For the correct maintenance of any motorcycle, it is necessary to change the engine oil every 5,000 - 10,000 km , this oil is responsible for lubricating the internal components of the engine preventing friction and heating. As the kilometers go by, this oil accumulates combustion waste and even small filings that come off the metal parts, losing efficiency, so it must be replaced. Oil is also in charge of cleaning the engine, so over time we will see that it turns black.


I do not want to put fear in your body, but driving with the same oil for miles and miles can make your engine flu, and that ... That is a very fat job . It is important that you know that changing the motorcycle oil yourself is something really simple.


Before starting

Before we get down to work, we are going to have to study and answer three very simple questions:


What type of oil does your motorcycle use?

How much oil does it have?

Do you have more than one type of oil?

All of them can be found in the motorcycle manual.In the case of Azahara , a BMW R45 uses two types of oils, one for the engine (225 cl of SAE 20W-50 engine oil ) and the other for the gearbox. gears and the cardan (800 ml of 80 / 90W GL-5 oil ).

To know everything about motorcycle oils we have written a complete entry.

What do the initials SAE and the numbers that characterize each oil mean?

The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) determines the viscosity grade of motor oil. The larger the digit, the more viscous the oil will be. The number preceding the letter W (Winter) determines the viscosity of the cold oil, while the other determines its viscosity at engine operating temperature. Oils with two viscosity grades are called multigrade (SAE 20W-50) while those with only one viscosity are called monogrades (SAE 40).

With all these data we will buy the necessary oil for our motorcycle. When we change the oil, it is very important that we also change the filter, as this is where all the dirt that the engine has generated for 10,000 km will have accumulated. With the reference of our motorcycle we can find it in any workshop of the brand or online. Azahara's cost € 15, but a 125cc scooter can cost less than € 5, it is not worth saving them.

Let's do it

You have already done the most difficult thing, decide to change the oil yourself and buy everything you need, now we are going to keep it simple, change it! We explain it to you in 7 easy steps:


1. Locate the oil inlet and outlet plugs.

The filler cap should be easy for you to locate, as this is where you measure the oil level. It's in the middle of the engine and has a screw cap that you can unscrew by hand.


The drain plug is in the lowest part of the engine, among all the dirt accumulated by years without looking under your motorcycle.


2. Place a bowl underneath

You are going to stain, a lot, all the floor with black and viscous oil, which will be very difficult to clean later, so do not forget to place a basin or container just below the drain plug. Do not underestimate the size of the oil tank, it is better to have more space in the basin than to fill everything with oil!


I recommend that you bring a roll of kitchen paper.


3. Open the caps

Before opening the plugs, make sure the motorcycle is warm, keep it running at idle for a few minutes, so that the oil warms up a bit and is more fluid. This way it will come out faster and we will not leave used oil inside the engine.


I strongly recommend that you open the filling plug before opening a drain plug. When I opened the Azahara drain plug and drained all the oil from the transmission, I realized that the fill plug was stuck and there was no way to open it. I could not move the motorcycle because I had drained all the oil and I could not refill it through the drain plug unless I had turned the motorcycle, which weighs more than 200 kg ... I had to struggle for a whole hour on the floor of the community garage where I live, to the amazement of my neighbors, until the filler cap gave way.


4. Change the oil filter


When the used oil has stopped dripping, we will change the filter. It is located on the side of the engine, in its lowest part, and it is a bored cylinder that normally enters the engine horizontally. You will have to find it, unscrew it and replace it with the new one. It has no more mystery, simply check that you do not lose any washer and that you mount it the same as the one you remove.


5. Fill the oil tank


To fill the tank with the new oil, it is advisable to make a small funnel and a transparent rubber tube, you will find it in any hardware store. However, most modern oil bottles come with a removable dispenser.


Close the drain plug and begin slowly pouring the contents of the bottle. I recommend that you measure the amount of oil that you put into the tank, to respect the manufacturer's prescriptions.


If we must add 225 cl of motor oil, as is my case, and when I have less than one bottle the tank has been filled, it is because I have mistaken the tank and I have filled the one with transmission oil. It was about to happen to me. :)


6. Check levels


Check that the oil level is between the minimum and maximum. For engine oil, you will normally have the level at the filler cap. You must check it without screwing it, simply inserting it all the way.


The transmission oil level is usually measured flush with the filler cap.


Even if the levels are fine, take the motorcycle for a ride, let the new oil warm up and circulate throughout the engine and check the level again.


The level is checked with the motorcycle on a smooth surface and on the center stand.


7. Take the used oil to a clean point


It is essential that you take the used oil to a clean point, as it is very polluting.


This is it, as you can see, changing the oil in your motorcycle yourself is tremendously simple and cheap, not to mention the satisfaction of doing things yourself and learning to do new things. I hope it helps you and if you have any questions, leave us a comment.