I'm relatively new to the world of DIY maintenance. I make no apologies, it's just something that was not done in my house growing up. I've decided to break that chain and learn some things on my own so my kids can learn to be a little more independent. I performed my first oil change on my FZ6 about two years ago. No problem at all. On Memorial Day weekend, however, I did not fair so well. I decided to change the oil in my Victory..... Purchased the 5 quart jug of oil from I.P. and a new K&N filter. Put down about 4 square feet of cardboard so I didn't ruin the driveway. Placed the pan, opened the plug, drained, removed filter, etc. No problem. No mess. Time to fill it back up. Screwed in the plug, lubed the filter and then screwed it on. Again, no issue. Bike takes 4.5 quarts, so I poured .5 into an empty oil container with measuring points and then filled the bike with 4.5. Turned it on..... Ran it a bit.... Checked level and it's low. So, of course I pour the rest in. All done! Time to ride. I took it out, jumped on the freeway for a bit and then it dawned on me.... I took the oil level reading while on the side stand. Crap! Directions say to have it upright for the oil level to be accurate. Being obsessive as I am, I immediately came home and googled. Some say "no big deal", others say .5 too much will foam up and cause damage. Ok.... I can fix this. I just got a 2 cup measuring cup and placed it under the plug. No cardboard necessary since I'm just going to unscrew it a little to let out .5 quarts.....right? Apparently, just letting a little out isn't an option. Unscrewed a little....nothing, a little more.....nothing. Oh shit! Now I'm holding the plug with boiling motor oil gushing over my hands and onto my driveway. Tried to plug it with my finger..... Hey, the motor is hotter even than the oil. So, I cleaned up.... Poured 4 new quarts in, ran it, measured and we're all good. So let's see some "I'm a dumb-ass" stories of DIY maintenance. I know they're out there.
