Oil filter is a tricky component. You don’t remember them until you do.
As for, where is the oil filter located in a motorcycle? The motorcycle oil filter is most commonly located either alongside the crankcase, right below the engine block or is directly fitted without casing at the bottom part of the motorcycle, right below the crankcase.
While these are the two most common locations, there can be slight difference in positions which one can check easily through their bike owner’s manual.
Let us look in detail about the locations where oil filters are fitted in a motorcycle, how to remove them, when to remove them and why the heck do motorcycles need them.
Where is the oil filter located in a motorcycle
The motorcycle oil filter is most commonly located alongside the crankcase, right below the engine block. You can identify the oil filter casing from its circular shape extrusion on or beside the crankcase with two or three screws on it.
Here is an example of where the oil filter is located in a motorcycle below.
As you can see, the circular extrusion alongside the crankcase is where the oil filter is located. All you need to do is unscrew this oil filter casing to remove the oil filter.
However, not all oil filters are located like this in all motorcycles.
In superbikes and high performance motorcycles, oil filters are directly fitted without casing below the crankcase at the bottom part of the motorcycle. You will be able to directly see the oil filter by looking at the downside of your bike – at the level of the side stand.
While these two locations are the most common locations of the oil filter in a motorcycle, there may be few exceptions. In such cases where you are unable to locate the oil filter, the best practice is to refer to the motorcycle user manual. The manual should help in identifying the filter location easily.
But at least as far as I have seen, these two are the oil filter locations that motorcycle manufacturers use to fit the oil filters in their models.
What tool is used to remove an oil filter
If the oil filter is fitted below the motorcycle, you need a torque wrench to remove the oil filter. If you have a motorcycle tool kit, an oil filter wrench is the customized tool to remove the oil filter.
On the other hand, if the oil filter is encased alongside or within the crankcase, you need a screwdriver since the filter encasing is screwed with 2 to 3 screws.
Once you open the filter casing by taking out the screws, you can use your hand to remove the oil filter.
A key thing to note here, any oil filter change must be accompanied by engine oil change as well. In fact, it is recommended to change the oil and oil filter together.
So, keep in mind that if you are going to change the oil filter, change the oil in your motorcycle as well.
When should you change the motorcycle oil filter
Motorcycle oil filters should be changed every 6000 miles (10,000 kilometers) of distance traveled.
Changing the motorcycle oil filter is usually accompanied with changing the engine oil. Although the frequency of engine oil change and oil filter change need not necessarily coincide over time, it is best practice to change the engine oil and the oil filter together if possible.
Also, every time you change the oil filter, change the engine oil as well. No matter how recent the last oil change was. What this ensures is that the new oil filter will be dealing with new and clean engine oil from start. You anyway require some clean oil quantity while installing the new filter in your motorcycle.
In short, change the oil filter in your motorcycle every 6000 miles (10,000 kilometers) or during the scheduled maintenance of your motorcycle, whichever is lower.
And change the engine oil as well whenever you are changing the oil filter.
Role of an oil filter in a motorcycle
Now that we know where the oil filter is installed and how to remove and when to remove the oil filter from a motorcycle, it makes sense to at least touch upon the role that an oil filter plays in a motorcycle.
For a more detailed dive, here is our post on what an oil filter does in a motorcycle.
In this post, we just touch upon it.
Now, enough with the foreplay. Oil filters, as the name says, filters the dirt, dust, metal particles and many other contaminants from the engine oil.
Engine oil when poured will contain lots of dirt which, if left unchecked, can form sludge and deposits on nooks and crannies of the engine components. These deposits hinder the engine performance which will eventually result in low power, low mileage and low performance of the motorcycle.
Having an oil filter to filter out the engine oil contaminants will prevent deposit and sludge formation by the oil.
In addition, oil filter also removes metal particles within the oil. As a result, there will be less metal wear in the engine components if not for the oil filter.
As for how the oil filter does it, here is a detailed explanation.
Both these prevention of soil particles as well as metal contaminants by the oil filter translates to a far better durability and performance of the engine and its components.
To Summarize
The motorcycle oil filter is most commonly located alongside the crankcase, right below the engine block. You can identify the oil filter casing from its circular shape extrusion on or beside the crankcase with two or three screws on it.
Another common location for oil filters in motorcycles is being directly fitted without a casing below the crankcase at the bottom part of the motorcycle.
These two are the main oil filter locations that motorcycle manufacturers use to fit the oil filters in their models.
If the oil filter is fitted below the motorcycle, you need a torque wrench to remove the oil filter. And if the oil filter is encased alongside or within the crankcase, you need a screwdriver since the filter encasing is screwed with 2 to 3 screws.
Every time you change the motorcycle oil filter, make sure it is accompanied with changing the engine oil as well.
