KTM 1290 Adventure - How to Change Oil

Tools Required

• Ratchet
• 3 in Extension
• 13mm Socket
• 8mm Socket or T30 Torx
• Snap Ring Pliers or Pick
• Drain Pan
• Tin Foil (optional)
• Torque Wrench (unless your hand torque is fine tuned)

Remove Skid Plate (optional)

If you have the stock skid plate or an aftermarket one installed, that will need to be removed. Given the variety of brands and mounting styles, please follow the manufacturer instructions on how to remove your skid plate.

Warm Up The Engine

If the engine is cold, start the bike and let it run for a few minutes to bring the engine temp up to operating temperature.

Drain The Oil

There are two drain plugs located on the left side of the motor. Place a drain pan or suitable container underneath these drain plugs. Your container will need to be a decent size, as there is just under 4 qts of oil in this motor. Remove both of the drain plugs with a 13mm socket and let the oil drain out.

Suggestion For Draining The Oil

The rear drain plug will drain oil all over the exhaust pipe. You can take a piece of tinfoil, wrap it over the top of the exhaust pipe, and shape it so it will direct the oil into your drain pan. Not required, but helps with some of the clean up.

Remove The Oil Filter

Locate the oil filter cover. Remove the two bolts securing the cover with either an 8mm socket or a T30 torx. With the bolts removed, pull the oil filter cover off, exposing the oil filter.

Use either a pair of snap ring pliers or a pick to pull the oil filter out of it’s housing. Let the remaining oil from the housing and filter drain into your drain pan.

Clean Surfaces

Wipe down and clean the surfaces for the drain bolts and the oil filter cover. You want all three of these surfaces free of any dirt or debris.

Install New Oil Filter

Take a brand new oil filter and install it into the oil filter housing. Push the oil filter in with your finger. You will feel a little resistance once the filter is completely into the housing. Gently push with your finger and you should feel the filter lightly snap into place.

The oil filter cover has an o-ring on the back of it. With your finger, wipe a light coating of oil on to the o-ring. Push the oil filter cover on to the housing and reinstall the bolts with an 8mm socket or T30 torx. Torque the bolts to 6 Nm or 4.4 lb-ft.

Clean or Replace Drain Plugs

You can either clean or replace the drain plug assemblies. To clean, spray both screens with contact cleaner and lightly wipe down, removing any debris on the screens. There is a small magnet within the plastic housing. Clean both of those, removing any metal shavings or debris stuck to the magnets.

Reinstall Drain Plugs

Take the new or clean drain plug assemblies and reinstall into the motor with a 13mm socket. Torque the drain plugs to 20 Nm or 14.8 lb-ft.

Fill With Oil

You will need approximatley 3.6L (3.8qt) of oil to fill the motor. The oil KTM recommends is SAE 10W/50 and specifically the Motorex Power Synt 4T brand. It is a two step process to fill the motor with oil.

Step 1

Remove the oil filler cap. Fill the motor with 3.0L (3.2qt) of oil. Reinstall the oil filler cap. Start the motorcycle and let it run for a minute or two. Check that there are no leaks anywhere. Shut the motor off.

Step 2

Remove the oil filler cap again. Add in the remaining .6L (.63qt) of oil. It is best to do this in multiple small pours, as you do not want to overfill the motor. Add in a small amount and check the oil level window. Repeat this multiple times until the oil level is close to or at the top line in the oil level window. Reinstall the oil filler cap. Start the motor again and let it run for a minute or two. Double check there are no leaks anywhere.

Reinstall Skid Plate (optional)

If you removed the stock skid plate or an aftermarket one, that will need to be reinstalled. Given the variety of brands and mounting styles, please follow the manufacturer instructions on how to reinstall your skid plate.

Reset The Service Warning

To reset the service warning, follow the instructions in our KTM 1290 Adventure Service Warning Reset article.