Question?

[JsWoRLd316]

Hellow im back, I know you guys have been wondering if i have ridden yet and the answer is NO. Im so mad about this situation. Ok this is why i havent ridden yet. OK when i went to dmv, i didnt have the insurance because i didnt have the money to buy it, i only had money to pay for the taxes of the bike. So what i did was, instead of registering the bike i changed the name of tittle of ownership into my name. I asked the guy can i register the bike with the receipt you going to give me he said YES, i was ok great. So i went out to buy insurance and i got insurance and i went to dmv and filled out the form bla bla then i got a number and waited 3 HOURS, when my number came up i was so happy because i knew that i was going to get plates and i can know ride the bike with no worries. I went to the counter and the guy was like, you cant register the bike with this receipt, you need the original tittle of ownership. I WAS LIKE WHAT. Now i have to wait 3 MOnTHS for that stupid tittle of ownership. I already put the insurance on hold but the thing that gets me mad the most is that im paying $180 a month for garage for my bike and its just sitting there. The season is going to be over and i havent even put 2 miles on it. Now im going to take a big risk and ride the motorcycle to my uncles house with out plates, im not going to be wasting my money on garage when im not even taking the bike out. ok i know u tire of reding the story, but here come my question.

My bike is low on oil, you guys told my what oil to put, but i was just wondering if there is a special oil for bikes or there i can use the same ones they use on cars. Can i change the oil my self? the bike has almost no oil at all, so should i just pour the oil in, how much do i put, how do i cleam the oil filter. I dont want to waist money by taking out to the shop, But if you guys tell me is going to be to hard then thats my only choice.

Thanks for your time guys, ride safe.

Jonathan

[AnthonyC]

To answer your question there is oil specifically for MC use and I've seen huge debates about oil to use in MC so I won't go into it any more than to say they do make MC specific oil. Realistically you should do a full oil change if you don't know what is in it currently. It's usually pretty easy., if possible find a Clymer manual for your bike and it will cover most of the maintenance you will need to do on a regular basis as well as a lot of major repairs.

For the oil change look here:
http://www.ninja250.info/maintenance/maintain/oil.htm

There is also information about their recommendations for what oil to use, etc.

Also riding without plates (and insurance? since you put it on hold) is a really bad idea for your first ride but then you seem to already know better from your statement about big risk. As hard as it may be wait until you are legal. There is enough risk associated with motorcycling without adding to it for no reason other than frustration.

Ant

[remy_marathe]

Mind you, riding without plates is a bad plan and can lose you the bike, but IF you insist on doing it that way...

What I would do in your situation (but I'm a newbie too, so listen to the other guys way before me) is add enough oil to fill it until the dipstick is reading close to "full" (don't know how much, I always just eyeball it) and that's just to get it to your uncle's storage. Motor oil is same for bikes and cars, the best weight depends on the season. Use 10W40-20W50. IT STILL NEEDS AN OIL CHANGE. Take a breath, step back, and plan to ride it next spring.

Meantime, take that money you were going to spend on the garage all winter, and buy the clymer manual off of amazon or something, and some other motorcycling books, and spend the winter learning about motorcycles, and looking it over at your uncle's. Save the rest of that money for maintenance, NEVER DO WORK unless you know what you're doing FIRST. Otherwise you'll just end up with a disassembled bike and frustration. If it's truly "almost out of oil", the last owner wasn't taking good care of it and it probably needs some TLC before it should be ridden anywhere. So if you can get someone to transport it to your uncle's by trailer or truck, keeping it out of the impound lot isn't the only good reason.

It sucks to have a bike and not be able to ride it, but remember that's no worse than not having a bike yet at all. Step back and do this calmly and right, or you will regret it. Don't ride in a panic to get some in before the snow hits. Make the decision now to ride it next spring, and in the meantime LEARN everything you can about motorcycle maintenance and riding. My two cents.

[Paduan]

Most OEM manuals tell you avoid oils that have moly additives, if your bike has a wet clutch.

MC-specific oils do not have moly additives.

I use only Mobil 1 MX4T in my bike. It is a fully synthetic oil with no moly.

[Chrystal]

Well, first of all, I'll say this again ---> Congrats on taking and passing the course and the "new" 250 - Go Kawi!!

Good luck with getting the registration stuff figured out - I'm not any help but I feel your pain about not being able to ride.

As for the oil, I guess if you have to drive it, at least fill it up to where it should be. That's what I do until the professionals can take over. If you change the oil yourself - good luck, hope it goes well.

[Logan]

...i was just wondering if there is a special oil for bikes or there i can use the same ones they use on cars.

Can i change the oil my self? the bike has almost no oil at all, so should i just pour the oil in, how much do i put, how do i cleam the oil filter. I dont want to waist money by taking out to the shop, But if you guys tell me is going to be to hard then thats my only choice.





Use a high quality 10w40 or 10w50 to top it off until you get it changed. Castrol GTX is a good choice for now.

It could take up to 3 qts if it's REALLY low.


Add a little at a time, fill the window, then run the engine till warm & shut it off. Give it a few minutes to drain before rechecking the level.


Oil changes are easy, most filters are changed, not cleaned.

[hudrock85]

Don't know what the laws are in New York, but in Arkansas you get a 30 day grace period before you have to tag the bike. You can ride with proof of insurance and a bill of sale. The grace period gives you the time to get a title cleared from the previous owner if they have to pay it off, get a lein release and get the original title back to you.

I would check the laws, you might get stopped, but with the proper documentation you won't get a ticket. At least you could ride, and be legal.

[JsWoRLd316]

Can any one help me out to check out the laws of NY regarding motorcycles without plates?
thanks.

[VanDawg38]

Seems like you should be able to get some sort of temp registration/trip permit.

[MarcS]

Js -- not sure about NY, but in a lot of states you might get off with a fix-it ticket: fix it within 30 days, or face very very serious penalties. So, if you can't fix it within 30 days, don't do it. If you can, find a friend with a truck who will trailer it.

[guitardad]

OK, Jonathan, let's work our way through all this.... First, here's the web site for the NY DMV: http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/index.htm. Two things I note: 1) there is a way to check online about the status of the title; 2) 90 days is the MAXIMUM you may have to wait for the title. Hopefully we'll get you on the road faster than that.

Now for the oil - Oil changes are easy! You'll need a new filter, a couple of tools, and enough oil to refill the engine. I used Shell Rotella oil in my SV650. It's sold as a diesel engine oil, but the mix of additives are better for a motorcycle, particularly a wet-clutch cycle, than standard auto oils. Check your Owner's Manual for instructions about how to check the oil - generally you want the bike on the center stand, or held straight up, rather than tilted onto the side stand. If the oil is REALLY low, I'd change it without running the engine, but if it's close to full, I'd run the engine for a couple of minutes to warm the oil and help it drain more easily. Put a pan under the engine big enough to hold the full amount of oil, remove the drain plug, then remove the fill plug and let the oil drain out. When it finishes, remove the old filter, then install a new filter and reinstall the plug. Pour in the right amount of new oil, reinstall the fill plug, and you're good to go. Let us know how it goes.

[JsWoRLd316]

Im so mad right now, Today at 9pm i went with my friend to check my bike out, and it didnt start, i was so worry, so i asked this biker who parks right next to me and he told me that it can be the battery since i havent started the bike in more than a week, so i have to charge i, i dont knoe where to get a charger, damm. What do you think do you think is the battery or something else.

[asp125]

Im so mad right now, Today at 9pm i went with my friend to check my bike out, and it didnt start, i was so worry, so i asked this biker who parks right next to me and he told me that it can be the battery since i havent started the bike in more than a week, so i have to charge i, i dont knoe where to get a charger, damm. What do you think do you think is the battery or something else.

Hard to say, if none of the lights came on, and you didn't hear the starter go "click" then you could be out of juice. Obviously a "batter tender" is a good charger to have, but you can find any motorcycle battery charger anyplace, Walmart, Sears, etc. Just make sure it says motorcycle or has a low amperage setting. I got mine from Sears, it's a Craftsman and has a self monitoring mode to keep from overcharging the battery.

If it cranked over but did not start, I am going to ask the obvious question.. fuel petcock in the ON position?

[DanielBlue]

Depends. does it turn over at all, if no check fuses, if fuses are ok then battery may be the problem (if you know someone with a voltmeter you can have them test the battery) If it turns over but sounds weak when starting its more likely the battery, although it could be the starter. Asp beat me to it :) The lights are a good indicator too. If it cranks ok, fuel is your next item to check, if the petcock is on, the next check is the fuel filter (it might be clogged, after that the carbs may need cleaned (if it sat too long with gasoline in it, gas jells and mucks things up), after that is airflow (IE check the airfilter).

I'd suggest picking up a repair manual regardless, they tend to be useful. Also from the other stuff you posted, I'd suggest getting a certified mechanic to look over the bike.

As far as riding w/o plates IIRC most places can either outright confiscate the bike or impound it and fine/storage fee you to oblivion. Talk to an insurance agent about short term insurance and file for a temp tag (most states have a method of 30/60/90 day tags)

I'd also say try to get someone to trailer it to a mechanic, JMO but I wouldn't ride it till a mechanic looked it over.

[Mugster]

Lol. It may vary by state, but i'll say that most state troopers take a fairly dim view of no registration.

[Shadow Shack]

Lesson learned, never go to a government facility without everything you need. If you try to get around that, remember: this is a government facility. They'll always manage to find new and creative ways to botch things up beyond imagination.

Sorry to hear about the misfortune.

As for the oil issue, I've tried autmotive oils. They tend to not last as long as MC oils, breaking down sooner. Independant tests have shown this, although in the ones I saw they both had enough viscosity to "pass" but all the ones I've seen were for short term durations, the most at 1500 miles and so far nothing I've seen proves that automotive oil can go the distance of manufacturer suggested intervals (Honda says 8K mile intervals between oil changes). Everyone I've spoken with on the issue says it's okay to run the auto oil, but many suggest changing it more frequently (half the interval or every 2K miles). I figure if that's the case, you end up spending the same amount for "double the half priced oil" as you would with MC oil but do twice the work (or pay twice the labor if you don't do your own work).