[longhaul747]

I changed the oil today in my 06 Ninja 500. Because of the weather last week I just managed to put about 60 miles on it in the past 2 days. The oil coming out of the drain plug looked pretty good with very little glitter. However after pulling the filter and dumping it out I could see a lot of metal glitter in the filter. Even though it looks like the filter is doing its job I would say its always a good idea to change the oil in the first 100 miles.

Anyways I picked up an OEM filter at the dealer. It looked to be the same as some of the Suzuki filters and I had a special socket for those filters. However it turns out the OEM Kawasaki filter is actually smaller. I next tried the strap tool but it would not fit around the filter and I had no room to work because of the lower fairing piece (I was lazy and did not want to take it off). So I stopped by Schuck's (Kragen in some areas) and found the perfect tool. Its a Super Graphite oil filter socket in the #5 size. It fits the OEM filter perfectly and has traction on the outside so you can use your hands. If its tight you can insert a ratchet and give it a turn. If you use a 5 inch extension you don't even have to remove the lower fairing to pull the filter. The same 5 inch extension can be used with your 17mm socket so you don't need to pull the lower fairing for draining either.

BTW I also installed a magnetic drain plug as well. These help get the very small metal particles not picked up by the filter. Now its likely I would never own a bike long enough to find out if it helped but hey it makes me feel good!! Stay away from the cheap home made magnetic drain plugs out there and go for the Honda drain plug (92800-12000)

This place stocks it and ships fast using priority mail but you can probably find it cheaper at Ron Ayers or even your dealer if you are not in a hurry.

http://www.magneticdrainplug.com/motorcycle.html

 

[longhaul747]

Is it normal to have metal in your oil ? I have never seen this in mine , and i change mine on regular intervals.Please let me know what might be causing this to happen.

In a brand new motor its perfectly normal. Its from the break in process and a lot of it is just dust from machining. Keep in mind these are very tiny bits that show up as glitter in the oil. You can't even feel it with your finger. I have never seen a new motorcycle not have metal glitter in the oil when new. Chunks of metal of coarse is not normal.

You will usually see some at the 600 mile service but its not as bad as the 100 mile service "IF" it was done then. For the first 5,000 miles or so you will continue to see a little but not much. By the time the motor has over 12K miles you will hardly ever see metal glitter in the oil however a little bit is always normal. Its just part of the wear process and why motors have oil filters and magnetic drain plugs in the first place.

Last month I helped a friend change the oil in his 1997 Bandit 1200 with 28,000 miles on it. The filter looked good and the oil was dark but glitter free. Only a light coating of glitter covered the magnetic drain plug. I remember when we changed it when new and the oil came out gray

 

[MrSciTrek]

Just a little clarification, & a trip down middle-school memory lane...

many metals/alloys will not be picked up by a magnetic drain plug... aluminum, copper & such.
Many of those are soft metals & so less a threat to the engine but do add to the Oil glitter.
But the steel bits & flakes (tranny bits mostly?) that circulate near enough to the magnetic plug will be picked up... and those are much harder, & do threaten softer bearings.

So the magnetic plugs are a good idea. Aren't all common oil filter's steel? You could also put a good quarter-sized ceramic magnet on that (dead center?). You know darn sure that the oil is circulating through that. I'm not sure how much of the oil goes past the drain plug. Radio Shack, Lowes, Home Depot all sell magnets... get a strong one.

Shoot, recycle one out of a trashed Microwave oven: the magnetrons I've seen have 2 STRONG donut magnets. They're easy to take apart (hello, unplug it) & if you're really ignorant or careless (& don't safely discharge it) you'll get to learn about a capacitor too.

I just found these sites fast... not saying they're the best, or not:
http://www.cgenterprises.com/magneticdrainplugs/
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/neomaginfo.asp