Well, seems my oil pan is stripped....

which is a common problem on lots of motorcycles. Who knew that a steel bolt in an aluminum pan is not a good idea? Anyway, checking with various forums and experts, there are a million fixes. Buying a new pan, buying a used pan, helicoil, timesert, jb weld, rubber plug with wing nut, self tapping drain plug, self tapping drain plug with piggy back drain, etc etc etc.

What's really confusing is every answer to the question is also soundly rejected as a viable fix on the various web sites I found discussing a stripped oil pan.

So I decided to go to a local shop that I have heard nothing but good things about. I went in and explained my problem and was instantly given the answer of a stripped pan. The guy then told me the best fix was to replace the pan and he had a used one. I had already checked Ebay and knew that pans could be bought for around $30 shipped to my door. I had also checked my Haynes manual and knew that you'd have to remove the exhaust to get to the pan and a replacement pan gasket would be $15 or so. You have to remove 8 bolts to take off the exhaust so it can't take too long, especially for someone used to working on bikes so I was thinking maybe $200 total.

$400.

Wow.

I then asked how much he would sell just the pan for, I was told $200. Then he added that they had to remove the exhaust to get to the pan and that's why the total was so high.

Wow.

Needless to say, I won't be going to that local shop. I can understand paying more at a local shop and am quite willing to but 8 times more? Nah that's ok.

So, I had wanted to learn how to do my own maintenance on the Bandit. Seeing as how I haven't won the lottery, looks like now is a good time to start.

I now have Wednesdays off along with weekends and work 10 hour days. So far, it is great. Today my plan was to find the self tapping plug and get it on the bike.  It didn't quite work that way but I did get all the stuff I'll need except the self tapping plug. The NAPA I went to didn't have it but was going to bring it from the store on the other side of town. I'll have to pick it up tomorrow.

So, looks like this weekend, I'll be working on the bike. And saving $395.