[jdrouin]

OK, I changed the oil in the gearbox and the clutch today. I could tell by looking at it that the drain bolt for the gearbox was over the centerstand, so I used my funnel to direct it into my oil catch pan (a very large catering tin) on the ground.

The clutch oil was a different scene. I placed the catch pan under the primary case and tried to hold it under the entire length when pulling off the cover but I fumbled.    A bunch of oil landed aft of the pan, making a nice big slippery spot on my congested city sidewalk. It also resulted in a very stern voicemail from my landlord later this evening.

So, I'm wondering:

(1) What do you do to catch *all* the oil from the primary case? Given the inconvenient location of the centerstand, I feel like there should be a specialized product. But there must be some homemade workarounds

(2) How do you permanently remove 20w50 oil from a sidewalk, particularly that which your landlord was unable to get rid of with bleach and water?

(3) What do you do if you might have stripped the gearbox filler plug? Or, more appropriately, how do you know when you're undertightening vs. overtightening it? I'm afraid I might have started to strip said plug, but as I'm new to all this it's difficult to distinguish between the feeling that there's more room to tighten and it's just spinning in place with moderate resistance.

Many thanks,

Jeff

[The Garbone]

1.  I used a disposable aluminum pan to drain my primary, I put the center stand on a piece of 2x4 and it makes the bike sit nose down, remove the bolt and crack the front. 

 I use ATF F in my primary,  it tends to evaporate and not stain my garage floor as much as motor oil.  Maybe because it wipes up better, I don't really know why...

2. As for removing said stain,  I know of nothing, at one time I lived in a Home Owners Association and we would get letters about stained driveways...  Man that sucked..

3. I would say pull the plug out and look at the threads... I have been very guilty of over-tightening things on my RE,  the ACE hardware man knows me well.

[C.C.]

(2) How do you permanently remove 20w50 oil from a sidewalk, particularly that which your landlord was unable to get rid of with bleach and water?

Gary-FL

The best thing I have used to clean oil off concrete is powder laundry detergent. I pour some right on the oil and let it soak up what it can then add some water. Scrub that into the stain and let soak for a few minutes. You should be able to rinse away most of the oil stain. This works for smooth garage floors. It is best to do right away.

CC

[Chasfield]

When I drain my primary case I loosen the central fixing nut a few threads but leave it in place. Then i pull gently at the front part of the cover. Most of the oil then drains from the forward area. I use an old plastic washing up bowl to catch the oil. It pours quite well when I am decanting the oil into a disposal container.

As for drain plugs: remember these are not fixing anything in place but themselves and only need gentle torquing - much less that if they actually held something else in place and were more vulnerable to vibration. If the soft sealing washers are in good condition then there should be no leaks. If you are worried about a drain plug working loose then improvising some form or wire-locking, as racers use, would give piece of mind.

The problem with drain plugs is that they are often sized for a large spanner, but they only thread into light alloy.

[jdrouin]

Thanks for all this advice. I hadn't thought about propping the bike to make it lean forward like that and will probably try it next time.

My main concern is the 1+ square foot oil spot on the sidewalk. It's out of the way but slippery. I think it's illegal in NYC to wash detergents into the street, so I'm going to see if Lowe's or Home Depot has some sort of absorptive powder.

Jeff

[Prairie Hunter]

Have you tried soaking the oil spot with Simple Green cleaner?

As far as draining the primary case, I use a coffee can and a piece of corrugated cardboard.  Remove the left foot peg and the shifter lever (assuming it's a LH shift).  Take a piece of cardboard a little longer than the primary case, about 6" or so wide, and fold it lengthwise to make sort of a V-channel.  One of the long edges of the cardboard can be wedged under the primary, and will slope towards the front of the bike like a rain gutter.  If you wedge it in just right, the stud for the footpeg will help hold it in place.  Put the coffee can under the lower end of the cardboard channel.  Now, loosen the primary case and let the oil drain into the can.
I've used this method twice so far, and spilled nary a drop.

[jdrouin]

That's a pretty good idea.

I discovered today that baking soda works decently to absorb the oil, which you can then rinse and sweep away. Not 100%, but the spot on the sidewalk is now much less dangerous than it used to be. A day of rain should take care of the rest.

Jeff

[clamp]

Your main concern is not the oil on the concrete but the stripped plug.

    You have made yourself a major problem that will need professional help . Im sorry but you should take it to a bike shop,--and save yourself money.

     If you have a 12 inch spanner / wrench, tighten it as tight as you can with ONE finger only.   And I dont mean hook the finger around just the tip.   Its only holding oil in.

   1 foot spanner /leverage x  say 10lbs  =10 foot lbs-----enough.