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Oil Filter Vulnerability - Vee vs Wee

2K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  Dakar 
#1 ·
Hi,

One of the most recent stuff up's by my local dealership was to rotate the clamp on my Vee's muffler (for reasons unknown), causing the stock plastic "bash plate" to be crushed up against the muffler, where it promptly melted. Took me a week to figure out that the burning plastic smell was coming from my bike and now the bash plate is stuffed.

Anyway, I am considering not replacing the bash plate at all and it would make me feel a lot better to know that my bike's oil filter will be no more vulnerable than that on a stock Wee. So that's my question - is the oil filter on a Vee in the same location as on a Wee ?

My Vee is only used for commuting.
 
#2 ·
They are in similar placement on the bike.
If you commute there probably would not be a problem but there is always a possibility of a puncture any time a filter is sticking out the way they do on the Wee and Vee.
I purchased a metal oil filter wrench that covers the filter when you remove it.
This makes me wonder about ways to temporarily keep it on the filter as protection from debris getting thrown up from the front wheel.
Maybe like an epoxy to glue it onto the filter. When it is oil change time the wrench is already there. When you take the filter off you knock the wrench off and attach it to the new filter.
I wonder if this would work. I would think road going punctures would be from the front wheel throwing things up into the end of the filter and this would be much stronger than the actual filter.
Just an idea that popped into my head.
 
#4 ·
I've told this in the other bash plate thread, but on a ride I did several years ago (posted in the events section), we had 2 DL650's get holes in the filters, one resulting in engine damage (he didn't realize it was leaking, starved the motor). The other guy noticed when his rear wheel got slick and stopped, and was ok...but had to be hauled home.

Nothing but gravel roads, and two on one ride. I know of one other person on ADV who punctured his on his commute, ran over a piece of metal that nailed the filter.

I've had dings to the engine guards that were sufficient to puncture a filter, don't know for sure in its absence they would have done it, but they had the force to dig deep into a heavier piece of material.

I think it's uncommon, but still a risk. Up to you if you install a plate, but I won't ride without one. Just cheap insurance IMHO.
 
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#7 ·
Don't know how common it is, but fwiw in 212,000+ miles of (mainly) street riding V-Stroms I *once* had a dent in the oil filter.

I have had paint sand-blasted off filters from riding in salt and gravel roads on my 2012 I never mounted the Fenda Extenda on the 2012 DL650 (BTW on my 2015 DL1000 the fender extends down to where a fenda Extenda would be and it even is moulded so that it looks like the Fenda Extenda.)

..Tom
 
#8 ·
And, there's always a chance a tire striking a rock, even on a paved road could cause the rock, or whatever, to be kicked up and hit the oil filter. While not with my Wee, I hit a rock with my GL1800 Gold Wing one time, and had it not been for the bellypan I had installed on the bike, my oil filter would have been toast and I'd have been stranded on the side of the road in the desert. I certainly think a bellypan, or other similar protector is a good thing to have. It's cheap insurance, in any case.
 
#9 ·
#11 ·
Somebody a while back posted a photo that showed just which size soup can to magnet-mount over the filter for protection.
 
#12 ·
I was on a camping trip when a rock put a hole in my car oil filter. Even tho the oil pressure light came on, I didn't believe a rock could puncture an oil filter nor did I believe I could lose oil that quickly ....must have been a defective warning light. The light stayed on till I got to a small town then wisely had a mechanic put it on a lift and change it out. Ever since then, I protect my oil filters. The Weld 86 bash plate is cheap insurance, and it looks great on the bike.
 
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