oil change

**Rebel junky** · 07-19-2010, 12:58 AM

I am tired of taking my bike into the shop for an oil change. I like to think of myself as a do it yourselfer. I am going to change my own oil and was wondering if I can use regular 4 stroke bike oil from the local autostore...or do I have to get the stuff honda sells? Also is it as simple as draining it and just refilling it with new oil since there is no filter? any help is appreciated!!!

**Guba** · 07-19-2010, 01:25 AM

Oil changes are easy! By all means save a buck or two!

Honda recommends GN4, but your gonna pay a lot for it! Any 5w-30 oil that is NOT energy conserving will work. Energy conserving will make the clutch eventually slip and you'll have to replace it.

As for oil brands, everyone seems to have their fave. I "was" a fan of Mobil, however I'm currently using Castrol GTX and see way better performance. With Mobil, I had difficulties shifting at around 3,000 miles or so. So I would change the oil at 2,000. I have over 3,000 on the Castrol so far and shifting is just fine, even in the hot temperatures that we're going through right at the moment.

I installed a magnetic drain plug since there is no filter. At least it keeps any ferrous stuff from floating through the bearings. Peace of mind.

I run the engine a bit before a change to get it warmed up. It flows better that way. And don't forget to make sure the bike is up off the kick stand and completely verticle before you take an oil level reading. And DON'T screw the dipstick in to get the level. Just put the dipstick on top of the case and pull it out and read.

I think the wrench/socket for the stock drain plug is 17mm.

**twocoolgliders** · 07-19-2010, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guba

Oil changes are easy! By all means save a buck or two!

Honda recommends GN4, but your gonna pay a lot for it! Any 5w-30 oil that is NOT energy conserving will work. Energy conserving will make the clutch eventually slip and you'll have to replace it.

As for oil brands, everyone seems to have their fave. I "was" a fan of Mobil, however I'm currently using Castrol GTX and see way better performance. With Mobil, I had difficulties shifting at around 3,000 miles or so. So I would change the oil at 2,000. I have over 3,000 on the Castrol so far and shifting is just fine, even in the hot temperatures that we're going through right at the moment.

I installed a magnetic drain plug since there is no filter. At least it keeps any ferrous stuff from floating through the bearings. Peace of mind.

I run the engine a bit before a change to get it warmed up. It flows better that way. And don't forget to make sure the bike is up off the kick stand and completely verticle before you take an oil level reading. And DON'T screw the dipstick in to get the level. Just put the dipstick on top of the case and pull it out and read.

I think the wrench/socket for the stock drain plug is 17mm.

DO NOT USE 5 w 30!!!!!!!!!!!

Use 10 W 40 !!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 w 30 is almost ALWAYS energy conserving and will ruin your clutch!!!!

It is too thin anyway

If hot weather use 20 W 50

Use regular oil from the auto parts store or Wal mart......motorcycle oil is not necessary and is a waste of money.....

Cookie

**Rebel junky** · 07-19-2010, 10:09 AM

I was under the impression that you needed motorcycle oil because somebody mentioned it was needed for the wet clutch. However, I have a relatively new bike only 2,000 miles on it would it be okay to put the thicker 20 w 50 just to make sure it is well lubricated. Just to be clear, we can use regular CAR oil?

**Guba** · 07-19-2010, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twocoolgliders

DO NOT USE 5 w 30!!!!!!!!!!!

Use 10 W 40 !!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 w 30 is almost ALWAYS energy conserving and will ruin your clutch!!!!

It is too thin anyway

If hot weather use 20 W 50

Use regular oil from the auto parts store or Wal mart......motorcycle oil is not necessary and is a waste of money.....

Cookie

OOOPS! thanks for catching that, that's what my truck uses!!!!

**Guba** · 07-19-2010, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebel junky

I was under the impression that you needed motorcycle oil because somebody mentioned it was needed for the wet clutch. However, I have a relatively new bike only 2,000 miles on it would it be okay to put the thicker 20 w 50 just to make sure it is well lubricated. Just to be clear, we can use regular CAR oil?

You can use regular car oil, HOWEVER, and this is important, look on the lable and make sure it DOESN"T say "energy conserving" anywhere.

The manual calls for 10w-30, but 10w-40 is okay and 20w-50 has been used here too. I prefer to use what the manual states.

**Rebel junky** · 07-19-2010, 11:08 AM

Thanx, any advice on draining the oil, or what I can use to jack up the bike....also how many quarts does the bike hold, I was thinking maybe 2?

**flitecontrol** · 07-19-2010, 11:12 AM

The general rule of thumb is the warmer the temperature, the heavier the oil you should use. Folks in the desert Southwest, where 110 degrees or more is common, might use 20W-50, Southeast 10W-40, Upper Midwest 30 weight, etc.

There is a circle logo on the back of the oil container. If it says energy conserving in the circle, don't use it in your Rebel. Most energy conserving oils are multi viscosity 30 weight (10W-30, 5W-30, etc.).

**kjohnson** · 07-19-2010, 12:10 PM

So, every 3,000 miles does it need to be changed or so?

**flitecontrol** · 07-19-2010, 01:45 PM

Personal choice. Honda says every 4,000. But the 250 doesn't have an oil filter, so any bits of metal that get worn off continue to circulate through the engine, which isn't good for any engine. Since it holds less than two quarts, an oil change doesn't cost that much. I change every 1,000 miles. YMMV

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