Oil change

[rew750]

I've been on this site before, but just now have started posting as I've had my Blur since the Spring of 2008. So far the bike has been great, the having the maintenance done at the local Sportique Scooter shop is just way too expensive, over $100. I'm wondering if anyone has instructions on how to do the oil changes on the Blur? And on what type of oil to use and where to get Oil filters as I assume they should be changed with each oil change. Also how often should the oil be changed? And what other general maintenance can a user do themselves?

[fs8gbe]

welcome! i think this is what you are looking for. check out the guides section from the main site. alot of very good information.

topic5887.html#67846

[rew750]

Thanks for the link. This document takes all of the mystery out of doing this myself, and will save me lots of dough.

I curious about the use of synthetic oil which is mentioned here. Does using a synthetic oil mean I don't need to change the oil as frequently? Also what is the best rule of thumb on how often the oil needs changing? I see varying opinions about this on forum. Right now I'm changing it about every 1500 miles or so. thanks...

[fs8gbe]

i've been checking it at 1500 BDU's, but right now, at 3000 BDU's, i'm holding out for 6000 BDU's before my next maint window.

[Lostmycage]

The recommended frequency is 1000m according to the owner's manual if I recall correctly. The whole point of synthetics is that it retains it's viscosity longer. Lots of folks change it around the 2k mark when running synthetic oil.

About motorcycle oil: recommended change in general is with the assumption that the transmission gears are involved in the lubrication system as well - which will reduce the expected lifetime of the oil (this is figured in with recommendations for oil changes on motorcycles). Ours is a high revving engine, but there's no transmission on the same lub circuit. We also have an oil cooler and an oil filter to help process the oil and help it keep it's lubrication properties.

It all comes down to how comfortable you are with your particular choice in motoroil and schedule.

Sorry for being non-committal, this topic in the past has sparked a few pretty ridiculous debates.

[femsatronic]

let's be fair. You are paying over $100 for a service - not just an oil change.
If you would like a breakdown please call the shop. I would be glad to fax you one. We do a ton of stuff with each major service - an entire checklist.

Oil change only is $35 plus parts.

We are anything but expensive and we service literally THOUSANDS of scooters.

[femsatronic]

welcome! i think this is what you are looking for. check out the guides section from the main site. alot of very good information.

topic5887.html#67846

we also have filters for $12

[fs8gbe]

let's be fair. You are paying over $100 for a service - not just an oil change.
If you would like a breakdown please call the shop. I would be glad to fax you one. We do a ton of stuff with each major service - an entire checklist.

Oil change only is $35 plus parts.

We are anything but expensive and we service literally THOUSANDS of scooters.

this is the main reason why i take my scooter into a shop (not there, i live in atl and use twist and scoot) so that someone that knows better than i can give it a good rundown and make sure nothing is screwing up...

[Lostmycage]

let's be fair. You are paying over $100 for a service - not just an oil change.
If you would like a breakdown please call the shop. I would be glad to fax you one. We do a ton of stuff with each major service - an entire checklist.

Oil change only is $35 plus parts.

We are anything but expensive and we service literally THOUSANDS of scooters.

That's a good point... but that comment came from left field, lol. Was someone not being fair?

[BeachBuzz]

let's be fair. You are paying over $100 for a service - not just an oil change.
If you would like a breakdown please call the shop. I would be glad to fax you one. We do a ton of stuff with each major service - an entire checklist.

Oil change only is $35 plus parts.

We are anything but expensive and we service literally THOUSANDS of scooters.

That's a good point... but that comment came from left field, lol. Was someone not being fair?

the OP never said it was unfair but he did say "Sportique Scooter shop is just way too expensive, over $100" - femsatronic does make a good point. you could go to the shop and get just an oil change for $35 or buy a filter from them for $12 and DIY but you dont get the full scheduled maintenance service. I do every other oil change myself and take the scoots to visit the crew at Philadelphia Scooters for some more detailed TLC once a year or so.

[Lostmycage]

the OP never said it was unfair but he did say "Sportique Scooter shop is just way too expensive, over $100" - femsatronic does make a good point. you could go to the shop and get just an oil change for $35 or buy a filter from them for $12 and DIY but you dont get the full scheduled maintenance service. I do every other oil change myself and take the scoots to visit the crew at Philadelphia Scooters for some more detailed TLC once a year or so.

That's probably the best way to keep it serviced unless you've got a garage full of tools.

As for being fair, yes, the shops have a nice long checklist to go over when they perform a service. As long as they're doing everything on that list, then $100 is a pretty good deal. Could the average owner do those thing themselves? Absolutely. Is it likely that the average owner will miss something that could cause a spendy failure? You betcha.

Do I think it's expensive to "just change the oil" Hell yeah I do, but it's not the dealer's over-charging. Oil filters run around $12, decent oil is gonna cost you about $4-5. Then there's the oil disposal fees and shop costs like rags for cleanup and the like. And $35 isn't too bad for labor on just an oil change. I've heard of other shops charging as much as $70.

The $100 service likely includes a full look over. Transmission oil change, valve check, carb check/tweak (including idle adjustment), chassis lube, tolerance checks for brakes, suspension, and a test ride to make sure that the bearings are functioning fine. There's other things involved in that service as well, so $100 is a pretty good deal. I'd happily endorse taking it in for one of those services at least once a year. And that's coming from a guy who does his own maintenance (for the most part).

[rew750]

Each time I brought in the Scooter for an oil change, I was never offered the $35 Oil Change that you mentioned. Only the Service where the motor oil is changed, along with the gear oil. Basically the breakdown is about $25 in parts, $11 disposal fee, and over $100 in Labor, at $80 per hour. I don't have the exact receipt in front of me. But the total cost was almost $150. If someone had said hey we can do a oil change for $35, I would have done that, since the scooter is running well and just needs that done every 1500 miles or so. So I guess next time I'll be sure to say oil change and make sure I get a quote up front for $35.

[babblefish]

So I guess next time I'll be sure to say oil change and make sure I get a quote up front for $35.

...plus parts.

[cameron]

the only shop near me wants over $300. They didn't run down the list of what that service includes, but all I said was 'oil change'. I'm sure it's worth it to some degree, but I cant afford that. which brings me here to find out how to do it myself. thanks everybody! btw can anyone recommend somewhere online to buy supplies? I found 'scooter lounge online' but wonder if there's a "modern buddy" endorsed source...

[babblefish]

What kind of supplies do you need? The only scooter specific part is the oil filter itself which can be bought at any local (best) or online scooter or motorcycle shop. The oil can be bought at any auto car parts house unless you want oil specifically made for motorcycles. I just use Mobil 1 and am perfectly happy with it.

[Lostmycage]

$300 is pretty damned steep. Mind posting what they're doing for that price? If you're paying that much every few thousand miles, it's cheaper to drive your car!! If they can't tell you what they're doing for that much money... I'd not so nicely tell them to shove it, painfully, where the sun rarely graces them. That's the draw of these little machines, right?

For the oil change, head to the Tech library and see <a href="topic5887.html#67846">Illnoise's</a> excellent post on the Blur 3k service.

<a href="topic8312.html#101937">Olhogrider's</a> valve adjustment works on the Blur (same measurements: .08mm) but the Blur's a lot easier to get to. You can actually adjust the valves with just the seat pan removed (you'll need to be on your back and have adequate light).

The only thing really missing is a steering bearing check (put it on the centerstand, weight the back down so the front wheel is off the ground and turn the handlebars side to side - if there's any type of catch or notchyness to it, get it checked out), idle check (which on the Blur is easy since we have a tach - see <a href="topic4153.html#46188">ericalm's post</a> and not you want to do this while the seat is removed as there's no access door - aim for around 2000 rpm idle) and frame/chassis lube (we're still missing a good write up on this one).

Other than that, there's the tolerance checks which are available in the service manual: Belt, rollers, clutch pads (wouldn't worry about these with a stock engine until after 10k miles or so). Blow the CVT case out with compressed air and you should be in pretty good shape.

As always, it's better to let someone who knows that they're doing do this work, but if you can't afford it - it's better that it's at least looked at than completely ignored.

Hope that helps!