christofeser Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Okay so as many of you know I'm on a dragstar 125. I think it needs some oil. Can I use normal auto oil or do I have to buy motorcycle oil? Moreover, how do I change it? Any online guides/tips?? Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarke Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Okay so as many of you know I'm on a dragstar 125. I think it needs some oil. Can I use normal auto oil or do I have to buy motorcycle oil? Moreover, how do I change it? Any online guides/tips?? Chris Why do you think it needs oil? Do you have a leak? It should be halfway up the sight glass as viewed from underneath the exhaust. To check, warm the engine, allow to settle for 5-10 mins, hold (or better still have someone else do this) the bike level, and take a look. You need motorcycle oil as it oils the engine & the clutch - if you use car oil you'll have the clutch plates slipping... many oils available. To change the oil: You need to get the engine warm. A bike jack helps though not essential. Place an oil tray under the bike + remove oil drain nut. Allow to drain. (you can remove filler cap to help this). Change the oil filter + o ring - its under the circle cover with 'Yamaha' written on it on throttle side (remember to lightly oil the seal to ensure closed). Replace oil drain nut + fill oil (a funnel with flexible pipe is invaluable). Take the old oil to an oil disposal site (some council tips have them) The owners manual will tell you how much oil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofeser Posted June 14, 2010 Author Share Posted June 14, 2010 thanks mate. very informative and good step-by-step. I don't think it needs more - I just think it needs a change. I didn't buy it long ago and haven't changed it yet... so I don't really know how long it's been. cheers still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 When you change the oil, change the filter, too. Personally, I usually do the air filter at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofeser Posted June 14, 2010 Author Share Posted June 14, 2010 Cheers for all the advice. Right so is it costly to replace said things...? Or can I pick up filters on ebay cheapo? Will I get a noticable difference in performance from the bike if the air & oil filter is changed? Cheers Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarke Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 I think from my Yammie dealer I got 4ltrs oil for about £15, oil filter around the £10 mark and air filter around £12-£15 - all genuine Yammy parts. Can't say I noticed improved performance, but maintains the engine + keeps it running well. Yet may improve your bike depending when it was last done... While your at it check the carb joint for cracks, changing my cracked carb joint (£85!!!) did improve performance... you may also want to chance spark plugs too (around £7.50 each) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirriePete Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Why change filters? Oil: Every time you run the engine you get some wear from all the lumps of metal sliding and bashing against each other - this produces teeny tiny metal flakes that, if left to circulate, will create a nice grinding paste to wear the engine even faster. The oil filter traps these particles so they can't circulate, but eventually it gets stuffed full, stopping the oil from flowing freely - less oil, more wear. Air: The air we breath is full of dust and suchlike, this can block the passageways in your carburettor and bigger particles can get sucked into the engine where they can add to the wear. The airfilter traps this material so that your engine can breath the pure clean stuff. Over time it gets stuffed and .... imagine taping a few pairs of dirty socks over your nose and mouth then going for a 5 mile jog - that's what your engine has to do with a dirty air filter. For the sake of a couple of quid (£4 - oil, £14 - air) every couple of thousand miles .... WEMoto are a good reliable source for these kind of consumables - Clicky Linky Thingy You're welcome Clarkegray - £7.50 for a spark plug? I hope that was an Iridium one, standard NGK's are about £2.50 each ....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Filters should be changed every 3-6,000 miles, depending on what your manual says. Some are more. But for a few quid every few months, it's worth it. I find OEM stuff cheap enough and my local parts shop either has them or can get them inside a couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofeser Posted June 15, 2010 Author Share Posted June 15, 2010 Right thanks guys. I think I will give it a full on once-over (excluding sparks - I don't think I'm yet ready to start messing about with these) So yeah I'll have a little look on how/where to change everything. Thanks again. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarke Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Clarkegray - £7.50 for a spark plug? I hope that was an Iridium one, standard NGK's are about £2.50 each ....... Maybe it was £14 for 4 of them?? Trying to remeber off the top of my head what I paid last September... (not 4 for the Dragstar - 2 for that & 2 for Honda Shadow) Chris, If you're going to tackle the oil & filter change yourself then you can manage the spark plugs... pull HT lead off, unscrew spark plug with spark plug wrench, screw in new one, replace HT leads. Simples Have fun...!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofeser Posted June 17, 2010 Author Share Posted June 17, 2010 I think I'll do it under the supervision of another biker I know who changes her oil and filters and sparks herself. Although, looking for a job at the moment, as I barely have petrol money! So I'll wait until my dad gives me my "allowance" next month On the note of petrol, how many miles are you getting out of yours on a full tank? Cheers Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 IIRC, I'd get around 110-120 before I hit reserve. I never ran out, so I don't know what the full range is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofeser Posted June 17, 2010 Author Share Posted June 17, 2010 well all of this is irrelevant. Somehow I got a puncture today and a flat tire. Managed to roll it home somehow (after about 6 energy drinks!). I'm so gutted. really really really upset by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neversaydie Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 oh, the joys of motorcycling. On the bright side, I concur with Ttaskmaster, I fill up at aopund 110 to 120 miles, then immediately reset the clock back to zero. Paid £2.50 each for plugs (NGK),£6.62 for the oil filter, £11.91 for the air filter, and £4.94 per liter of Silkolene oil. And I did note an improvement in performance, but the biggest improvement was ijn gear selecting. Neutral selection is now a piece of cake, whereas before itm took some finding, and gear changes are now smoother and less clunck. I reckon either the wrong type of oil had been used before, or the oil had become contaminted and was leading to poor clutch perfomance. The correct typef oil for the bike is extremely important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarke Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 The most I ever got out of a tank of petrol was 146 miles before I switched to reserve (it rolled to a stop in traffic...!). But if you're getting 115-120 that's about right (certainly by then you should be thinking about topping up). What is important is to reset the trip counter every time as not only does it tell you when next to fill up, but if you start to get less miles from a tank it'll give early warning that something is a-miss... Sorry to hear about the flat. Front or back? Hopefully you can get the wheel off + get it fixed relatively cheaply. I had all the spokes on rear wheel snap whilst doing 40mph [that was a fun!] - was a bugger to push it home... feel your pain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofeser Posted June 18, 2010 Author Share Posted June 18, 2010 again thanks for the input. It's a slow, so I think I'm going to fill it up at home and then ride it to a garage nearby. I'm in Esher, Surrey. Anyone know anywhere cheap? I would take the wheel off myself, although I've only got the bike and it's silly little prop stand (which actually makes it look quite nice when parked up but is inconvenient when trying to get a wheel off and such), as it would be a good learning curve for me - yet as I said, I simply don't have the space or equipment (paddock stand) available to do so. I'll ring some garages this morning, and yeah, hopefully it wont cost a pretty penny. cheers again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 but if you start to get less miles from a tank it'll give early warning that something is a-miss... This may also just be your riding style - Either you're being very heavy and riding the powerband a lot, or just doing a lot of town miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulwhite Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 I'll ring some garages this morning, and yeah, hopefully it wont cost a pretty penny. cheers again! depends on what you want! it cost me £70 for the tier (all round road cheepo one), about £10 for the inner tube then another £10 to get the tier put on ! but most places will put it on free of charge if you buy the tiers from them, i did the mistake of trying to do it myself and found i couldnt, so had to shop around for the best price to get someone to put it on. went to 4 different places and the cheapest wanted £10 per wheel! but the 1st place i went to wanted £20 per wheel!!!!! talk about ripoff! but yeah unlucky m8 hope you get it sorted soon and id suggest getting the best tier you can afford! as you get what you pay for. but then again you might get away with just a new innertube! depends on how bad the tier is i suppose. (best get a freind to look at it as the person at the garage will just say u need a new one to get a sale ) oh and you would be better taking the wheel off the bike to save some cash as they will charge to take it off and put it back on. i used to lift mine onto a bit of wood on-top of some bricks to support it (probs best get someone to help ) had to do it in the snow once that was fun lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofeser Posted June 19, 2010 Author Share Posted June 19, 2010 Ahhhhhhh lovely. Well, somehow I came across some guy in chessington, surrey. I randomly stumbled across his website and it was pretty much along the lines of "yeah we fix bikes. yeah we service bikes. just slish it in and we'll do it". Turns out it's just some guy working out of the back of his garage near his house. Saying that, he quoted me half of wherever else I asked, he fixed it in 18 minutes dead, he did it over his lunch break just so I could get it back on the road, and then he gave me a load of great advice! Really really really nice guy. I would recommend him to anyone who lives in the area, it's just 5 minutes off the Ace of Spades roundabout (not to be confused with Ace Corner - north London)on the A3. Mind - is anyone on this forum even from near where I live?! Anyway yeah, fixed it yesterday, which was nice cos I rode out to Newlands Corner and Box Hill with my mate's mum (on her harley which is 10x's as powerful) and her husbands 4-seater, 3.5 litre, rover v8 engined, trike. Pretty much - my sound was drowned out and they smoked me at traffic lights. Was very nice to get back on it (even if I was only off for a day!) Anyway, if anyone wants this guy's contacts let us know and I'll PM them to ya. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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