1998 VFR 800 Oil Change (5th Generation)

Alot of things can effect how much oil drains out. I never measure exactly. Just make sure your bike is level and trust your sightglass.

 

Getting ready to change my oil for the first time with the VFR. Loved the thread, but does anyone know where in the heck i can get a puralator filter for the bike? Any good tips on buying Amsoil?

 

I've seen a few posts about using fully synthetic oil. I have a 2000 FiY with about 24000 miles and wondered about changing Ron the semi - synthetic to fully but was concerned about clutch slippage.

Is this an issue and, if not, are there any other procedures I should do as part of the change to get all of the old oil out, such as an engine flush or positive pressure to blow out old oil from the hoses and cooler?

I'm in the UK so many of the brands of oil, filters and parts you mention in the US are not sold here. We have most of the major brands (Shell, Mobil, Texaco, Castor etc.) and the original manufacturer oils.



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Whatever oil you choose, be sure that is does not state "Energy Conserving" in the API Service Symbol Donut as this is what causes issues with wet clutches.

 

My bike I've owned since brand new. I ran Motul Semi synthetic for the first 90,000 miles or so. I switched to Shell Rotela T6 full synthetic a couple years ago. No special action taken. Just went to it when it was time for an oil change. But beware. As stated. Make sure there are no friction inhibitators which will cause clutch failure.

 

There is a recent thread about blowing out the old oil. Someone advised to take out the plugs to eliminate compression, take off a cover and apply a ratchet to the engine to turn it manually. Cranking the starter while dry apparently is hard on the bearings. Aha here it is:

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/50013-Starter-amperage-draw

In automotive engines of ol', if the seals were worn and on the verge of leaking, synthetic molecules would be small enough to escape and would accentuate the problem. So the owner switched to synthetic oil and a leak ensued. Some would say that was not an oil problem but one needed to change the seal anyways. But they could go back to mineral oil and not leak, at least for the time being. This is how a rumor developed that it is bad to change to synthetic oil on an engine that has some miles on it.

I recall a friend who worked on cars telling me he saw significant foaming when mixing the oils. This was back in the 1980's. Whether that was true and there were compatibility issues in the dawn of synthetic, or he was repeating what someone told him, I am not really sure.

Today oils are compatible. I did check the blogs of some of the major oil manufacturers and they all seem to say, "No problem mixing oils but you really shouldn't do it." LOL How is that for obfuscation? So you are right to eliminate as much of the old oil as possible. Oils are compatible, but given the mixed signals, it is smart to minimize the amount of mixing. The biggest reason is that left over, used oil, will reduce the performance of the new synthetic. But there would be no catastrophe.

 

I have been using Amsoil pure synthetic in my '03 (traded in) and '14 Deluxe, and now my '83 without any problems.

 

I just wanted to chime in--First off, Great write up man! So I wanted to ask, In the service manual it says to fill the oil up to the top line --but you're saying you fill it up between the 2 lines...my bike is a 2007 VFR-

 

If you want to be an outlier, use a Honda OEM filter. They actually work with no issues, unlike K&N filters. ; )

 

Advice Needed:

Hey Folks, I've a 2001 5th Gen VFR800 which I've had for about 5 weeks or so now ... I am generally happy with the bike and have done close to 5,000 km since I bought it, however, on a ride around town yesterday I almost came off as the rear tyre was covered in oil and upon closer inspection noticed the engine was leaking oil pretty badly and spraying up on to the rear tyre as I rode.

The bike was running a little hot around town, but never over 103c, and of course the fans kick in when at idle.
Is this a known issue? Any ideas on where the leak is from or perhaps what caused it?

NOTE: I've not really inspected it yet, I limped it home yesterday, parked it and sauntered off depressed...

 

I second what Mello Dude says. There have been ample reports and threads where the dangerous failures of K&N Oil filters on our bikes. You will know it is K&N by the tell tale sign of a welded on bolt to the outside end of the filter housing. Check your filter ASAP and if it is K&N, get that bugger off you bike and never return to that hunk of dangerous shit. Regardless if it is K&N or not, it does really sound like there may be an issue with the filter. Maybe the PO changed the oil and did not lubricate the gasket on the filter, and it buckled when tightened. Who knows? But start with the more obvious things first and work away from that. Let us know what happens.

 

You have to look at the filter of course. Take the side fairings off, as a leak can be somewhere else (e.g., stator cover or clutch cover), the oil will run down the inside of the fairing and drip off the bottom edge. So, just sayin' identify the source of the leak in case it's not the filter. I'm betting it is if there is a lot of oil, as other leaks usually are just weepage... no real pressure on anything but the filter.
I had the stator cover off and thought I'd done a decent job of putting it back on, re-using the old gasket and some RTV.... um, drippage... um... new gasket fixed it.

 

EDIT: 19th October
So I dropped the bike in to the closest mechanic to me, (minimising time spent on the bike as it had turned in to a bit of a death trap) Mechmoto (Northgate Brisbane). Couldn't recommend him highly enough, Ex Moto GP, very attentive, good listener, superb work, service and tune way beyond my expectations... Bike rides like a new machine... The owners name is Indy Sam, @Mechmoto Pty Ltd www.mechmoto.com

I'll post the full service report in the comments below.

The culprit in all of this was the Oil Filter from a Kiwi company called Whites Motorsports, and their Moto Filter, which looks a lot like the much maligned K&N Filter with the nut on top.

Apparently its not just VIffers, but this brand has been the source of many a failure and should be avoided.
https://www.whitespowersports.com/Our-Brands/moto-filter