Fall or Spring oil change plus few other questions

Hello,

I have few things going on with my 2004 ST (almost 60k km) and some stuff I postponed for a while, so I want to somewhat create a plan and order all parts I need. Plus here in Edmonton summer is nice when it falls on the weekend , so I want to squeeze the most out of good weather and have a dream of riding until November.

I always changed oil in fall before putting ST in the garage. I kind of think it is not the best idea (I guess there is a reason why on cars they change it every 8k or 3 months whichever comes first), but I do not want to deal with it in spring simply because up until now I changed oil only at the dealership. However, after countless times of removing and assembling back tapperware, getting to know bike better and getting sick of $$$ bills and honestly so-so service (missing clips, inability to give honest advise, constant push to "sell to me more than I need" ("you have to change brake pads immediately"... I did it on my own and found that they were almost new on front and would probably run for a whole season on the back) from the local "stealer" I decided to do next maintenance myself.

Is there any pros/cons on doing oil change in fall/spring?

Plus I want to:

• Change oil/filter and air filter
• Change breaking fluid
• Replace mechanical seal (on the regular basis I smell coolant, but there are no "puddles" under the bike and I triple check all hoses - no leaks. I will check again, but something tells me that it is that mechanical seal issue) and this one
• Install 12v/USB charger (I have Y-harness installed already) and install brake lights flasher. Plus figure out why my stop/perimeter LED bulbs not working in dual mode.
• Clean rear splines and apply Moly and this one

Plus I have strange issue with idle. When driving in the morning (sometimes after work) and coolant temperature showing 3 bars on the dashboard idle RPM drops to 600-700 and bike can even stall if you not operate throttle cautiously (so I have to revv up like HD guys do to keep it going). Issue persists for few minutes, but then disappear (idle RPM goes back to 1k).

I would like an advise on what else to do while performing service listed above (please do not suggest to buy new bike instead - I kind of like doing car/bike maintenance/improvement on my own and ST gives me great opportunity ).
How important and "mandatory" is valve clearance check-up? I did it three years ago @ dealership.
I presume I'll have to check clutch while dealing with mechanical seal - will it make sense to pre-order new one at my mileage or there is a good chance it will still be good (I tried to do wheelle few times long time ago but gave up ). Will it make sense to replace all coolant hoses or not? Just in case

Also wiser part of me says "do not touch working thing". What do you think? Will it be OK to postpone everything but oil change? Sounds like quite a few owners experienced coolant leak. I have exhaust pipes wrapped in some hi temp-resistant material (previous owner did it to prevent bike heating) - maybe smell is so noticeable because coolant drops on this fabric?
How important is rear wheel maintenance (re-applying moly)? I do not think so it was ever done for my bike


Thank you!

Andrei

I am just going to speak of the oil change. The rest of the stuff you can do now or wait. It won't matter I DONT THINK.
As oil get used it develops acids. It is best to change the oil just before lay up so the acids don't sit there all winter.
Now I will admit that that is an old school thing and maybe it still applies, and maybe it doesn't but in my mind it does. I ride in the cold but not the ice so I just do it when it needs it.
But my boat diesel gets it before every winter layup.

Get your parts and do all that stuff in the long winter. Don't let old oil sit in the crankcase, change it before putting the bike up. You could just put cheap oil in before and then drain it in the spring and put the good stuff in then when you get ready to ride. That is what I did with my old boat.
You are probably leaking coolant from hoses under the throttle bodies or at the thermostat, like most of us have experienced.
The moly paste thing to the rear driven splines and inside the rear wheel driven hub is important and should be done every rear tire change. Brake / clutch fluids should be changed, correctly, every two years, minimum. Air filter service is also very important. I forget the intervals.

+1 on everything jmcarruth said. Elsewhere on this site, I think I read that a rear spline can wear to the point that the engine will not turn the rear wheel in as little as 4000 miles if no lubrication is used. This is an expensive fix. I don't see the advantage of using cheap oil in the fall service and then changing it in the spring. The assumption here is that the engine will not be used after the oil change (well, it should be started to push the new oil through the oil galleries and to fill the filter - but only for a minute or two) and the bike is stored for the winter.

SMSW said:

+1 on everything jmcarruth said. Elsewhere on this site, I think I read that a rear spline can wear to the point that the engine will not turn the rear wheel in as little as 4000 miles if no lubrication is used. This is an expensive fix. I don't see the advantage of using cheap oil in the fall service and then changing it in the spring. The assumption here is that the engine will not be used after the oil change (well, it should be started to push the new oil through the oil galleries and to fill the filter - but only for a minute or two) and the bike is stored for the winter.

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I would drain the inexpensive oil from my boat in the spring to help eliminate moisture that built up in the crankcase due to temperature fluctuations here in the humid mid-south. It may be a non issue in Canada, I do not know. For my bikes, I ride them year round anyway.

Thank you for the very useful replies!

Now I only have to find what's wrong with idle and then long winter project will begin

jmcarruth said:

I would drain the inexpensive oil from my boat in the spring to help eliminate moisture that built up in the crankcase due to temperature fluctuations here in the humid mid-south. It may be a non issue in Canada, I do not know. For my bikes, I ride them year round anyway.

Click to expand...

Seems to me that a good run down the interstate, or a nice ride on a state route will warm the oil and bike to the point where the moisture is driven off. And in Canada, there should be no moisture.... icicles, ice cubes, etc. are more likely.

I change the oil in the fall before last ride and leave it until spring ,check and all is well fire up the bike and go for a ride . No need to change again as the water that may be in the oil will quickly evapourate as you drive the bike .

Sort of in order.

A dealer that says you need new brake pads should be holding the old pad in his hand when he's talking to you. DIY and the you'll know the pistons were actually cleaned before they were pushed back for the new pads.

In general Go ride on the 1st nice day. Discover your unknown issues now while you have time to address them.

+1 on changing the oil at the end of the season instead of the start. Periodic garage vroom vroom noises during the winter is a good way to introduce moisture into the system. Change it add seafoam to the gas top off and run it to distribute and put it on the center stand. Same for final hypoid, coolant, clutch/brake etc. I use an EMGO air filter.

Do the clutch fluid while your doing the brakes.

Chances are your coolant smell is some hose leaks particularly if you notice more in cold weather. See blrfls fixing coolant leaks for good thread.

I'd put the USB charger on a switched circuit so you don't kill the battery when a gps is left plugged in and wants a charge.

Moly paste on the rear splines is usually with a tire change. I usually clean it and relube if the wheel is off for some other reason though. As long as you're there check the bearings and o-rings while the wheel is off. If you suspect they used grease, pull it clean and put the paste on.

The valve clearance check is only mandatory if they are beyond service limits LOL.
What were the measurements when the dealer last did them and how many miles ago?

60k might be a good time to pull and inspect the plugs. Likely still good.

Pull the clutch handle and inspect the plunger brass bushing for wear. An 04 you may find the rubber boot comes out in pieces if you pull the plunger rod to check for wear/corrosion.
Use silicone o-ring grease for pc's near hydraulic seals. Same for the brake handle.

Since you have a fast blue one, check the parts fiche if you end up pulling the clutch/wp covers. There was a VIN/eng SN number change for the paper clutch cover and rubber water pump cover seals in 04.
Not all web sites show it, not sure if it functionally makes a difference.