[ashwinprakas]

Hi Guys,

This is a very old DIY we'd done circa 2014 when I was instructing my classmate on how to change his Honda's engine and gear oil. The goal of sharing it now is so that scooter owners can learn to work on their own motorcycles rather than depend on SVC's.

Also to note, the only regular periodic service that your scooter requires is an oil change at 2k(Engine Oil) and 4k(Transmission Oil) km's respectively.

Also F.Y.I:

Your air filter is to be changed at 10k intervals along with your spark plug, it would also be a good idea to change your cables around the same time as they don't cost much but has a noticeable impact on performance, plus it is only commonsense to change a part a bit early than wait for it to give up while riding.

Brake pads also can be changed at the 10k mark or as per your wear indicator, I change at the 10k mark as they don't cost much and its better to run on fresh pads and a cleaned out drum.

The CVT clutch is something that only needs to be changed/serviced once a performance drop is noticed, there is frankly no point in opening the cover and blowing the dust away every now and then, this is something that SVC's frequently charge you for, so do watch out. It is any day better to replace your CVT clutch a bit early in one go than open it up every 5k or so for the purpose of inspection and cleaning.

Carburetor cleaning, well this one has been there for a really long time, I have a Bajaj Pulsar 220 which is over 4 years old and has covered 30k+ on the odometer, and its carburetor has not been touched, as in literally, no AFR/idle adjustments as well, and its still running fine, so next time your SVC suggests the same when your motorcycle is running fine then chances are that your SVC is trying to scam you.

So without any further ado lets get to the business at hand!

And before you start make sure to get the oil quantity and specifics right, refer your owners manual for the same. Ideally a 900ml bottle would suffice as the engine and transmission use the same 4T engine oil with the only difference being change interval.

Tools Required:

• 17mm Socket
• 12mm Socket
• Angled funnel
• Oil dropper

Procedure:

Remove the oil cap, drain bolt and spacer.



Catch the oil using a pan and wait till the entire oil is drained, once flow stops ensure everything is out by turning the motor using the kicker.
BTW the oil drains sooner if the bike is tilted backwards, just push down on the seat.



Now more to the other side of the bike and look for the strainer bolt, its the one on the left of the engine number.



Yup! You've found it.



Remove the spring, strainer and bolt, and clean everything.



Once clean, put everything back.



Properly torque and ensure that there are no leaks from the strainer bolt as well as the drain bolt.



Now its time to pour in the new oil, the quantity is 700ml.



This is where the angled funnel comes into place.



After filling check the mark on the level and make sure its right.



Now for the gear oil, drain via the drain window by undoing the bolt seen in the picture once drained and closed, fill 120ml oil after undoing the identical bolt above the drain window bolt, use an oil dropper and squirt oil into the fill window util it starts overflowing, close the fill window with the bolt and you're done!



Dispose the old oil in compliance to your respective environmental laws.



In our case we were staying inside a residential university compound at the time so we had to opt for the not so eco-friendly route, usually scrap dealers would be glad to take the used oil off your hands if you pour it back into the empty bottle that the oil came in.

Cheers,
A.P.

[Yieldway17]

This was very useful. Thanks very much! My only concern so far has been in attempting this is disposing the oil, I probably have to hand it over to a nearby mechanic who might pass on to a proper scrap dealer.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Yieldway17

This was very useful. Thanks very much! My only concern so far has been in attempting this is disposing the oil, I probably have to hand it over to a nearby mechanic who might pass on to a proper scrap dealer.

Thank you for the kind words.

At home i.e Kerala, I just refill the used empty bottle with the old oil and keep it by the end of the week the scrap collector would have collected it without saying, we've come to an agreement that when he does come to collect newspaper he can collect the oil cans free of charge.

My grandmother insists on asking for money as in the case with the newspaper but I insist on him collecting it for free as in reality he is doing us all a favor.

[condor]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

In our case we were staying inside a residential university compound at the time so we had to opt for the not so eco-friendly route, usually scrap dealers would be glad to take the used oil off your hands if you pour it back into the empty bottle that the oil came in.

Thanks Ashwin for this post. Very helpful for those who want to try it.

Regarding the used oil, one just needs to collect it and can give it to any garage or even Shell bunks where they change oil). This can be done along with say car servicing, or when filling fuel.

[karthikbhat8923]

I own a 2015 Honda dio. It has run around 26,000 Kms in the past 2.5 years. Daily ridden only in the city. It runs around 500-600Kms every month. The vehicle is given for its periodic service at HMSI service centers every 4 months or 4000 Kms(according to the manual).

At every periodic service, the service advisor insists that the carburettor cleaning and the clutch overhauling needs to be done. This alone costs around Rs300. The oil change and general service costs around Rs 700 more. Lubrication of shocks costs around Rs120 more.

Is clutch overhauling/cleaning(they dont inform what is done clearly), carburettor cleaning and shocks lub required every 4 months?

The service manual doesn't include this in the periodic service schedule. But the mechanics and the advisors insist doing it.


PS: In mid-2017 to early 2018, the vehicle gave me a lot of problems. It used to switch off automatically when riding for about 15-20Kms, with a pillion, at a average speed of 50Kmph. After numerous repairs and calls/emails to the HMSI service engineer, and call center, it was detected that faulty piston rings caused this issue. The piston rings and the piston was replaced under warranty by HMSI. Not facing such issues anymore.

[ashwinprakas]

Hi Friend,

I've posted this DIY for your and every other scooter owners benefit, have also explained about various maintenance rituals and adequate intervals to perform the same.

DIY: Scooter Engine and Transmission Oil Change (DIY: Scooter Engine & Transmission oil change)

I would suggest you go through the post as SVC's tend to convince unsuspecting owners to pay for maintenance rituals that bear minimal to nil benefit considering the whole scheme of things.

Cheers.
A.P.

[scorpian]

Great DIY.
I have been following this practice for last many years, not only does it save you time from waiting at the service station but also prevents unwanted cost add-ons plus a few scratches here and there.
For the extra amount that goes to the service center, you may as well buy better quality oils and there by increase longevity of your bike/scooter.

Your regular service would basically comprise of changing engine oil and trust me it hardly takes 20 mins.
Normally for my suzuki access i change the oil every 2500kms, clean the air filter-this takes the longest time as the access filter is located under so many screws.
Every 4000kms replace gear oil or if your more particular just replace it when your doing your oil change, its just 120 ml.
Every 10k kilometeres i clean both brakes, inspect the cables and lubricate them, replace the spark plug. This is more then enough, there is no need to fiddle with the carburetor unless its been troubling you.On a side note to help with that i use system g and it does help to a great extent.

[amit_purohit20]

Air cleaner cleaning and with that carburetor cleaning should be done at regular intervals. Carburetor cleaning can be done at extended intervals. Cleaning air cleaner with compressed air (paper element based) and the ones with oil and sponge combination should be cleaned with petrol. Inspite of cleaning a lot of fine muck enters the carburetor and hence it needs to be periodically cleaned too. Please note carburetor cleaning doesn't mean fiddling with its settings. Fiddling with settings should never be done unless your vehicle is giving you some problem. Color of the spark plug will give you a lot of insight into how your engine is working (lean or rich).

About cleaning the drive belt cover, it should be done at extended intervals to ensure good friction between belt and pulleys. Removing dirt from the fly weights of the cvt mechanism also keeps them from sticking and creating any noise.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by scorpian

Great DIY.
I have been following this practice for last many years, not only does it save you time from waiting at the service station but also prevents unwanted cost add-ons plus a few scratches here and there.
For the extra amount that goes to the service center, you may as well buy better quality oils and there by increase longevity of your bike/scooter.

Your regular service would basically comprise of changing engine oil and trust me it hardly takes 20 mins.
Normally for my suzuki access i change the oil every 2500kms, clean the air filter-this takes the longest time as the access filter is located under so many screws.
Every 4000kms replace gear oil or if your more particular just replace it when your doing your oil change, its just 120 ml.
Every 10k kilometeres i clean both brakes, inspect the cables and lubricate them, replace the spark plug. This is more then enough, there is no need to fiddle with the carburetor unless its been troubling you.On a side note to help with that i use system g and it does help to a great extent.

Thank you.

As for gear oil change as you said I personally change it along with the engine oil, cause I hate wasting oil and I despise storing oil once the seal has been opened, no scientific reason just my OCD kicking in I guess, plus anyhow we're getting 900ml bottles why keep the 150~200ml aside.

Though not required as frequently as per Indian standards I go with the international manuals and prefer to change the rubber squish washer and paper washers on every change, the paper washers for the gear drain and fill bolts aren't available with the SVC for some odd reason so I manage with plumbing tape.

Funny thing being with the ZMA I change the drain cover on every oil change, the cover being aluminum deforms with the least resistance so I change it, along with the O ring costs 20/- small price to pay for peace of mind, again my OCD!

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

Air cleaner cleaning and with that carburetor cleaning should be done at regular intervals. Carburetor cleaning can be done at extended intervals. Cleaning air cleaner with compressed air (paper element based) and the ones with oil and sponge combination should be cleaned with petrol. Inspite of cleaning a lot of fine muck enters the carburetor and hence it needs to be periodically cleaned too. Please note carburetor cleaning doesn't mean fiddling with its settings. Fiddling with settings should never be done unless your vehicle is giving you some problem. Color of the spark plug will give you a lot of insight into how your engine is working (lean or rich).

About cleaning the drive belt cover, it should be done at extended intervals to ensure good friction between belt and pulleys. Removing dirt from the fly weights of the cvt mechanism also keeps them from sticking and creating any noise.

To each his own, here are my views on the same;

I expect to squeeze at least 1,00,000 km's from a motor before going for a major overhaul, not having reached the magic number on my motorcycles until now is a different story or stories. So say in 1L km's I open and close things a little too frequently I'm looking at redoing threads prematurely which is something I dread.

As for the air filter, irrespective of the make I am absolutely against cleaning and re-using, for my motorcycles I change at 5k intervals, for my scooter I kept it till 10k because unlike motorcycles the air filter doesn't get as dirty or clogged up for some reason in spite of interstate runs, strange but true.

The reason for going against cleaning is due to the filter materials integrity being compromised, used to buy stock and custom filters from an aftermarket(OEM for some) supplier named 'ArrowHead Filters' and our point of contact also being an automotive enthusiast advised us against re-using any filter due to change in pore size after cleaning, more prominent with foam filters, as for paper filters on cleaning with pressurized air the pores tend to deform and clog.

So coming to think of it changing a little early makes sense cause saving 100/- is not worth the hassle.

Carburetors do get dirty, no doubt about it, they also get clogged if the machine is kept unused for longer intervals, but from my experience there isn't anything that cant get resolved with a bit of fuel additive, I've tried the IOC Addon P which costs roughly 20/- when my float pin was dirty and caused the carburetor to overflow after the motorcycle was kept idle for a few months and after running on it for a while everything was back to normal, I do think that even without the additive the issue would've cleared up after putting some miles on fresh petrol due to its naturally abrasive nature, but then 20/- isn't much for peace of mind.

Again worst case scenario for a CV carburetor an overhaul is imminent so I don't mind changing it to a new carburetor after covering say 50k km's cause 2k is something I'm willing to spend for peace of mind if that ensures another 50k km's for hassle free riding, especially since I travel far and I'd rather be 2k poor than save 1.5k and end up with a faulty machine in the middle of nowhere.

Once again fuel quality might be better(though I doubt it) at my place so it wouldn't hurt to add a 20/- inline fuel filter, they come with a magnet as well to capture rust(not present in the one below as its an OEM from Hero used on my Discover 100).



True about SP reads, also to take note is that every time the tuning is changed the motorcycle should be running on brand new consumables to get a good read and achieve a good state of tune, something that the SVC's completely over see. And due to the lack of lead rather than dark brown it is best to aim for coffee brown.



As for the CVT belts, again I'm glad to have them replaced than cleaned and extended, the residue for that matter is sprayed around the casing and seldom rests on the drive and if by chance its starting to squeak then you're better replacing the belt cause the CVT only squeaks after it starts to get hard or has lost enough material that the dust starts to interfere with the drive.

These are just my thoughts and experience, anyhow it is still best to go DIY rather than depend on SVC's cause even if you intend to clean the carburetor or belt at 5k intervals it would still make sense to do it on your own the right way than to let the mechanic do it, cause I've seen the way they do it and even if I'm fine to ignore the lack of cleanliness what still bothers me is the undue torque they apply to the nuts and bolts, scary indeed!



That's my ZMA's drain cover, last time I went to the SVC for an oil change!

[scorpian]

I do the same with my Karizma, I buy a couple of drain caps and replace at every oil change. Small price to pay for peace of mind rather then get stuck 500 kilometers from home with a leaking oil cap.

Filter's should be replaced and most of the time they hardly cost much, what I do is I always get a set, one to replace and one in my stock so that I don't have to frequent go to SVC for parts. Usually when I open the air filter I just tap it, if its very dirty then no tapping, its directly replaced. Sometimes it usually is in ok condition and doesn't warrant a replacement so I tap a few times to loosen any dust and debris works good for me.

All these small bits do go a long way in ensuring getting better rides and least breakdowns.

[motorpsycho]

I changed the engine oil on my Activa recently. One thing I observed is, no one stocks Honda transmission oil/gear box oil. Most of the mechanics just fill the gearbox with engine oil. We need about 120, Yamaha sells gearoil, but in packs of 100 ML.

[Crankpin]

You can get gear oil in any oil dealership in town. Castrol, Shell almost all make it. Gear oil doesn't need to be changed that often but you should follow your manual for the interval periods.

Suzuki dealerships sell a good fully-synthetic oil by ECSTAR which is 10W40 I guess and costs about 600 RS per litre. Am currently using that oil and seems to be good.. just like any other synthetic oil.

[arpanguha]

Originally Posted by karthikbhat8923

At every periodic service, the service advisor insists that the carburettor cleaning and the clutch overhauling needs to be done. This alone costs around Rs300. The oil change and general service costs around Rs 700 more. Lubrication of shocks costs around Rs120 more.

Is clutch overhauling/cleaning(they dont inform what is done clearly), carburettor cleaning and shocks lub required every 4 months?

The service manual doesn't include this in the periodic service schedule. But the mechanics and the advisors insist doing it.

Hello,

All these CVT scooters running in India have a dry centrifugal friction clutch in the final transmission. The centrifugal clutch by nature suffers wear and tear to the friction shoes every time you go from standstill to moving and also running wear. This generates a fine dust which accumulates inside the CVT housing. However this does not affect performance in any major way. Given the nature of these clutches the friction pads also cannot be overhauled as the return spring takes care of the dis/engagement. They can only be replaced once worn out.

TLDR; Clutch overhaul/cleaning is just blowing dust off with compressed air, not required. Clutch shoes generally requires replacement around every 20000 km.

Given the nature of Indian fuel quality carburettor cleaning may sound reasonable. However there are already 2 more filters in the fuel line to take care of majority of particulate impurity before it reaches the carburettor. One
being the fuel tank filter and one being an inline filter. The only deposition in carburettors is from chemical contaminants like methanol, etc. For this cleaning with heavy oil (kerosene, diesel) and then with petrol is recommended but that too rarely.

TLDR; Carburettor cleaning, though required is needed around every 10000 km+ or if your vehicle has been standing for a long time.

Coming to shock-absorber lubrication, this is probably unique to HMSI as they use a trailing link suspension in the front compared to telescopic systems used by others. Even then it is not a required maintenance activity to lubricate the links and should be only done if there is suspension noise.

Hope this helps you to get a more economical service.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by motorpsycho

I changed the engine oil on my Activa recently. One thing I observed is, no one stocks Honda transmission oil/gear box oil. Most of the mechanics just fill the gearbox with engine oil. We need about 120, Yamaha sells gearoil, but in packs of 100 ML.

Originally Posted by Crankpin

You can get gear oil in any oil dealership in town. Castrol, Shell almost all make it. Gear oil doesn't need to be changed that often but you should follow your manual for the interval periods.

Suzuki dealerships sell a good fully-synthetic oil by ECSTAR which is 10W40 I guess and costs about 600 RS per litre. Am currently using that oil and seems to be good.. just like any other synthetic oil.

I'm curious, why would you need to buy separate transmission oil?

If my memory serves me right the transmission uses the same recomended 4T oil, so when you buy a 900ml bottle for 250/- you could use 700~750ml for engine and the reamining 120~150ml you could use for the transmission.

If you're referring to small saches/bottles of 4T to be bought for changing the transmission oil alone i.e 100~150ml then you could get them from Bajaj ASC as you can get a 100ml bottle for under 50/-, dont remember the exact price though.

[Crankpin]

Transmission or Gear-Box oil is different from your Engine oil in case of scooters. Engine oil lubricates the big-end, cylinder and valve-train. Gearbox oil is used to lubricate/ cool the final transmission gears which run the CVT unit.
It requires very little quantity (100-200 ml) to fill in.

There is a small drain bolt on the left side transmission case above the rear brake adjuster which is used to drain/ refill the transmission/ gear oil.
Engine oil ( 10W40/ 20W40) is not recommended to be used in the scooter gearbox.
Hence, you should buy gear oil separately