5 Tips to Change the Engine Oil of Your Bike

Why Do You Need to Change the Oil of Your Bike?

A bike is a machinery that requires regular maintenance to run smoothly. Apart from getting the right bike insurance policy, another crucial tip is to regularly change the bike’s engine oil. If you do not change it on time, the engine might overheat, and the friction between moving components increases. Hence it affects the overall performance of the vehicle.

With that saying, here is a list of indications that your bike shows and you need to change the engine oil-

1. If the oil color is black and gritty

   With excessive use, the oil color becomes darker in shade and thicker in texture. You simply need to check the oil using a dipstick and rubbing the oil between your fingers. By doing this, you can easily recognize if the oil is contaminated or not. If it is gritty and its shade has turned darker, it needs to be changed.

2. If the engine is making noise

   As a bike owner, you must know the usual sound of your bike's engine. If you find that the noise of your bike's engine has suddenly changed or recognized some unusual sound, it is now the time to change the engine oil. With time, the engine oil fails its capacity to act as a protective layer, and its rubbing metallic parts generate loud noise.

3. If the oil is leaking

   You can check your oil level with the help of a dipstick or oil window. If you find that the tank is not able to maintain a minimum oil level, check for a leak. Firstly, fix the leakage, clean the tank, and refill the engine oil.

4. If you constantly get dashboard warning

   In new models, the bike is equipped with a sensor that gives a warning about oil leakage. It is indicated through the lights on the dashboard of the bike. You must check for the leak, fix it, and then add fresh oil to it.

5. If it's been a while since you changed the oil

   Other than the signs discussed above, if you have not changed the bike oil in a while, it is better to change it. Generally, your bike’s manual book has a certain number of kilometers mentioned after which you must change the oil. To change the oil, you can either take your vehicle to the mechanic or else can do it on your own.

5 Tips to Change the Bike's Engine Oil

After understanding the signs that your bike's engine needs to be changed, you must know the quick tips to perform this process of changing the bike's engine oil.

The following are the tips that you can adopt to perform this-

1. Keep all the things ready

   Before changing the bike's engine oil, the first thing you must do is keep all the necessary things handy. Read the bike manual carefully to check the oil changing process such as the quantity to be refilled. Also, get a new bottle of engine oil, oil screen, drain pan, oil funnel, measuring cup, nut bolts, etc. with yourself.

2. Do it at regular intervals

   It is essential to know when exactly you should change it. Some mechanics recommend changing it after 6 months or 1 year from the purchase day of your bike. While other recommends doing it after completing every 2,000 km or mentioned in the service manual book. Therefore, it is advised to check the manual book or connect with the mechanic to know what is the right time to change the oil.

3. Always refill with fresh oil

   Just to save some pennies, never refill the tank with stored engine oil. Even some mechanics might suggest some non-branded or affordable oils to cut down the cost, but this will hamper the bike's performance. Instead, you must look for the service manual book of your vehicle and choose the one mentioned over there. This is one of the crucial safety tips to keep your bike maintained and free from adulterated oils.

4. Clean the oil filter

   Another significant tip is to change the oil filter. The oil filter works smartly by removing contaminants like dust, dirt, oxidized oil, metallic parts, etc. Therefore, you must change the oil filter before changing the oil for better performance of the machinery.

5. Buy engine protection cover

   To cover the engine of your bike, you must buy an engine protection add-on cover with your comprehensive bike insurance policy. It is an additional cover that is purchased by paying an extra premium to protect the engine from several risks. Such risks include damages caused to the engine due to water ingression, leaking of lubricants, or damages to the hydrostatic lock. Moreover, it covers the damages caused to engine parts, such as the gearbox, cylinder, piston, crankshaft, etc.

Conclusion

To maintain your bike, it is crucial to change your bike's engine oil on time. You can follow the above-mentioned tips to change it. Also, it is recommended to buy an engine protection add-on cover with your comprehensive bike insurance policy for extra protection against several unpredicted risks.