| Author | Message | ||
     Hkwan |
Just want to quickly check on this because the manual's instruction seems too easy. So to change the transmission oil, all I need to do is to stand the bike up with and rear stand (I'm going to use Handy Stand), take out the 3 screws holding on the face plate of the transmission and then take out the silver drain plug from the bottom and let the old oil drain. That's all? To fill up, just put the drain plug back in then fill the oil with a angled funnel back into the hole originally covered by the face plate until very small amount of oil over-fills. Then put the face plate back with the three screws? Seems easy enough. Really that is all? | ||
| Keith  |
Henry, What bike are you inquiring about? Keith | ||
| Hkwan |
Sorry.. I'm talking about the XB. More specifically the XB12R, Firebolt. | ||
| Slaughter  |
You really shouldn't put in much more oil than it takes to wet the chain. If you fill to where it almost comes out the cover, it'll over-pressurize and you'll find out what the tranny vent puke lines are for! Fill until you see it maaaaybe halfway up the chain. I filled it to where the manual recommended (the bottom of the clutch spring) and it puked oil. (that is on the racebike though and I'm spinning it a tad faster though - YMMV) Don't know about other's bikes but it seems to puke with any more oil in there than it takes to wet the chain and clutch plates. The chain slapping the oil will totally coat everything in the interior of the primary anyways. OK for the disclaimer... this is on my bike, worked for me, so far, so good. I do tend to keep the revs a touch on the high side and change the oil once a month (3 days racing) (Message edited by slaughter on December 02, 2004) | ||
| Hkwan |
Hmm... ok. The manual calls for 1 qt. So I'm going to fill one qt or less. Actually what I'm going to do is first take out the plate and give a mental note as to where the oil level is at before draining. Afterward, I will just fill back to the same level. I guess the rest of the procedure is correct (?) Do you guys use front stand when changing transmission oil? | ||
| Wardog3187 |
I've just recently changed the trans oil in my XB9R and as Hkwan has pointed out, the shop manual calls for 1 quart. So, the way I look at is "1 quart of the old out, 1 quart of the new in" and hopefully everybody is happy. | ||
| Gentleman_jon  |
Well, it is about that simple, but not quite:-) The clutch inspection cover often needs a little very careful prying to get it off, and one wants to be careful not to chip the paint on the engine case. The gasket sometimes gets destroyed in the removal process, (mine didn't) so it is a good idea to order a spare before starting. Your description of filling the oil differs from the manual which cautions against overfilling which can cause improper clutch action. The manual calls for an oil level that is even with the bottom of the clutch diaphragm spring, which I believe is a bit lower than the method you describe . While you have the bike jacked up, and are working in the area, you might want to check the primary chain tension. Just takes a few minutes. | ||
| Hkwan |
"...while you have the bike jacked up, and are working in the area, you might want to check the primary chain tension. Just takes a few minutes." How do you do that? Thanks. | ||
| M1combat  |
Check the manual. The picture in the manual for the oil level is perfect. I've put in more and just a tiny bit less than that and had very minor issues getting the bike into second or neutral. With the level exactly where the pic shows, it works great. So far, both times I changed it I have drained everything I could get out of it (holding the bike level for a couple minutes while waiting for the last bit to drain out) and then adding one quart. About 98% of a quart seems to get it at the right spot, and the last 2% doesn't really seem to raise it at all so I call it good  . | ||
| Dcmortalcoil |
Hkwan, 1 Qt is too much. Try 28-29 ounces. I made a mistake of filling 1 Qt. Basically, you will have a hard time finding neutral if it's overfilled. | ||
| Blake  |
Total capacity may be 1 qt, but some oil, like 4 onces or so, will remain in the tranny. Fill as Steve says or at most so the oil just barely touches the clutch spring as per your user manual. | ||
| Xb9er  |
I second what Dcmortalcoil and Blake say. If you want to be precise about your bike you should follow the user manual exactly, see how much is left in the bottle, then you'll know how much to put in next time. It seems that typically it will be 28-29 ounces, which is what I put in my XB. Mike. | ||
| Darthane  |
28oz, every time. | ||
| Brucelee |
Funny, I have put exactly 1 qt in EVERY trans fluid change. I have done this 5 times. If the 28OZ theory was correct, the fluid would be pouring out and my trans would not shift at all. Fact is, it shifts much much better than when new. I attribute that to the Mobil One 75-90. So, either it does take one qt and I am somehow getting the full qt out or what? Seems the manual should rule here. It says 1 qt so thats what I go with. | ||
| M1combat |
Yeah... I think the manual says 1qt (but I don't have it in front of me). I level the bike when I drain it which is why I think I can get enough out that adding a full quart is correct. When I add enough to get to where tha manual says, I have about fifteen drops of oil left in the M1 75-90 bottle. I fill with the bike level as well. I think if you are filling with the bike tipped, you won't get the quart in before you get to the proper level. In any case, I'm going to continue doing it the way I do it (which I believe is by the book, plus just a TEENCY bit of oil.). The bike shifts great, I've never had any puking... | ||
| Hkwan |
So Mobil 1 75-90 is what you guys use (besides the H-D oil)? What about the Mobil 1 red cap 15-50 oil (which can also be used for the motor)? Isn't the 75-90 gear oil a little too thick? It is like honey coming out of the bottle. | ||
| Xb9er |
Deja Vu. Read what Blake said above, please. The manual gives a total CAPACITY of 1 QUART (0.95 Liter) for the primary/trans. If you read on to the fill instructions, it says to pour it in until it reaches the bottom of the clutch diaphragm spring! That's pretty simple and that is completely accurate. When I follow the instructions to the letter, it will take somewhere around 28 to 29 ounces, in MY bike. If it wasn't shifting best with that amount, I would add more!! Please show us where in the Manual it says to FILL the primary/trans with 1 FULL QUART of fluid. No one is saying that people who use 1 full Qt. are wrong. Maybe they just let the thing drain a lot longer. What you are wrong about is the correct fill procedure with respect to determining when it is full enough. Look at it this way, the fuel tank has a CAPACITY of 3.7 gal., but have you ever put in 3.7 gallons, even if you ran out of gas?...Didn't think so. My experience has only been with my XB9R, maybe'04 or '05's and/or XB12's are different, but I doubt it. Hkwan, I have tried 4 different fluids in my primary/trans including Mobil 1 gear oil. It is thicker, but it works just as well as Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 which is what I use now. (The other fluids I tried in primary/trans were SportTrans (worthless crap) and Mobil 1 MX4T Motorcycle oil.) Mike. | ||
| M1combat |
Well, I think maybe what I am doing a little differently is that I level the bike when I drain and fill the primary. I put the kickstand on a piece of wood that I have that is just the right height (if I bump the bike a little to hard, it would fall over). I would almost bet that the extra amount I get out of it by doing this is about exactly the difference between one full qt and 28oz. I shined a flashlight in there once after draining it, and there was almost nothing left. In any case, I fill the primary to the level the illustration in the manual shows, it takes a full qt to do so when I drain it the way I do, and it shifts beautifully. I'm outta here. | ||
| Xb9er |
OK, why didn't I think of that? So I have to eat my words now because I have been the one doing it wrong this whole time and leaving a few ounces of dirty old fluid in there. Dude, I am a total idiot!!  No, Wait! It's the Service Manual's fault, yeah that's it! I'm changing the fluid this weekend, so I'll follow the M1combat method.  Thanks. Mike. | ||
| Dcmortalcoil |
M1, I tried that also, but that still won't get all of it out. After draining normally, put the bike on an incline with the front facing downhill and drain (if any) and then put the front facing uphill and drain (you'll likely get additional fluid draining). Alternative is to lift the rear, lower the rear, lift the front. I say it's not worth the trouble. Just pour 28-29oz after you normally drain on a level ground. | ||
| Wyckedflesh  |
I start the drain with the bike on the sidestand, then lift up the rear with my pitbull. I get exactly one quart to the edge of the clutch spring when I do so, and nearly 1 quart of old oil, maybe not even an ounce less when I pour it into the empty bottle through a coffee filter for disposal. Why pour it through a coffee filter you might ask...to see whats coming out of the trans of course. I still get very fine shavings on the drainplug magnet, but I have on a couple of changes gotten small metal chips in the coffee filter back when the bike was still under 5000 miles. | ||
| Hkwan |
Wyckedflesh, if your 2nd step is to put the bike up on the pitbull, why don't you just do that without having the bike on the kickstand? If the purpose is to have the remaining oil drained out of the bike by having it on the Pitbull, that means the Pitbull position is better and why don't you just go there to begin with? That's what I did, put the bike on rear stand. Another question - how do you guys clean the magnet? Some of the metal shaving just remains there. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
I don't put it on the Pitbull for draining purposes, I put it on the Pitbull for Refilling which is how the manual wants it. When its on the sidestand more of the fluid out of the transmission itself drains out. As to cleaning the magnet, with a cloth and some brakeclean. | ||
| Gsxr_is_gone |
Has anyone tried Golden Specto 4 in the engine or trans?? | ||
| Starter  |
I drop the whole quart in each time never had a problem with neutral or oil spewing out. Paid for the quart may as well ues it. |
