how to change oil

[dan van weert]

alright guys, I got another no brainer problem from the greenest newbie :-[ alive. how do I change the oil and how much do I put in? which brand etc...
                       Thanks
                                 Daniel

[tryder]

I can answer this one...

2 1/2 qt. non-friction modified motorcycle oil (I use Yamalube but it's pricy). Fill hole is on top of crankcase on left, drain is at bottom side of crankcase on left. Filter housing is on the right side under the round cover with 3 hex bolts.

[Humber]

haynes manual is a must for u

[Lucky]

The only dumb question is the one that isn't asked.

There is a 17mm bolt under the engine facing the left side, that is the drain bolt.  The filter, still available from Yamaha, is on the right side, inside the little round cover roughly the size of a raquetball, with 3 screws.  Capacity is 2.6Quarts, 2.9 with a filter change.  use a good quality oil such as Castrol 4 stroke motorcycle oil., or synthetics if you want to spend more $ & change it only once a season.  DO NOT use automotive oils.
--Lucky

[QBS]

Lucky:  Please don't tell my '83 that I've been feeding it Castol GTX 20w50 for the last 19 years and 86,000 miles.  Cheers.

[Lucky]

Ok QBS, i'll give you this one, can't argue with results right? :)
As I understand it the 2 oils are very similar, & there are exceptions to every rule.  there has been a lot of discussion on the subject of oils.  with few exceptions though, very few "common" motor oils will meet the demands & stresses that a bike engine will put on an oil.  So, i'll rephase it like this:  If you care about your bike, you won't feed it Shell, Pep Boys, or any of that other off-the-shelf crap.

[RobTx]

Even store brand oil is ok.  I have no problem putting Walmart 20w-50 in the Vision.  The most important thing to avoid is "energy conserving" oils.  It will say this in the little circle where the SG, SH, SJ, or whatever is located.  Otherwise, you're pretty safe.  There are plenty of people, like QBS, who have LOTS of miles on automotive oil.  All the store brands are made by a major refiner.  One of the store brands (I don't know if it's Walmart, Kmart or what) is made by Castrol.  Just don't use any of that re-refined crap you find in dollar stores.
Rob

[Rick G]

30 years ago all we used was Castrol GTX 20w50 The only reason to not use it now is because  ALL car oils  have  had  certain  ingedients  omited, in the intrest of clean air  (and prematurely worn out engines!) They can be identified  by the friction modified  statement, which means they left out the zinc. I emailed  both Castrol and Torco  and they assured me  that their Racing and motorcycle oils  will remain the same  and have all the former ingredients including Zinc . Motorcycle engines live a hard life  and need these anti scuff ingredients.  This is why QBS  had had such long life on his V,  the oil he used until this year , had those ingredients.

[Humber]

but not in EU.... GTX is still SG class oil, pure mineral without friction modifiers...

[Rick G]

You guys are lucky , for now!

[Canadian_Daniel]

thanks for the info, but I don'r know where to put the oil into.... where is the fill hole and what type of filter does the Vision take? would Walmart sell it?

[h2olawyer]

The oil fill hole has a black plastic cap with a v shaped notch in it.  It is located on the left side of the engine, toward the front.  (left if you are sitting on the bike)  

I don't think you'll find the filter at Wal-Mart.I've had good luck with emgo oil filters I used to buy at a local motorcycle accessory shop before they closed.  I just used my last one this summer so I'll have to locate another source.  I've read somewhere in the forum, I think, that the Fram oil filters don't quite fit right.  Your friendly Yamaha dealer should have OEM filters as well.  The fram number cross references to several differend Yamahas, including the XV535 Virago which was made until 1999.

[Rick G]

Both JC Whitney and Dennis Kirk sell filters , for 2.99. I buy  6 at a time .  Whitney's part number is AGA062407R    there at WWW.jcwhitney.com or  1 800-853-4227 , I cant find my Kirk catalog right now but they are on the web too.

[ArrrGeee]

The oil fill hole has a black plastic cap with a v shaped notch in it. ?It is located on the left side of the engine, toward the front. ?(left if you are sitting on the bike) ?

I don't think you'll find the filter at Wal-Mart.I've had good luck with emgo oil filters I used to buy at a local motorcycle accessory shop before they closed. ?I just used my last one this summer so I'll have to locate another source. ?I've read somewhere in the forum, I think, that the Fram oil filters don't quite fit right. ?Your friendly Yamaha dealer should have OEM filters as well. ?The fram number cross references to several differend Yamahas, including the XV535 Virago which was made until 1999.

the Fram statement is not quite true. if you use the CH6004 (virago) filter it will get crushed as it is about an 1/8 taller
however if you use the Fram CH6005 you will be fine. My local yamaha dealer sells both. we pulled them both out onto the counter (the yamaha and the fram) and virtually could not tell the difference.

one of them, I'm not sure, actually comes with the proper o-ring, but if I remember right it is the 6004.


here is a Fram application chart.
http://www.motorcycleguy.com/the_shop/products/fram/yamaha.html

-Ron

[h2olawyer]

Thanks for clarifying the filter issue, Ron.  I was using a catalog from Shadetree Powersports that has a fram filter listing.  The catalog part numbers for the 535 Virago and the Vision are the same (along with several other models) but the listing for the 700 & 750 Virago are different.  I still remember reading somewhere about the fram crushing problem but it is likely they were using the wrong filter.

[Cdnlouie]

Daniel, Canadian Tire has the right Fram filter which is about as good as any thing else out there. ?Walmart has a great 20-50 motorcycle oil with all the right ingredients so save some money and time and get your oil changed. ?A good diesel oil is not half bad either 15-40 will work pretty well for the cooler weather now.

All the best,

Louie ?;)

[RussD]

OK.......You guys would be very proud of me. I just rode the V to the Yamaha shop & put 1 1/2 quarts of Yamalube in her. Is the 20-40 stuff OK? The guy there said it'd be fine. I figured the most important part was that I was putting motorcycle oil in her this time!!   ;)

[h2olawyer]

20-40 is what the owner's manual recommends for most warmer weather riding.  I've got the 20-40 Yamalube in mine too.  Going to synthetic next oil change.  Not decided which Castrol synthetic motorcycle specific product yet.  Still need to do some reading on the subject.

[Rick G]

If you can get Torco  , I recommend it .They have a synthic blend  that I really like . as a bonus,  it makes shifting much better too!
If you want to check it out, the y have a web site.

[RussD]

Yeah......and you know how she thanked me H20?? ?She just died on me again at the bank. I've been riding her on & off all day.....the kids wanted to go for spins around the block, errands, bringing groceries back 1 item at a time (anything to finally get to ride her)!! ? ;)

Anyway....she's been starting up on the first crank everytime, 'til I come out from the bank (thank God she wasn't my getaway ride)!!   ;D  She just keeps turning over & over. Tried on & off for about 10 minutes, (played with the choke, throttle, & petcock the whole time)then had the wife come pick me up. Seemed like the battery was starting to run low this time. This bike is driving me nuts!!