How To Change the Oil for your Harley Davidson Sportster
One of the most important ways that you can maintain your Harley Davidson Sportster
is to change the oil regularly. The oil in these vehicles must be
changed every 3000 miles or so. If you fail to do that, you run the risk
of the oil degrading the engine as it overheats. Because the oil acts
as a lubricant, the engine can suffer serious and permanent damage if
you don’t change the oil. Before you change the oil at a service
station, however, you should take the time to consider replacing the oil
on your own and at home. This process doesn’t take more than an hour or
so and is very inexpensive. Plus, you’ll have a better chance to learn
about the inner mechanics of your bike and you’ll know that the quality
of the work done on the bike is as high as possible.
Step 1 — Gather the Materials
You’ll need the following materials in order to change the oil on your Harley Davidson Sportster:
- New oil filter
- Oil collection pan
- Jack stand
- Several quarts of new oil
- New gasket system (optional)
- Paper towels
- Funnel
- Newspaper
- Socket wrench
Step 2 — Prepare the Bike
Mount your Sportster up on the jack stand so that you’ll have better
access to the oil container. This will help you to better drain the oil
and also to access other parts of the bike as needed. Lay out a set of
newspapers below the motorcycle so that you’ll catch any oil drops that
should happen to fall as you work. You should wait until the engine has
cooled down considerably after you last ran it before you begin, but
it’s helpful if the engine is still slightly warm while you’re working,
as the oil will flow more smoothly if this is the case.
Step 3 — Drain the Old Oil
Unscrew the filler cap on the oil container to get all of the oil to
settle toward the bottom of the container. Place your oil collection pan
beneath the oil container and gently and cautiously unscrew the oil
drain plug. As soon as you do, oil will spurt out and begin to drip.
Catch it it in the oil collection pan and continue to hold the pan in
place for several minutes until the oil has drained completely. Then you
can clean up the oil container and drain plug with a set of paper
towels.
Step 4 — Check and Change the Filter
The oil filter will not need to be replaced every single time that
you change out the oil in your Sportster, but it’s a good idea to check
on that at this point in time. you can check the gasket as well. Unscrew
the filter with a socket wrench and allow it to drain into the
collection pan. Examine it for signs of corrosion and other damage.
Replace it if necessary with a new filter, otherwise simply reattach the
old filter in place if it appears to still be viable.
Step 5 — Replace the Oil
Close up the drain plug and place the funnel into the top of the oil
container in the Sportster. Pour in as many quarts of new oil as are
recommended by your owner’s manual. Be sure to allow them to fully drain
before you continue.
Before you turn your vehicle back on, you may want to manually check
the oil levels with a dipstick to be sure that they’re correct. This
will prevent you from starting up your car if there is something wrong
with the oil in the motorcycle.
Ask a mechanic for any additional advice or assistance you may need.
All of the different parts that you’ll need for this at home do it
yourself project can typically be found at your local hardware store or
at an auto or motorcycle repair shop nearby. Professionals can help to
answer any other questions you might have.