Yamaha Roadliner (XV1900) How-to

Change the oil

What you need

• Oil drain pan & enough containers to hold about 5L (6 quarts) dirty oil

• 17mm box-end wrench + 17mm socket / torque wrench for oil drain plugs

  Important

  The box-end must be a thin-walled wrench! The clearance around the front two drain plugs is tight, and you won't be able to get a socket wrench in there. Make sure your wrench fits firmly around these bolts before beginning the process of changing the oil.

• oil filter wrench (if changing oil filter and you are not using a filter with pre-installed tightening bolt)

  Note

  The K&N-303 filter (recommended) has a 17mm nut attached to the top. No oil filter wrench is necessary, just use the same 17mm wrench in the preceding requirement!

• 3x 14mm crush washers (one for each oil drain plug)

  The official recommendation:

  Yamaha part #: 214-11198-01

  What I'm using:

  Generic 14mm "Honda OEM replacement" oil crush washers

• 4.90L (4.10L if not changing oil filter) engine oil (get 6 quarts in US measure, or 5 if not changing filter)

  The official recommendation:

  • YAMALUBE 4 (20W40) or SAE20W40

  • API service SG type or higher, JASO standard MA

  Important

  In order to prevent clutch slippage (since the engine oil also lubricates the clutch), do not mix any chemical additives. Do not use oils with a diesel specification of “CD” or oils of a higher quality than specified. In addition, do not use oils labeled “ENERGY CONSERVING II” or higher.

  What I'm using:

  Mobil 1 20W-50 V-Twin Synthetic Motocycle Motor Oil (6 quarts)

• oil filter (if changing oil filter)

  Official recommendation:

  ? I couldn't find it...

  What I'm using:

  K&N: KN-303 (recommended!)

How to do it

1. Warm up engine for about 5m.

2. Remove the rider seat and then remove the oil filler cap located beneath it.

3. Remove the three 17mm oil drain bolts from back to front, catching the oil in an oil drain pan. All these bolts are located under the frame.

   • Use a 17mm socket (you may need a socket extension or angle attachment) to remove the rear bolt, located near the rear shock/spring. I use my torque socket handle to remove it because of the extra leverage I get from its long handle.

   • Use a 17mm wrench to remove the middle (located inward of the kickstand) and front (located inward of the crank-case) bolts.

4. (optional) Replace the oil filter:

   1. Remove the oil filter cartridge with an oil filter wrench (or 17mm wrench if using the K&N filter).

   2. Apply a thin coat of engine oil to the O-ring of the new oil filter cartridge (make sure that the O-ring is properly seated).

   3. Install the new oil filter cartridge with an oil filter wrench (or 17mm wrench), and then tighten it to 17 Nm (1.7 m·kgf, 12 ft·lbf) torque with a torque wrench.

5. Install the engine oil drain bolts, and then tighten them to 43 Nm (4.3 m·kgf, 31 ft·lbf) torque.

   Note

   You'll likely need a torque wrench adapter to hold your box-end wrench to get the front two bolts tightened to this specification. Also available are specific box-end adapters, but you'll need to make sure they're thin-walled.

6. Pour only 2.5 L (~3 quarts) engine oil through the filler hole under the seat, insert the dipstick, and then tighten the oil filler cap.

7. Start the engine, rev it several times, and then turn it off.

8. Remove the engine oil filler cap, and then gradually fill the oil tank with the remaining oil while regularly checking the oil level on the dipstick.

9. Install the engine oil filler cap.

10. Start the engine, and then let it idle for several minutes while checking it for oil leakage. If oil is leaking, immediately turn the engine off and check for the cause.

11. Turn the engine off, and then check the oil level and correct it if necessary.

Important

Be sure to wipe off spilled oil on any parts after the engine and exhaust system have cooled down.