| Author | Message | ||
     Bsanorton |
Can I just loosen the muffler to header bolt, remove the muffler bracket bolts and swing the V&H muffler downwards to gain access to the drain plug? Or is total removal necessary? | ||
| Essmjay |
You may have to raise the bike higher still to get enough clearance, roll it up on blocks front and rear would work. But yes, I have done it that way before. | ||
| Buellistic |
Once get my exhaust system on and properly torqued, it is left alone ... "i" change my transmission oil without removing the muffler ... "AND" "i" do not have the exhaust system problems other BUELLers have ... | ||
| Bsanorton |
How do you do that? The clearance between the top of the muffler and drain plug is maybe a 1/2 inch maybe tighter. | ||
| Essmjay |
The lazy way, just pump it out. All you have to do is remove the derby cover. Only problem with that is you can't clean off the magnetic drain plug, not the end of the world, but a missed opportunity to look for metal shavings. Dropping the muffler also makes it very easy to adjust the primary chain. If you don't think you can perform the simple task of swinging the muffler out of the way and reinstalling it, then by all means, pump the oil out. | ||
| Ausx1er |
I have an X1 with a V&H muffler. After going through the oil change process of loosening the muffler etc once I was never going to do that again. My solution was to machine down on a lathe the bolt head so that its height matched the spanner I use for it. I also slightly bevelled of the edges of the magnet. I then removed the V&H muffler and carefully 'dented' the top of the muffler just enough so that when it’s installed I can remove the drain plug without loosening the muffler. The dent is not visible unless you get your head right down to eyeball the drain plug. Oil changes are quick and easy. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
It's a bad idea to pump out the tranny fluid. The whole idea of the oil change is to remove contaminants. The worst contaminants sink to the bottom. My X1 stock muffler has a dent installed at the factory that allows the drain plug to be removed. My Daytona Boss pipe is mounted in a way to allow clearance too. I once helped my friend change his M2 oil and he had a V&H on there. MAN! what a pain in the ass! had to drop the muffler with an open end wrench 1/3 of a turn at a time. Those V&H mufflers sound great and seem to perform just as well but I would never buy one after having to wrestle with my friend's M2. | ||
| Buellistic |
My 1997 S3T muffler did not allow me to get the TRANS. drain plug out without dropping the muffler ... The quick IMPROVISE fix was to take a ballpeen hammer and dent the muffler enough so that "i" could get my big fingers in to start the drain plug ... FOOD for THOUGHT: "i" run the same oil in my transmission as the engine, WHY YOU ASK ??? "WELL", if the motor sprocket shaft oil seal goes bad, not only does the crank case oil drain into the transmission, "BUT" what ever the oil mixture is sucked back into the engine ... Another hint is to wrap tin foil around muffler so you do not get oil on it so you do not have to smell burning oil when the muffler gets hot ... | ||
| M2marc |
after you drain the transmission fluid, how do you re-add and how much? | ||
| Kilroy |
You re-add it thru the derby cover (removed). Just at 1 quart, up to the bottom of the clutch basket. A small funnel is a necessity for this. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I have the stock dent in my muffler. I don't remove the muffler. It's a pain in the ass to get the plug back in. Getting the drain plug back in is less of a pain in the ass than unmounting and remounting the muffler. Lesser of two evils. | ||
| Cupcake_mike |
my vance and hines muffler is held on with springs so its pretty easy to pull the 2 springs off and slide the muffler off the exhaust pipe. | ||
| Buellistic |
The FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL "PICTURE" shows the oil level to be just touching the CLUTCH DIAPHRAGM SPrING with the bike on level ground standing straight up ... "SO", if you set your bike up on level standing straight up with the oil level correct by the manual and you drain the transmission, you measure that amount and put that amount back in ... Note this amount in your manual so you do not have to measure the drain amount again ... "YES", you should check the level after putting the refill oil in !!! | ||
| M2marc |
Thanks lafayette. I changed my oil last week and just remembered about changing the transmission fluid also. | ||
| Bsanorton |
Yeah, I just did my engine oil this week in preparation for my track day at Jennings. Want to do the tranny... | ||
| Kalali |
I do exactly how you described: disconnect the rear hanger, loosen the bolt connecting the muffler to the header and the front hanger bolt and just slowly swing the muffler down enough to access the drain plug. I've done at least half a dozen times without any issues. YMMV | ||
| M2marc |
Just finished changing my trany fluid. 3 hours. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, but still a big PITA . I did have to take the rear muffler clamp off and swing the muffler down a tad to gain an extra half inch. But I feel better now that its done. |
