Oil Capacity for 2003 Bandit 1200S

[davehenricks]

I purchased a second hand 2003 Bandit 1200S with 1800 miles and no manual. Can anybody tell me how many quarts or liters of oil it should take with a filter change.  Thanks

[zeebandit]

Look on the side of the bike where the oil level window is. It is shown on the top in the top left corner of the casing, (3300ml).

[solman]

It is over 3 quarts.  I add 3 quarts and then stand the bike up center without using the centerstand.  After that, check it and add till it is topped off to the line.  Just make sure that you are on a level surface when doing so.  Also after you run the bike, check it again, it might go down a bit after replenishing the oil in the lines and filter.

[LensWork]

I have a 2005 which should be the same as an '03. My procedure is to warm the engine, about 5-10 minutes, pull the drain plug, pull the filter and let it drain for a good 10 minutes. I then put on the new filter, KN-138 with the nut on the end (Much easier to R&R with a socket wrench than the regular filters with a filter wrench), replace the drain plug and fill it to the "F" line on the sight glass (All of this done while on the center stand). At this point it has taken nearly 3.5 Qts. I then fire it back up, let it warm for a few minutes, shut it down and wait another few minutes to check the level. At this point it takes almost another 1/2 Qt, total nearly 4 full full Qts. (3.8-3.9).

[davehenricks]

Thanks for the help guys. That will help me the first time to get it right.  This bike is great. I am really enjoying it.

[Bob Holland]

Engine oil, oil change...............3300ml(3.5 US/2.9 /IMP Qt)
               With Filter...............3500ml(3.7 US/3.1 /IMP Qt)
       engine overhaul...............4600ml(4.9 US/4.0 /IMP Qt)

The correct oil level is the center of the glass, or put in the correct amount, look and see where it comes to on the glass, mark or just remember were it is at.

[Vlad]

Engine oil, oil change...............3300ml(3.5 US/2.9 /IMP Qt)
               With Filter...............3500ml(3.7 US/3.1 /IMP Qt)
       engine overhaul...............4600ml(4.9 US/4.0 /IMP Qt)

This reminded me of a fact that is often totally overlooked in all those oil threads:

With a regular oil change we are changing only about 3/4 (76%) of Bandit's oil. One quarter of it remains in the engine every time, no matter how long we drain it (engine overhaul excepted, of course). This is probably aggravated by the oil cooling nature of the engine and large capacity radiator.

[snofrog]

Engine oil, oil change...............3300ml(3.5 US/2.9 /IMP Qt)
               With Filter...............3500ml(3.7 US/3.1 /IMP Qt)
       engine overhaul...............4600ml(4.9 US/4.0 /IMP Qt)

This reminded me of a fact that is often totally overlooked in all those oil threads:

With a regular oil change we are changing only about 3/4 (76%) of Bandit's oil. One quarter of it remains in the engine every time, no matter how long we drain it (engine overhaul excepted, of course). This is probably aggravated by the oil cooling nature of the engine and large capacity radiator.

It bugs me every time I change the oil but what can I do ?

[Vlad]

It bugs me every time I change the oil but what can I do ?

Not much you can do, but not much to worry about either if you are changing oil in regular intervals and use good quality stuff.

It's just something to have in mind, especially if one is changing the oil type/manufacturer. The change is always gradual, although I'd say you can call it complete after 3-4 changes.

This factor probably emphasizes the need to change filters at every oil change. It speeds up the refresh process and is a good idea anyway.

Also with this "annomaly" in mind I would never put in engine flush or similar fluids that are not meant to stay in the engine.

[pmackie]

There ARE a couple of things you can do...(at least on a 2nd Gen)

When you do an oil change, you do NOT change the oil in the oil cooler or the filter. The easy answer here is to loosen or remove the oil line bolts to the front of the engine and drain the oil cooler. You need to be careful and ensure the squish washers on each side are not damaged or else replace them. Also change or drain the oil filter.

Voila...you have now changed virtually ALL the oil.

[Vlad]

Voila...you have now changed virtually ALL the oil.

Good idea, but I'm not sure all the oil will be drained even then. I don't believe the cooler contains the whole 1.1L.

It would be nice if someone could drain the cooler and measure the oil volume. Heck, maybe I'll do it next time :).

[stinkypalm]

I have to undo the left oil coler line to remove my oil filter from my G2 1200S (Akra full system - they tell you the centre stand has to go but not about this).

I don't mind really - it get more oil out but it takes a full 4 ltrs to fill instead of the 3.5 with an oil and filter change from before.