oil change

Ok, this has prolly be asked a million times, and I apologize...

Im trying to chnage the oil in my engine. 82 xj750 maxim. for the life of me, i cant get the thing on the center stand. Im told youshould change the oil this way, but damn it, it just aint goin up on that stand. im not a small guy, 6', 210 lbs, but nothing i can do gets it up on that stand. i searched and found a few previous links saying ho0w to do it. right foot on stand, right foot on rear handle, left on bars, push back. nothing.. nearly dropped the bike a few times. then tried standing on the stand and yanking back.. this was a lot closer to being successful, but it still didntwork. so right now, im thinking screw it. so yeah, is it going to hurt anything, or drain teh oil properly, if i let it drain on the side stand, then straighten it up for a min when its bout out? also, i wsa goig to change the gear oil in the diff. can that be changed on the side stand too? any sort of sealant that ill need for that diff plug? i read that it only take 200 cc's of fluid. so basically .25 quarts? thanks for all your help guys..

 

I'm a little guy and have no trouble geting my XJ750 on center stand. Thers a handle on left side close to rear of bike. I just lift up on handle with right hand and push down on stand with right foot. Goes up on stand with very little effert. I learned the hard way not to take bike off center stand with a hand full of tools. Droped bike and broke right side cover with brake pedal. Found cover on ebay for $14.00 new gasket $5.00 up and running in no time.

 

There's no easier way to get hurt ... or, dump a bike ... than working on it on the side stand.

Step down on the workstand ... center it ... by feeling BOTH legs making contact. Lift the ass-end and pull the weight toward the rear. Bingo.

If you can't do alone ... but plan on laying a wrench on the underside of the bike ... get somebody to help you --- remember: The side stand is spring loaded to retract upon movement. The worksand is NOT. The weight of the bike KEEPS the bike on the workstand. A slip-up working on the bike supported by the sidestand ... may very well put the weight of the bike on YOU. I've always foun it easier to get the bike on the workstand ... than lift the whole bike off the floor.

Be safe ... get somebody to help you put the bike on the workstand.

 

Is the center stand hitting the crossover pipe [exhaust] underneath when trying in the up position? have a look...


I still rekon day should be elekrik......

 

SHould be pretty easy to get on stand, check the stand itself, look for anything broken or bent on the stand. Road debris or something may have bounced off it at one time or another and noe will not allow it to come down completly. If not and you still can't get it on the stand alone, I agree with the others, get some help, don't work on it from the side stand. This couls cause you more work on the bike and yourself if it falls on you.

 

I just looked at Seca550_SF's bike and his center stand lugs were bent. I would encourage you to check them out very carefully. All the warnings you've read here are valid, I'd hate to hear of you getting hurt. Best of luck to you Camaroman1181.

 

Camaroman:

Assuming there's nothing wrong with your center stand (check it first as the other guys directed), then just remember to let your right arm act like a mechanical linkage between you and the bike, then act as if you're trying to push the centerstand down into the floor with your right foot.

As your body straightens and you use your right arm to leverage more pressure down on the stand, the bike will rise and shift back.

Don't try to pull/rock/shift BACK, just focus on pushing DOWN and pulling up.

My first attempts were comical and strenuous, but now I do it everytime I park my bike, and can't remember what was so hard about it!

Good luck!
Herb

 

thanks for all the help guys! being a new guy to bikes, i had no clue about that side stand. i mean, i wont touch a car not on jack stands, so this is a great tip. Unfortunately, i was unable to view this til after the job was done. that wont happen again. Im still trying to figure out that center stand. Gonna have to check to see if its bent. It looks straight though. i was trying to use it on my concrete garage floor, and both of the legs have the white scraps on the bottom. I can def. feel when im sitting on both legs. It doesnt seem bent, but ill give it another look. I think im just attempting at the stand wrong. But, without other help, i didnt want to risk dropping the bike.

The oil def. needed it. It was pretty black. And the filter!? geez! it looked to be about 5 yrs old. While I was under there, i changed the diff fluid as well. that wasnt in too bad a shape (from the looks of it) but for the sake of maintenance, it got changed too. The one thing i was happy to see was that my bike had magnetic drain plugs for both fluids! Are these factory? If so, thats a great safe gaurd. If not, im glad that one of the previous owners knew enough to use them.

I took the bike out last night for a good cruise (just wanted to get out and free the mind, ya konw?) It was like a whole new b ike! A lot smoother, revved waaaay easier, shifted smoother, i was using less throttle to maintain speeds, and it even was idling correct now. It used to idle funny, but every time this trip it was dead on 1200 rpms... no fluctuations, not going up to 2k like it has been on occasion. This bike just keeps pleasing more and more every day. Now if only I can learn to not drip gas all over the tank and take off the wax every time i fill it up. lol..

thanks again for the assistance!