Question about Yamaha 750 Virugo

gruntled

Oil change at dealer costs about $60 so I bought oil & filter & now I can't find the oil drain plug. Is there one or do you just remove the filter?

Lowrider

Gruntled: The drain plug is on the left side (shift lever side) of the bike. It's on the side of the crankcase at the bottom front. It is a 17mm hex bolt with a phillips screw head in the center. Loosen the hex head plug and NOT the phillips head screw. The phillips head is the magnetic center of the drain plug. Drain the oil with the bike on the side stand so it leans to the left and drains it all out.

The oil filter is a S.O.B because you can't get the cover off unless you drop the footpeg rail down. It's even worse if the bike is equipped with crash bars. It is located on the right side behind the little round, 3-screw cover plate. Be sure to replace the O rings (three of them) when you change the filter. Drop the crash bars, if so equipped, loosen up the front motor mount through-bolt and rear bracket bolt 'till the footpeg bracket drops down far enough to get the oil filter cover out, and push the brake pedal down and out of the way.

My wife used to ride a 750 Virago, now she has an 1100 Virago (same oil filter assy.) and I've cussed that thing every time I've ever changed the oil. I'll bet there are a lot of Viragos on the road with fresh oil and an old, dirty filter in them. The Japanese are supposed to be such top-notch engineers but they sure dropped the ball on the Virago oil filter location.

By the way, if you buy a filter from the Yamaha shop you have to buy the O rings separately. If you go to the auto parts store and buy a Fram filter for the Virago they come with three new O rings.

Good luck...good riding.

Lord Lowrider the LoquaciousMember:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets She was only a fisherman's daughter,But when she saw my rod she reeled.

gruntled

Thanks, they didn't say anything about the O rings & I don't have them.
Maybe I should just pay the $60.

axlerfan

got charged 75 bucks for an oil change once on my venture, have done it myself ever since. its almost as big a pain as the virago. but doing it myself costs me 8 bucks for the filter plus the oil, and about 40 minutes of my time.

gruntled

Found the oil drain plug & drained the oil, that was easy. Had a hell of a time getting to nut on front of footpeg bar & didn't realize the other side was spinning as I tried to undo it. Shop only had two of the O rings so I have to try another shop tomorrow. Had a long searce for where the small O ring went but finally found it. Not possitive which way the oil filter goes back in so will ask tomorrow just to be safe. I'm too old for this, next time I think I will spend the $60.

Lowrider

It gets easier the more you do it. If Yamaha had continued to build the Virago, I'd be torturing them on a daily basis to design some kind of retrofit so you could use a spin-on filter. No chance of that now that the bikes have been discontinued. I think the end of the filter with the small-diameter seal goes in first. Also, there's a little spring steel clip that goes behind one of the filter cover bolt heads and holds some wires up out of the way. Make sure that gets put back on.

Lord Lowrider the LoquaciousMember:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets She was only a fisherman's daughter,But when she saw my rod she reeled.