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Parrothead

DIY Oil Change On A Honda Shadow / Phantom TA-200 Motorcycle.

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Parrothead
A few months back, I purchased a Honda Shadow / Phantom TA200 (in other countries, called a Shadow?) from John Bohn, another member of this forum and long time friend (going on two decades). I knew it was time to get the oil changed, but didn't realize it would be a major issue to sort, when I first began this. Had I known, I would have cracked the top on a fresh bottle of whisky - something most foreigners should do from time to time, if living in Southeast Asia. 
 
We have a local foreigner here (Battambang) who has a long history with motorcycles, and provides quality mechanic service. However, to be honest, I just didn't want to bother him over such trivial thing. (He typically has engine rebuilds and such, waiting for him at the shop.) 
 
Firstly, I had to locate an Owners Service Manual for the motorcycle, online. I did that: Honda Shadow / Phantom TA200 Owner's Manual - PDF (Hosted on my Dropbox account.)
 
Secondly, I attempted, multiple times, to locate a (READ: any) Cambodian motorbike shop that could do an oil change on this motorcycle. Well, friends and neighbors, this is the part of living in Southeast Asia that causes you to pull your hair out.
 
The common reply, after asking ANY shop owner if they could perform an oil change for me on this particular motorcycle, was, "I don't know how to do an oil change on that motorcycle." So, they know how to change the oil on 3.6 million shitty little scooters here. But, anything that remotely resembles a "real" motorcycle is just beyond their capacity, right? Yep, that is ko-rect. 
 
So, I just enlisted Tha and Chan to help me get this sorted. Tha was coming by today anyway, as he was sorting some maintenance issues on her motorcycle. So, I figured I would just have him change the oil while he was here, on the Phantom. I know other guys, either in Thailand, or here in Cambodia, who own similar motorcycles. (I've seen quite a few at the local foreigner's shop, in fact.) So, I figured I might as well take a few photos while this was being done and do a little write up on it. Pretty simple, really.
 
Start by running the engine to warm up the oil. Shut the engine off.
 
Remove the dipstick.
phantom_oil_change (1).jpg
 
Remove the drain plug, spring and strainer, and place a basin under the engine. Let the oil drain completely.
phantom_oil_change (2).jpg
 
Images of the parts to be removed to change the oil.
phantom_oil_change (3).jpg
 
phantom_oil_change (4).jpg
 
Replace strainer, spring and drain plug. (Use a 17mm wrench.) Fill with 1 Liter of appropriate oil (see page 53 of the manual) and replace the dipstick. If you do not have a funnel, visit the nearest banana tree.
phantom_oil_change (5).jpg
 
 
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John_Galt

The banana leaf funnel is effective and more easily found than a real funnel. 

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andy

Easy to also make, just by cutting down a water bottle.

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Bill H

There is a top notch repair guy in Snooky, but that's a "fer piece" for an oil change, his prices are pretty good though.  I don't like that the Phantom does not have a "real" filter.  I just don't think the strainer has a fine enough mesh to really do the job.  However, it seems there is no way to add a paper filter so about the only thing a guy can do is change the oil frequently.  I used to do all my own maintenance before moving to Asia, but disposing of used filters and oil properly is a challenge in many areas, so I just hired the task out to a shop.  In the good old days on my ranch we used to recycle all our used oil by burning it for heat in the winter, but that wouldn't really work in Cambodia.  My hat is off to you for doing it yourself though.

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Parrothead

There is a top notch repair guy in Snooky, but that's a "fer piece" for an oil change, his prices are pretty good though.  I don't like that the Phantom does not have a "real" filter.  I just don't think the strainer has a fine enough mesh to really do the job.  However, it seems there is no way to add a paper filter so about the only thing a guy can do is change the oil frequently.  I used to do all my own maintenance before moving to Asia, but disposing of used filters and oil properly is a challenge in many areas, so I just hired the task out to a shop.  In the good old days on my ranch we used to recycle all our used oil by burning it for heat in the winter, but that wouldn't really work in Cambodia.  My hat is off to you for doing it yourself though.

 

Unfortunately, rather than recycling oil here, many people seem to use it to coat wood poles and such that have direct ground contact. 

 

If by "doing it yourself", you mean getting Tha (whom we have since fired - AGAIN) to do it, why thankee. :) I retired a long time ago. Most of "my work" is outsourced to employees, these days. With that said, I was talkin' to a guy the other day here. He's a retired driver too. After that conversation, I was just about ready to fly back to the US, to climb into a truck. I dang sure miss driving around the US.

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Bill H

Don’t Paul, the USA has really changed. The liberals are in control and they have gone crazy with new laws and regulations. The Government is in horrible shape and only caters to the big guys with money. If you are not rich, life is not so good here. The positions claim party affiliation, but really there is only one party and that is the one that insures polititions get re-elected while padding their pockets in the extreme. Now even Trump has sold us out! We’re gonna leave when we figure out where to run to...no easy task it seems.

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syzmic

The liberals are in control? I must have been napping. When did that happen ?

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