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How do I check and change oil on an XS650? Oil recommendations?
- Thread starter campetre
- Start date
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- how to maintenance oil
Per the Yamaha Service Manual:
There are two large drain plugs on the bottom of the motor. The filter screen is behind the little cover in the right engine case. There is also a sump filter that you could take out and clean/inspect.
Any motorcycle specific oil should be fine. A lot of people run Shell Rotella 15w40 because the man Michael "Mercury" Morse used to recommend it. I don't know if he still does because I can't find it mentioned on his website anymore.
There are two large drain plugs on the bottom of the motor. The filter screen is behind the little cover in the right engine case. There is also a sump filter that you could take out and clean/inspect.
Any motorcycle specific oil should be fine. A lot of people run Shell Rotella 15w40 because the man Michael "Mercury" Morse used to recommend it. I don't know if he still does because I can't find it mentioned on his website anymore.
I didn't exactly write it up, just copied it from the service manual.
The Shell Rotella 15w40 I mentioned is diesel oil. 20w50 or 20w40 should work fine too. My understanding is that people use diesel oil because it has higher levels of detergents similar to what all oils used to have decades ago.
The filter/screen is behind this cover.
The two drain plugs underneath are hard to miss. They are 27mm if I remember correctly. Just look and you'll see them.
The Shell Rotella 15w40 I mentioned is diesel oil. 20w50 or 20w40 should work fine too. My understanding is that people use diesel oil because it has higher levels of detergents similar to what all oils used to have decades ago.
The filter/screen is behind this cover.
The two drain plugs underneath are hard to miss. They are 27mm if I remember correctly. Just look and you'll see them.
jmcgowan
XS650 Enthusiast
Can you confirm the size of the drain plugs ? My dial calipers are locked up at work until next year. I removed them with an adjustable the first time I changed the oil, but I want to get the proper size socket this time around.
dlabkeeg
XS650 Addict
I have a 78, and they are 27mm. I assume they are all the same.
yep 26.74mm ish..
-ish...
- i would remove and check the sump filter every oil change, theyre very prone to damage, the newer replacement are better but need good quality control
- if using an older unreinforced one that is still intact build a protector for it
- i would remove and check the sump filter every oil change, theyre very prone to damage, the newer replacement are better but need good quality control
- if using an older unreinforced one that is still intact build a protector for it
bloodhound
XS650 Addict
you can use jb weld to fix it as well.
jmcgowan
XS650 Enthusiast
Thanks guys, now I can go buy a 27mm socket. The PO thought they were leaking because they weren't tight enough, I suspect he never changed the crush washers during oil changes. 
You're probably right about the crush washers... it could be leaking from the sump gasket too.
If you have the OEM solid copper washers, they're good for a very long time. Heat them cherry-red and quench to soften the copper.
15/40 diesel oils were a good choice because most of them carried very low molybdenum content (some moly compounds will build up in your friction plates and eventually cause slipping) and a high ZDDP content. EPA regs forced reduction of ZDDP awhile back, but it can be restored with a product called ZDDPlus. I'm currently adding 2 oz.of that stuff to a gallon of Shell Rotella 15/40, which, if I'm reading the dilution tables for the product and the VOA's for the oil right, gets the ZDDP level where it needs to be. Check www.zddplus.com . It's also available from Eastwood.
The nicest stuff I've used is Golden Spectro semisynthetic 10/40 or 20/50, but a price of around 8 bucks/qt. is hard to justify when you're changing oil every 1000 to 1200 miles.
15/40 diesel oils were a good choice because most of them carried very low molybdenum content (some moly compounds will build up in your friction plates and eventually cause slipping) and a high ZDDP content. EPA regs forced reduction of ZDDP awhile back, but it can be restored with a product called ZDDPlus. I'm currently adding 2 oz.of that stuff to a gallon of Shell Rotella 15/40, which, if I'm reading the dilution tables for the product and the VOA's for the oil right, gets the ZDDP level where it needs to be. Check www.zddplus.com . It's also available from Eastwood.
The nicest stuff I've used is Golden Spectro semisynthetic 10/40 or 20/50, but a price of around 8 bucks/qt. is hard to justify when you're changing oil every 1000 to 1200 miles.
royfisk
build and rebuild get bet
Well guys I to have been using rottela 15-40 with great success, untill one bike that had been running on moble delvac 20-50 came in for a oil change. The bike imediatly started left bank smoking. So I did a compression test and got 130 over 134 didnt see to much bad with that so the guy ran it a few miles and came back with a delvac oil change. Guess what the smoking stopped almost as quick as it started. Dont know why cause as a mechanic it shouldnt have done that. And if I hadent seen it I wouldnt have beleived. But its a true thing and that bike is still running on delvac 5 years later and not smoking. But personally I still use the rottela but think any good diesel grade oil will work fine, I do plan to find 20-50 oil be it rottela or whatever brand I want the heavier viscossity. Many years ago I ran bel-ray oil only, I may go back.
I have been using Pennzoil 20w50, the car oil, in the hot parts of summer. It doesn't have any off the friction modifiers that the lighter car oils have to make them gas saving oils. These modifiers will make your clutch slip. The 20w50 doesn't have them, so good for the clutch.
In the cooler parts of spring and fall, below about 50 degrees I use Pennzoil 15w40 diesel oil.
In the cooler parts of spring and fall, below about 50 degrees I use Pennzoil 15w40 diesel oil.
Visegrippe
lurker extraordinaire...
Good stuff to know, put fresh oil in the bike last weekend, man that stuff was thick! It took half and hour to get 2.5 litres in, of course, it was -20 out....
Links to more oil info and discussion on the old 650Rider http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=7839
Backroader
XS650 Addict
OK... Now let's start from the part I don't get... what oil should I use ?
Almost every bike that I have ever owned will take 10W40 Castrol 4 Stroke motorcycle oil.
I see some guys are using " Rotella, which I thought had a detergent in it.... Bad for wet clutches.
There are two motorcycle oils out there that relativily inexpensive and available over the counter at most stores includng, dare I say it "WalMart". Both are Castrol.. 10w40 and sometimes 20w50, which is a little extreme for the Canadian climate.
So not to sound stupid any longer, what would I use ? Hurry up and respond as I am pulling the plugs on the oil tonite. That is, if I can find the 27 m socket.
Much appreciated (I think )
Almost every bike that I have ever owned will take 10W40 Castrol 4 Stroke motorcycle oil.
I see some guys are using " Rotella, which I thought had a detergent in it.... Bad for wet clutches.
There are two motorcycle oils out there that relativily inexpensive and available over the counter at most stores includng, dare I say it "WalMart". Both are Castrol.. 10w40 and sometimes 20w50, which is a little extreme for the Canadian climate.
So not to sound stupid any longer, what would I use ? Hurry up and respond as I am pulling the plugs on the oil tonite. That is, if I can find the 27 m socket.
Much appreciated (I think )
