Steps I Take To Do My TBR7 Oil Change.

When it’s time to do an oil change on the TaoTao TBR7 dual-sport motorcycle, I keep it simple. Less of a bother changing oil means I will regularly do my TBR7 oil change. Many sources will point out the importance of regular oil changes to extend the life of a motorcycle engine.

I plan to keep my TaoTao TBR7 motorcycle around for a long time. The figure being my first motorcycle, will suffer accidental abuse, so there is no need to intentionally abuse the bike by withholding oil changes.

After the motorcycle’s break-in period, I typically don’t go longer than the manufacturer’s recommended oil change intervals. That is the maximum I will allow the oil in the bike. However, I also do oil changes more frequently based on how the bike is ridden or behaves.

I talk more about oil change intervals here “How Often Do You Need to Change Your Motorcycle’s Oil?“

Also, I use oil screen, oil strainer, and in conversation I might slip and say oil ‘filter’, but of course the TBR7 does not have an oil filter. I covered this in an FAQ: Does The TaoTao TBR7 Have An Oil Filter? Sorry I confuse anyone in conversation.

My Hawk 250 Oil Change Information Note:

The information here is the same steps necessary to change the oil on a Hawk 250 motorcycle. I used various Hawk 250 motorcycle sources to learn how to change the oil on my TaoTao TBR7 motorcycle and compiled that information here.

FYI: Much of the Hawk 250’s maintenance and upgrade information online can be applied to the TaoTao TBR7 motorcycle. So Hawk 250 owners, please feel free to review this post and leave a feedback comment below.

Basic TBR7 / Hawk 150 Oil Change Questions.

A short section talks about oil changes in the Chonda motorcycles.

What Kind Of Oil Does A TaoTao TBR7 Take?

According to the manual, 15w40 wet-clutch-rated oil is what the TaoTao Owner’s manual states.

What is 15w40 oil, And Can I Find It Easily?

I have gone into detail about the oil I use and will simplify it in this post. For the break-in period, when the motorcycle is new, I use conventional oil. After the break-in period, I use synthetic. Synthetic oil has a reputation for handling higher temperatures; the TBR7 and Hawk 250 motorcycles are air-cooled.

So, my choice in oil is 15w40 Shell Rotella. For the conventional oil type, I chose the T4 version. For the synthetic version, I use the T6. Since I am out of the break-in period with the TBR7, I use Shell’s Rotella 15w40 T6 oil. It is rated JASO MA/MA2, for wet clutches, like that found on my motorcycle.

BTW, getting good oil into your motorcycle is an upgrade to me compared to the shipping oil it came with. Read post about planned upgrades: TaoTao TBR7 Upgrades

How much oil does a Hawk 250 and TBR7 take?

I use 1 liter (about 1 quart) of oil to refill the sump after and oil change. The manual says the sump capacity is 1.1 litters, but not all the oil is drained out, and one litter refills the sump to the top of the oil dipstick.  

Since I buy my oil in gallon jugs, I purchased a cheap measuring cup for oil changes. This tip will help you too; get a cheap measuring cup, one litter in size. 

First Steps With Any Motorcycle Maintenance.

Remember: Safety Is No Accident.

This means a lot; if you plan ahead, you can avoid any motorcycle repair and maintenance accidents from occurring. This will prevent any injury or damage to your bike. Make Work Safe!

FAQ: Motorcycle Garage Safety Rules.

My Simple TBR7 Oil Change Steps:

1.- Start with a warm bike; I usually do oil changes after returning home from a ride. I don’t particularly appreciate working on a hot engine, so I let it cool down enough I don’t severely burn my hands if I accidentally touch the hot parts of the machine. BTW: Must-Have Motorcycle Tools.

2.- I leave the motorcycle on the kickstand, you can see an angle on the bike to the left side, and the drain/filter is on the left side. This angle will allow the oil to flow faster and more completely out of the sump. Hopefully, carrying all the dirt and contaminants with it.

3.- I place the oil pan under the motorcycle. Placement of the pan is essential. The oil will, of course, exit the motorcycle straight down due to gravity, but when you first open the drain, it can splash a little—Leave space around the pan to catch any splashing oil.

4.- I pull the dipstick. I check the oil level, just looking for any gross changes, help identify any oil consumption problem. I want the cap unscrewed to allow air into the case, enabling the oil to drain, but I leave the cap in place to prevent foreign bodies from entering the engine casing.

5.- Using a 24mm socket, I work around the shifter and unscrew the cap to the oil filter. Once the oil starts draining, I hold the cap to prevent it from falling into the oil pan and minimize how much oil splashing occurs.

6.- Once the oil is a slow drip, take all three components, the filter, the spring, and the cap, and inspect them. Are there metal parts? Is there any junk on the filter? Is the oil cap o-ring intact? This inspection is an excellent way to check the condition of your engine’s internals.

7.- I clean off the filter, spring, and cap. Wipe out the filter well, be careful not to leave any rag lint behind.

8.- Assemble the filter and spring(filter slips into spring), and insert them(filter first) into the filter housing.  

9.- Line up the spring with the recesses in the center of the filter cap. 

10.- While compressing the spring, slowly screw on the cap. Avoid cross-threading.

NOTE: Some people have complained this is difficult to do. DO NOT USE A WRENCH to start the threads. You can use a socket and extension as a way to hand thread the cap on. 

11.- Once the cap is threaded on, you can use a wrench but understand, there is an o-ring. The o-ring is what maintains a seal, so over-torquing the threads of the cap is unnecessary. Just hand-tighten to the cap doesn’t turn anymore. The o-ring is now compressed, and you have metal-to-metal contact with the engine and the cap.

12.- Now, I altogether remove the dipstick and place it in a funnel.

12.- Measure out approximately one liter of clean oil, and pour into funnel. Do this slowly, and hold the funnel if you are concerned about it falling.

13.- Remove the funnel and replace it with the dipstick.

14.- Start the motorcycle and let it run for a few minutes and then turn off.

15.- Recheck the oil level.  FAQ: What Is The TaoTao TBR7’s Oil Capacity?

16.- Clean up the mess and recycle used motor oil.

Wow, all these steps. Hope this didn’t over complicate a simple oil change, but they are fairly quick and you will find it so easy that you have no excuse not to change your motorcycle oil. My TaoTao TBR7, and suspect true for the Hawk 250, run hot. So a good oil will keep these engines running for a long time.

Thank you for your time, and remember this is how I do oil changes. It’s a system that works for me, and I hope you find a system that work for you. If you have any feedback, please leave a comment below.

Ride Safe, Ride Fun.

---

Click To See My Recommended
TBR7 Upgrades

---