Change the Oil on a Yamaha Virago XV250
Yamaha Virago XV250 is a nice bike to learn on and it's easy to change the oil. For those of you who are a little unsure about what to do, this short guide explains what to do.
Steps
- Remove the bung to let the oil out to drain. Remember to catch the oil in an oil drip tray (note the green tray in another photo). The bung is located on the left hand side of the bike behind the stand and is covered by the stand when it's up. Use a spanner to unscrew it anti-clockwise and screw it clockwise to tighten it back up.
- It's a lot easier to drain when the oil is warm, so warm up the bike with a bit of a drive after letting it idle for awhile.
- Remove the oil cap to let the oil drain fully and let air in to help drain the old oil out. If you're a little worried about the old oil being really dirty, you can buy some liquid from your local auto shop that goes in before draining the oil, to help it come out more easily and to get all the dirty oil out. Of course, note the instructions on the packet and check before buying whether it's for a motorbike or not.
- Remove the oil filter. The oil filter is fixed by three screws, one long one and two smaller ones, so it's not easy to mix them up. The oil filter is located on the right hand side of the bike (note the previous photo for the location). The oil filter is quite simple to remove after the cap has been removed; just pull it out and wipe out the old oil with a rag. If you didn't note which way the filter came out, just make sure the hole on the filter goes in first.
- The oil filter shown in this image is the old one after the new one was put in, and is somewhat dirty.
- Watch out for oil coming out when you remove the cap holding the filter in.
- Screw the bung back on. After the oil has finished draining out into the tray, screw the back on the bung (clockwise).
- Fill the oil back up. After the bung is back on, it's time to fill the oil back up. Remember to use a funnel so you don't spill any oil anywhere. You will need to tilt the bike up straight and stop pouring to let the oil settle so that you can check the gauge to see how full the bike is. After you're sure you've got enough oil in, screw the cap back on and you're ready to go.
- The bike is meant to take 1.4L (0.36 gallons) but you might overfill the bike to 2L (0.52 gallons) if you don't let the oil settle properly when checking the gauge.
- Recycle the old oil. Pour the old oil into another container. Ask your auto store where you can recycle your old oil when you buy your oil for your oil change. Some landfills have special places for disposing of the oil, as do some municipalities. Do not just pour it down the drain!
- Oil trays are super handy for when doing oil changes, especially with the end piece for pouring back into a container. They last for ages unless you're trying to break it.
Tips
- Recycle whenever possible
- Do this on grass if possible.
Warnings
- Take care not to overfill the bike by stop-starting while filling the oil and checking the oil gauge on the side of the bike; remember when tilting the bike that it's going to be off slightly, so get someone to lean the bike up straight so you can judge the oil level.
- Watch out for oil stains.
- Remember to catch the oil so that it doesn't stain the concrete.
Things You'll Need
- Spanner
- Screwdriver
- Funnel
- Oil tray
- Old container for the old oil
- New oil
- New filter
- Check with your local auto parts store for what oil and filter to use
