jeremy_283
Registered
I drain my bike then give it a couple hours (maybe all night) to let the engine cool down before torque the oil drain bolt back down cause warm/hot cases I feel could weaken the aluminum ever so slightly....
My manual said weld it on and change motors every 20k~!~
torque wrench FTW...lol harbor freight 11 bucks....
Going by feel is a recipe for disaster unless your an experienced wrench. I've been wrenching since I was a kid and have done many bolts by feel, but still use a torque wrench on the crucial ones. I think its wrong to tell guys that may be new to wrenching to go by feel, the oil drain bolt is one of the easiest bolts on a bike to strip because of the oily threads and the aluminum. Plus its a VERY fine line between too loose/leaking/coming out on the road and too tight/stripping. Always use a torque wrench unless you have lots of years of wrenching, and are very confident you know how a drain bolt should feel when its properly tightened
And remember, slightly overtightening over time will still eventually strip the drain bolt.....it'll just take longer to do it A torque wrench and proper torquing really is your best friend with something you constantly remove, and is easily stripped like an oil drain bolt