| Author | Message | ||
     Nytrashman |
i bought a used '05 blast yesterday and don't have the owners manual for it. from what i have read here i check the oil when the motor is hot but if i need to add oil do i put it in the dip stick hole? the previous owner is looking for the manual for me (hope he finds it) but in the meantime what else should i check/inspect on a daily basis? thanks in advance George | ||
| Flrider7 |
Make sure your bike is good and hot, and sitting upright, not on the stand. Yes in the dipstick hole. Check for any loose nuts and bolts, and lock-tite when you can to prevent more. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Add very little oil at a time. Between the arrows is not a quart! Get in the habit of checking your oil when you park it for the night, that way you wont panic the next morning when the dipstick doesnt show any oil!! Use 20w-50 oil. Unless its synthetic, thinner oil is a bad idea and will be consumed quickly (though I've found that even using synthetic oil thinner than 20w-50 will be consumed at a higher rate). | ||
| Swampy |
Congratulations, NYTrashman! Did you get a good deal on it? | ||
| Nytrashman |
the previous owner switched to synthetic oil so i am going to use either mobil 1 or amsoil in the bike. any advise on taking the decals off the bike? i will heat them up with a blow dryer but once they come off will there be any residue and if so how do i get rid of that? will normal washing remove the residue or do i need to use some type of solvent? | ||
| Flrider7 |
You definitely want to hunt down a service manual for it. The Blast is a little different than a lot of bikes I have owned. That's not a bad thing, but you can't treat it like a Honda. Congratulations! Should be great for N.Y! | ||
| Mabueller |
For taking the decals off I used a hairdryer also. Then I polished with Novus a few times to get the outline off. http://www.noscratch.com/novus/ I bought #2 and #3 at a local bike shop but you may find it in auto sections in big box stores. I use it for all the body pieces. | ||
| Nytrashman |
ok one more oil question. when i check the oil do i screw the dip stick back in? sorry for such dumb/simple questions. thanks George | ||
| Ezblast |
yes! | ||
| Robi |
I am aware of having to top off the oil occasionally, but as a result of HD having my bike for 2 weeks and not checking it from then until now, I might have fubar'd. I didn't have any more of the oil I currently had in there, so I topped it off with HD synthetic Screaming Eagle. It took about 1/2 quart. I filled and measured after a 12 mile ride, and it took about 5 minutes for the filling and checking. Because of the sitting/cool down, I only topped it to the bottom line. I know I'm not supposed to mix oils, and have already been told not to wait until my next maintenance schedule in about 1900 miles. I did it because I thought I could get away with it. So my next question is: will I be safe to change it this weekend, after a Thur, Fri, and Sat (to the HD dealer) riding? Or is this something I should do immediately. | ||
| Ezblast |
You'll be fine - just keep an eye on the level and go ride, then when your done for the weekend - change it. EZ | ||
| Jlnance |
I know I'm not supposed to mix oils I would not worry about it at all. When synthetic oil was introduced, the formulation used would cause problems if mixed with petroleum based oils. Hence the advice not to mix them. The oil companies quickly realized that this was causing a lot of problems and changed the formulation of their synthetic oils so the were compatible with petroleum based oils. This was back in the 80s I believe. Anything you buy now shouldn't give you problems. | ||
| Reuel |
It's like screen savers for your computer. The reason for their being is no longer. You can buy oil that's already mixed! You know, 1/2 natural, 1/2 artificial, for those who want synthetic, but aren't willing to pay full price. | ||
| Robi |
Are you saying no need to change right now and wait until my next maintenance schedule in 1900 miles? Or are you basically agreeing with EZ, that's no immediate harm is done, but I should still change it this weekend? If I didn't have less than $6 to my name right now, I'd just change it. But if the consensus is that I can wait, then I'll wait. | ||
| Reuel |
I'm going to assume that the oil you had in it is a recommended grade of oil. The HD oil is also a recommended grade, I assume. Mixing oils, so long as they're the proper oils, is absolutely fine. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Concur! | ||
| Robi |
That is correct. What I originally filled it with is the WalMart brand. What I topped it off with with the HD synthetic. While I don't have the numbers off the top of my head (I should by now), they were both 20W50 (or vis-versa). | ||
| Jlnance |
Are you saying no need to change right now and wait until my next maintenance schedule in 1900 miles? Yes. | ||
| Robi |
While I'm not positive when I topped my oil off, from the post above, it looks like Wednesday. At that time I topped it off to just the bottom of the stick, because I was using a different oil. Today, I topped it off at about 1/4 below the top arrow. (Hot, after all the riding I did, but sitting for a few minutes while I got my gear off etc.). It took about 1/2 quart. My neighbor was surprised it took that much, considering that I topped it off earlier this week, and I only ride commuting. If Wednesday morning is when I topped it off, and I have a 12 mile one way commute to work, and rode 90 miles today. That means I had to put about 1/2 quart in just about 150 miles of riding. Should I be concerned about this? | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
"It took about 1/2 quart".If the oil showed on the dipstick before you added the 1/2 quart, then its probably overfilled. Best to always check it immediately after you shut the bike down. If its between the lines, its good. There are ways to curb oil consumption, but its also possible to increase oil consumption by keeping it overfilled. Keeping it underfilled (below the bottom line) will also increase oil consumption. Check it again when its hot, dont stress about it. Always use 20w-50, anything less (thinner) will be used quickly. | ||
| Robi |
Nothing on the stick when I initially checked. While I said it sat for a while while I took my gear off and put my bags away, etc., that wasn't completely accurate. I actually came back out and started the bike up while I got the funnel and a rage. So it ran for about 30-60 seconds. My neighbor came over and said the bike should be hot enough from the ride, but then I explained the recommended procedures outlined on this website. So, after the days riding, it was started a let run for 30-60 seconds. I'd say, about another 30 seconds transpired by the time I killed it, unscrewed the plug and checked it. At that time, there was nothing on the stick. Yes. I went to the store and picked up the same brand/grade of oil I used originally, Wal-Mart Super Tech 20W50 (I think it's Super Tech). | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
If its not done immediately after shutting the bike down, its almost a worthless check. A couple minutes running isnt going to 'bring it back'. If you can measure what you've added by the quart, then its usually too much. Dont stress, I'm sure its fine. I'm curious to know where its at the next time you check it. PS I know you've read a lot of the posts by now, so you know you're not the only one to go through the whole Blast "oil check" thing. Takes a while to get used too. | ||
| Ezblast |
Concur! | ||
| Robi |
Will keep you posted. I be more careful to keep my methods consistent. Normally I check when I get fuel (which I think I did right before I came home today, but don't remember, because I might have told myself, I couldn't add any at the gas station anyhow). What I'll start doing is checking it when I get home on the days I don't have class or evening work. That way, I can put the stand down and leave it running while I get my gear off, pull the tank bag aside, and check it immediately, after a 12 mile ride. | ||
| Reuel |
Personally, I'd switch to Mobil 1 or Amsoil 20W50 V-twin oil. You can top it off with synthetic, and next time you change your oil, go with all synthetic. | ||
| Ezblast |
That should work - don't forget to check the air in your tires regularly as well. EZ | ||
| Robi |
Yes. What I'll do is top it off with the quart (not all at once) that I just bought, then use of the synthetic, then switch to synthetic. Thank you. | ||
| Robi |
I know you said not to stress, so I'm trying not to be, but I thought of these questions riding here to work. 1. As discussed above, I should check the oil immediately after a decent run time. When putting oil in, is it ok to pour - check, pour - check, etc. Or do I need to be pouring an estimated amount, then running it, then checking it? My gut says, this is not necessary when topping off, but on new changes or when pouring in a significant amount (as I did), it might be better to do it that way. 2. As discussed above, if my initial check was not accurate because I didn't check it immediately after the ride, I'm wondering if I definitely over filled it. I filled it 1/4 below the top line. But if this is going to be a deceptively lower measurement than what's really in there, I'm wondering if I need to drain some out. a. How much do you really need to over fill these to start blowing gaskets? b. Should I drain some? 3. It might be just in my head, but does putting too much oil in create a "knock?" | ||
| Ezblast |
No on the knock - ride it and check it, if low add a bit, if high leave alone - will work its way down in time - lol- if too high, you could drain an ounce or three from the drain. EZ | ||
| Robi |
k. thx |
