07 VFR ABS Oil Change advice?

[gsdfriendly]

So I got to start the engine break in procedure as per motor mans suggestions for new motorcycles. I have only deviated from it by the amount of miles you should change your oil at. I thought it was after 60 miles but I checked last night and I went to 41 miles. I plan to change the oil for the first time tonight.. What do you guys think of Shell Rotella-t (non-Synth) white bottle. Also are filters for this motorcycle readily available at wall mart?
Also I looked at the maint. manual and it says to use special tool to remove filter.. Any suggestions? Do i need it what should i use.

[PuCaudata]

I, too, am breaking my 07 VFR (non-ABS). I will be using the Royal Purple 10W30 or 40 weight once it reaches about 100 miles.

I haven't sought the oil filter yet. I hope it's easy to find. As far as the tool, I'm waiting for someone to respond to your post so I can find out, too. :-)

[derstuka]

Shell Rotella is mostly designed with large diesel engines in mind I believe. Or am I thinking of something else? Doesn't mean it would not protect your engine, however, it would not be my first choice., and I would be worried about the additives in it. I would just use a quality non-synthetic oil (like Castrol, Mobil, Repsol) that is designed for motorcycles, or at the very least, is a "non-energy conserving" or "non-economy" car oil that may have friction modifiers added which could make your clutch slip. I am not sure if they sell a quality oil filter for Honda's at Wal-Mart. Personally, I would buy the stock Honda one from a dealer for piece of mind.

Oh, and (I have a 5th gen) but I have never needed an oil filter wrench to get my filter off, however, it depends who put it on, and usually from the factory they put that bitch on so tight that it is hard to get off by hand. I could NOT get my Toyota Tacoma's filter off that was put on by the factory when the engine was probably out of the truck. I tried fitler wrenches, straps, bare hands....I tried it all. Had to say "F it" and take it in. I only use my hands (no wrenches) to get the VFR's filter on and off. Make sure to coat the filter lip with some oil so it doen't tear putting it back on.

Ok, I just read up on Shell Rotella...I knew it was for heavy duty diesels, but I didn't know that some motorcyclists were using it

[mello dude]

Guys - look up this last thread as a start. - Oil change interval for O7 RWB

Some people like Rotella - but I'm not a fan of non-motorcycle spec oil, double especially on a break-in bike.

MD

[Lgn001]

I would put at least 400 miles on the motor before changing the oil and filter. The special tool is a "cap wrench" that fits over the end of the oil filter housing. I can tell you on my SV650 that I bought a cap wrench to fit the OEM Suzuki filter, and it did not fit the Fram filter that I bought the next time. I have not changed the filter on the VFR again, but I guess I'll find out if the OEM tool fits a Fram at that point...

Regardless of which oil you chose, motorcycle specific oil is formulated to withstand the high shearing forces of the gears in the transmission. There is much debate over this subject, as you will find out.

[phoneman]

I too recently purchased a new 07' and I am following Motoman's break-in procedure. The more I thought about it the more it made sense. At 25 miles I performed an oil change but not a filter change (didn't have the filter tool) and I can tell you that there was definitely a metallic sheen to the oil. It just makes sense that seating the rings into a honed bore (even though it is a fine hone) will initially produce some metallic particles, plus materials that were not completely cleaned from newly manufactured parts during engine assembly. If you wait until 400 miles or more, my guess is that the oil darkens enough that you cannot see these near microscopic metal particles in the oil. But with clean oil it was very obvious and I'm glad I did it. I just used straight valvoline 10w-40 as suggested to help with the break-in process as opposed to something "slicker" that could actually hurt the process. After 1,500 miles I'll switch to a high quality motorcycle oil.

[dizzy]

As a full time tech for over 25 years...I've done literally thousands of oil changes, and seen plenty of other's work as well. Here's my two cents...

I use the Honda OE cap wrench but it's not cheap...there are some decent aftermarket units available. It won't fit most aftermarket filters, for that I have a strap type wrench. I agree with derstuka...I like the Honda OE filters the best. The worst filter I've seen is the Fram...I don't often see one on a bike that hasn't been "weeping" oil around that chincy square style sealing oring they use.

Don't forget to replace the aluminum sealing washer on the drain plug. The "squish" on it protects the drain plug threads in the engine when you torque it down, as well as assuring a perfect oil seal...and I'm tired of repairing stripped threads, so if you don't know how tight it should be by feel...use a torque wrench.

Oil type? Who knows? There's not much empirical unbiased information on this. I just stick with the manufactures recommendations listed in every owner's manual. I've found that most people aren't comfortable with Honda's recommended 8K mile intervals though (neither am I actually). I think intervals of 2500 (daily commute) to 5000 (touring or trip) miles are reasonable.

Break in? I say break 'em in the way your gonna ride 'em. One stipulation though...Your bike should be fully heat soaked (up to operating temperature) before you investigate the upper reaches of the RPM band. Engines tolerances are not correct when your bike is cold...or luke warm for that matter.

Oil level...don't assume the procedure...check the manual. The VFR's are pretty straightforward, but other models may not be. On the VTX's for example, Honda uses a dry sump crankcase with the storage tank being internal...So there's a special procedure for checking and filling oil.

Changing oil is simple, and there's no reason an owner of reasonable intelligence and motivation can't do it themselves. But it's of utmost importance, so do it right.