well i went ahead today and did filter oil and added in eagle mikes low profile drainplug. im not sure i like it over the factory plug, the washer fits all loose around the shaft of the plug not firm like kawasaki one. maybe swapping back next oil change

Used the hi-flow filter eagle mike sells also and 5-30 synthtic mobile one. dont plan on having it in long, maybe the first few rides and dumping it for fresh 10-40 conventional after. oil was black as sin when i dumped it.

put in the new eagle mikes ngk iridium plug. boy is that bugger tough to get out with the plug wrench i had because it was one of them ones with the holes for a rod instead of the hex..... so i need to order a good spark plug wrench for a bike tool kit now and keep it on the bike. my bike was missing tool kit.

I did come to see it had a nice AGM battery in it today though. i noticed the battery hose disconnected then i tried to check the level in little window, said what the heck... and pulled it out it wa AGM. bonus.

Anyhow with 12k on it next step is to check the valve clearance. then put it all back to geather.

i aired both tires up to 34 psi as they were both around 15!! cold weather probably made them lose some, or lack of maintance from the last guy. not real happy they are contentials!

The Eagle plug, with an aluminum washer, is fine. Better than any of the Chinese plugs. You might compare the OEM washer to the Eagle washer. Inside diameter on the Eagle may be a bit larger. That’s not a problem but you can dress and reuse the OEM.

Keep the torque on the plug light; no more than 15ft-lbs. Avoid cracking the case.

Black oil is normal. No worry.

When you do the valve lash check, pull the right exhaust cam cap and look for galling/scoring. That would be evidence of it having been run out of oil. No damage, no problem, good to go.

What Tom said; the Eaglemike plug is a good pce - better than stock because of the high quality, low profile and magnet. On the tire pressures; like everything else dual sport, tire pressures are a compromise and the right pressure depends on the tires, usage, weight and terrain. 15PSI is too low IMO (I stay above 18 to avoid pinch flats and to stop the tire from rotating due to the lack of rimlocks), I use 22 +/- most of the time for mixed use. 30 or so is good for highway use but too much for the dirt. Ignore the suggestion to run more psi in the larger rear tire unless you are running heavily loaded or 2 up.

2 cents,
Dave

One can 'thin' the head of the oem drain plug.

Be careful of using automotive oils thinner than 10W40 because they may contain too much of the super-slippery additives to improve fuel mileage, that may cause a motorcycle wet clutch to slip.

You may even have to bevel the 6 corners off of the oem factory tool kit plug socket #92110-1111 to fit properly down into the spark plug pocket.

My most commonly recommended 'go-to' all around tire pressure is 32F / 30R for 150-180 lb riders. Usable from 80mph Interstates to Rocky Mtn. rock piles, I rarely air-down. And always 2 psi more in the skinny front vs fatter rear tire, unless running maximum psi in both.

My riding is offroad biased so I run 22-24F and 20-22 rear most of the time (totally agree on the 2psi more in the front). I'm lazy so I don't like to air up and down all the time. My pressures are probably 2-4 PSI too high offroad and about the same low on pavement. I did manage a few 80+mph runs on the highway for 20-30 miles but I'm certainly not saying it was optimal. Oh, I'm about 190 lbs (plus gear) though my bike is 20-25 lbs lighter than stock and I carry little gear.

......just mulling,

Cheers

Dave

I was worried about my ft lbs wrench having a minimum of 14ft lbs, so what i did was use my inch lbs wrench at 180 inch lbs on the plug.

i will deffintly be checking that exh right cam cap, infact i already had looked up the tq specs on it because i wanted to see if any damage was done before i got that bike so i would know if i had caused it or not later on.

the reason i wanted a short interval on this fresh oil was because it was synthetic 5-30 mobile one i was worried i might run into clutch slippage. and wanted to switch to conventional but it was all i had on hand at the time and couldnt stand leaving that dirty looking oil in there for the time being, plus wanted to install that new oil filter and mag drain plug from mike.

i ll have to drop them tire pressures down to 32 and 30 then, since 34 to wild, im 236 lbs so i figured i would stay on the high side and dont plan on to hard of trails, i picked this bike up so i can teach my 10 year old daughter to ride since we got her a honda crf110 trail bike to give her on her birthday at the end of this month. we gonna be cruising the neighbor hood allot and some light trails. i will be taking it out allot solo at night though myself fishing /exploring.

what ever weight you like 10w40 or 15w40, make sure the specs on the label include JASO and any one of these MA or MA1 or MA2. The JASO stands for Japanese Automobile Standards Association and the MA means no friction reducers are included. Friction reducers can make the oil so slick that the wet clutch may slip under heavy load.

Good plan; torque wrenches are significantly less accurate near the upper and lower limits.

Dave

I'll probably get shouted down here but I like to stick with motorcycle oil in my bikes because it is also lubricating the transmission and clutch. I started using Golden Spectro Semi Synthetic years ago in my ZRX1100 because it made a noticeable difference in how smooth it shifted. The KLR's transmission isn't as sensitive but I've kept using it on all my bikes because I know it is engineered for the application I'm using it on. I am considering trying the Belray Thumper Semi Synthetic this year because Rock Mountain sells it in 4 liter jugs for $28 and it is said to be similar to the stuff I've been using but about $4 a quart less if you buy it in the 4 liter jug. I change my oil every 2500 miles even if it looks good and every fall before I put the bike up for winter so I don't really care about the longevity claims of some of the synthetic car oils. Just my 2cents...