Start your bike and allow it to heat up to the standard operating temperature. Then, TURN OFF YOUR BIKE!!! Remove the key from the bike and place it in a safe spot away from where the work is being performed (we suggest at least 10 feet away to prevent accidentally restarting/running the engine with no oil.) Remove the drain plug and oil filter and let them drain as much as possible into a clean oil container. We prefer to use a container which allows us to view the oil clearly. Example: A stainless steel pan works much better than a black plastic pan. This allows us to inspect the oil for debris which should not be present. There will always be a small amount of clutch and usually some gasket sealer residue. Extremely small shiny speckles of metal are also normal when viewed against the light. There should never be any large pieces of nonferrous metal, strips of copper, or gray babbitt material as this could mean a bearing failure has already begun. If there are strips of steel which can be picked up with a magnet, this is typically from the transmission and not necessarily a sign of pending failure. A small amount of this material is normal under conditions of extreme use or if the bike jumps out of gear every once in a while. 

DO NOT EVER press your starter button with no oil in the machine! If your bike starts after the oil has been drained, it can destroy bearings after only a second or two!! A small amount of oil left in your engine is unavoidable and acceptable. This includes during the switch to or from synthetic to organic oils.  Some cross-contamination will occur with no ill effects to the engine.  AGAIN, DO NOT START YOUR BIKE UNTIL THE OIL HAS BEEN REPLACED/REFILLED TO AT LEAST THE “LOW LEVEL” INDICATOR. 

After you have re-installed the plug and installed the filter (follow the OEM recommendations on torque, etc. and apply a thin film of oil to the filter O-ring before installation), fill the bike to at least the low mark in the sight glass. The low level indicator is the minimum amount of oil that the factory has approved for engine operation. It is okay to initially fill on a rear stand, but final measurement should be performed with the operator sitting on the bike on a level surface with both wheels on the ground to simulate actual operating conditions.

Walk over and find your key that you placed in a safe and distant spot, and then start the bike to let the oil circulate through the engine a bit. Then turn the bike off and top off the oil to your desired level (within the OEM specs). You may need a friend to help you top off the oil level while simultaneously viewing the sight glass. 

For drag racing, we will typically run at the low level in most applications (DO NOT run low oil levels in any bike with the harmonic balancer removed!)  For continuous street use, we suggest filling to the high mark. Do not overfill--do not under fill per OEM instructions. Consult your owner's manual for additional details on oil volumes.

Brock

THANKS BROCK!! ALWAYS  GIVING THAT GOOD ADVICE AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND BDE RACING!!

maxumis,

We use OEM oil filters.