The Deed and why I love K&N oil filters

[echoyankee]

I had an epic battle with the motorcyle last night which ended at 3am.



No novice to oil changes, I approached the Tiger for the first time for this procedure with a casual air.  I'd collected my supplies already.  I was ready.  The oil filter wrench that I'd been using for my Yamaha beginner bike I knew would not fit properly, but having palmed both filters in the past, I assumed that they were close enough to do a bit of damage for this particular wrench's last hurrah.  I had assumed would be able to handle the task of getting the old oil filter off of the motorcycle.  I was wrong.  It was too big.  So, I tried wedging things into the interstice to get purchase in a jury rig and that failed.  I then drilled 2 holes into the oil filter diammetrically opposed to eachother and used a screwdriver to try to get the thing off.  I ripped the screws right out of the bottom of the oil filter.  Now mangled, I went back to the friction strategy.  No dice.



Then I drilled 4 holes in the oil filter WRENCH, then after starting pilot

holes in the existing filter with hammer and a nail, advanced 4 screws into

the filter THROUGH the wrench, then fashioned a breaker bar out of a

screwdriver, a 17mm spanner and a 3/8in socket wrench and finally, the old oil filter gave way and spun loose.  I almost cried.  It was like having a carthartic bowel movement of biblical proportions after working on it with the intensity of a safe cracker for hours.  Time?  2:20am.  



I made a SPECTACULAR mess of my tools,

the garage floor and my self in the process.  The new oil filter, with a

17mm adapter (There's a damn good reason I made that trip for the

'special' oil filter.)  went in effortlessly with my metric socket set.  

The new oil went in smoothly, but the oil filler orifice is literally about as big as my pinky.  (The yamaha's oil port was about the size of a quarter.)  I needed a funnel.  Had one, dirty.  Went upstairs with drill, friction gear and assicated stuff and washed the funnel and wiped it down with isopropanol.  Good as new.  New oil goes in.  Used oil goes back

into source vessels wrapped up and prepped for recycling.  The motorcycle

gets covered.  The old Triumph oil filter, festooned with machine screws and still attached to the Yamaha oil filter, I decided to drench in kerosene and set on fire.  (In actuality, they went, ignominously, into the trash.)



It is 2:30.  I am a study of motor oil.  I went through 3 pair of disposeable gloves, then, somewhere in the middle of pilot holes, I gave up and went wild with pyrrhic bare handed intensity.  Also, my arms were bumping the underside of the motorcycle and the chain.

I have been working on my back under the motorcycle and residue has crawled downward, "up" my arms.  I go upstairs, triumphant, victorious, humbled, wizened, filthy.



I spend five minutes or so and use an array of ethanol, isopropanol, soap,

and water to try to clean myself.  It works.  Mostly.



Clearly delusional and a bit under the influence of my current love interest, I then proceed to sit in my leather reclining chair in a clean tshirt, shorts and socks with a massive portion of vanilla ice cream chewing with a grim, pyrrhic intensity.  I go to bed.  Time:  3:50.  I sleep a deep and peaceful slumber knowing that I have another 5000 miles to travel before I have to do this again.



The alarm  goes off at 8am.  I wake up, walk across the room, turn the alarm off, unplug it, deposit it in the trash can and then return to bed.  

I awake, autonomously, at 11:45 and make it to work about an hour later, much to the "delight," I'm sure, of my supervisor.  



It doesn't matter.  



I've completed my first oil change on the bike and I have made about every mistake possible in the process and have learned all the lessons necessary to make the next one effortless.  



Now, where's my coffee?





Best,



echoyankee



Edit:  Found coffee and remembered how to spell a few more words correctly.

[BP_LONDON]

:D  :D  :D



great story, now, wanna come over to London to do my '02?



Ta.

[echoyankee]

Two questions:



1.  What kind of oil filter do you have?



2.  Do you have vanilla ice cream?





 :D



Best,



echoyankee

[52blackshadow]

Good Story Echo.



My first Tiger oil change was also a nightmare.  Visited the Triumph dealer closest to work to collect the oil filter.  Youngster tells me there are two types fitted to the injected Tiger. He goes outside to check my bike, returns and confidently sells me a boxed filter from the shelf.



Saturday morning arrives and I get down under the bike, can't get a grip on the filter so hammer a screwdriver through it and manage to loosen it.  Remove the filter, open the new filter box, and find that he has sold me a paper filter element for a different bike (dealership is now 140 miles away).



A quick look on the internet brings up a list of alternative filters for the Tiger, so list printed out and I head for the local car parts store. We identify a car filter from the list which looks like a good fit and I head home with it.



Filter is fitted, and tightened hand tight and the new oil is added. Engine starts straight away and all looks good, until I look under the bike and realise the new Mobil 1 is pouring out onto the drive.  It turns out the car filter is about a millimeter wider and has jammed against the side of the opening instead of seating onto the rubber gasket.



Oil filter is removed, grinder started and a half a millimeter removed from the circumfrence. The filter isn't punctured, and goes back to form a seal.  Next time I'll check the filter when I buy from a dealer!



Cheers for now,



Shadow.

[echoyankee]

Thanks blackshadow, I feel better.



In prepping for the oil change, I actually remember reading about someone's bike almost exsanguinating in the driveway.  



http://www.t595.net:80/messageboard/thr ... read=10074



Sounds a lot like your experience.  



Me?  I made sure to crank down a little bit more than I thought I should on that oil filter before I started the beast.  I'm not embarrassed to say that I started the bike with a catch pan under it either  8)



Best,



echoyankee

[ArizonaKid]

Great story!  Similar things have probably happened to most of us.  BTW, K&N filters have a "nut" attached to the bottom of most of their filters which allows for easy removal with a socket and rachet and they're readily available at most bike shops or on line for about the same price as a Triumph filter.

[echoyankee]

AZ KID:



Yeah, That's the filter I installed so that next time around, I'll be fine.  See the "Supplies" link above for accompanying epic on that front.



Best,



echoyankee