First Oil Change DIY or not?

Hi guys,

I need some input from the crew here. Historically I've never maintained my bike (or car for that matter.) Having spent a decade as a paramedic, I'm much more comfortable with an open chest than an open hood. BUT -- the good man at the Honda dealership told me I should learn to change the oil and maintain my bike by myself since they now charge 2 arms and a leg (inflation, you know.)

YouTube has some good videos that explain the 'how-to' so I think I have that under control. I successfully put the obligatory 600 miles on the first week I had my bike.

Q: What oil is best for these bikes? Standard or synthetic? How about the filter? Does it matter (outside of proper size?) It looks like a basic filter is about $6 and a K&N is about $16. Since I'm a total noob at this sort of stuff, I'd probably spend more money than I need to but want to source the group for opinions.

Thanks in advance.
Rick

I've always used non-synthetic, Shell Rotella 15w-40 in my Honda motorcycles. This oil is just my personal preference and I'm sure that others have their own favorites.

DO NOT USE any oil made for modern cars because it will probably make your clutch slip!

I've stuck with Honda oil filters although many others have been happy with filters from other sources.

ps. By unknowingly asking "which oil is best" you've opened the dreaded oil thread which has been known to go on for years and as such, that topic is often prohibited on some sites. Everyone has their own opinion and can back it up with their own facts!

Noob here also speaking.

I do the basic maintenance myself, oil and air filter change it at home.

Both filters I buy original from brand, and oil also.
On the oil I know I pay more as if I buy on regular store, but on filters just stick to the what manufacturer designed for this engine. No high performance requested here, just long engine life and as little issues as possible. Reliability in Africa is a must.

Air filter change is a bit tricky but I follow a video downloaded from youtube step by step and it turns it easy.

DirtFlier said:

ps. By unknowingly asking "which oil is best" you've opened the dreaded oil thread which has been known to go on for years and as such, that topic is often prohibited on some sites. Everyone has their own opinion and can back it up with their own facts!

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I've been pondering whether or not to open the thread because of the very nature of the topic. Thanks for the advice. I'm sure one of the moderators will slap me down if it drags on.

I was told by multiple people (all who are wrenchers) and the dealer that the first maintenance should be done at a shop, preferably a Honda dealer/shop. There they know what to look for if there may be issues that have come up during the break in period. I was in the dealer shop with mine while they were working on it and they showed me things that would never get looked at for normal oil changes. There will be small particles in the oil from the break in and other things to look for and they ran full system tests, changed filters and a number of other things. Since I got my bike there, they gave a discount on the first service, so I paid $89 total for the service.

They said after that I would be fine to do the regular oil changes on my own, but both Honda and the dealer and everyone else I spoke to told me to get the first service done at the dealer.

I agree with taking it in for the first one if you have a reputable dealer and feel comfortable with them. I am not sure what warranty issues there might be with them not doing the first oil change, but hopefully they would be looking at other areas at the same time. I do all the rest myself and have used Shell Rotella synthetic products but again it is one opinion.

I've been changing oil in cars since I was a child, my father was a mechanic, so I helped him change the oil in our cars... later he'd just pull the cars up on the ramps and I'd do it. oil filters, air filters, spark plugs, etc. all present no challenge for me (well in theory, in reality every time you take a wrench to something you risk a new an exciting adventure in something going wrong or rusted to things they shouldn't be...)



The bike is easier, than any car I've had to do an oil change on.

The oil you should use is any oil rated for a motorcycle... some people will say synthetic will make the engine run for billions of miles, others point out that it is more expensive, and that the engine is rarely the reason why modern vehicles are retired. I personally am of the camp that an oil is good oil, I use partial synthetic in the bike, and regular oil in the cars. Far more important in my opinion than what type of oil is that the oil is changed regularly... others will disagree.


I was recently researching how to replace the gas filter on my wife's car (probably won't end up doing it after researching it) I was shocked to see people who say they had no problem changing the gas filter (What appears to be a hassle of a job involving disassembling the fuel pump, and tearing apart the interior of the car) but brought the car in to get the battery changed cause that was just to much work (4 bolts off and 4 bolts on... you need exactly one tool for the job, a 10 mm wrench, though a stiff wire brush doesn't hurt).

It lead me to one inescapable conclusion you need to choose your own comfort level on what work you do... the guy who won't change his battery, but will change his fuel pump probably has concerns about working with electricity, I have none, I've been doing electrical work since as long as I can remember... and supposedly even before I can remember when I was 3 and stuck my fathers house key into the electrical socket (in hopes of driving the house around! How awesome would that have been if it had worked! Totally worth a shock that I can't remember now as an adult).

I have concerns about engine fluids... I don't want to deal with catching them, cleaning up after them, and disposing of them (find your nearest oil recycling center if you will change your own oil), for the motorcycle I find it worth doing the oil it gives me time to look over parts of the bike I don't normally stop to look at (the bottom) and give it a good inspection. My cars go to the shop, my life relies less on them being in good working order, so I let some one else handle the mess.
Draining a 13 gallon tank of gasoline (may or may not be required for my wife's car, no one really seems to know) sounds like a pain in the *** to me, but not to the guy on the forums who is afraid to change his battery... Ride your own ride, maintain your own ride. Do both as you see fit.

If you look, there are several threads on oil and oil filters so I’m not going to get into that. Also look at the FAQ thread. http://nc700-forum.com/forum/main-l...how-please-read-before-posting-questions.html

Oil and filter change on the bike is easy. Having said that I will warn you that the first filter change on any vehicle can be difficult. The manufacturers tend to use a gorilla and/or they don’t oil the gasket when putting the filter on so taking it off can be hard. It is not uncommon to have to drive a screwdriver into the filter to get enough leverage to get it off. Several people have ran into that on the first change on the NC. It is no problem after the first time because you will coat the gasket in oil and won’t screw it on too tight.

Bama is right on that. The first oil change I did, the strap type remover wouldn't touch it. I had to buy the socket type that fits over the outside of the end of the filter to get it off.

I do think the recommendation of letting the shop do the first one so the inspect things you probably wouldn't know to look for, is a good one.

The oil changes aren't hard on this bike. I personally go with all Honda stuff: oil, filter, crush washer (don't forget the crush washer), etc. The first change was rough because the oil filter wouldn't budge. I eventually hammered a screwdriver through it and used that for leverage. Well, sort of. I bent the first screwdriver and had to hammer a second, more substantial screwdriver back through the same hole. You may have trouble getting a filter wrench to work.

There are many people on this site who have the experience and knowledge to do pretty much everything on their bikes. I will be the first to admit when I'm over my head, but I also know that experience is what you get right after you need it. My advice is to find yourself a service manual and treat it like a cookbook. Follow the recipes and you'll be fine.

I'm very shortly due for my 8,000 mile service, so I'll get out my book and learn how to do whatever that one takes. Good luck. Search the forum for tips and trick, and don't be afraid to ask.

Is this a brand new bike? First oil change ever? I would bring in to the dealer after reading a lot of complaints about the 800 pound gorilla Honda has on the assembly line in Japan that spins the filters onto these bikes. If the bike is a new 2014 model there are a couple of Product Updates, as Honda calls them, for your bike. The instrument panel replacement and the frunk lock fix. The speedo gets replaced to fix the trip meter reset problem and the frunk lock fix is to, uh, fix the frunk lock. I have no idea what the problem is with the lock is as my dealer told me about it when I called to schedule the speedo replacement.

I'm pretty much an obsessive DIYer, and generally don't trust dealers as far as I could throw them, but if too many very first time things add up, I would bite the bullet this occasion, and plan for the next one to be tackled yourself if you are still eager.

It's a very simple job, but simple can be relative. Have all the proper tools, or do you need to go out and buy or borrow them all, including a known good torque wrench, if your sense of feel and familiarity with making sure you don't strip delicate aluminum drain plug threads is also a first time test? Have a nice place to do the work? Alternative vehicle in case things go awry? Something to dump the oil in, and how to dispose of it properly?

You've read the owner's manual ten ways from sunday forwards and backwards?

Hello again Rick,
Fancy seeing this post just now, as I just replied to another post that happened to be you!
Now in this post I feel more confident as I am an old engineer and mechanic since about 1966. Here are some random comments and thoughts about changing the oil on your own machinery. I hope they help you and encourage you.

(1) ownership and pride come from personal maintenance of you own toys! Change the oil just 1 time and tell me that I am wrong!
(2) there is probably nothing easier to do on a vehicle than changing the oil (and more satisfying as well)
(3) all owners, if they were encouraged, and taught how to change their own oil would probably ride more and take more care of their vehicle (motorcycle, bicycle, automobile, jetski, etc.) A personal relationship with the machinery ensues when you do the maintenance.
(4) YOU can do this RICK, oil is more friendly than blood and not to be afraid of! (put your hands into it and see if I speak the truth)
(5) I have almost the same bike and I am the only one to do this oil changes on my bike. Here are some more specific comments for the NC700:
(5a) for the first couple of times, don't start tweaking the type of oil that you use, just go to the Honda dealer and use factory stuff (oil & filter) until you are comfortable with the whole process of changing the oil by your lonesome. Then when you are strong with the labor, investigate the other purchasing possibilities. Don't scrimp on quality to save money, do the labor yourself to save money. The cost of the material is insignificant relative to the overall cost.
(5b) the tricky part of an oil change is the filter. If you have not done it yet, you will experience that rotating off the filter is not all that easy on the NC700X but have no fear! Everyone sells a great oil filter pliers for these smaller filters that cost $10 or so that makes the job much easier. I will try to attach a picture to this post if I can. Or maybe send it later. I got my pliers at Autozone or possibly Walsmart!
(5c) as this NC700XD is my first motorcycle, I didn't understand (until the dealer told me) that motorcycle oil must run across the wet clutch (that is why it slips so nicely in your hand when you let out the clutch) so the oil must be compatible with the clutch as well as the engine parts. I think that the synthetic oils will not work on some clutches. I could be completely wrong, but don't assume, investigate this question. I have the automatic clutch (NC700XD) and I only use the recommended oil from Honda!

Be brave (as I know you must be as a Paramedic) and ask for support and you will be extremely successful and happy with doing your own work. I am going to order a manual from Honda and then change my own drive chain! Wish me luck!
God Speed
JABOWLUS

I think it's worth mentioning that if the bike is under warranty you should keep receipts from any maintenance you do and also keep a log of when you did it and at what mileage.

I'm pretty new to motorcycling, so I decided to have the dealer do the first oil change, but I just completed the 4000 mile one myself. It all went pretty smoothly except the dealer apparently had the same 800 pound gorilla tightening the filter. I had to crunch it with a c-clamp to be able to turn it at all. I decided I didn't want to do research other options, so I just used the honda oil and filter. I figured they had to be good, and I thought it might look good in the event of any warranty work needing to be done. In the end I was really glad I did it myself. I saved money, and JABOWLUS is right, it feels really good to take care of the motorcycle with my own two hands.

Lots of folks here are very by the book and buy from Honda when it comes to maintenance, and nothing wrong with that at all, but in my experience when it comes to oil filters it's tough to beat a K&N. They can be a little more expensive, but I find that the nut they put on the end is worth every cent when it comes time to remove them. Saves busting your knuckles with weird pliers or cursing over a strap/chain wrench that won't grab. Not a huge issue on this bike with the filter where it is, but in other applications it can cut the job time way down.
I've also never once changed a crush washer on a drain plug, and nothing I own leaks oil. Not saying you shouldn't do it, but everything you're "suppose" to do isn't always necessary.

There is a cap type, all-metal filter wrench available from Honda. It appears on the same parts catalog page with the oil filter and has a 17 mm, raised hex so removing/installing filters is never a problem. The tool is packaged with one oil filter and isn't available separately as far as I know - P/N 15010-MCE-H51.

I've used it on 3 Honda motorcycles and 2 Honda cars plus my sons have used it on their Honda cars over the past 15 years so durability isn't a problem. The tool fits genuine Honda oil filters for both motorcycle and car.

JABOWLUS said:

Be brave (as I know you must be as a Paramedic) and ask for support and you will be extremely successful and happy with doing your own work. I am going to order a manual from Honda and then change my own drive chain! Wish me luck!
God Speed
JABOWLUS

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Thanks JABOWLUS, I appreciate the information and the thought behind your words. I'm going this afternoon to get the stuff to change the oil tonight so I can see if I can rack up 500 miles this weekend.

Deckyon said:

I was told by multiple people (all who are wrenchers) and the dealer that the first maintenance should be done at a shop, preferably a Honda dealer/shop. There they know what to look for if there may be issues that have come up during the break in period. I was in the dealer shop with mine while they were working on it and they showed me things that would never get looked at for normal oil changes. There will be small particles in the oil from the break in and other things to look for and they ran full system tests, changed filters and a number of other things. Since I got my bike there, they gave a discount on the first service, so I paid $89 total for the service.

They said after that I would be fine to do the regular oil changes on my own, but both Honda and the dealer and everyone else I spoke to told me to get the first service done at the dealer.

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Take a peek in MOST service department. People in the early to mid 20s that care more about what substance to abuse that night than about the well being of your bike. I do it myself and I know what to look for. I also change my own tires and brakes and have been know to overhaul an engine or two as well though.

My shop would charge $250 or more for first service. I think that's how they make their money. I do my own oil changes, use Honda oil and Honda filter. I have the Honda "filter socket" that goes over the front. I'm not at 600 miles yet but anticipate a very tight filter that wasn't lubed. I hate that on new bikes.

Does the NC700 use a crush washer on the oil drain bolt?

CB4ME said:

Does the NC700 use a crush washer on the oil drain bolt?

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Mine did. Can't speak for anyone else. However, the washer that the dealer sold me did not match the washer from the factory. It works though. No leaks.