oil change on jiffy stand or horizontal
#1
oil change on jiffy stand or horizontal
I like to start to maintain my Ultra Limited 2015 myself as I maintained my Heritage Classic 2003 myself as well. I start to do maintenance after the official warranty period.
At the HC I knew that for a oil drainage the bike must be horizontal, f.e on a maintenance jack. As I did many times.
But I have read my service manual of the Ultra 2015 and nowhere is mentioned that the bike must be horizontal for draining off the old engine oil. So, I turn to the experts here and ask them: is it required to level the bike horizontal for draining the old engine oil or can it be done wit this bike standing on the jiffy?
At the HC I knew that for a oil drainage the bike must be horizontal, f.e on a maintenance jack. As I did many times.
But I have read my service manual of the Ultra 2015 and nowhere is mentioned that the bike must be horizontal for draining off the old engine oil. So, I turn to the experts here and ask them: is it required to level the bike horizontal for draining the old engine oil or can it be done wit this bike standing on the jiffy?
#2
Join Date: Sep 2013
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IMHO, you should look at the location of your plugs and if keeping your ride on the stand results in the plug being at the lowest possible point relative to the engine, (ie primary), then leave it on the stand. I would otherwise jack the bike to make life easier and ensure there are no pockets of un-drained oil either side of the plug. Checking oil levels, (dipstick) is done on the stand.
My Primary, I drain on the stand and fill on the jack.
My Primary, I drain on the stand and fill on the jack.
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#3
I pulled the plugs with them on the side stands, then after most the oil drained out I sit on the bike and lift her straight up for a minute or two. easier than putting her on a lift for just a quick oil change.
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Bart van der Meulen (08-31-2017),
FatBoy_09 (05-15-2021)
#4
This is what I do as well.
#5
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Ease is age related. As years go by it becomes easier to raise the machine to your level than for you to descend to its.
#7
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Got one of these several years ago:
,,,, for $80 Cdn at Princess Auto, (similar to HF). Whatever the choice, it isn't necessary to spend $ hundreds on a simple jack that is rated at 1500 lbs. Positioning & jacking = 5 min on your worst day. Ones like this are great so long as you don't need to waltz your bike all over the garage while its jacked. I'm lucky in that I've never really needed to do that .
Once you have one of these you use it all the time, not just oil changes and mods / maint. but cleaning too. Just makes life easy when you can do everything sitting upright from the comfort of a shop stool.
,,,, for $80 Cdn at Princess Auto, (similar to HF). Whatever the choice, it isn't necessary to spend $ hundreds on a simple jack that is rated at 1500 lbs. Positioning & jacking = 5 min on your worst day. Ones like this are great so long as you don't need to waltz your bike all over the garage while its jacked. I'm lucky in that I've never really needed to do that .
Once you have one of these you use it all the time, not just oil changes and mods / maint. but cleaning too. Just makes life easy when you can do everything sitting upright from the comfort of a shop stool.
Last edited by HKMark23; 08-31-2017 at 07:25 AM.
The following users liked this post:
Bart van der Meulen (08-31-2017)
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#8
I have a good bike lift .. But when bike is lifted , it is a pain to get to the engine oil drain plug with socket .. Also its a pain to correctly position a oil catch pan between the upright supports of the lift ...
The easiest for me is to,,, bike of jiffy stand ,,,, oil catch pan under drain plug location,,, remove drain plug ,,, let drain,,, get on bike and stand upright for a minute or two, (there is always an extra small amount of oil comes out when standing bike upright),,,, put bike back on jiffy stand , or you can place a piece of wood under the jiffy stand to keep bike in semi upright position ,,, wait for dripping to stop .... Done ...
Regarding the tranny oil ,,,, As it is a vertical hole, and there is only 1lt of oil , I have bike upright on lift, as it is not difficult to position a small oil catch pan between the lift supports ... I also I dont want oil migrating to the left side of bike , as it would if you changed tranny oil on the jiffy stand ....
The easiest for me is to,,, bike of jiffy stand ,,,, oil catch pan under drain plug location,,, remove drain plug ,,, let drain,,, get on bike and stand upright for a minute or two, (there is always an extra small amount of oil comes out when standing bike upright),,,, put bike back on jiffy stand , or you can place a piece of wood under the jiffy stand to keep bike in semi upright position ,,, wait for dripping to stop .... Done ...
Regarding the tranny oil ,,,, As it is a vertical hole, and there is only 1lt of oil , I have bike upright on lift, as it is not difficult to position a small oil catch pan between the lift supports ... I also I dont want oil migrating to the left side of bike , as it would if you changed tranny oil on the jiffy stand ....
#9
Got one of these several years ago:
,,,, for $80 Cdn at Princess Auto, (similar to HF). Whatever the choice, it isn't necessary to spend $ hundreds on a simple jack that is rated at 1500 lbs. Positioning & jacking = 5 min on your worst day. Ones like this are great so long as you don't need to waltz your bike all over the garage while its jacked. I'm lucky in that I've never really needed to do that .
Once you have one of these you use it all the time, not just oil changes and mods / maint. but cleaning too. Just makes life easy when you can do everything sitting upright from the comfort of a shop stool.
,,,, for $80 Cdn at Princess Auto, (similar to HF). Whatever the choice, it isn't necessary to spend $ hundreds on a simple jack that is rated at 1500 lbs. Positioning & jacking = 5 min on your worst day. Ones like this are great so long as you don't need to waltz your bike all over the garage while its jacked. I'm lucky in that I've never really needed to do that .
Once you have one of these you use it all the time, not just oil changes and mods / maint. but cleaning too. Just makes life easy when you can do everything sitting upright from the comfort of a shop stool.
#10
Join Date: Apr 2010
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Drain plugs are under the bike, can't do the job on the HF lift. I use a Condor on the floor which keeps the bike upright. My Road Glide has been lowered and I have issues getting the drain pan under the frame on the jiffy stand. Straight up works best for me. Condor has been a nice addition to my shop for keeping bikes vertical when doing projects that do not require a lift. Good luck.