oil drain plug question

[bluehose2012]

Hi I changed the oil and filter today. No problems there.

I did note the bolt head is stripped moderately on the oil drain plug. I'm not sure if I did it or it was that way. I could still get the plug off and back on.

Can a replacement be found somewhere? I looked on the OEM parts schematic and there looks like there is a gasket also. Its about $5 for both but outrageous shipping costs.

Any thoughts? Should I ju st be careful with the stripped part? Thanks.

[Water Warrior 2]

Next time you may not be so lucky removing the plug. Sounds like a previous owner was not using the best tools for the job. For peace of mind spring for a new plug/gasket and then replace the old plug at the next oil change. You will find the job very easy using a socket, a 3/8th inch rachet with a short extension.
A good investment for the bike is a set of Metric sockets and some better open end/box end wrenches that are far superior to the OEM stuff that comes with the bike. If you can find some JIS screw drivers you will a lot happier than using the SAE standard as they do not fit nearly as well.
Alantf did give us a fix for using SAE screw drivers successfully. The tip needs to be ground off a little to fit better. It bottoms out before actually fitting properly and then slips with the resulting damage making a mess of the screw head. I tried this and it works beautifully with a good fit and no slipping. I wrapped some colored tape around the screwdriver shaft to make it easier to find among it's brothers in the screwdriver drawer.

[bluehose2012]

I have a set of metric wrenches-17 mm for the drain plug with a short extension and 10 mm for the oil filter screws.

I think I could get it off next time-I might take the bike into the shop next Spring for a full service-they charge $60 for everything. my concern is, they may mess it more for the next time I change it. I didn't over tighten it or anything.

I'll check with the local shop and see how much they want for a new drain plug and gasket.

[Kcarvajal]

I stripped the thread of my plug pretty good and thought I was done. Went to Advanced Auto Parts and got a plug like the one below for a couple bucks. Have had it for a year, over 1500 miles and no issues.

Just replace it when you change your oil.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp ... 9689-P_x_x

[mole2]

The site listed above also appears to have a replacement drain plug and gasket for $2.99. Check the thread size as the head size is 17mm. Since it is Advance Auto Parts you may have one locally.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp ... fragment-1

[bluehose2012]

I got an OEM one on BikeBandit.com for about $3 with the gasket. I had to order some parts for my 650 Vstar Classic, so I threw that in the order. I will replace it the next time I change the oil. Thanks everyone.