Your dirtbike needs clean oil to run properly. Overtime, your bike’s oil will become dirty and thick. So, you need to change it regularly in order to prolong the life of your bike’s engine. Typically, the engine oil in a dirtbike should be changed every 3-5 races. Why? Well, racing puts a great deal of strain on your machine’s engine. This puts stress on the oil. If you don’t race your bike, you should change the oil every few weeks or so.
5 Benefits of Oil Changes
There are a few benefits to changing your dirtbike oil regularly. Here are five:
- Coats your engine components with a protective film.
- Keeps engine’s moving parts lubricated so they move freely.
- Protects components of your engine from corrosion.
- Traps oil and debris, keeping them from building up in your engine.
- Stops engine from running hot by carrying heat away from hot areas so parts won’t overheat.
How to Change Dirtbike Oil
Every dirtbike is a bit different from the next. But, the general process is the same for each bike:
- Run your bike’s engine for a few minutes. This helps to loosen up the old oil and get it to cycle through the machine’s system.
- Place a bucket underneath the bolt of the drain pan.
- Use a socket wrench to remove the nuts from the oil drain. (Typically 13mm or 14mm)
- Allow the old oil to drain out of the dirtbike engine and into the bucket.
- Replace the drain bolt.
- Remove the dirtbike oil cover.
- Pour in the new bike motor oil.
Re-draining Dirtbike Oil
Ever heard of bikers or mechanics draining the oil once more after they’ve filled the dirtbike up with new, clean oil? Well, they do this to remove more of the old, dirty oil that may have been left behind during the first draining.
If you decide to re-drain your bike’s oil, use a strainer to put it back into the engine. This will ensure that no old gook is pour back into the bike. Or, you can simply refill the bike with a brand new batch of oil.
Changing Dirtbike Oil Filters
You also need to remove your oil, dirty, clogged up oil filter. It needs to be replaced with a new one to ensure that it does its job. The purpose of the oil filter is to strain dirt and debris before it reaches your dirtbike engine. Here’s how to change your oil filter:
- Remove the oil cover.
- Pull the old filter off slowly using a pair of pliers.
- Clean any remaining dirty oil from inside the cover.
- Refill the new filter with a little new oil.
- Put the new filter on.
How Much Oil to Use
There are three ways to check the amount of oil in your bike:
- Your dirtbike may have an oil gauge on it. This tells you when the bike’s oil pan is full.
- It may have a window instead. If so, you can see the level of the oil through this window.
- Use a dipstick or gauge, which can be purchased from bike parts stores.
When you change your dirtbike oil, the goal is to remove all of its old oil. While you ride, some of the oil ends up staying inside the engine. So, there’s trick to being accurate about the amount of oil in your bike. Fill the engine up with oil and replace the oil cap. Let the bike run for a few minutes. Then, check your oil level and fill it until it’s at the right level.
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