Keeping an Oil Change Tidy

[webbmeister25d]

So I changed the oil on my Yamaha V Star 1300 yesterday. This is the one that I'm afraid of and the reason I bought the GZ to learn to ride before "going big". Nothing very special to report, though I did discover another use for the incontinence pads that we put down under the cat pans to catch over-the-edge "accidents". Placing one of these under the bike catches and absorbs splashes, spills, and drips; and, it makes a great place to put the drain pan bolt and tools while the oil leaves the bike. The best part is that when finished, all one needs to do do is pull the pad out from under the bike, transfer the oil from the low-profile catch pan into the larger disposal container over the pad, fold the pad in on itself, and voila! A spotless surface. Again, nothing special, but perhaps useful. Time to go ride the GZ (now named Nimrod!)

[alantf]

Nimrod...The son of Cush...The mighty hunter... Genesis chapter 10, verses 8-10.

So, is the Vstar Cush? :whistle:

[Water Warrior 2]

That is a really handy tip. I always find myself wiping up drips and splashes no matter how careful I am. By the time the job is finished I have enough oily paper towels laying around to be declared an environmental hazard.

So, how is the 1300 treating you? Likes, dislikes, riding impression etc. And we need pics.

[webbmeister25d]

Wow! This is quite a crowd! While Nimrod the mighty and sure-footed hunter is treating me wonderfully as I go from frightened to confident, the V Star (currently named "Satan") sits glowering in the darkest corner of the garage - his eyes glowing like embers from the pits of hell and his teeth dripping venom of the damned.

So, here's the thing. Way back in May, I got it into my head that I wanted to learn to ride. I'm a big man, at 6'4" and 275 pounds. I signed up for the BRC, and while I was waiting for my turn to come around I went window shopping for bikes. I sat on a lot of them, and in some cases sat for quite a while. The ones that felt best to me were the mid-sized cruisers, and one in particular, felt great! That was the V Star 1300 Tourer. The 2010, with the new style seat and the handlebars that extend back quite a bit farther than those on models from 2009 and before, became the apple of my eye. At $8500 - $10,000 a used 2010 V Star Tourer was probably going to be a little too expensive.

Anyway, I promised myself that I would NOT buy a bike until completing the BRC so I'd be sure that riding was something I really wanted to do. That's about the point at which head and heart went separate ways. While browsing Cycle Trader, I came across a black 2010 V Star 1300 Tourer for sale at a Victory dealership in AZ. It was priced at $6999 with fewer than 3000 miles. I called the dealer and asked if he had evidence that the bike had received its 600-mile service. He faxed me the service docs from the original dealer. I asked him if it had been dropped. He told me it had not and that having gone over the bike himself he could say with confidence that it was "pristine." I said "Sold!"

Skip ahead two weeks and the transport truck pulls into my drive and off-loads the bike. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! That bike was HUGE! SO much bigger than it had seemed in the showroom where I had sat on similar models. Having never ridden before, and not yet having undergone the BRC, I dutifully rolled it into the garage. Though it was big and heavy, I was not yet frightened by it.

Skip ahead a little, and to prepare for the BRC I bought and read Hough's basic bike book. That, along with the first night of class, made me nervous. I'd never given any thought to the closeness of the grim reaper when one rides. Unfortunately, I took that nervousness out onto the range and dropped my training bike in a mini high-side on the first day. The instructors were great - got me back on my feet and dusted me off, and got me back on my bike. The damage, though, was done. This had happened on a Buell Blast, a bike a little more that one-third the power and half the weight of Satan. Though I recovered well enough by the end of the next day to pass the course, my confidence had been severely shaken. There was no chance in Satan's realm that I was going to get on Satan - much less polish any skills or build any confidence by riding him. What to do?

Enter Nimrod. I am riding him daily in my subdivision, and I have marked up our driveway landing so I can use cones to make it resemble (precisely) each of the several courses in the BRC and the courses in Motorman's Ride Like a Pro course. I've read and re-read Maximum Control. Though I passed the first time, I've also signed up to redo the BRC in October. Nimrod is getting me through all of this. I'm not sure it's natural to be grateful to a bike, but I am.

So, THAT, in too many words, is how the bikes are treating me. Each has been fitted with crash bars, and Nimrod has received the bike equivalent of a high-end spa treatment. He wants for nothing (except, perhaps, a smaller rider :whistle: ).

By the way, one other item on the tidy oil change. Needing something with a low profile to catch the draining oil, I used the top of a Rubbermaid storage tub. Plenty of room in the recessed top for the quart and a half of oil. Worked great, and didn't need to raise the bike.

Pictures in a bit!

Jim

[Water Warrior 2]

First off I use a cheap aluminum turkey pan for oil changes. A big oval one will catch almost anything including tools which then need to be wiped off. :lol:

Wow, you haven't ridden the 1300 yet. Such restraint is amazing.
Your oops with the Buell is common with student riders. They are not the best to learn on when you have no prior experience and feel for what should be happening. The GZ is the winner with it's polite manners and it will never try to intimidate a new rider. Congrats to you for all the reading and practicing. You will develop some muscle memory and hone your skills before tackling the bigger bike. That is a definite plus.
When Lynda bought her GZ she was a complete newbie and we both took a good riding course. She developed some very good skill sets that allowed her to ride with confidence wherever she pointed the bike. The GZ was and probably still is her fav ride even with the bigger V-twin parked downstairs. The GZ was sold to make room for the bigger Suzuki M-50. What Lynda has said and will tell anyone considering a bike is to go small first time round. Without experience on a smaller bike a big bike can be a real liability rather than an asset.
Oh yeah I looked up your bike on Yamaha's website. Very nice indeed. I especially like all the instruments on the handlebars instead of down on the tank which is typical of most cruisers.

[jonathan180iq]

Made by blitz and sold at Wal-Mart and Autozone in the US.

[webbmeister25d]

Originally Posted by jonathan180iq

Made by blitz and sold at Wal-Mart and Autozone in the US.

Yep - use that for automobile oil changes. This year's color for the top and the spout cover seems to be green.

[jonathan180iq]

I used it for the GZ when I had it.
Fit fine under there to me. Weren't you looking for a low-profile way to catch oil, or did I misread that part?

EDIT: Apparently I did, because you already solved this problem with some rubbermaid containers.

[Dupo]

/moved