Well, that was an adventure, but it took a few hours longer than it should have.
At least I know how to remove the side fairings now! That is a lot of bodywork just to change the oil!
Make sure you figure out how those little body panel clips work before you start. They are actually pretty cool but not exactly intuitive.
Biggest problem, of course, is getting the oil filter off! I am NOT happy with whoever is responsible for that design! To make it much worse, the oil filter was tightened way too much. I had to use the Phillips screwdriver method to break it loose.
How much does the Honda dealer charge to change oil? I Ann seriously considering it for next time...
I'm thinking the 6th gen is similar to the 5th gen when it comes to changing the oil. You only need to remove the left hand fairing panel, then you can get to the filter. IMO it's easier if you have the proper sized filter wrench that will fit over the end of the filter and uses a ratchet to loosen.
Only the left side? That is good to know for the next time.
I had a couple of tools to remove it, but the filter was just on too tight. Once I broke it loose, it wasn't too bad. But it is still awfully tight in there.
One more thought. Would the side stand be better than the center stand for oil draining purposes?
FJ, you are indeed right, they are basically the same. Left side comes off. Don't take the front off, or anything else, just the left side panel. Then off with the filter, after draining. Definitely use a filter wrench either the Honda one or the one BLS has laid out. The one good thing about the Honda wrench is your 3/4 ratchet will fit right into it giving you the space you need. You can also snug it up nicely too. (And not overtighten) I'm sharing only for Tony as both FJ and BLS are long recognized voices on this list. (And know this and way more than I do already)
Well, that was an adventure, but it took a few hours longer than it should have.
At least I know how to remove the side fairings now! That is a lot of bodywork just to change the oil!
Make sure you figure out how those little body panel clips work before you start. They are actually pretty cool but not exactly intuitive.
Biggest problem, of course, is getting the oil filter off! I am NOT happy with whoever is responsible for that design! To make it much worse, the oil filter was tightened way too much. I had to use the Phillips screwdriver method to break it loose.
How much does the Honda dealer charge to change oil? I Ann seriously considering it for next time...
Myself for only oil changes I remove the inner half cowl (piece in front of the exhaust headers) to get access to the filter. The drain bolt is accessible without any cowl removal at all, just need a deep socket.
Please expound since it would seem to me that more of the used oil will drain out if the bike is on the on the side stand vs the center stand. Thanks.
If the bike is on the sidestand then oil will puddle away from the main drain plug and won't drain out. Centerstand works best. You probably won't leave much in there on the sidestand, but why leave any?
Yes, I'm sure the bike would be more stable on the center stand; that alone might be enough reason. But my drain plug is on the left, so I thought that a slight lean to the left might make the oil drain better. Not a big deal...
Myself for only oil changes I remove the inner half cowl (piece in front of the exhaust headers) to get access to the filter. The drain bolt is accessible without any cowl removal at all, just need a deep socket.
You don't even need to do that. I just changed the oil in my 2006 with zero bodywork removal.
To get the filter out, you use one of these. To get the new filter in, you pour in some new oil, tip the filter to the side and rotate it to allow the oil to seep in. Then simply thread the filter through the cowl and fit it on the threads. It really is easy![image: fc-04.jpg]
A 2006 must be quite a bit different from a 1999. There's no way to access the filter without removing the side fairing on my '99. Heck, you can't even see it. LOL
A 2006 must be quite a bit different from a 1999. There's no way to access the filter without removing the side fairing on my '99. Heck, you can't even see it. LOL
You can't really see it on the 6th gen either, but you can feel it. I don't have small hands and it can be done.
If you don't remove any fairings, doesn't the oil from the filter run down into the bottom of the fairings?
Its all about technique so not a drop drips on to your prize... Fashion a bib out of tin foil so the oil travels in the pan and not on the bike... crack the filter loose to meter the flow to only a slow trickle... once the filter is clear of the threads turn the open end up so the rest of the oil is trapped... remove filter...
Its all about technique so not a drop drips on to your prize... Fashion a bib out of tin foil so the oil travels in the pan and not on the bike... crack the filter loose to meter the flow to only a slow trickle... once the filter is clear of the threads turn the open end up so the rest of the oil is trapped... remove filter...
If the bike is on the sidestand then oil will puddle away from the main drain plug and won't drain out. Centerstand works best. You probably won't leave much in there on the sidestand, but why leave any?
So you're saying with the bike on the side stand the oil pools in the front left portion of the pan (since the drain plug is located on the left rear on 6th gen)? Could very well be. Next time I change the oil I will drain it from the center stand, put the plug back in and put the bike on the side stand and see how much more, if any, comes out).
OK changed the oil last weekend and drained it on the center stand and let it drain until there was a drip about every 4 seconds. Put the drain plug back in and put the bike on the sidestand and let it drain into a Red Solo cup (let's have a party) until there was a drip about every four seconds. Extracted approximately 3 additional ounces of used oil.
I think changing the VFR800's oil is quite easy as long as you have that filter wrench. I think it supposed to be torqued to 19 ft. lbs. Although I can never fit my big torque wrench in there so I just tighten 1 full revolution from hand tight.
Does no one else use the K&N filter with the bolt welded on the end so you can just use a socket?
K&N specifically says that bolt is for removal only, and here's why: The welds around the base of it are very weak. Last week I had the dreaded weld failure on my '04 around that "crown" on a brand new K&N filter that I hand-tightened. Safe to say no more K&Ns for me.
There's a post on VFRWorld that shows what happens with K&N filters. This is not a rare occurrence and is also not limited to the bolt issue. I say use at your own risk and DO NOT use the bolt to torque the filter down.
Oil filters don't need torquing down, they seal when hand tight. Just use your hand & make sure the sealing surface is clean & rub a film of fresh oil around the rubber seal on the filter to help ease it into place.
Honda Factory service manual recommends torqueing down the oil filter to 20 ft-lbs.
But that's with an OEM filter and not the K&N filter with a build in bolt.
I once hand tightened a K&N filter with a 1/4 twist of the built in bolt with a wrench. It leaked after 3k miles and I had to re-tighten it. 20 ft-lbs. is pretty light tightening anyway.
Honda does have a tool you could use to do this, a metal hat with a socket drive in the end, but I have never torqued oil filters with anything other than by hand.
Honda Factory service manual recommends torqueing down the oil filter to 20 ft-lbs.
But that's with an OEM filter and not the K&N filter with a build in bolt.
I once hand tightened a K&N filter with a 1/4 twist of the built in bolt with a wrench. It leaked after 3k miles and I had to re-tighten it. 20 ft-lbs. is pretty light tightening anyway.
I tired 20 ft lbs to see if Honda knows what they are talking about, they dont. 20 ft lb compresses the gasket so much the filter is able to make metal to metal contact with the filter flange on the motor, and it will grove it over time.
So Yeah Honda knows squat, I figure they spec 20 ft lbs, to ensure it doesnt come loose, but its definitely not required as with any other motor or filter.
End of thread · 37 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 9 Dec 2025
![[image: image_17544.jpg]](http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_17544.jpg){kind=link}
![[image: fc-04.jpg]](http://schwabentools.com/site/templates/rt_afterburner/images/schwaben-img/garage/fc-04.jpg){kind=link}