Basic maintenance of your motorbike Ducati Monster 696: Oil and filter change

The oil change is the most basic operation and yet the most important. Not having a good control of the state of the oil in your bike can lead to engine seizure … so, let’s get to work and avoid decreases your money in savings!

Overall, this is a procedure that is virtually identical to many models of Ducati. So if you have another model Ducati, never mind, this article will serve you equally. If after reading the article, you still have questions about how to solve your problem, please email me. In my blog you will find info to contact me.

OIL FILTER: I recommend: K & N. Why? It is cheaper than an original Ducati filter and is as good as the original. If you want to save some money, this is a good option.

OIL: I recommend: SAE 15W50. (10W40 also work) In these cases, I always recommend using a good brand of oil, with this kind of thing, is not worth saving money. The life of your engine depends on it. I use Castrol, Shell is another good brand.

STEP 1:

Check the oil level before changing, why? This way we make sure if we have an oil leak or not. So I always recommend cleaning the area where you intend to work before doing any work.
If you do not know how to see the oil level, do not worry, keep reading: try to always keep the bike straight. If you have a rear stand, this is the time to use it! Otherwise you can do it without help, it supports the bike as straight as possible a wall (I recommend you use cloth or some kind of protection in the contact points to avoid scratching your beautiful Ducati), then look up to the crankcase (deposit engine oil) a small transparent display, in this case, the Ducati Monster 696, this is below the clutch system, I mean, the right side of the bike.

After having located this and bikes upright, finding that the level is correct, the crankcase have marks that you can see, there are models that have: “Min” and “Max” marks, if this your case, if you check a minimum or slightly above, it has an acceptable level of oil, on the contrary, is well below, you probably have an oil leak, either by cranckcase, or you’re burning oil in the cylinder head. Chances are you have a leak oil filter, these bikes vibrate a lot and it is common that after some thousands of kilometers, to loosen just a bit. If so, make sure and give it a little squeeze.

Many manuals written to change the oil every review, I mean, between 10,000 and 12,000 Km, personally I find much (if you use cheap oils), if you are one of those who care about their motorbike and if we add you drive fast or like to go to race tracks to test your bike. If that’s the case, I personally recommend changing oil every 5,000 to 7,000 Km. Why? Remember that a motorbike engine generates more RPM the engine of a car, they suffered more wear.

STEP 2:

Turn on the bike and let it run a few minutes to take some working temperature, not much. Why? The cold oil is more viscous than when hot, this means that when hot will drain better and faster oil; Not only that, it will best clean the system when drain the oil.

Once the engine reaches a suitable temperature, you turn off the engine. (A few minutes, 5 mints tops)

We place a container with a capacity of about 4 liters to drain the old oil. I recommend working with gloves, oil is corrosive and mechanical work does not have to be a dirty job, learn to work as a true racing mechanic!

I recommend, to extract the bolt of the crankcase: First, loosen the bolt with the appropriate allen key, then with your hand continuous loosening the bolt. Why? This way we avoid that the bolt fall into the container filled with oil; this bolt it’s always be coupled with a metallic washer that almost all the time get lost when we’re removing the oil if we don’t do it in the right way; if you don’t put the metallic washer again, the motorbike will have a significant oil leak.

Wait drain enough oil, will never expel all the oil, but is not relevant for a simple oil change. Then, remove the oil filter; this is usually done with the tool shown in the image below:

This process takes a little while (wait to drain all the oil), so you can go for a refreshing drink!

STEP 3:

The Ducati motorbike unlike other brands, have two oil filters; one cartridge (the main filter) and then “the mesh”, is a small cylinder placed transversely in the crankcase, in the latest Ducati models with crankcases “Copa Bassa” (inverted pyramid, we see a clear example in the 999R, you can see the picture below) do not need to change this filter; even if you have to do cleaning and inspection every 20,000 Km.

Where is this filter on the motorbike? Generally we’ll find below the transparent sight glass located in the suction pump oil. If you are in your first review, I advise to clean this filter at 1,000 km, is in this period where the engine gives off more metal particles for being a new engine. If your bike is second hand or with more than 10,000 km, it takes nothing more than a simple cleaning. Depending on the model of your Ducati, this procedure is more or less complicated in the case of the Multistrada 1000DS is particularly a hard work to do, as the exhaust manifold must be removed.

STEP 4: PUTTING THE NEW OIL AND FILTER

The new filter should refill with new oil before installing it on the engine. Why? Improves engine lubrication when starting the motorbike after the oil change, because the engine dont have oil, when the engine start moving the oil pump must first fill the filter and from there to other parts of the engine, by doing this, we have provided an easy job to the engine.

Another important tip is lubricate with a little bit of oil the oil filter gasket, then install the filter (the main filter). After you fill the engine with oil, be careful with the tightness of the oil filter, do it properly, not to tight. It is important to do it in steps; many mechanics do in one step without realizing that they do it in the wrong way. Next steps for this procedure:

1. If your motorbike takes 4 liters of oil, first filled to its maximum level (using the transparent gauge we have already spoken), you probably see at its highest level with the first two liters. Stop here!
2. Closes the safety oil plug and turn on the motorbike just for a couple of seconds to circulate the oil, then turn the engine off!
3. Open the oil plug, place 1 liter more of oil and inspects the transparent gauge, if returned to be at its maximum level, stop here!
4. Close the oil plug and turn the motorbike on another couple of seconds and turn it off!
5. Inspect the oil level; wait some minutes.
6. If you see that the oil level is between the minimum and maximum, we are at the recommended level; if so, only places another 500 ml of oil. You dont should to have the engine of your motorbike so compressed (I´ll speak of this theme in a future blog). Many times the manual mentions fill your engine with 4 liters accurate, the process often ends up with 3.5 liters.

I hope this has been helpful blog! If you have any questions, write me! I will gladly answer.