battery and oil help...

[austin080784]

Ok so i got my bike yesterday, suzuki gs450L its nice, needs some cosmetic work but engine is solid...going to change the oil tomorrow...i have ordered a clymers book but wont get it for another day or two but didnt wana wait to change it...does anyone know around where the oil drainer cap is?? i saw the gas one i think but i havent seen the oil one...is it underneather or something? how many quarts do you add? im going to totally drain it and put fresh oil in. 10W30 right??
So i went to sears today and bought a new battery for the bike get home thinking that i can just slap the new battery in...then i open it and see that there is much more to it...you have to add liquid to the battery then you have to charge it..what a bummer, does anyone know if like interstate battery sells precharged batteries? or any other place? or do all motorcycle batteries come uncharged? should i take it to a place and have them charge it for me? or just invest in a charger? is there a special "motorcycle battery charger"? or will any kind of battery charger do?
Also im assuming that motorcycles have an oil filter as well as an air filter?? is this correct? would suzuki dealerships be the only place that i could get them? Also where on the bike are they located? i really need that book haha but im so excited to get the bike running i just thought id ask you guys to try and speed the process up Also any brand of air/oil filter better than another? should i be buying oil made for motorcycles? or would regular car 10W30 oil be fine? on the add oil cap it says to use 10W40....should i just stick with that since thats what its asking for? or does it not really matter?
If you guys/gals could help me with these questions if would be greatly appreciated...especially on how many quarts to add and the battery stuff
thanks a bunch!

[Hunter]

Originally Posted by austin080784

does anyone know around where the oil drainer cap is?? i saw the gas one i think but i havent seen the oil one...is it underneather or something? how many quarts do you add? im going to totally drain it and put fresh oil in. 10W30 right??
does anyone know if like interstate battery sells precharged batteries? or any other place? or do all motorcycle batteries come uncharged? should i take it to a place and have them charge it for me? or just invest in a charger? is there a special "motorcycle battery charger"? or will any kind of battery charger do?
Also im assuming that motorcycles have an oil filter as well as an air filter?? is this correct? would suzuki dealerships be the only place that i could get them? Also where on the bike are they located? i really need that book haha but im so excited to get the bike running i just thought id ask you guys to try and speed the process up Also any brand of air/oil filter better than another? should i be buying oil made for motorcycles? or would regular car 10W30 oil be fine? on the add oil cap it says to use 10W40....should i just stick with that since thats what its asking for? or does it not really matter?If you guys/gals could help me with these questions if would be greatly appreciated...especially on how many quarts to add and the battery stuff
thanks a bunch!

Take your bike to a shop that will fix it for you before you BREAK it. Most of the qusetions you have asked leads me to be leave that you have never even started a lawn mower.

[oldgeezer]

Wait until you get your Clymers, then read it carefully and do the work yourself. All the stuff you mentioned can be done at home. Use only motorcycle oil in your bike.

[Hunter]

I am not trying to be mean just that, if this is your first bike and you are not sure what to do, just to be on the safe side, take it to a dealer that will let you watch what is being done so that when you are out riding around something does not happen to you like the breaks not working. Or have a friend that knows something come over and help you out.
Talk to a service shop, if they are any knid of a repair shop they will talk to you and show you what needs to be done with out changing you anything.

[md2lgyk]

Do yourself a favor and have a shop fully check over the bike. Besides the few items you asked about, there are MANY things that could need fixing or replacing on a bike that's 25 years old.

[bat4255]

Get a good service manual, or at the very least,
"The Standard Owner's Manual" (usually comes with the bike).
Read it throughly.

[LayinLo]

Make sure you get that manual and thumb through it first. Since no one else answered your questions, here is some help until you get that manual.

Originally Posted by austin080784

does anyone know around where the oil drainer cap is??

Look directly under the engine. The drain plug will be somewhere around where the pipes come out of the engine and go towards the rear. The plug will most likely be under the motorcycle.

Originally Posted by austin080784

So i went to sears today and bought a new battery for the bike get home thinking that i can just slap the new battery in...then i open it and see that there is much more to it...you have to add liquid to the battery then you have to charge it..what a bummer, does anyone know if like interstate battery sells precharged batteries? or any other place? or do all motorcycle batteries come uncharged? should i take it to a place and have them charge it for me? or just invest in a charger? is there a special "motorcycle battery charger"? or will any kind of battery charger do?

Get a battery tender from www.batterytender.com

Originally Posted by austin080784

Also im assuming that motorcycles have an oil filter as well as an air filter?? is this correct? would suzuki dealerships be the only place that i could get them? Also where on the bike are they located? Also any brand of air/oil filter better than another?

Yes they have an oil filter. Go to the dealer or any local motorcycle shop and order one. You may even be able to find one online. It will be located near the oil drain plug. There are after market brands of oil filters but my recommendation is to get an O.E.M. replacement.

Originally Posted by austin080784

should i be buying oil made for motorcycles? or would regular car 10W30 oil be fine? on the add oil cap it says to use 10W40....should i just stick with that since thats what its asking for? or does it not really matter?

Stick with a 10w40. You can use regular car motorcycle oil in your bike if you want to. Most people don't because they prefer to stick with a motorcycle specific oil. Make sure that if you do use car oil, that it has at least an SJ API rating.

HTH, let us know how it goes.

[tlwisner]

Originally Posted by md2lgyk

Do yourself a favor and have a shop fully check over the bike. Besides the few items you asked about, there are MANY things that could need fixing or replacing on a bike that's 25 years old.

There are no doubt many things that will need to be fixed. Have fun!

[austin080784]

I put my new battery in the bike today, started right up...sounds very nice, not going to drive it or anything until i get my manual and change the oil filters ect...but once thats done im going to take it for new tires and have the shop take a run through it just to make sure everything is still in working order and that it wont just die on me...i did have one question for you guys though...
I bought my battery at sears, i took it home and added the fluid let it sit and everything...then i brought it back to sears for them to charge it for me and the guy told me that with motorcycles once you hook the battery up and let it run for a while it will charge itself automatically that didnt sound right to me but then again i dont know much about bikes yet...but i cant put it to the test because he told me that he will charge it for 15-20mins just to get it warmed up....so is that true? will it charge itself just by running it? or did my battery only get charged for 15mins and is going to die again soon?? I didnt tell him what year the bike was...i dont know if maybe the newer models do that or not...i just want to make sure one way or another so im not driving around town and have the battery die...so i guess the main question from me is...will a motorcycle charge its battery just by running it? or does it need to be fully charged??
thank!

[oldgeezer]

Don't worry, the battery will stay charged as long as you ride the bike. Since it may be a week before you get your service manual, if you have a good bike shop in the area, why don't you ride over to it and have them quickly check your fluid levels. They should be willing to to that for nothing. Then just ride the bike on short hops around town until you get your manual. As long as the bike has proper fluid levels, you can ride it and that will keep the battery charged. Don't worry, you'll learn this stuff.

[md2lgyk]

Yes, bikes have an alternator, driven by the motor, that provides the electricity for ignition, lights, etc. and also recharges the battery.

Please don't be insulted by this, but I'm curious as to how old you are. It isn't often I run across somebody who seems to know absolutely nothing about things mechanical. Perhaps it's because you're young. An old bike like you have is a great opportunity to learn as you fix things.