I'm gonna change my oil this weekend, and was wondering how much oil goes in? I'm sure this has been asked many times so I'll apologize in advance. I'm also wondering with the oil hose and plug under the bike, and the oil filter on the side up front, any tips on how to avoid a mess?

 

3.5 qts. cut some cardboard and slide it under the filter before removing it. Get a cheap long funnel so you dont spill when putting the oil back in.

Start your bike, run it for about 60 seconds then check your filter and plug for leaks.

Have fun.

 

Thank you, that about covers it.

 

If you have a lift or a way to keep your bike straight up the spill when you take the filter off is minimal. I would start with 3 qts. and check after running.

 

I don't really know if it matters, but I think the bike is designed to be emptied of oil while on the jiff. If straight up would you maybe not get as much of it out?

 

Where do you people come up with these BS answers?

An engine oil change on a Sporty will take LESS THAN 3 quarts, typically about 2.75 quarts.

The primary/tranny takes exactly 1 quart.

Done with the bike on the jiffy stand.

 

Put a little less than 3qts in to start and check level after warm. The original manual has been corrected, it specified too high an amount be put in. To avoid making a mess when removing the filter. Cut the bottom out of a 2 liter bottle and then cut out a section of one side and slide this under your filter when loosening and removing it.

 

First i heard of the 2.75 quarts as I always used 3 quarts in the engine ( mobil 1 15-50 ) . But I do stand the bike up and lean it from side to side about a zillion times ( Yes I'm **** ) to get out as much as posible. Plus it sits in it's garage and drips another hour or so as I do other things around the house. I also marked My oil stick the first time I filled it to give these old eyes a reference point . cHarley does the extra .25 quart cause any engine issues as I am not getting any out of the Air box and nothing is leaking ? .........WVleo

 

No, going with up to 3 quarts won't hurt anything, it's just that any Sporty I've seen or heard of will wind up puking that excess out of the breathers. The 3.5 quarts listed by one poster can and likely will cause real problems, the most common of which is blowing the dipstick out of the tank.

When I do an oil change, I initially install only 2.5 quarts of oil. Remember, unlike a wet sump in a car motor, your oil is fed from a tank, so as long as there is at least a reasonable amount of oil in the tank you're OK. Next, I take the bike for about a 10 mile ride to get it up to temp, AND to let the oil circulate to work the air out of the oil system lines. Then, I check the dipstick and adjust the oil level as necessary. You'll never get an overfill that way.

Quite a bit of user history has shown that Sporty EVO motors will have fewer problems with blowby if they are run about 1/4 of the way below where the factory FULL mark is on the dipsick.

Added note: Not all oil filters have the same oil capacity, and your filter choice can/will affect the total amount of oil you use.

Below is a pic courtesy of OldFenderGuy.
The smaller HD filter in the pic is the stock Sporty filter, the larger HD filter is a high capacity version (which I use). If you're using a Wix/NAPA filter, they have a smaller capacity than the smaller HD filter.

 

I run my dipstick at 2/3 Full and have had no worries.. Learned that long ago with Sporties..