local auto supply shop.  They were actually having a sale, buy 4 quarts and get a free filter.  I typically use OEM Suzuki oil filters, but this saves me a trip.  After I use this filter, I’m going to chop it in half then compare the inside to an OEM filter.  I’ll write up a post on it.  Opinions are very mixed about Fram; but hey, a free filter is a free filter. 
          
      The oil change is pretty straight forward, out with the old, in with the new.  You can find the drain plug pretty easily, it's in between the headers on the lowest part of the engine.  Suzuki is pretty slick, they put a magnet on the top of the drain plug so you can see if there are any metal shavings from inside the engine.  I also like to use an old school drain pan so I can check the oil for metal flakes as I'm pouring it out. 

     The filter is easy to get off with a filter wrench like this, otherwise it can be tricky to get a good grip on it with the hot exhaust a few inches away.  I’ll use a wrench to take it off, but most people frown about using a wrench to put it on (it’s easy to over-torque).  I’ve never noticed a leak from filters that I’ve hand-tightened.  Now I make sure that the drain plug is tight and torqued to the specs in my manual.  

     I like to keep my bike on a track stand when I change the oil as it needs to be upright to read the level in the sight window correctly.  First time I ever changed the oil in this bike I filled the engine with the bike on the kickstand, then when it was upright I realized my mistake and had to drain some out.  I also decided to try adding Seafoam to the oil too, so I put in 1 ½ oz. per quart of oil.
           
     Now that the bike is up on the track stand, this is a perfect time to lube my chain and check the tension.  My tension is fine, about a ¾ inch of play, so I just grab a rag, put a good bit of gear oil on it (something like this), and wipe it on.  I like to do it this way, as it reduces the amount of excess oil on the chain.  I hate it when a chain flings oil all over the place, especially on my clean rims (not that they are very clean right now).  

     I topped off  my coolant in the overflow bottle too, it was a little low.  I put "Engine Ice" in my cooling system last year, it's good stuff.  Ok, all set.  Now all I need to do is put the fairings back on and I should be good to go.  Even though I just charged my battery a few weeks back, I want to charge the battery for an hour just to be safe. 
           
     Well that is all I really had planned for my little spring clean up.  I do want put in some new spark plugs as well as a new clutch in the future, but that can wait a bit.  Well, now it’s time to just get out there and start riding again, so until next time…keep it between the ditches.    

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