Like loxpump I use a similar stand but made out of 40 x40 x 3mm RHS. The lever is 1000mm and the base is 650mm. The jack is 200mm high and 300mm across. It could even be made out of 25 x 25mm as this would make it less obstructive when trying to access anything underneath but the way it is at the moment still allows me to drain the oil and remove the filter. It lifts the thruxton back wheel up by about 25mm and the Bonnie way up. When in this position there is not much weight on the front wheel so you can spin it for cleaning purposes quite easily and by just moving it forward slightly will lift the front wheel off the ground.
When changing the oil just make sure you do it hot (Wear Heat proof mechanic Gloves) as this stirs up the wear debris and the sludge and drains it all out, to do it cold is just a waste of time. For the cost of a washer replace it every time as it is good insurance because it prevents risking an oil leak that may get on your back tyre which is not a good combination.
Tip - If you cannot get a washer put the old one on your stove hot plate a get really hot and then cool it down quickly, this softens the alloy/copper up again for another go.
When replacing the filter some filters have a nut on the bottom (K&L ?? Look at BC site as they sell them) and this makes life easy but if using genuine or similar use a filter strap that allows you to get a good choke hold up around the mounting base of the filter and a square drive extension and ratchet can then be used allowing you to get a good swing from below for loosening and nipping up. Conventional filter straps cannot fit in the area comfortably and get a good swing hitting the stand etc. Remember when tightening up do a 3/4 turn from initial contact...don't go too tight but make sure it is tight as these will leak and this also puts risk of oil on the back tyre.
Tip - When refitting the filter, fill it with oil as this saves on starving the engine of oil at start up as the pump fills up the filter and try get into the habit of using rubber grease on the rubber seals and o rings etc because when you use oil this can sometimes fool you into thinking you may have an oil weep or may make you assume that it is just residual oil from installation where in fact you do have an oil leak that will get worse and can be potentially dangerous.
Remember to refill the oil to about 3/4's of the site glass and start the engine (Don't rev it) and let idle for about 20 seconds and switch off. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and recheck the site glass. You may have to refill it but just make sure you only go as far as 3/4's on the site glass because if you go anymore you may actually go above and be unaware that you are actually overfilling the engine and this will lead to shit load of problems.
With the chain there are two camps on what I am about to say and more opinions are invited. I always fit a reusable Link to all of my chains so I can remove the chain when washing the bike. I have never experienced any problems by doing this and the only real concern I can see is making sure the link is fitted in the correct direction of travel. When washing the bike I soak the chain over night in kero and brush off the crap, wipe it dry and give it a good blow off with compressed air. I then hang it up and give it a good coat of motul chain lube. This is nice and sticky and does not flick as much as oily chain lubes. I let the lube dry off and refit it and adjust it with a 1' of deflection at the longest part. I will respray the chain once a week/fortnight as I ride daily (approx 100klm, more on weekends) doing this for about two months until it is time to wash the bike again. TD
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