Oil Change. First report in!!!

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I went for a ride yesterday with friends from El Paso. We rode out To Cornoudas Texas on to Guadalupe Peak, out to Van Horn and back.

I am really loving my Rocket. I plan on changing both the oil and rear drive fluid at 5 K miles. I know that the oil is not due to be changed for 10,000 miles and the rear drive fluid is some ridiculous interval like 20,000 but I figure it's cheap enough and it's easy to do.

I just hit 4600 miles and figured in oil change was about due. The old oil didn't look bad, but I figure it's good to get rid of it since the previous owner only put 1400 miles on the bike into an a half years. I'm not a big fan of engine fluids when they just sit and gather condensation.

I pulled each drain plug on the bike was nice and hot. Then I put a large drain pan underneath all three and where the oil filter was and used some compressed air to blow out whatever was left. I had the bike proped level as well.

I installed one of those reusable oil filters from PC racing as well. I really like the heat sink feature on the outside of it the dumps more heat away from the engine. I also replaced one of the drain plugs with a magnetic drain plug.

At 10,000 miles I plan on changing the oil and drive fluid again.

However I will also be bringing the bike into a shop in Arizona where I'll be getting my power commander five and Ramm Air installed, new tires, getting the valves adjusted throttle bodies balanced and all the other maintenance that I'm not capable of doing myself.

I'll post an actual picture of the magnetic drain plug and the reusable oil filter screen next time I change the oil to let everyone see what's on it.

Valve adjustment at 10,000 miles is no longer required by Truimph nor is it necessary. I did check my clearance at 10,000 miles and all valves were within tolerance. Now at 25,000 I have seven valves that are slightly out of tolerance on the high side. After going through the process of valve adjustments and realizing first hand the amount of work involved there is no way I would take my bike into a shop to have this done. An experienced mechanic in a shop is hard to find. Especially one who has worked on and is knowledgeable of the Rocket. I have spent a lot of time studying and acquiring the skills to accomplish this job. I removed the throttle bodys, coils and tied up all the loose wires so when it comes time to install the valve cover we have a clean open shot at getting the gasket and cover on correctly. Even so with all the homework done before starting this job, I have had to ask questions. The response on this site has been nothing short of amazing. I post my question and within minutes help arrives. Hat's off to warp 9. He knows his way around the Rocket. Tune ECU is a much better program than a Power Commander. Dealers seem to like Power Commanders for reasons I do not know, other than they make money off of it. The Ramair is fairly simple to install and there is a great video on youtube on installing it. The service manual Truimph has for the Rocket is outstanding. By taking your time and doing your homework it can be done. If I can do it with my limited IQ anyone can. Good choice on the oil.

Thanks for the info. I downloaded the triumph manual and maybe it's a couple years old but it recommends checking Valves at every 10,000. That would be great if I don't have to do that for maybe another 10,000.

I found the shop, unfortunately it's not nearby but they appear to really know what they're doing with triumph and rockets in particular. The owner worked at a triumph dealership for years before branching out on his own.

The owner who I talked to is the one to swayed me towards the power commander versus tune ECU. Both systems have advantages and disadvantages.

I'm not opposed to learning new skills however for now I'm just going to stick with what I'm comfortable with doing.

For now that list includes oil changes, final drive fluid, brake pads and fluid maintenance, coolant, and any other easy stuff.

Your lucky. Here in Oklahoma we are on are own.

Those mesh filters look cool and have slick marketing, and I fell for it, and never put it on any of my bikes. Someone on here posted a comparison of those with paper filters, and the particle size captured by paper is far better that what is offered by the metal ones. The one you posted may be different -- just saying you need to consider what is your requirement, then look closely at the products to see if they meet your requirement. Filters are not created equal.

EDIT: What You Need To Know About Engine Oil Filters

Just looked at the PC Racing filter on Amazon, and with no test results, there is a quick claim of "35 microns" . . . your results may vary.

I wish someone would make one of those cool finned housings that would take a replaceable paper element.

Joesmoe said:

Those mesh filters look cool and have slick marketing, and I fell for it, and never put it on any of my bikes. Someone on here posted a comparison of those with paper filters, and the particle size captured by paper is far better that what is offered by the metal ones. The one you posted may be different -- just saying you need to consider what is your requirement, then look closely at the products to see if they meet your requirement. Filters are not created equal.

EDIT: What You Need To Know About Engine Oil Filters

Just looked at the PC Racing filter on Amazon, and with no test results, there is a quick claim of "35 microns" . . . your results may vary.

Click to expand...

Fully agree with Paul's concerns about mesh filters that can be cleaned. These filters look cool and cost a lot. Offset this by the claim of saving future filter purchases is real but.......

A cleaned mesh filter is never really clean. Apart from not being able to compete with the particle size capture of a premium paper or synthetic filter, the supposed cleaned mesh filter may and probably will reintroduce contaminants to the oil from the cleaning process. What these particles do to the engine internals......well just imagine.

Gregger said:

Fully agree with Paul's concerns about mesh filters that can be cleaned. These filters look cool and cost a lot. Offset this by the claim of saving future filter purchases is real but.......

A cleaned mesh filter is never really clean. Apart from not being able to compete with the particle size capture of a premium paper or synthetic filter, the supposed cleaned mesh filter may and probably will reintroduce contaminants to the oil from the cleaning process. What these particles do to the engine internals......well just imagine.

Click to expand...

I plan on changing my oil every 5000 miles regardless of what filter type. This type of filter has a magnet at the base of it and I install the magnetic drain plug underneath the sump on the bike.

When I do My next oil change which will be right at 10,000 miles i'll take pictures and show what's on both magnets and the reusable screen and I'll drain the oil into a clean container and then pour it through a paper coffee filter to see if there's anything on there.

JamiePT said:

I plan on changing my oil every 5000 miles regardless of what filter type. This type of filter has a magnet at the base of it and I install the magnetic drain plug underneath the sump on the bike.

When I do My next oil change which will be right at 10,000 miles i'll take pictures and show what's on both magnets and the reusable screen and I'll drain the oil into a clean container and then pour it through a paper coffee filter to see if there's anything on there.

Click to expand...

If you want to know the cold hard truth about what's going on with your oil and if your filter is effective, there's only one way to go. Drop the $28 (or less in a bulk buy) and get your oil analyzed by Blackstone Labs (or equivalent). Anything else is a guess.