First timer changing his oil

[BoulderBud]

I just hit 300 miles and am getting ready to do my first gear and motor oil changes. I would love to get some sage advice.

I was going to buy a Prima filter with the hex top from Amazon, and some oil from O'Reilly's. The gear oil seems like an easier decision than the engine oil. I would love some advice on what to use. Leaning towards a gallon of just good quality 10/40 or a gallon of synthetic blend for the first 4 changes.

I was not planning on trying to put oil in the filter first, since it's my first time and it seems messy and perhaps unnecessary.(it seems the cylinder might have a coating of oil on the surfaces to provide enough lubricant until the new oil passes thru the filter) I don't have a torque wrench but I know how important it is to not set the filter too loose(doesn't sound too tough, about 3/4 turn past hand tight).

Also, below is some advice From a couple years ago on MB that I thought was good. Is it?

Please feel free to give either beginner or advanced tips. I'm still a real rookie, and an avid(obsessed) reader of MB.

Thank you,
TK

MB~2011
Before you unscrew your drain plugs, mark them and the hole with a marker or nail polish or something (just like the fill hole/plastic plug is marked), so you can see how far you need to tighten them when you put them back in.

For both the plugs and the filter, before you take them off, loosen them half a turn, then try turning them back to the same spot to get a gauge on how much pressure you'll need to use when tightening it.

Once they're both back on after the oil change, mark the filter's position, too. (I just put a vertical line down the front of it.)

Then from time to time, do a quick visual check to see if they have wriggled loose.

[skully93]

Should be just fine. I got 15w-40 on sale at Wally World and haven't had a problem.

[Roofaloof]

A gallon of good quality 10w(or 15w) 40 will do you well.

Make sure the bike is level when checking fluid levels. This means NOT on the center stand or kickstand. Having a helper hold the bike steady while you check the fluid levels is a good idea.

[Syd]

Leaning towards a gallon of just good quality 10/40 or a gallon of synthetic blend for the first 4 changes.

I know this is stupid thing to say, but I have to say it anyway. A gallon of good quality whatever oil is suggested by Genuine should get you by for about four oil changes. And if your scoot is new we usually recommend dino oil over synthetic during break-in, then Full Synthetic after a thousand miles or two.

[BoulderBud]

Thank you for your replies! Stupid? No, Syd. I'm the stupid one. I thought Dino oil was a blend or a brand name until I searched where I could buy it online and found out it just means it's mineral based, not synthetic. So, I'll do my first couple changes with plankton oil and use synthetic after that.

Btw, I still have a slight fear that I'll destroy my engine by not doing the oil change properly, but I'm going to close my eyes and do it anyway.

[BuddyRaton]

Be sure that the filter is correctly torqued down, there have been a few reports of filters spinning off when not properly tightened.

[kmrcstintn]

choosing engine oil can become an obsession...

seriously, between the 2 Buddy 125's (one previously owned & the other currently owned), I have used a plethora of different oils...Super Tech 15w-40 from WalMart, Valvoline 10w-40 dino motorcycle oil, Suzuki 10w-40 synthetic blend motorcycle oil, Amsoil 10w-40 synthetic scooter oil; I have all of these leftover in my stash at home and all of them will get used up by the Buddy 125 and my Honda Shadow 750 this year; I use HiFlo Filtro brand filters & got the ratchet adapter that fits (from ScooterWest); my usual oil change interval is 1500-2000 miles;

since the Buddy oil sump only takes care of the engine (unlike many motorcycles which have a common sump for engine, clutch, and transmission), you don't need a specific motorcycle oil and you can use passenger car motor oil if you desire (may contain moly -- an anti wear agent -- that may cause a motorcycle clutch to slip); on a side note, Shell Rotella T 15w-40 & Rotella T6 5w-40 are both rated for motorcycle transmissions (shows up as JASO-MA on the back of the bottles) and are more affordable than 10w-40 motorcycle oils...might be something to consider

[Syd]

choosing engine oil can become an obsession...

It's important too. I religiously used Royal Purple on my scoot for three years. Then when I decided that RP was too spendy every 1k, I started using regular Valvoline. Know what happened? Some jackass pulled out in front of me and I T-Boned him!

Choose the right oil for you.

[DoubleD]

Changing oil at regular intervals is more important than brand. I use Havoline GTX 10-40 because it's the cheapest available at Auto Zone. Like the rest out there it too was once a bunch of live critters roaming the earth.

[Tocsik]

I thought Dino oil was a blend or a brand name until I searched where I could buy it online and found out it just means it's mineral based, not synthetic.

Yeah, Dino means it's decomposed dinosaurs. Not actually the case, but there ya go.

[BoulderBud]

Well, half my dilemma is solved. I bought a quart of Royal Purple synthetic 75W-140 gear oil.

As far as engine oil, i don't know yet. The 15W-40 oils say "diesel" on the container. Then there's a quart of Valvoline 4 stroke motorcycle oil that's 10W-40. My third choice is a Castrol 10W-40 sold for cars.

Thanks again for helping with my first oil change.

[Dooglas]

The 15W-40 oils say "diesel" on the container.

Nothing wrong with using motor oil rated for diesels in your scooter. Just means that they are heavy duty and long wearing. Most motor oils which meet the recommended standards for modern Vespa engines are actually CJ rated - Shell Rotella T-6 for example.