by MSW » Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:31 pm
I have to say that, although the Baggy does have the most complex oil change procedure known to man, it's really not that bad. There are a lot of steps, but they don't take that much longer than the typical oil change. All of the screws are easily accessible and close together. If you have a wide enough drain pan (my wife still hasn't noticed the missing dishpan from our kitchen), they can all drain pretty much simultaneously, and you're not wasting a lot of time.
My biggest complaint is that there doesn't seem to be a rubber oil seal on the main drain plug like the manual says (at least there wasn't on my bike). The parts list doesn't show a rubber seal there either. Otherwise, now that I've done it a few times, it goes fairly quickly and smoothly.
That said, if you're primarily concerned with being able to do an oil change on your bike in 30 minutes or less, then I can see where you'd be frustrated by the Baggy. However, I don't have that problem. In my years as an amateur motorcycle mechanic, I've made every mistake you can possibly imagine during every mechanical procedure performed on my bike, no matter how simple or complicated. Just with regard to oil changes, I can't recall the number of times fresh oil has come puring out of my motor because I forgot to replace or didn't sufficiently tighten a bolt or seal.
Accidentally leave the old oil filter seal on and install the new filter w/seal over it? Been there.
Forget to replace the drain plug before pouring fresh oil into the motor? Done that.
So, I don't mind that extra 15 minutes or so that the Baggy oil change procedure takes. I'm going to move slowly and triple-check every step anyway. I just count on an hour to do the oil change, and if it takes me less, I get suspicious.
I simply cannot be trusted.
MSW
2005 Black Panther
I like my beer like I like my women: cold, dark, and bitter.