Supplies

[echoyankee]

Well, it's 4000miles on the odometer since the oil was last dropped in the motorcycle which was just before I bought the Tiger in June.  OK, I'll go to gather my supplies.  



1st stop:  oil filter, triumph dealership.  

Hello:  Need an oil filter.  

OK, here ya go, and oh, by the way, the fitting on the end of the oil filter has been changed and you'll need an oil filter wrench.  $20.  

Uh, thanks, enjoy your day.  I know that K&N 191's have that awesome 17mm fitting in the bottom and for the same cost, I can buy that filter and use my metric socket wrench at home thank you very much.  



2nd stop:  independent motorcycle retailer/shop.

Enter store: full fledged 3 way shouting match, bilingual, including profanity,  regarding a mistake in cosmetic parts for a Honda Nighthawk.  

A calm in the storm occurs.

Hello:  I want 2 K&N filters for a Triumph Tiger.  

Hello, I have only one.  

I'll take it.  

$13





OIL.  



OH    MY    GOD.  How many running debates on oil are there?  Well, I put automotive non-synthetic 20w50 in my Seca II beginner bike, but at 1000mile intervals.  Air cooled bike, oil having a rougher life.  Made sense to me.  OK, now I'm on the Tiger.  5000mile intervals.  I'd better not screw around, but I don't want to buy the Triumph gallon jug.  I settle on Mobil 1 MX4T at $7.99/qt..  There's a store locator!  5 Stores.  I go to one, there's a marathon being run in the neighborhood and the streets are blocked off.  Park, walk a way to the store.



3rd Stop:  Auto parts store

Hello:  I'm looking for motorcycle oil:  Mobil1 MX4T 10w40.  

We don't have that.  

Uh, what?  

We don't have that.

Enjoy your day.



Computer research verified.  That location was a MX4T retailer.  New attack: Phone all displayed retailers.



Retailer1:  Hi, I have MX4T.  1 quart.  This other retailer in our chain has 17 quarts.  



YAHOO!  When do you close?  



Midnight.  



I love you.



4th Stop:  MX4T retailer

IT'S ON THE SHELF!  I gather 5 quarts into my hot little hands and approach the register.



SIR!  You're leaking oil!



What?



Looking down I find:  a 1cm slit (boxcutter casualty) has delivered 200mL of premium synthetic motor oil down onto my belstaff jacket, further down onto and into my hemet, cascading down my riding pants onto the top of my left boot before culminating in a growing puddle on the concrete floor.  



Massive, public, embarassing cleanup ensues.  



I go home with my oil change supplies.  Humbled.  Wiser.  Lubricated.







This will be easier next time.



And then there's the actual process.  



Best,



echoyankee



Edit:  link added

[newmanr19]

aint doing your own bike maintenance fun?  I remember the first time I changed the oil on my old Honda XR650L. It used the front down tube part of the frame to store it's oil in as well as the sump in the bottom of the engine. So I got myself a nice pan, stuck it stragically under the hole in the bottom of the frame and removed the bolt only to have the oil shoot out at a right angle and spew all over my garage floor.



I tried to get the pan under the spewing oil but the front wheel was in the way so by the time I got a funnel up to the hole, a good two pints or so had splattered all over the place.



Who'd a thought the pressure inside that 2-3 foot section of down tube was enough cause the oil to ignore simple gravity.